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Amebix Call It Quits Again By Gregory Adams Classic UK crust unit Amebix got back together in 2008 after more than 20 years apart, but the band have announced that they're once again going off the grid. News of the breakup came through a statement from bassist/vocalist Rob "The Baron" Miller, who explained that despite the successes of the last few years, Amebix had run their course. "To my deep regret, Amebix has now come to a point where we can no longer continue as a band," he said. "We have spent the past five years engaged in a process of resurrecting this group from the ashes and feel very proud of what we have managed to achieve in that time, both in the live performances and also in the album that resulted from this extraordinary time." While Miller didn't lay out the specifics of the split, saying the band had planned to do some touring, he hinted that "there are factors within the band dynamic which will not allow for that in the foreseeable future." He added that he since was no longer playing with his sibling, guitarist Stig C. Miller, he had to hang up the band handle. "Amebix was and is the creation and brainchild of both myself and my brother Stig. With either of us absent, it is no longer Amebix." The Baron did, however, explain that he and drummer Roy Mayorga are working on new material, which they'll perform under a different banner. The reunited band had issued a couple of singles before dropping what would become their swan song, last year's Sonic Mass. Thanks to Blabbermouth for the tip. More Amebix Tau Cross Dropped from Relapse After Thanking Prominent Holocaust Denier in Liner Notes Tau Cross are a metal supergroup featuring members of Amebix, Voivod, Misery and War//Plague. The band were set to release a new album calle... Amebix Reissue and Expand 'Arise!' Though Amebix called it quits for the second time back at the end of 2012, the classic UK crust crew's catalogue is being revived via an upc... The Translator Crust WHAT IS IT? Crust is the metallic evolution of anarcho-punk, blending the aggression of d-beat and a rumbling low end with the messages and... Amebix Return with New LP Were it not for British brigade Amebix, the landscape of modern heavy music would be drastically different (read: a lot suckier). Thanks to... Amebix Redux Breaking 23 years of recorded silence ― not including 1997's live effort, Make Some Fucking Noise ― aggressive crusty punks Ameb...

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Travel Phuket Tourist information for Phuket, Thailand Information on Phuket An introduction to Phuket The largest island in Thailand, Phuket is a mountainous province located in the southern tip of the Andaman Sea. It was originally valued by 17th century Dutch and English explorers as a rich source of tin. The resulting mining industry drew thousands of Chinese laborers to the island. Today, their cultural influence can still be felt in the island's many shops, restaurants and temples. Over 5.3 million tourists flock to Phuket each year to experience its scenic beaches and picturesque mountain ranges. The island has provided the setting for numerous films, including The Man With The Golden Gun and The Beach. Phuket comprises approximately 590 square kilometers, including 39 surrounding islands. Seventy percent of the land is covered by mountains, which stretch from the northwestern tip of the island to the southern edge. The remaining 30 percent is plains. Phuket has a long rainy season in the late spring, summer and autumn months. For this reason, most travel guides recommend visiting Phuket between December and April, when the drier weather permits outdoor activities such as snorkeling, boating and hiking. Phuket's most popular beaches sit on the western side of the island. These include Patong Beach, Karon Beach, Kata Beach, Kata Noi Beach and Nai Harn and Rawai on the southern tip of the island. The beaches north of Patong – Kamala, Surin and Bang Tao – tend to be less developed and more secluded. Several coral islands lie just south of Phuket, with the Similan Islands on the northwest and the Phi Phi Islands on the southeast. All are popular with snorkelers and scuba divers looking to catch a glimpse of Phuket's diverse marine life. Phuket also has a number of national parks that showcase some of the island's best beaches, forests, waterfalls and other natural attractions. Khao Phra Thaeo National Park, on the northern part of the island, is home to Phuket’s last virgin rainforest. Sirinath National Park encompasses a mangrove forest with a saltwater swamp. Phuket has a wide variety of activities and attractions for the millions of tourists who travel there each year. Snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming and boating are among the most popular outdoor activities, though travelers can also experience more exotic attractions such as elephant rides, safaris and all-terrain vehicle tours. Boxing is one of Thailand's most popular spectator sports and a growing favorite among Phuket travelers. The island also has an active nightlife, with countless bars, restaurants, discos and cabarets, as well as world famous full moon parties. Phuket has its own international airport located in the northern end of the island, and a number of major airlines offer daily flights to Phuket. It is also possible to reach Phuket by boat, with a ferries linking Phuket Town and Ko Phi-Phi three times a day. Phuket Weather Map of Phuket About Phuket History of Phuket 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami Must See Sights Must Do Activities Vegetarian Festival © 2010-2016 Travel Phuket, Thailand. All rights reserved.

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AMBRIZ, S. O. (2006). The Effect of Age and Personality on Social Separation. National Undergraduate Research Clearinghouse, 9. Available online at http://www.webclearinghouse.net/volume/. Retrieved January 20, 2020 . The Effect of Age and Personality on Social Separation SARAH O. AMBRIZ Americans, as a culture, are a very socially oriented society. Though individualistic at times, the culture is socially very collective, engaging in activities with two or more companions. So, what happens when this norm, which is an informal rule or pattern, is broken? Three characteristics were observed in relation to social separation, which is the engaging of social activities alone; age, gender and level of introversion. Traditional students of the age of 23 or younger and non-traditional students over the age of 23 completed a self-assessment to determine the level of introversion and were given a personal questionnaire to find the frequency of social separation and how they perceive the activity, as well as how they perceives the activity is received by society. A chi-square test of independence found that there was no significance between gender and introversion or extroversion tendencies, although a significant correlation was found in the relationship between age and level of introversion. A 2 (introvert/extrovert) x 2 (traditional/non-traditional) between-subjects ANOVA was conducted and found no significant results. It can be concluded that age, gender and level of introversion have no significant correlation with social separation tendencies. INTRODUCTION As a culture develops over time, a set of standard customs, or norms, is developed. These are not formal laws, or even spoken agreements, but yet, they are agreed upon by most. Norms, according to Kayser and Nouiqua (2004), are the act of structuring our knowledge in terms of usual and exceptional factors, and there are two ideas in reference to �norms.� One idea is prescriptive which corresponds to the adjective �normative� and the other is descriptive, referring to the adjective �normal.� Norms encompass many aspects of life. There are functional norms, ones that encompass daily happenstances, such as checking both directions on a road one is about to turn onto. There are also social norms, how a group and the individuals in that group go about their lives. It is socially normal to wear a heavy coat in December; however it is not socially normal to wear one in July. Social influences on norms directly impact the feeling of expectations from others. Hence, those, as a group of people, look to others for approval, to assure one another that no one is violating those norms.How people react to norms in regards to his or her personal actions and towards reacting towards others� is dependent on various factors. One factor being that the attention to a certain norm is dependent on the subjective perception of the individual, how they perceive others� opinions of certain norms and how others will react to the violation of those norms (Terry and Hogg, 1996, as cited in Bagozzi and Lee, 2002).In an effort to explain why certain societies or cultures hold certain beliefs or attitudes, authoritarianism offers one explanation. Authoritarianism is also linked to the conflict between social conformity and personal autonomy. This concept first began with investigating the roots of anti-Semitism, which became a study of ethnocentrism. Prejudice and intolerance should be observed among those who value social conformity (Adorno et al., 1950, as cited in Feldman, 2003). Adorno argued that authoritarians will show hostility to groups that are seen as weak and inferior and that they will punish norm violators. Social conformity, where individuals flock towards norms, is disrupted by personal autonomy. Individuals who are autonomous feel agentic in their own behavior and not under the influence, so to say, of a group (deCharms, 1968 as cited in Gagn�, 2003).It was discovered that prosocial behavior, or actions that people take to benefit other people, was also linked with personal autonomy (Gagn�, 2003). This study showed that norms could have a significant effect on people�s actions. Some engage in prosocial behaviors because they feel socially obligated to. And in the case of �mandatory volunteering,� the response was overall negative. Even though volunteers were helping others and performing what is seen as a positive community action because it was the �right� thing to do, they did not feel positive about their time, and in addition, the public did not find much merit, more like a lack of altruistic motives. This all boils down to say that a person must motivate him or herself and must first find satisfaction in his or her accomplishments before they will feel positive about the experience. This is to say that those with low personal autonomy will take part in certain social expectations, but will not find it particularly worthwhile or enjoyable. Those with low personal autonomy will be more inclined towards social conformity, as well.What establishes a person�s approach to self-identity, self-determination and one�s views of social norms and their proneness to adhere to them? One must first specify what culture is in question, for there are most definitely differences in each culture. But, if it were the American culture that was observed, what factors are influential? There are both biological as well as psychosocial factors, which contribute to establish this individual and societal approach. Gender is one determinant. Helgeson (1994, as cited in Ryan, 2005) stated that boys are prone to be more agentic and independent, but girls are more communal and interdependent. Age is another factor in establishing feelings and adhesion to norms (Soenens et al.). For instance, adolescents have different ways of establishing a self-definition than do mature adults. Intelligence quotient (IQ) is another factor, containing both environmental and chronemic significance.In a study done by Ryan, et al. (2005), the interpersonal regulation of emotions is looked at between genders, relationships and cultures. Ryan states that emotional reliance is typically beneficial to well-being, but with different social norms, it can vary, culture to culture and gender to gender. Social partners supporting personal autonomy in their partner are seen as favorable. One can be autonomously dependent, remaining self-legislating, while still receiving some feedback and support from others. This form of self-governance authorizes certain beliefs, desires or other psychological aspects. In this study, it was proposed that higher levels of emotional reliance (ER) would be associated with greater well-being. And last, personality and personal development are influential factors in regards to social norms. The influence of a group�s established norms on an individual results in internalization, which is the adoption of a decision based on the congruence of one�s values with the values of another�s. A way of lessening internalization is intrapersonal empowerment, a form of mastery over one�s own life (Speer, 2000).Self-determination theory assumes that individuals are dynamic and are always working towards elaborating and unifying their identity (Soenens, et al. 2005). According to this theory, development of autonomous self-regulation is described in terms of increasing personal integration and internalization (Berzonsky, 1997, 2003; Deci & Ryan, 2000; Lerner, Freund, De Stefanis, & Havermas, 2001; Waterman, 1992, as cited in Soenens, et al. 2005). In a study regarding identity styles in adolescents, Soenens states that some adolescents will actively process self-relevant info, but others are inclined to adopt the expectations of others. Self-discovery can result in a well-explored sense of self, but if other motivational forces come into place, as in a social environment, the process can be derailed by the social context.Introversion and extroversion, two terms popularized by Carl Jung (Wikipedia, 2006), describe two different personality types. Extroverts seek gratification through external means � outside the self. They are prone to enjoy social gatherings and spending their time with other people. They tend to be enthusiastic and assertive. Extroverts, who are more socially savvy, would tend to be more aware of particular norms and place more emphasis in adhering to them. On the other hand, introverts tend to be concerned with one�s own mental life. They are more low-key and do not tend to engage in social activities, preferring solitude or perhaps the presence of a close companion. While there are many factors influencing perception of norms, the purpose of my study is to determine if two particular factors, age and personality, are directly related to the pattern and approach of breaking certain social norms. Americans are a very social culture, individualistic, yet with conformist attitudes, as well. A widely observed social norm is the act of engaging in social activities with two or more companions. The presence and/or excess of companions can be a public display of social acceptance as much as the absence of companions can be seen as a display of social distance or exclusion. The social exchange theory describes social change and stability as a process of negotiated exchanges between parties. There is a cost benefit relationship within social parties; that is to say that those who find more costs than benefits of a particular person or group, then that person is predicted to leave the relationship (Wikipedia, 2006). If the benefits are seen as great, they are more likely to remain in that relationship. How do people (more specifically in this study, Americans) tolerate and engage in what this researcher calls social separation, or the engagement of social activities with no companions? With the basis of a self-assessment of introversion and extroversion, this study will explore the relationship between the two. METHOD ParticipantsThe participants for this study were undergraduate students at Missouri Western State University, a medium-sized university. The group included 11 non-traditional students, which are categorized as being 24 or more years of age, and 27 traditional students, who were 23 years old or younger. All were enrolled in a lower level psychology course and received extra credit for their time.Materials Each participant was given one packet of questions to fill out which included the Self-Assessment of Introversion/Extroversion (Branigan, 2000). This survey has 24 questions and rated each participant on a scale of one to 24; 1 to 12 was defined as introversion and 13 to 24 was defined as extroversion. The second part of the packet was a personal inventory created by the researcher with questions about their social patterns and tendencies. Participants had as long as they needed to complete the survey.Procedure The researcher went to two different psychology classes at the beginning of the class. Each time, the researcher informed the participants that a study was done regarding social activities in college students and that a packet, containing two different inventories would be handed out. Participants were informed that participation was optional, although no one declined participation. However, upon revision of the surveys, three were tossed out as to not being filled out completely. Students handed in the surveys as they finished. RESULTS To determine the relationship between both groups of students and the frequency of introversion or extroversion, a chi square test of independence was conducted. The findings were significant, x2(1)=5.124, p=.024. Traditional students are more likely to be introverted (92.9%) than traditional (51.9%). A chi-square test of independence was calculated to compare the frequency of introversion and extroversion between males and females. The results were not significant, x2(1)=1.010, p=.315. Introverted males (50%) were just as likely to be extroverted (50%). Introverted females (67.9%) were only slightly more likely than extroverted females (32.1%). Gender does not appear to influence the level of introversion. A 2 (introvert/extrovert) x 2 (traditional/non-traditional) between-subjects ANOVA was conducted to find the frequency of attending social functions alone. The results were not significant with the main effect for introversion (F(1, 1.34)=.607, p=.269), the main effect for type of student (F(1, 1.34)= 2.68, p=.540) and the interaction between the two (F(1, 1.34)=3.82, p=.204), all failing to reach significance. DISCUSSION The purpose of this study was to determine if personality type (introverted or extroverted) and age (traditional or non-traditional) would impact the frequency of social separation as well as if gender and age had introverted or extroverted tendencies. While the age of the participants were significantly related to introversion and extroversion (non-traditional students were more likely to be introverted), no main effect for gender on level of introversion was found. The frequency of social separation activities was not found to be significant, either. This research suggests that extroverts no more prefer to attend social activities alone than do introverts. While the main effects of age and personality type were correlated, no significant relationship was found between the level of introversion or with the type of student. Only three participants stated they engage in social separation often (at least once a week) and of the three, all were classified as traditional students (under the age of 24). Two of these three ranked a moderately strong score of extroversion (16 & 17). Regarding the participants� perception of social separation, the findings, while not significant, tended to have an overall negative response. Of those who engaged in social separation activities often (once every couple of months), more than half made at least one positive comment of their own experiences and/or how they feel the public perceives them. The majority of the positive comments came from the participants� own experiences, however, and not how they feel society perceives this action. Even though they feel their actions go against the norm, they still engage in the activity. This might suggest that these participants have a strong personal autonomy, which supports the studies of Santiago (2005) that an autonomous person acts upon motives he or she sense to be his or her own, acting in a self-legislative manner. However, since the only three participants who rated they engaged in social separation at least once a week were the traditional students, this goes against the results of Soenens (2005). Soenens concluded that youth will change their behavior in away to avoid changing their sense of identity. Of the three �youths� in this study, two of them stated they felt the public looked negatively on those who engage in social separation, but they still engage in the act. One would assume the youths would try to correct this cognitive dissonance and either change the behavior or the sentiment, but perhaps personal autonomy had the greater impact. The limitations of this study may have prevented more significant results from surfacing. One limiting factor was the inequality of non-traditional versus traditional students. There was less than half the amount of non-trads as there were traditional students, which could have had a negative influence, preventing a more randomized sample of the group as well as decreasing the power of the study. Many participants scored in the middle on the introversion scale and this could have influenced the results as well. Demand characteristics such as the young age and lack of experience of the researcher may have caused participants to not take the survey as seriously and therefore not answer the questions as honestly. The mortality of some subjects may have also influenced the scores. Three surveys were removed from the study because they were incomplete. In some surveys that were analyzed, answers in the short answer section were non-descriptive or simply a �yes� or �no� response. Confounding variables such as amount of time to engage in social activities might have affected the results. Time consuming activities such as sports, media entertainment, studies and careers were not compensated for. Personality factors other than introversion and extroversion, such as openness to experience and conscientiousness from the Five-Factor Model may be other influences to the frequency of social separation as well.The findings of this study, at this time, cannot be generalized to gender, age or personality-specific influences on social separation. Future efforts for more generalization would include examining a more diverse participant group as well as examining more specifically psychosocial characteristics, such as other personality traits or the academic performance/dedication of an individual. Because this endeavor was simply a correlation study, suggestions for further research would include creating a true experiment, such as observing individuals dining or attending a play on their own to see how they act and interact with their environment and later receiving subjective feedback. REFERENCES Bagozzi, R.P. & Lee, K. (2002). Multiple routes for social influence: The role of compliance, internalization and social identity. Social Psychology Quarterly, 65, 226-227.Branigan, G.G. (2000). Experiencing Psychology: Active Learning Adventures. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.Feldman, S. (2003). Enforcing social conformity: A theory of authoritarianism. Political Psychology, 24, 41-74.Gagn�, M. (2003). The role of autonomy support and autonomy orientation in prosocial behavior engagement. Motivation and Emotion, 27, 199-233.Kayser, D. & Nouiqua, F. (2004). International Journal of Artificial Intelligence Tools, 14, 7-23.Ryan, R.M., La Guardia, J.G., Solky-Butzel, J., Chirov, V. & Kim, Y. (2005). Personal Relationships, 12, 145-163.Santiago, J. (2005). Personal autonomy: What�s Content got to do with it? Social Theory and Practice, 31, 77-104.Soenens, B., Berzonsky, M.D., Vansteenkiste, M., Beyers, W., & Goossens, L. (2005). Identity styles and casuality orientations: In search of the motivational underpinnings of the identity exploration process. European Journal of Personality, 19, 427-442.Speer, P.W. (2000). Intrapersonal and international empowerment: Implications for theory.Journal of Community Psychology, 28, 51-61.Wikipedia (2006). Introversion and extroversion. Retrieved November 28, 2006 from http://www.wikipedia.org.Wikipedia (2006). Social Exchange Theory. Retrieved November 28, 2006 from http://www.wikipedia.org. Submitted 12/1/2006 4:27:40 PM Last Edited 12/5/2006 3:19:39 PM

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061 of 254: Stephens County Courthouse, Breckenridge, Texas. County Population: 9,630 Stephens County, Texas "Originally named Buchanan County after President James Buchanan, the county was renamed in 1861 to honor Alexander H. Stephens, the vice president of the Confederate States of America. "The Texas legislature established Stephens County in 1858 from lands formerly assigned to Bosque County. "In 1861, after Texas had left the Union, the small town of Picketville was designated the temporary county seat, and the county was renamed to honor the vice president of the Confederacy. "The county was organized in 1876, and Breckenridge became the seat of "Wildcatters first drilled for oil in Stephens County land in 1911. A terrific boom centering around Breckinridge took off in 1921, when drillers brought in Stoker No. 1 just outside of town. Breckenridge became a forest of wooden derricks; over 200 wells were drilled within the city limits. "The Breckenridge oilfield was prodigious. In one year it produced 15 percent of all the oil produced in the United States. "Breckenridge grew quickly, as thousands moved into the area; by the early 1920s the town had two daily newspapers, ten theaters, eighty-nine oil companies, and seventy-nine eating places." John Leffler, "STEPHENS COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online I visited Stephens County and photographed the courthouse in Breckenridge on July 25, 2010 and on October 19, 2014. Stephens County Courthouse 1883 Designed by Dallas architect James Edward Flanders. Demolished in 1927 after construction of the current courthouse. Image courtesy of courthousehistory.com A portion of the 1883 entrance was saved and stands on the grounds of the courthouse square. The front porch of the 1883 courthouse on the southeast corner of the courthouse square "The Stephens County Courthouse, designed in 1925 with construction spanning through 1926, creates a dramatic governmental landmark for both Stephens County and the city of Breckenridge. The courthouse occupies the public square central to the town's gridiron street system. "Abilene architect David Castle finished this efficient composition in a sophisticated Classical Revival styling, rendered in light gray limestone throughout. The 1926 courthouse, the third courthouse built in Stephens County, symbolizes the prosperity that developed in the town and county during the 1920's oil boom." From the National Register listing narrative Photograph, circa 1939, courtesy of TXDOT. Postcard image courtesy of courthousehistory.com Photograph courtesy of courthousehistory.com The front façade of the courthouse faces south, on Walker Street, between Court and Rose. This building should be compared to the Tom Green County Courthouse of 1928 The primary entrance, on the south façade The west end of the front façade The building is beautifully crafted The west façade, on Rose Ave The northwest corner of the building Unfortunately, the north façade has become the "back" of the building, with several ugly additions The east entrance The east end of the north façade The upper portion of the east façade, complete with three owls The back of the 1883 courthouse fragment Breckenridge and Stephens County celebrate their debt to the oil derrick Looking east on Walker Street in front of the courthouse The Breckenridge Municipal Building is northeast of the courthouse square

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Home Classic Cinema TCM Presents The Wizard of Oz on The BIG Screen TCM Presents The Wizard of Oz on The BIG Screen The Wizard of Oz is coming to the BIG screen! Save the date for January 11 & 14, 2015. I think there should be screenings of classic film all the time. I have seen about eight or nine now and I wish I could do that every weekend. It's magical. It really is. To find out more where The Wizard of Oz will be playing in your town, simply click HERE and check it out via Fathom Events! Have you seen this film on the big screen? What films have you seen or would like to see on the big screen? Chronically Vintage December 23, 2014 Agreed! There should be way, way more classic film screenings and not just in the US, but elsewhere around the world, too. It's so important for films like this to remain on the mainstream radar as new generations come along.

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Rethinking China’s Fast Reactor by Mark Hibbs | February 17, 2017 | 12 Comments At the beginning of 2017 a little more information percolated to the outside world concerning the hazy official particulars of China’s aspirations to “close the nuclear fuel cycle” by deploying fast breeder reactors and reprocessing plants. What’s coming across adds to other information suggesting that this program for some time has been subject to an ongoing internal and high-level re-evaluation. This is the first of two posts on this subject. The second post will treat recent information concerning industrial-scale spent fuel reprocessing. Toward the end of the first week of the new year this item appeared in my e-mail queue. The report was interesting because, in announcing a new contract for fuel to be provided by Russian fabricator TVEL for the 20 MWe China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR), it suggested that CEFR will continue indefinitely to use highly-enriched uranium (HEU). Since the CEFR project was launched in the 1990s, and as late as 2013, scientists at the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE), who are leading the way for China’s breeder program, indicated that CEFR would after a trial period be fueled with mixed plutonium/uranium oxide (MOX), and that MOX would be chosen as the initial fuel for the first of a line of industrial-scale, power-generating breeders; construction of the first reactor was aimed to get underway before 2020. Six years after the reactor went critical and approaching two years after MOX fuel was scheduled to be loaded, so far neither Russia nor China has announced that any MOX fuel would be delivered for CEFR, nor that any MOX has been inserted into the reactor. During the 2000s China aimed to set up a MOX fabrication plant based on Belgian technology on the Plant 404 site at Jiuquan in Gansu Province. Belgium, according to European officials, would not agree to terms set by China and the project was scuttled. Instead China designed and built an indigenous pilot installation to make 500 kilograms of MOX per year and began operating it in 2013. I looked around this month and found no information from China pointing to any loading of MOX in CEFR. I’m told on good authority there’s no MOX in the reactor. If CEFR has not yet loaded MOX, two possible and complementary explanations come to mind. The first is that the Chinese plant has so far not been able to make the fuel (or enough of it) for CEFR. Russia—a country with deep fast reactor experience and China’s partner for the CEFR since the project got underway during the Soviet era—may not be prepared on relatively short notice to make this fuel for Chinese specifications at mutually acceptable terms. A second possible explanation for continued HEU use in CEFR is that China may be reconsidering the fuel strategy for its future fast reactor program. If that’s the case, China might be looking at going forward right off with alternative fuels, for example, zirconium-uranium/plutonium metal fuel that China and U.S. national laboratories, under the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) in the Bush administration, committed to cooperate on beginning in 2007. If so, it would not make sense for China to design, qualify, license, and manufacture a tiny amount of MOX fuel–at considerable expense–for a pilot fast reactor that has hardly operated and might not serve as the design basis for breeder reactors that China builds in the future. U.S. officials say U.S.-China fast reactor cooperation has been more limited since the Obama administration defunded most of GNEP. But China’s breeder program remains interested in the development of zirconium fast reactor fuel technology that is also planned for the U.S.-supported Terrapower breeder reactor initiative, and the longer term vision for China’s fast reactor program includes an eventual transition to metallic fuel. Other developments would suggest that China’s fast reactor strategy has been under review. The essential facts are these: After an R&D effort that got underway a quarter-century ago, China has one pilot fast reactor, CEFR. It went critical in 2010 and has infrequently operated since. Most of the know-how and key equipment for CEFR was provided by Russia. After CEFR finally started up, the next planned step in China’s breeder partnership with Russia was construction of one or two BN-800 fast reactors in China. The BN-800 is an industrial-scale power-generating reactor (800 = 800 MWe). The deal for BN-800 in China—according to some Russian sources—collapsed over money, technology transfer terms, and intellectual property rights. Nonetheless, last Nov. 7 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia that included joint work on design and development of advanced fast reactors. Since the mid-2000s China and France have been cooperating on the nuclear fuel cycle on the basis of an MOU that links China’s biggest nuclear state-owned enterprise, the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), with French nuclear industry champion Areva. This partnership includes plans to build a spent fuel reprocessing plant in China. But there is no cooperation between Areva and any Chinese organizations on fast breeder reactor design, development, or deployment. There are unconfirmed rumors that GE-Hitachi is approaching China about its Prism sodium fast reactor design. What remains concerning foreign technology opportunities for China is a potential project to build a breeder reactor with Bill Gates’ Terrapower outfit. This emerged as a possibility after the U.S. firm a couple of years ago raised its game in China by proposing a second reactor design more attractive to CNNC. Gates’ first approach—a “traveling wave” reactor meant to burn a plug of uranium like a cigarette without interruption for half a century—didn’t get a lot of CNNC traction. There are two power reactor-sized designs at issue for China: TWR-P, a prototype, followed by a commercial model called TWR-C. Does the U.S. government support Gates’ project in China? Yes. China is part of two international cooperation arrangements to advance progress on development of new fast reactors. One is the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). The other is the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO). But these programs do not provide China any intellectual property to build an industrial-scale fast reactor. All the above leaves China with the option of designing and building an industrial-scale demonstration breeder reactor on its own. According to Chinese media in 2015, CIAE’s longtime leading breeder scientist, Xu Mi, said that China was ready to build a 600 MWe fast reactor at a site called Xiapu in Fujian Province (Fujian had been tagged in earlier reports as the selected location for the two BN-800 breeders that didn’t materialize). This report said construction would begin in 2017. That’s right now. So if this is for real, what’s the design for this reactor? Who did the engineering? Is all the IP Chinese? Is the project beyond the preliminary design? Is there a detailed design? What is the fuel cycle for the reactor? Who will make the fuel? What happens with the spent fuel? Did China’s nuclear regulator, the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA), certify the design for a big fast reactor and award the requisite approvals? Who will pay for the project, for its anticipated cost overruns (just ask Germany, France, US, UK, Russia, India, and Japan about whether that is likely), and for the extra cost for power generation associated with the reactor? (Chinese utilities know very well that electricity production in non-PWR nuclear power plants will be more expensive than in PWRs). According to Chinese industry sources, several years ago CIAE had changed its mind about a demo 600-MWe breeder and began advocating construction of a 1,000-MWe reactor instead. If a 600-MWe unit is currently again favored, the calculation of the balance of plant will be different than for the bigger reactor. The sum total of these developments so far suggests that China’s default strategy for industrial fast reactor deployment may, like France and Japan previously, begin with a large demonstration nuclear power plant. But not all the components for this way forward in China are in place. The design of the reactor is not complete. If China, like France or Japan in the 1980s and 1990s, builds a one-off demonstration or prototype unit, that installation could likewise become a stranded asset. The ultimate bottom line is that if China wants to operate an industrial-scale fast reactor for electricity production using plutonium fuels anytime during the 2020s, it will need an inventory of separated plutonium that right now it doesn’t have. Michael Krepon (History) Re your last para, does this have implications for warhead stockpile growth at a time when MIRVs are coming on line? Mark Hibbs (History) Michael, your question approaches a discussion we could have and inside governments no doubt has occurred concerning the relationship between China’s “civilian” nuclear power program and its defense program. “Civilian” is in quotes because there is no strict distinction between the two in China in certain areas. CNNC, the company responsible for industrial-scale nuclear fuel cycle activities in China, has been involved in both peaceful-use and non-peaceful-use processing of nuclear fuel. The same goes for France, where Cogema, the company out of which Areva was created, was involved in defense and peaceful nuclear activities including in areas where power applications and defense applications were not strictly separated. That said, the amount of separated plutonium that China would need to start up a plutonium-fueled industrial-scale prototype or demonstration fast reactor would approach what is commonly assumed to be China’s stockpile of military plutonium, i.e., something between one and two metric tons. In part for this reason the logic has been that if China in the future, as CIAE and other proponents advocate, deploy a number of big fast reactors, they would need a capability to produce much larger quantities of plutonium than would be available in China’s military program, so long as China indefinitely continues to suspend production of weapons fissile materials, which has been since the late 1980s. Hence the rationale for the long-envisaged reprocessing plant that would be built in China on the basis of cooperation with Areva, an installation that could provide China’s breeder program maybe 8 MT Pu/year–amounts of Pu that dwarf what’s in China’s military stockpile. Nonetheless, the assumption in France is that an Areva reprocessing plant operating in China would be under IAEA safeguards. We could speculate about why. Halvor (History) Interesting considerations! Is there any reason why China would object to INFCIRC/66 on a reprocessing plant meant for civilian applications? Halvor. Halvor, I could think of one major objection: China is an NPT nuclear weapon state. To my knowledge, there’s no safeguards by design program for a 200 MTHM/y reprocessing plant based on indigenous IP, that China is setting up. That’s not the case for preparations for an Areva plant that would be built in China at a later date should that still happen. My sense is that if you ask 10 people in government whether it makes sense to safeguard a reprocessing plant in a NWS including China, 5 will say yes, and 5 will say no. Thanks, Mark! Yes, there’s obviously a question of cost/benefit by doing something that expensive in a NWS. Two valid reasons may be strengthening PRC’s own transparency credentials, and not least assuring the world that the SNM from that facility stays in the civilican nuclear sector, like in the US – India deal. djysrv (History) The URL cited from Neutron Bytes mis-reads the text. What I wrote was the prototype is expected to be under construction between 2018 and 2023. “The first TWR, a 600 MW prototype, is expected to demonstrate key plant equipment, qualify the fuel and materials for longer term use, and provide the technical, licensing and economic basis for commercial TWRs. This prototype is expected to be constructed between 2018 and 2023. After testing and optimization, 1150 MW commercial plants are expected to be licensed with start up in the late 2020s or early 2030s. https://neutronbytes.com/2015/09/23/terrapower-inks-deal-with-chinas-cnnc-to-build-fast-reactor/ Thanks for your clarification on what the Chinese have told you about the timeline for reactor construction for a 600-MWe breeder. No idea where that 5-year schedule is from…perhaps their experience in replicating Gen-II PWRs? Neutron Bytes published this: According to English language news media in China, that country’s government plans to begin building a pilot fast nuclear reactor in Fujian province in 2017.The report first appeared in Shanghai’s China Business News in mid-August. According to that report, Xu Mi, a frequently cited researcher at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said construction of a pilot project for a fast neutron reactor in Fujian’s Xiapu province is set to begin at the end of 2017. The pilot plant will be a full scale facility with a capacity of 600 MW. I’ve seen other Chinese commentary citing Xu Mi as claiming 2017 is when they could start construction. Xu Mi talks to a lot of people in the outside world, including especially non-Chinese, to generate support for his project. He’s been doing that for a long time. I met him the first time in 2007. In response to this blog post this week, I have been shown non-public materials that also refer to the 2017 date for this project. If as you say the dates you were given were 2018 with a finish in 2023, that’s even more reason to question how solid the project planning for this is. Five years is a tall order for a country to build and commission an electric power reactor using a non-PWR technology with hot sodium circuits, plutonium fuel that it doesn’t have so far, and so far no experience in fabricating and irradiating MOX fuel. It took China almost 20 years from start to finish for the CEFR pilot breeder. That may be special case and the Chinese know how to shorten learning curves. But I wouldn’t bet the ranch that in five years’ time they will put a big industrial demo breeder on line after operating a 20 MWe reactor for (so far) what amounts to less than a year of full-power operation. Might be prudent to finish the design of the reactor before predicting when it will be finished… The TerraPower reactor is separate from the other 600 MW advanced reactor. China is placing multiple “bets” on these types of designs. I agree it is separate. But this is the New Normal in China, as President Xi says. They aren’t likely to build a number of different fast reactor concepts at industrial scale. One concept will prove to be expensive enough. TWR’s fuel cycle is totally unrelated to what they would have in mind if they in fact go through with using MOX in a 600-MWe demo breeder. Of course if Terrapower were to pay China for the privilege of building the project in that country–as some Chinese would like to see happen–then all bets, as you say, would be off…! nuclearhead212 (History) Two questions, Mark. 1) What source do you have for the rumors behind China and GE discussing PRISM cooperation? 2) Theoretically, what is holding China back from investing time in adopting a development of PRISM? Who told me about Prism in China would not appreciate me outing him, sorry. Suffice it to say that Jack Welch for many years made sure that GE was never a player in China’s nuclear free-for-all and his successor’s interest in it came too late to figure in China’s LWR decision making. Prism is what is left. There may be some design features in Prism that are interesting to CNNC. I can’t gauge China’s potential interest and off the bat I wouldn’t bet on them building Prism unless someone else pays for it–like what we hear are Chinese ideas about building TWR: “You pay us to build your reactor and you also give us the technology.” The ultimate kowtow. Theoretically China could build it or a permutation. But there would have to be 1.) commitment by China’s top leadership to do it including at the CPC, 2.) resources including personnel that know about fast reactors and aren’t tied up by CNNC for projects it already favors and is overextended on already (incomplete design for CDFR, no fuel cycle expertise, etc.) and of course the money. They could probably find investors, but at some point China would have to explain to them that building Prism isn’t just like cookie-cutting another Gen-II PWR and that by doing this they would be assuming serious project risk. TerraPower involved its China partners early in design work including supercomputer simulations of reactor core. See my published interview from May 2016 with CTO John Gilliland here https://neutronbytes.com/2016/04/27/new-paradigms-emerge-for-innovation-and-investment-in-advanced-nuclear-energy-reactor-designs/ While TerraPower has not made public the financial details of their relationship with CNNC, it is plausible to assume that cost sharing, as well as technology transfer, are elements of the deal.

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SUSAN ENGLISH | ABOUT Our inventory fluctuates – please contact the gallery for current works. ABOUT SUSAN ENGLISH Susan English’s work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts and Littlejohn Contemporary in Chelsea, NY; Matteawan Gallery, Theo Ganz Gallery and Van Brunt Gallery in Beacon, NY. Group exhibitions include Revivify at Kenise Barnes, Undercurrents at the Samuel Dorsky Museum in New Paltz, NY; The Big Small Show at The Drawing Rooms in Jersey City, NJ; Abstraction: New Modernism at Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh, NY 2013;Currents: Contemporary Abstract Art in the Hudson Valley at the Edward Hopper House Gallery in Nyack, NY; and Far and Wide at the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum in Woodstock, NY. English received a fellowship at the Saltenstall Foundation for the Arts and had a Habitat for Artists residency in Garrison, NY. She worked as a Teaching Artist at DIA:Beacon, co-founded Cold Spring Arts and was a founding member of Collaborative Concepts in Beacon, NY. She has curated shows including, Drawing Revealed which included the production of a documentary on artist’s drawing processes. Her work a has been reviewed in the New York Times, Widewalls Magazine, the Chronogram, Abstract Art Online, the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Highlands Current. She received an MFA from Hunter College in New York City and a BA from Hamilton College, Clinton, NY. She currently lives and works in Cold Spring, NY. English’s abstract paintings are concerned with color, light and surface, and explore the properties and possibilities of materials. She has developed her own unique system of pouring paint onto panels creating a rich, luminous and evocative surface. The New York Times described English’s work as “sublime” and “buoyant”.

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Only a look Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir The Sights and Sounds of Christmas on Broadway Coming up on Wednesday, December 23, Daystar Television Network will be airing the Sights and Sounds of Christmas on Broadway, a special event by Dr. David Jeremiah. The Sights and Sounds of Christmas on Broadway originally took place at the Beacon Theater in New York City earlier this month. Featuring a powerful time of worship, special performances from various Christian artists, and a timely message from Dr. David Jeremiah, this is one Christmas event that you won’t want to miss. Wednesday, December 23rd: Dr. David Jeremiah at 9:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. ET Dr. David Jeremiah Dr. David Jeremiah is the founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, and one of the more esteemed pastors in America. Today, Turning Point’s 30-minute radio program is heard nationally and internationally on over 1800 stations and translators. Turning Point launched a television program in 1982 in San Diego and went nationwide in 2000. Now seen around the world through cable and satellite technology, as well as on terrestrial stations all across the United States, conservative estimates suggest that close to 200 million homes around the world have access to Dr. Jeremiah’s Bible teaching each week. Turning Point Television offers a half-hour Bible study message and a full hour worship service with the same great preaching. Carried on several national and international networks such as TBN, ION, and INSP, Turning Point Television has most recently been added to Middle East TV Network. A dedicated family man, Dr. Jeremiah believes that without the support and encouragement of his wife, Donna, Turning Point would have never been brought into existence. He and Donna have four grown children and eleven grandchildren. Charles Billingsley Charles Billingsley is a nationally-known recording artist, worship leader, teacher, author and pastor. His most recent album, Only Jesus, encourages the listener to take their focus off of the situations around them, and to focus their heart’s attention on worshiping the only one worthy of praise, only Jesus. Only Jesus is a masterful mix of energetic praise songs like “Sing and Shout, ” as well as life-changing worship songs like “In a Moment” and new favorite “Mercy Tree.” Billingsley states, “The message of ‘Mercy Tree’ is crystal clear. It tells the story of the Gospel and reminds us of what it will be like when we spend eternity with Jesus….Having performed it now in many locations, I know for a fact, its melody and message has a direct impact into the life of the listener.” Billingsley is no stranger to Christian music. He began his career the day after he graduated from college traveling solo, until he joined the Christian music group NewSong as their lead vocalist for two years. Following his time with NewSong, Billingsley decided to travel solo and eventually moved his family to Lynchburg, Virginia where he serves today as the worship leader at Thomas Road Baptist Church, the artist-in-residence at Liberty University, and the president of Red Tie Music. His solo ministry still takes him all over the world as he leads worship at churches, events and many conferences. Billingsley is also the worship leader for the Women of Joy, Gridiron Men and Celebrators Conferences. TaRanda Greene Fourteen years ago, TaRanda Kiser was like most high school seniors. She was headed for college and ready to conquer the world. Little could she have known what the next decade and a half would hold, after she made the decision to forsake college and audition for the popular Southern Gospel Music group, The Greenes. “Singing full-time had always been my dream, ” recalls TaRanda, “so I gave up a college scholarship, left Florida, and made my way to the mountains of Boone, NC, to pursue my dream. All I wanted to do was sing!” Nowadays, TaRanda is often seen on the popular Bill Gaither Homecoming Video Series and has also made appearances at numerous cities with the Homecoming Tour. She has also become a favorite guest vocalist at the famed Brooklyn Tabernacle in Brooklyn, NY. She was invited by the Church to be a special featured soloist on the latest two Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir recordings “Declare Your Name” and “A Brooklyn Tabernacle Christmas”. She was also invited to appear before the United Nations for a special Christmas concert, where she thrilled representatives from around the world with her rousing rendition of O Holy Night. “Joy Unspeakable, Faith Unsinkable, Love Unstoppable, Anything is Possible!” Hearing Casting Crowns’ frontman Mark Hall singing those words in the title track of the band’s new album Thrive, it’s hard not to feel peace wash over your soul. Life can be so challenging and it’s easy to become overwhelmed. What a gift to be reminded we were made to thrive! Working again with producer Mark Miller, who signed the band to his label more than a decade ago, Casting Crowns has crafted another collection of songs that are entertaining and innovative, yet lyrically substantive. Thrive is a rich aural feast that leaves everyone with plenty of food for thought. In writing songs for Thrive, Casting Crowns’ frontman Mark Hall enlisted some of his favorite collaborators, among them Matthew West, Matt Maher and Bernie Herms. It’s been more than 10 years since the members of Casting Crowns heard their first single on the radio in July 2003, the same day Hall and his wife Melanie welcomed their daughter Zoe. Since then so much has happened in the lives of each member and along the way God has taught them so much. “He’s opened our eyes to our suspicion that He was way bigger than we thought He was, ” Hall says with a smile. “He didn’t need Casting Crowns to come along to help His word get out. God is winning. He’s changing the world. It may look at times like things are getting darker and darker, but they are not. Everywhere you go, you can see light and light wins. It always wins.” THE LAMB HAS OVERCOME ( BROOKLYN TABERNACLE CHOIR SINGERS ) Praise Him - The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir Look Away - The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir Thou oh Lord Enjoy our Budget Air/Ground Shipping - starting as low as $2.99! Simply choose Budget Air/Ground as your shipping method… Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir Albums The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir (Facebook) The Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir will release its 29th album via… Yorkshire Youth Choir Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Choir Gospel songs for Children Choir McNeil High School Choir Christmas with Mormon Tabernacle Choir Harlem Boys Choir

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Alex Boye, Mormon Tabernacle Choir Music has the ability to change people’s lives. It can heal broken hearts; lift spirits, and has the power to move us beyond our troubles, even if for a moment. Music holds a special place in the hearts of those facing burdens, who use it to express emotions and take their minds away from the harsh conditions they encounter. One song that helps those facing difficulties find hope and courage by turning to Jesus Christ is “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me.” The song serves as a reminder that humans can find light in a dark world. Alex Boye was born in London, England to Nigerian parents, but spent much of his youth living in foster homes after being abandoned by his mother. He discovered The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at age 16 through a McDonald’s co-worker and converted to the faith. In 1995, Boye formed a boy band called Awesome. They signed a major recording contract and reached the top-10 on the music charts across Europe with their debut album Rumors. In 1999, Boye left the band as he felt it was leading him toward a lifestyle he didn’t want to pursue. The following year, he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, to pursue a solo career in Christian music and released his first album, The Love Goes On, in 2001. Boye’s music has been featured in movie soundtracks, YouTube videos, and concerts around the globe. In 2006, he joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, while continuing his solo career. From the shores of the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana, Alex Boye, backed by “America’s Choir, ” sings “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me, ” from the album, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing: American Folk Hymns and Spirituals. 2015 Mormon Tabernacle Choir Tour Promo with Alex Boyé (:60) Alex Boyé and Mormon Tabernacle Choir Sing on an Airplane ... Alex Boye and Mormon Tabernacle Choir ~ I Want Jesus To ... Mormon Tabernacle Choir History For more than eight decades, nearly the lifetime of radio, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has presented a weekly program — Music… Christmas Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Santino Fontana & the Sesame Street Muppets Holiday Specials… Mormon Tabernacle Choir America the Beautiful Vienna Boys Choir movie Free Download Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir songs Christmas with the Vienna Boys Choir Swansea Bach Choir Millard North Show Choirs

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Why Read the Bible? September 29, 2016 Jeffrey Pinyan Leave a comment I’ll let St. Jerome answer this question, from the beginning of his famous commentary on the book of the prophet Isaiah: I interpret as I should, following the command of Christ: “Search the Scriptures” (John 5:39), and “Seek and you shall find” (Matthew 7:7). Christ will not say to me what he said to the Jews: “You erred, not knowing the Scriptures and not knowing the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29) For if, as Paul says, “Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24), and if the man who does not know Scripture does not know the power and wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. Itaque et tibi et illi per te reddo quod debeo, obediens Christi praeceptis, qui ait: Scrutamini Scripturas; et, Quaerite, et invenietis. Ne illud audiam cum Judaeis: Erratis, nescientes Scripturas, neque virtutem Dei. Si enim juxta apostolum Paulum Christus Dei virtus est, Deique sapientia; et qui nescit Scripturas, nescit Dei virtutem ejusque sapientiam: ignoratio Scripturarum, ignoratio Christi est. (English translation courtesy of Crossroads Initiative) isaiahjerome New to Bible Study? Start Here! If this is your first Bible study, or if it’s been a while since you’ve been part of a Bible study group, here’s some basic information to help prepare you. Bible Terminology – Why is it called the “bible”? What are the Old and New Testaments? What do references like Matthew 6:1-3 mean? Four Senses of Scripture – How do we read and interpret the Bible? Mind, Soul, Strength, Heart – What does loving God with our whole being have to do with Bible study? Symbol Guide – What are the little symbols next to the questions in our Bible study guide? Tools – What resources should I have? (Hint: at least your own copy of the Bible!) Readings for 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) 2 Kings 5:1-19 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram. But valiant as he was, the man was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little maid from the land of Israel, and she waited on Naaman’s wife. Now the Arameans had captured from the land of Israel in a raid a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” “If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,” she said to her mistress, “he would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the maiden from the land of Israel.” Naaman went and told his lord just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said. And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten festal garments. “Go,” said the king of Aram. “I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” And when the king of Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” When he read the letter, the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed: “Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you rent your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king: “Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the door of Elisha’s house. Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” The prophet sent him the message: “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.” But Naaman was angry, and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper. But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?” With this, he turned about in anger and left. But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had commanded you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much rather, then, when he says to you, `Wash, and be clean’?” But his servants came up and reasoned with him. “My father,” they said, “if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, ‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him; and he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. “As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it,” Elisha replied; and despite Naaman’s urging, he still refused. Then Naaman said, “If not, I pray you, let there be given to your servant two mules’ burden of earth; for henceforth your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD. Naaman said: “If you will not accept, please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the LORD. In this matter may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon your servant in this matter.” But I trust the LORD will forgive your servant this: when my master enters the temple of Rimmon to worship there, then I, too, as his adjutant, must bow down in the temple of Rimmon. May the LORD forgive your servant this.” He said to him, “Go in peace.” […] “Go in peace,” Elisha said to him. On the way to Jerusalem he (Jesus) was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. As he (Jesus) continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance As he was entering a village, ten lepers met (him). They stood at a distance from him and lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Then said Jesus, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” 2 kingslukereadings 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C): 2 Kings 5:14-17 • Luke 17:11-19 September 25, 2016 Jeffrey Pinyan 3 Comments For October 6, 2016 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. (Mark 12:30) your Son commanded us to love one another as he has loved us, and he taught us that he loves us as you love him. We ask you to send your Holy Spirit upon us as we read your word, so that as we come to understand your love for us we may better love you, and all you have created, in return. St. Jerome: pray for us. St. David: pray for us. First Reading – 2 Kings 5:14-17 ? The six books of 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, and 1-2 Chronicles tell the history of the kingdom of Israel and its kings (11th to 6th centuries BC), from its beginnings under Saul, its flourishing under David and his son Solomon, and then its division into two kingdoms. ? Verse 14 begins with the word “So”. This implies that it follows something, and you need to read further back to know why Naaman is plunging himself into the Jordan. Verse 13 begins with “But”, which again implies that it follows something. Verse 12 is in the middle of a quote, and verse 11 begins with “But” again. Read verses 1-19 for the bigger picture. ? Aram was a country to the west of the northern kingdom of Israel, where modern-day Syria is located. Some translations of the Bible use “Syria” for “Aram”. ? Israel at this time was divided into a northern kingdom (called Israel) and a southern kingdom (Judah). The southern kingdom retained the original capital city of Jerusalem, which was home to the Temple of worship and sacrifice; the northern kingdom instead set up two cities of worship, in its southern and northern extremities, and was often chastised by prophets for abandoning true worship of God. At the time of 2 Kings 5, the capital was Samaria, a centrally located city. ? The Jordan River was an important feature in Israel’s geography. The Jews crossed over it from the east into Israel, “the promised land,” after the decades-long exodus from Egypt. It was also the site where John the Baptist carried out his ministry of baptism. ? Naaman was not an Israelite, but an Aramean, and the commander of his king’s army, a man of great stature and wealth; he also suffered from a persistent skin disease (although not the same as modern leprosy). The Arameans had their own gods (see verse 18). ? Lepers were outcasts in Jewish society, because their illness (which is not the same as modern leprosy) could be contagious and even incurable. The Old Testament contains laws to keep lepers separate from healthy people, and descriptions of rituals concerning their re-admittance when they are found to be free from their disease by the priests, but there is no mention of how to cure leprosy. Less than a dozen people are identified as lepers in the Old Testament; Naaman is the only one whose cure is recorded. The king of Israel in 2 Kings 5:7 considers curing leprosy to be an act of divine intervention. ? Elisha was a prophet living in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the successor to the prophet Elijah. As a prophet, he received revelations from God which he was to pronounce to the people to whom God directed him: sometimes to Israel, and sometimes to other nations. Gospel – Luke 17:11-19 ? St. Luke was the author of both a gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Luke reports at the beginning of his gospel that many others had already compiled narratives of the life of Jesus, and that his is “an orderly account” intended to assure you (the reader) of the truth of the things you have heard. Both Luke and Acts are addressed to “Theophilus”, which may have been a person, but it may just be a generic term (because it is Greek for “lover of God”). ? Verse 11 begins with Jesus on the way to Jerusalem. Jesus has been preaching in villages in Galilee and Samaria, and is going south to Jerusalem for the final stage of his ministry. ? Jesus alluded to Naaman at the beginning of his ministry in Nazareth, that there were many lepers in Israel during Elisha’s time, but only a foreigner was cured (see Luke 4:27). ? Earlier in the gospels, Jesus cures a leper by touching him after the leper expresses his faith that Jesus can cure him simply by willing to do so. (see Luke 5:12-16) ? The Greek word used in verse 19 (“saved” or “made well”) comes from sozo, a different verb than “cleansed” or “healed” in the other verses. It means “to rescue, preserve, heal, save.” ? By the time of Christ, the city of Samaria had been renamed Sebaste by Herod the Great. Instead, “Samaria” now generally referred to a region (see John 4:3-5) in between Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. These three provinces comprised the land of Palestine. Jerusalem was located in Judea; Nazareth, where Jesus lived with Mary and Joseph, was located in Galilee. Jews lived in Judea and Galilee, but Samaria was home to Samaritans, who worshipped the gods of five other nations in addition to the God of the Israelites. Study Questions ? What links can you find between the Old Testament and Gospel readings? ? Why does Naaman at first refuse Elisha’s instructions? ? When are we like Naaman, trying to do things our way rather than God’s way? ? How does Naaman’s healing change him, and why does he ask Elisha for a pile of dirt (see 2 Kings 5:15-17)? ? How does Elisha respond to Naaman’s difficult situation (see 2 Kings 5:18-19)? ? What sacrament is foreshadowed by Naaman’s healing? ? What is implied by the way the ten lepers address Jesus (see Luke 17:13)? ? Why is it significant that the leper who returns to Jesus is a Samaritan? ? How does sin make us like the lepers in the Gospel? ? How did the Samaritan’s healing change him? (Compare Luke 17:12 and 17:16.) ? How does the Samaritan’s gratitude set him apart from the other cured lepers? ? How does this encounter with a leper differ from an earlier one (see Luke 5:12-16)? ? Who was responsible for Naaman’s cure? Who was responsible for cure of these lepers? ❤️ How does the time we spend in prayer asking God for something compare to the amount of time we spend in prayer of thanksgiving? It was not for nothing that Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy, was purified upon his being baptized, but as an indication to us. For as we are lepers in sin, we are made clean, by means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord, from our old transgressions. St. Irenaeus of Lyons (d. 202), Fragments, 34 Have you ever done something for someone who did not thank you in return? How did you feel? Have you ever been neglectful in thanking someone for a kindness they showed you? ? What have I learned about who God is, so that I can love Him better? ? What have I learned about Christ, so that I can recognize his love for me better? ? What have I learned about the Christian life, so that I can show my love for God and neighbor better? ❤️ How can I incorporate into prayer what I have learned, so that I can express my gratitude for God’s love? Almighty God, help us to recognize our neighbors in need, especially those whom the world treats at outsiders. May their gratitude remind us to be grateful for all the healing that you work in our lives. 2 kingselishaleperslukesamaria St. David the King Young Adult Bible Study Starting on Monday, October 16th, St. David the King parish (1 New Village Road, West Windsor, NJ), will have a six-week Bible study for young adults (in their 20s and 30s). We will meet Monday evenings in the Spiritual Reading Room (SRR) from 7:30 PM until 9:00 PM. As the year progresses, we may have additional social events scheduled. Location of the Spiritual Reading Room at St. David the King parish This is our third study series. The first was “Making Sense of Sunday”, which looked at the coming Sunday’s First Reading (from the Old Testament) and Gospel. The second was the “Catholicism” series by Fr. (now Bishop) Robert Barron. Our third series will be reading the first twelve chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. We’ll be using an approach that looks at Scripture’s four senses: the literal, the allegorical, the moral, and the anagogical. We’ll also connect these four senses to the four ways that the greatest commandment tells us to love God: with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. Guests are always welcome, but we also encourage you to contact us. You can reach me, Jeffrey Pinyan, the facilitator of this Bible study, by commenting below or by email (japhy.734 at gmail.com); you can also reach Dorothy Soi, the coordinator of all the Bible studies at St. David the King, by phone (609-439-7477) or by email (dtkbiblestudies at aol.com). (all sessions are Monday night @ 7:30 PM) October 16 – Acts 1-2 November 6 – Acts 7-8 November 13 – Acts 9-10 November 20 – Acts 11-12 Next Meeting Date: November 20 @ 7:30 PM Our next group meeting is Monday, November 2- at 7:30 PM. We will be concluding our six week study of the first twelve chapters of Acts of the Apostles. We are meeting in the Spiritual Reading Room at St. David the King parish located at 1 New Village Road, West Windsor, NJ. Location of the Spiritual Reading Room at St. David the King parish

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Tales of Vault 867 Author's Log The journal of David Earle, a writer looking to make a name for himself in the fiction business. In Reluctant Defense of Ubisoft I really don't want to write this blog post. I don't like Ubisoft all that much. uPlay annoys me. The last Assassin's Creed game I played was III, and I didn't finish it. Didn't finish Far Cry 3, either, though that was solely because my wife and I spawned a tiny Overlord and I dawdled on side quests. I'm not likely to play anything they put out in the next few years unless they make a massive push on the 3DS. And Ubisoft fucked up. No question there. But my day job is developing software and, God help me, I'm sympathetic by nature to a coder on a deadline getting yelled at for leaving out That One Feature. So brace yourselves, here we go... In case you're not familiar, it came out during E3 that Ubisoft had left playable women out of the multiplayer modes for both of their upcoming big franchise games, Assassin's Creed and Far Cry. They wanted to include women in the games - Scout's honor! - but didn't have the resources to pull it off in time. This excuse has understandably pissed a lot of people off, much moreso with Assassin's Creed because the last few games have included multiplayer modes that did have multiple female characters. And I get it, and I'd jump on the bandwagon except I see a lot of people saying that the developers are being "lazy", or that they just don't care about female gamers. Which is not, I think, the reason to be pissed off. Beyond Good and Evil 2 is apparently a reason to be pissed off. Let's be clear right off the bat: both multiplayer features at issue here are cooperative, meaning they're part of the single player experience. (Assassin's Creed's earlier, female-friendly multiplayer deathmatches got dropped entirely.) A friend, or three, can jump into your game, or you can jump into their game, and help out with single player missions that tie directly into the main storyline of the game. And all the avatars involved are, at this moment, male, and Ubisoft is being raked over the coals for not letting players play a female. I'm seeing a lot of angry comments in the form of "This is bullshit, it's super easy to turn a male model into a female model, Ubisoft are fucking liars." And that would be true if all the new model had to do was run around killing people. But in a properly implemented coop game that's not the case anymore, because Bioshock Infinite is a thing that happened. You can't top this! Your buddy has to support you, has to be able to team-kill with you, has to hand off items and witty repartee as you mow down the enemy A.I.s. If Plot happens, your buddy is no longer allowed to vanish, they have to contribute to the Plot, have to have lines, make a meaningful impact on events, or at least not fuck up verisimilitude by disappearing into the Aether. And if you want your buddy to be male or female, that really does double the workload. You have to hire an extra voice actor, you have to write and record new dialogue, you have to animate new body language, new facial expressions. And all of that shit has to be added to the test cases, along with what happens if maybe you have two different buddies at different times who want to play different genders. How many ways, at how many different points, can that completely break the million-dollar title that's due out in a few months? Because they add up. Oh God, take off the turban! Take off the turban! "Bioware does this all the time", you say. Yes, they do, with blank-slate characters that represent the player and her choices. They don't do it with characters that have distinct personalities that make their own impact on the plot. Ask Bioware if you can pick the genders of every member of your supporting cast as well, and see how long it takes them to descent into apoplexy. I am ready to be corrected on this point, but I cannot think of a game that implements a plot-relevant gender-swappable coop character with a distinct personality. The closest I can come to what people are demanding is Gears of War 3, and that isn't close at all - you could only choose a female character when the plot made them available, and if everyone wanted to play a woman, tough shit. Or there's the latest Resident Evil games, where you choose between a well-developed male or female character, but your buddy had to be the other gender and nobody got to customize anything. Not an option, sadly. And yes, I'm crediting Ubisoft that they're implementing cooperative gameplay that's closely tied into the story. That's because these are next-generation games adding cooperative gameplay to game storylines that are traditionally strongly character-focused: no blank slates. If Ubisoft is just doing another implementation of the Amazing Disappearing Coop Buddy who fucks off whenever anything storyline relevant happens, then the resource excuse really does not hold up at all. See, I'm not trying to exonerate Ubisoft as a company here, because if they delayed the game or management had made gender diversity a priority from day one they could have gotten this done. I just don't like seeing people blaming the dev team for this fuckup. They're coders and artists under the deadline gun for a multimillion dollar title running on a brand new engine on brand new hardware and working in an industry where employees are routinely getting laid off en masse. For Assassin's Creed, you just have to look at the Clone Quadruplet Assassins they did put in to see that something went badly wrong during development that limited them to one playable character model for the entire game. And on top of all that, every interview I've seen with the developers suggests that they loved the idea and they're genuinely disappointed they couldn't get the job done. Which is another thing: Ubisoft hasn't been great at having female protagonists, but they've been pretty consistent in including strong female characters in their games. Compared to Call of Duty's complete lack of women, or characters like Quiet and whoever the hell this Zelda villain is, Assassin's Creed has been downright progressive for years. So I'm a bit disappointed that Ubisoft's catching more hell for trying to do the right thing and failing than companies that didn't bother to try and address the issue at all. You know what you did, Team Ninja. With all that said... I'm not going to say lay off Ubisoft. At a minimum they've mis-prioritized a feature gamers obviously wanted (and not just female gamers, I like playing as a woman sometimes myself), shitcanned it rather than delay the game just long enough to get it right, and committed a massive P.R. fuckup all around. Even if they're telling the absolute truth, it's moronic to say that you were five minutes away from putting in a feature and just didn't quite make it. Jim Sterling skewers them heavily here, to the point where I can't believe Ubisoft is lying about what happened - they'd have been far better off just saying nothing at all. So please, scream and yell and tweet and write letters demanding playable women, because it's a thing that should happen and if it's not in the next Assassin's Creed and Far Cry games then Ubisoft deserves everything it has coming. Just give the devs in the trenches a bit of a break, mmkay? Or at least the benefit of the doubt. Labels: Ubisoft, video games I'm having a lot of trouble with this Hobby Lobby thing. Maybe someone can help me out: - Using contraception is a sin. Okay. I can accept that as a sincerely held belief, even if I don't agree with it. - Paying for someone else's contraception is a sin. This one's harder, since you're not actually fornicating, but I suppose encouraging someone else to sin is sinful itself - it's like giving a drunk vodka. So I can understand not wanting to, say, buy condoms for a horny hobo. But then... - Paying for an insurance plan that might pay for someone else's contraception is a sin. Um... sorry? You're buying insurance. That's not a sin. That's actually a good Christian act. And, like it or not, there are legitimate reasons that an insurance plan would cover contraception, beyond a legal mandate. For example, some birth control pills help prevent women's ovaries from exploding. True story! And you have to pay a lot for those pills because the pharmaceutical companies know when they've got you over a barrel. Seriously, who's checked the theology on Hobby Lobby's Supreme Court case? Has any Catholic provided an explanation for how buying insurance is sinful? Because I'm pretty sure Obamacare is not going to send Steve Green to Hell. I was raised Roman Catholic. Catholic school and church every Sunday until my parents got divorced and I moved away from our church and went to public school. (Actually I think my sister and I complained enough that we dropped Mass before the divorce. Memories are hazy.) I took Communion but was never confirmed. Through grade school I was pretty much a casual-to-lapsed Catholic: not going to church except very occasionally, but broadly in line with the Ten Commandments. Then in college I started going to our campus church. They served pizza afterward and it felt good to stop being a heathen. Eventually though I stopped going. It started with a Mass by a priest who talked about "this Catholic thing", which I thought was intolerably disrespectful to faith; and who confessed during the initial wave of the big child sex scandals that he'd felt so scared he'd had to hide his collar when he went out in public. I'm lapsed, but I'm pretty sure my faith preaches courage under adversity. And more to the point, the church had clearly fucked up big time. So how dare any priest hide from that and continue being a priest? I stopped going to Mass for a few months, but eventually went back, and the first Mass featured a lengthy condemnation of abortion - and it was an election year, so there was an unspoken hint that good Catholics should be voting a certain way. That was the end for me. I think abortion is horrible, but I'm not going to dare tell anyone with reason to seriously consider it what they should do, and I'm certainly not in favor of throwing them in jail. And I was going to church to practice my faith, not to hear a priest condemn people. Since then it's all been downhill. My son is eight months old. I haven't had him baptized yet. I'm scared to. I still consider myself Catholic, but I'm very far from the Church and I'm scared to subject my son to a religion I don't recognize anymore, preached by priests who might very well be whack jobs or even sex offenders. On the other hand, Catholic teachings were a huge part of my youth and influenced the person I am today - I like to think in a good way. I don't want to rob my son of that experience, but I don't want to expose him to some demented monster on the pulpit either. And I hear about a diocese lawyer saying that a priest who molested children was not a priest when he molested children, because he was molesting children. And I hear about an Archbishop lying and saying that he didn't know sexual abuse was a crime, at the same time he was sending out emails discussing how long the statute of limitations on child abuse are. I hear about eight hundred dead children in Ireland. And I am scared of my church. Five Writing Lessons From Edge of Tomorrow The wife and I went to see Edge of Tomorrow today. It's pretty damn good military science fiction, and one of the best movies I've seen this year. (I'd probably rate it a shade above Captain America: The Winter Soldier.) The movie is based on a Japanese novel, All You Need Is Kill, and features Tom Cruise as a soldier living a Groudhog Day time loop that resets every time he dies. It's grim, sometimes funny and definitely action-packed. It's also got a few good writing lessons to teach us. Brace yourselves for some spoilers, folks. Listen up if you don't want to die again, privates! 1. Throw the jerk to the wolves. Tom Cruise plays Major Cage, a smarmy P.R. officer who tries to get out of combat duty by blackmailing a superior officer. He's oily, has no discernible morals and is a blatant coward, so we're not exactly sympathetic when he's arrested and tossed into a front-line squad of grunts. Then we see him running through a combat zone, aliens butchering everyone around him, in a suit he's not trained to use (with the safety on!), and we're on his side. We want him to live, even if he is a dick. He probably threw up in his helmet at some point. If you're writing an asshole protagonist, putting him through undeserved hell is a good way to generate a bit of sympathy from the audience. Deserved hell is an entirely different thing, and should be reserved for the villain of your work. To generate sympathy you want extreme, disproportionate retribution befalling someone you otherwise wouldn't care for. (Beauty and the Beast is a solid example.) 2. Keep your pseudoscience simple. The science behind how Cage keeps coming back to life is hideously complicated, if it has any validity at all, and is almost entirely not discussed. But the rules are told to us, and they're simple: When Cage dies he wakes up the morning before he dies. He remembers everything that happened. If he bleeds out too much and survives, he stops coming back to life, so if he gets injured he has to make sure he dies. Death 587: Alcohol poisoning. If you're writing hard science fiction detailed explanations of the weirdness are almost mandatory. But if you're writing what some term "science fantasy", or treating science like futuristic magic, going into too many details risks overcomplicating your story, contradicting yourself, and confusing the hell out of the audience. Be clear about how your science magic works, insofar as it concerns the story, and leave out the unimportant parts. Your audience will enjoy using guesswork to fill in the blanks and your story will be stronger for it. 3. Remember that your mentor did things. Major Cage is guided through his efforts to save the day by Rita Vertaski, a veteran soldier who had the same talent Cage has and lost it. Throughout the movie we get references to her time as the Angel of Verdun, to people she loved and lost, to adventures she had and the horrors she's been through. It takes a badass woman with a big sword and makes her into a complex figure, someone the audience gets to know in some ways more closely than Cage himself. But still a badass. Don't call her Full Metal Bitch to her face. If you're going to write a mentor figure into your story, try to remember that they had a ton of their own adventures before they ever met the hero. Wisdom doesn't come from nothing. Take into account the experiences your mentor has had, and if they turn out to be plot relevant so much the better! 4. Take away your hero's cool thing. Edge of Tomorrow gets a lot of mileage out of Cage's reset button, including a long sequence where Cage just dies in humorous ways for my sadistic amusement. I got used to him being able to survive whatever's thrown at him. So when the enemy started trying to kill him in a way he can't come back from, I got nervous. And when Cage lost his resurrection trick and had to save the world with no way to come back, I was on the edge of my seat. Because I no longer knew that Cage was going to survive. The movie got me used to what Cage could do and then took that away from him. By removing the primary advantage Cage had, it raised the stakes immeasurably. Cage was in more danger than ever before and nothing was certain. Waitohshit If something makes your hero special, force him to get by without it, either temporarily or permanently. Let Clark Kent save the day instead of Superman. Send King Arthur into battle without Excalibur. Or give your furry-footed protagonist a magic ring that lets him sneak by anything and don't let him use it once he actually gets into enemy territory. 5. Deus ex machina is a maid service. Edge of Tomorrow ends with Cage and Vertaski sacrificing themselves to end the war. That would be satisfying ending on its own, but also a real downer. Fortunately an alien deus ex machina crops up that lets Cage launch one final reset and give us a happy ending. And believe it or not, it works! Doesn't feel like a cop out at all. The reason is because the day has already been saved without assistance - the heroes won on their own, playing entirely by the rules. All the deus did was patch the "Pyrrhic" out of a Pyrrhic victory. To be fair, Europe is still dead. Most authorities would say you shouldn't use the deus ex machina. I say you're allowed to use it, but don't use it to win the day for your heroes; that's guaranteed to piss off your audience and make your ending feel cheap. Let the heroes win their own victories, then have the deus descend and clean up a bit, maybe throw your heroes a bone. They've had it pretty rough up until now, the audience will understand that they've earned a moment's consideration and appreciate it. But just this once! And finally, bonus lesson number six: 6. Weird-ass aliens are awesome and we need more of them. Seriously, I don't know what the Mimics are but just look at the damn things: Posted by David 2 comments: Labels: Edge of Tomorrow, writing The Slenderman Problem In Wisconsin two girls stabbed their friend nearly to death so that they could run off to live in the woods with Slenderman. Let me be clear up front that I have no idea if the girls are lying or to what degree, if any. I know only what is stated in the article behind that link. It's quite possible the girls are selling bullshit to try and cop an insanity plea or some damn thing. But what if they aren't? In case you aren't familiar, Slenderman is an urban legend that got its start online. Slenderman is a tall man in a suit with no face who appears most often in the background of old photos and apparently abducts, terrorizes or kills children. Also Slenderman is not real. He or it was created by a Something Awful forum poster named "Victor Surge". This is known Khaleesi. And yet somehow, two children decided that Slenderman was real enough to try and kill for. Which begs the question: How do you convince someone he's not real? One of the original Slenderman photos. He's over there. More and more we live in a world where The Truth is a subjective thing. The Internet, if anything, is exacerbating the problem. For every fact online you can find a document stating the fact is bullshit, and offering a competing view of the world. Not all of these views are valid. Some of them are insane. But on the Internet facts and bullshit are treated the same. It's up to the reader to discern one from the other. And not everyone has the tools to do that. Children believe. They believe in Santa Claus, in the Tooth Fairy, in Bloody Mary. As they grow older we expect them to develop enough critical reasoning skills to tell fact from fiction, but that's not guaranteed. And it's made a lot harder when facts and bullshit are commingling in the same places, with authorities or "authorities" sticking up for both alternatives. And once you've accepted something as fact, it's hard to change your mind. Confirmation bias is the tendency to put more weight on information that supports an existing belief. It's a hard-wired component of humanity. Even if the "fact" is total crap, you'll look for information that "proves" it is right. And on the Internet, you'll probably find some. The sum of all human knowledge no longer trends toward increasing accuracy. Falsehoods and propaganda are entering the electronic hive mind and while they are being challenged, we have no way to eject them from the collective consciousness. As our species moves to a global shared knowledge base, that knowledge is becoming delusional. It's a problem we're going to have to cope with before we start killing each other over bullshit. Yet again. Creepypasta, the "home" of Slenderman, was obliged to release a statement that Slenderman is not real. That's something. But inevitably there's still someone out there who thinks "maybe he is". Or thinks "of course he is". Or is out in the woods hunting for Slenderman right now. Hopefully that's the only point where this person loses touch with reality. You can email me using this link. Copyright © Author's Log | Theme by BloggerThemes & SquareFour | Sponsored by BB Blogging

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You are here: Home » News » HSE warns that inhaling laughing gas recreationally is ‘an emerging issue among Irish festival-goers HSE warns that inhaling laughing gas recreationally is ‘an emerging issue among Irish festival-goers On just one Saturday night in a trendy part of London, over a thousand tiny empty silver canisters were confiscated from club-goers by police. At Pride festival this year in Brighton, revellers discarded thousands of laughing gas canisters and balloons on Brighton beach after the festivities, leading to criticism by environmentalists. Nitrous gas is commonly called ‘laughing gas’, 'nox' or 'hippy crack' and is the same drug given to women during childbirth or those having certain dental procedures. And despite its reputation as a ‘soft drug’, nitrous oxide for recreational use is on the rise, and there are now calls for clearer information campaigns to educate young people about its long-term effects. According to Irish legislation, it is illegal to sell this substance for human consumption. It’s also illegal to consume it under the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010. However, because of its use in the catering industry, the gas can be purchased in large quantities online with relative ease. The HSE says it is monitoring the current trend which has become increasingly popular among festival-goers. In a statement issued to IMAGE.ie, the HSE says that the risks associated with laughing gas have prompted action here. "During summer 2019, we launched an online survey in partnership with Trinity College Dublin to gather data on drug trends and harm reduction among Irish festival attendees. Unpublished preliminary data from over 1,000 respondents would indicate that use is an emerging issue among Irish festival-goers. "As with many other substances, the quality and purity of nitrous oxide depends on the source. There are a number of risks associated with use, and it is known that death from suffocation or lack of oxygen can occur. "Because of these risks, the HSE will include information regarding the associated risks and how to reduce the harms as part of our festival campaign work in 2020 Source: Amanda Cassidy, Image.ie, 13/01/19 Posted by drugs.ie on 01/13 at 02:04 PM in Safer Student Nights The HSE and Union of Students in Ireland (USI) ask students to think about drug safety measures when using club drugs Harm reduction messages from the #SaferStudentNights campaign. Sign up to our eBulletin Have you ever been impacted negatively by someone else's drug taking?

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Article first published as Blu-ray Review: The American (2010) on Blogcritics. Sometimes, you have to wonder what marketing executives are thinking. Case in point: The American, a moody, contemplative throwback to ’70s-era Antonioni and the cool minimalism of Melville, portrayed in trailers like a standard fare shoot-’em-up extravaganza. About an hour into the film, I bet there were disappointed sighs and bored glances at watches all across the cineplexes of America. I don’t think the average moviegoer in this country likes being tricked into watching an art film — even if it does star George Clooney. Anton Corbijn’s second feature film is short on action, even if all the necessary spy thriller elements are tucked in it somewhere — violent betrayals, double-crosses, frantic shoot-outs — and long on precisely framed images, with Clooney’s assassin Jack pinned to the edge of the shot. The result is a portrait of isolation that doesn’t always seem to have much to say, but is successful even taken as a purely stylistic exercise. After a tragically botched assignment in Sweden, Jack retreats to a small Italian village to be alone, and to complete a final assignment for unforgiving boss Pavel (Johan Leysen). He spends his time there alone in cafes, bonding with a priest (Paolo Bonacelli) and falling in love with a prostitute (Violante Placido). But the specter of violence is never far from him, as his job involves assembling a deadly rifle for fellow assassin Mathilde (Thekla Reuten). Clooney proves that he’s one of the most interesting actors working today with a performance here that is stripped of every last shred of Clooney-esque charm. There are no smooth lines, dazzling smiles or head bobs to be found — just dour expressions and introspective stares — and he remains utterly captivating throughout. The script, adapted from the unremarkable 1990 novel A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth, owes a great debt to Melville’s Le Samouraï and Corbijn’s visual style is heavily influenced by Antonioni’s The Passenger, among others, but The American doesn’t feel like just a copy of the classics. It stands on its own as an engaging slow burn tale with a haunting fatalistic tenor. The Blu-ray Disc The American is presented in 1080p high definition with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The images captured by Corbijn and cinematographer Martin Ruhe look effervescent and crisp here. The opening snow-covered landscape shots are immediately striking, with perfect image stability and excellent clarity. Earthy wood tones in the forest where Jack tests the rifle and the whitewashed, aged walls of the Italian village’s buildings show an impressive amount of fine detail. A fine layer of film grain is usually noticeable, but unobtrusive. Audio for the film is presented in a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The film is exceedingly quiet, with long stretches of practically no sound at all, but everything about the mix feels precise — punctuated bursts of action are cleanly represented across all channels, while dialogue remains centered and clear. There’s not a lot to recommend as far as bonus content goes here, with the 10-minute making-of probably being the best bet. It’s fairly standard interview material, but feels more authentic and interesting than the average press kit stuff. A commentary track by Corbijn is kind of underwhelming, with him frequently telling us what we’re seeing on screen. A handful of deleted scenes coming in at about five minutes rounds out the disc. Also included in the set is a code to download a digital copy, and it’s heartening to see a studio just make this a download rather than creating another disc just for the digital copy. The American is a rewarding film experience that doesn’t just end up on the generic thriller scrap heap. Posted by Dusty at 1:36 AM Labels: DVD and Blu-ray reviews

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Home > Undergraduate > BSc(Eng) Mechatronics Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Mechatronics (EB011EEE05) Mechatronics is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering, which combines a fundamental background in mechanical engineering with light-current electrical engineering. Many universities and other institutions world-wide are now offering courses or degrees in Mechatronics, and it is increasingly recognised that this combination of mechanical and electrical engineering studies equips graduates with an excellent basis upon which to build valuable engineering roles in modern industry. Apart from receiving a thorough grounding in both electrical and mechanical engineering, the Mechatronics student at UCT will gain a foundation of understanding in physical science, advanced engineering mathematics, electro-mechanical control theory, microcomputer technology, systemic engineering design and some principles of engineering management. In addition, the Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Mechatronics) programme (code: EB011EEE05) offers final-year optional courses in related fields, such as bio-medical engineering, power electronics and machines and industrial management. The Mechatronics engineer in industry may require expertise across a broad range of engineering disciplines, and will be especially well-suited to a career in light manufacturing or process control. Mechatronics engineers may become involved in fields such as instrumentation, automation, robotics, bio-medical engineering or machine vision. The Mechatronics Programme at UCT aims to equip its graduates with a solid and broad-based engineering education, including the skills in design and the knowledge of computers and other digital systems hardware, that will be necessary for a successful future career in any of these environments. The Mechatronics Programme is administered as a distinct Programme within the Department of Electrical Engineering, and student advice specific to the needs of Mechatronics undergraduates is available to students on the Programme. Some students currently on the Programme enjoy industrial sponsorship, in the form of bursaries. Note: A candidate shall complete approved courses of a value not less than 576 credits and shall comply with the prescribed curriculum requirements. Associate Professor and Programme Convener: F Nicolls, MSc(Eng) PhD Cape Town

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Diplomatic vacuum to continue amid Japan's export regulations Diplomatic vacuum to continue amid Japan's export regulations. July. 03, 2019 07:44. by Sang-Jun Han alwaysj@donga.com. The relationship between South Korea and Japan is growing ever worse. Japan attempts to show its legitimacy regarding economic retaliation on Korea as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stood at the forefront. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been avoiding direct confrontation to prevent against the worsening of the situation. There seems to be no concrete solution, according to South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. The Japanese prime minister said in an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun on Tuesday that Japan believes that every measure should abide by the World Trade Organization’s rules and Japan’s recent export restriction on Korea is not related to free trade. He defended Japan’s stance as South Korea announced to file a case with the World Trade Organization. Abe mentioned that Japan only adjusted the measure that had been taken based on trust between the two nations. Quoting a Japanese government official, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that it is not the end of the story, which implies that additional measures have been reviewed. Cheong Wa Dae has avoided a direct mentioning of the issue as the situation could only get worse if President Moon and Cheong Wa Dae show a response. “The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will deal with the current situation for the time being,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said. “Seoul will wait and see until the Japanese Upper House election takes place on July 21, given that Tokyo’s economic measure may have been taken for some political purpose. The problem, however, is that even a minimum level of a diplomatic channel has not worked out to resolve the conflict between the two nations. “There has been a diplomatic vacuum where any interaction doesn’t exist at all between the leaders of state, and among working-level officials,” said a South Korean ruling party lawmaker. “Seoul and Tokyo should establish a dialogue channel no matter what it takes in order to avoid undesirable results for both nations.” Sang-Jun Han alwaysj@donga.com

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Nothing Really Matters, Anyone Can See ... or Maybe Not by Neil H. Buchanan In my post here on Dorf on Law yesterday, I asked, "Do Republicans Lie and Deceive for No Reason?" There, I considered whether there is any real value in calling out the lies and deceptions of politicians -- especially today's Republicans, who have taken shameless distortion to levels previously unseen. In particular, I responded to the apologia that goes something like this: "Oh, come on, it's all a game. The politicians lie, and the people know they're lying. It's stupid to think that there is any reason to point out when a politician isn't being completely honest." My response to that objection was that it proves too much, which is not to say that there is nothing at all to it. For example, any good criminal defense lawyer will know to refer to her client by name (to humanize him), just as any good prosecutor will know never to refer to a defendant by anything other than "the defendant," and it would be tantamount to malpractice for either attorney not to act based on such strategic considerations. Words matter, and we expect people to choose words in ways that will advance their objectives. However, if we were truly in the equilibrium position where every politician is lying all the time, and everyone knows that everyone is lying all the time, then there would be no reason to make the effort to lie. Now, one might object that a lying-all-the-time equilibrium would at least require everyone to continue lying, lest one put oneself in a disadvantageous position, as in my example with the defense lawyer and prosecutor above. That does not work, however, because if everyone knows when everyone else is lying, then everyone must also know what the truth is, which means that a politician would suffer no disadvantage from telling the truth. (The lawyers' word choices only matter, after all, because their audience is a jury that is not in on the game.) But if everyone does not know when someone is telling the truth, then there really is an advantage to be gained from lying, which brings us back to a situation in which calling out liars has a public benefit. In any case, I noted that the Republicans do not act as if they expect to gain no advantage from lying and deceiving. As the Washington Post Fact Check article that I discussed yesterday explained, Republicans in the mid-1990's conceived of the idea of referring to the tax code as the "IRS Code," putting great effort into the plan to have all Republicans associate the public's dissatisfaction with the tax code (written by Congress) with their hatred of the IRS (vilified and under-funded by Congress, at Republican insistence). This was exactly the same period in which those same Contract-on-America Republican radicals were re-branding the estate tax the "death tax," a public relations effort that has been documented at book length. Republicans have shown that they are willing to put serious resources into long-term propaganda campaigns. By revealed preference, then, they must believe that they are doing something shrewd. To prove that repeated Orwellisms like "IRS Code" do not matter would require something far beyond, "I don't think it affects the way people think, because people aren't stupid," which is the only thing resembling an argument that the Republicans' defenders have offered. There might, however, be a different way to deflect claims that Republicans' sustained assault on facts and language is damaging the country. That defense can be assembled from the arguments of, of all people, Paul Krugman. In his NYT op-ed this past Monday, Krugman convincingly asserted that all of the "endless thumb-sucking" about the presidential candidates is a waste of time. For all of the attempts to divine the "character" of the various candidates, Krugman notes, the two parties will nominate people in 2016 whose platforms are currently pretty easy to predict. Moreover, Krugman points out, the parties' consensus positions are quite different. Unlike, say, 1976, when one could reasonably have predicted that Jimmy Carter would govern to the right of where Gerald Ford would have governed (at least on some issues), any Republican candidate today will win only by embracing the tax-cutting, labor-bashing, regulation-cutting, Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security-attacking, climate-change denying, culture warrior stuff that the party's base requires. In fact, Krugman wrote, "the differences between the parties are so clear and dramatic that it’s hard to see how anyone who has been paying attention could be undecided even now, or be induced to change his or her mind between now and the election." And then there is the well known empirical fact, which Krugman described in his op-ed the previous Monday, that nothing that politicians say seems to matter to election outcomes, because "[w]hat mainly matters is income growth immediately before the election. And I mean immediately: We’re talking about something less than a year, maybe less than half a year." This effect, moreover, seems to be true not just of general elections. In the 2014 mid-terms, the only way to explain the success of candidates who would otherwise have been punchlines -- like now-Senators Jodi Ernst and Cory Gardner -- is by reference to something beyond what the politicians actually say. Put together these two observations -- that we already know what the ultimate nominees will stand for, and that the differences between those two positions will not determine the result of the election -- and you have a pretty good case for the idea that "nothing really matters." Whether Rand Paul is being especially egregious in his twisting of statistics, or Ted Cruz is being unhinged in telling his followers that it would be possible to "shut down the IRS" (without replacing it with an essentially identical tax collection agency), might simply not affect anything. Which would mean, of course, that calling them out on any of that does not matter, either. Although I completely believe both elements of Krugman's argument, there is still room for Republicans' lying to matter, which means that there is still reason to be vigilant in pointing out those lies. The question is how the parties' consensus positions become consensus positions. For example, as many people have pointed out over the years, there is no good reason for the Republicans' foot soldiers to oppose the estate tax. Once it was called a death tax, and once the mythology had been implanted about that tax's supposedly devastating effects on family farms, the plutocrats were able to get the little people to do their bidding. Worse, the Democrats failed to push back on that mythology, which quickly led to farm-state Democrats in the Senate agreeing to make foolish changes to that tax. It is the same basic story that I have often recounted about how Democrats so badly failed to respond to the deficits-and-debt-are-destroying-the-world campaign waged by Republicans. Not having made the arguments in favor of deficits and debt, and having essentially adopted the Republicans' attack lines to try to attack deficits under Reagan and the Bushes, Democrats have left themselves with no room to move, to the detriment of actual people. We then find ourselves with two parties, admittedly miles apart on policy, and whose fates will be determined by the direction of the economy in Spring 2016, with policy positions driven in large part by the successes and failures of attempts to distort the facts. Pushing back on ridiculousness like "IRS Code" and "death tax" will surely not turn around the next election, but it can change the arguments that are taken as acceptable by both sides going forward. Congressional Republicans' big symbolic move this year on April 15 was not to pass a fundamental tax reform bill. It was to repeal the estate tax. That strategic decision did not happen by accident, and it certainly was not a given when "death tax" was first injected into the political conversation in the 1990's. Distortions, especially those to which there has been no effective response, matter. Posted by Neil H. Buchanan at 10:53 AM David Ricardo said... Mr. Buchanan has presented us with a very interesting and insightful analysis of the politics of lying and modern Republicans. But one explanation of the phenomena whereby fabrications, misrepresentations and outright falsehood by Republicans are accepted is in the very different approach that modern Conservatives and the rest of us take with respect to politics and policy. Those of us who are not Conservatives generally adopt a pragmatic approach to government. We support demand based fiscal policy not because we have a desire to enhance and enlarge the roll of government in our lives, but because Keynesian economics work to produce full employment and economic growth. We support a vigorous regulatory policy with respect to the financial sector because of the huge number of situations where the lack of such policy resulted in calamitous economic disruptions, not because we want the government to operate the banking system. Conservatives however approach policy as a matter of faith. They oppose Keynesian economics not because it doesn’t work but because as a matter of faith they are opposed to government and government intervention. Better for them is stagnation, recession and high unemployment then government spending to stimulate an economy and prevent such things. (Of course this is helped by the fact that for the most part Conservatives themselves are generally not affected by the deprivations caused by economic downturns). Among Conservatives, when faith and reality collide faith should always prevail. But a second and more important rationale for the lying is that Republican/Conservatives for the most part do not believe they are lying. Anyone who has spent time amongst them knows that these people actually believe what they are espousing. Yes the ‘Death Tax’ moniker did start as a market and spin concept that was developed to oppose the Estate Tax, but today the overwhelming majority of supporters of repeal really believe this is a tax on death. They believe that at death the vast majority of Americans are relieved of their accumulated wealth by the Estate Tax. They know as a certainty that every year tens of thousands of small businesses and family farms are destroyed by the Estate Tax and that the lack of any evidence to support this is simply an indication of a vast conspiracy by the government to hide those facts. One has only to peruse the editorial/opinion pages of the WSJ ro view Fox News to see this in action. On any day in which the number of lies, distortions or misrepresentations on those pages on on talk radio or on Fox News is less than triple digits is a good day for truth (relatively speaking of course). And those few who do know that they are lying are able to rationalize the lies by the fact that in their minds they are serving a higher cause. Sacrificing the truth is a small price to pay for allowing Americans the freedom to pollute, the freedom to collude, the freedom to receive government services without paying for them, the freedom to be unemployed, the freedom to discriminate in the name of religion, the freedom to torture etc. The final word on lying of course belongs to George Costanza who although he didn’t know it was talking about Republicans. ‘Jerry, just remember, it’s not a lie if you believe it. While I was generally with Mr. Buchanan on the previous post, I'm not so sure about this one because the examples used are just so poor. While IRS code is a bit of a misnomer (it would seem to refer to the laws concerning the management of the IRS, not tax law generally) I don't really see it as a lie at all to refer to the tax code as the IRS code. Similarly, while there may be estates created by means other than death, most people's interaction with the estate tax is through death. So, while these are both forms of "spin," I wouldn't call either one a lie, and both contain significantly more truth in them than the "pro choice" or "pro life" monikers used for decades in the abortion debate. That said, I'm all for disputing incorrect facts or semi-factual assertions. I agree with the broader idea that even if it doesn't affect the outcome of elections, lies can affect the outcome of governing, which is really what the point of elections is in the first place. While the previous commentator may have point concerning the ‘IRS Code’, with respect to the Estate Tax calling it a ‘Death Tax’ is the pinnacle of misrepresentation and lying. The tax is a tax on the transfer of large estates from the deceased to the heirs. Look, the sales tax is a tax imposed on sales; the income tax is a tax imposed on income, the capital gains tax is a tax imposed on capital gains, the property tax is a tax imposed on the value of property. The Estate tax is not a tax that is imposed on the act of dying and the sole purpose of calling it a Death Tax is to incite opposition to it with the uninformed who are being told that the act of dying triggers a tax, that the government will take their accumulated wealth because they they have had the temerity to die. And the comment that most people’s interaction with the Estate Tax is through death obscures the point that most people, like 99.99% of the population have no interaction with the Estate Tax at all. This is from the WSJ in an article on the passing of repeal by the House. “Democrats dismiss the repeal as a pointless giveaway to the rich, saying GOP lawmakers are merely pandering to their wealthy supporters. They noted that the estate tax’s reach already has been scaled back over the last 15 years, to the point where it affects a fraction of estates—about 0.2%. By now it hits only around 5,400 families each year—“the Hiltons, the Adelsons, the Kochs, those folks,” said Rep. Jim McDermott (D., Wash.).” That’s right, all of this is about a tax that affects 5,400 families a year, about 30,000+ persons a year out of a population of over 300 million, families that are fabulously wealthy and whose heirs are harmed very little by the imposition of the tax, since after the tax they still have tens of millions, or hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars bequeathed to them, money they have not earned, money that they receive only through the accident of being born in the right family. So no, calling the Estate Tax the Death Tax (a term incidentally that is not found anywhere in the IRS Code) is not appropriate, is not ethical, is not acceptable. It is what it has always been, an attempt by Conservatives to generate support for a position where that support would not be forthcoming without the lies and distortions that they put forth. Take a page from the abortion area and call it a partial death tax. They are after all just half-way to the afterlife when it is applied. Both parties now inspire cynicism in me. The lying exploits human tribal psychology, whipping both sides into an us vs. them frenzy to get donations, win nominations, generate volunteers, and basically perpetuate the status quo. Who is immune to this? How do we escape it? guowenhao20150430calvin klein outlet kids lebron james shoes concord 11s guowenhao20150605 Is the Sex Discrimination Rationale in the SSM Cas... Switching Seats Because I'm A Woman The Bonauto: An Imagined Dialogue of Plato Then Lobbying Happened Does Anti-Commandeering Compensate For Broad Comme... Pummeling the IRS Instead of Actually Simplifying ... Treaties and Commandeering What's at Stake in Next Week's SSM Oral Argument? Are Lies About SSM, Abortion, and Economics Differ... What is Neutrality With Respect to Religion? Charles Davenport, Rest In Peace Nothing Really Matters, Anyone Can See ... or Mayb... 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Home Inspiration Mulatu Astatke where he is known as the father of Ethio-jazz Mulatu Astatke where he is known as the father of Ethio-jazz on: February 15, 2016 In: InspirationTags: No Comments Ethiopian musician (piano, organ, vibraphone, and percussion), composer, and arranger Mulatu Astatke is a household name in his native country, where he is known as the father of Ethio-jazz, a unique blend of pop, modern jazz, traditional Ethiopian music, Latin rhythms, Caribbean reggae, and Afro-funk. Born in 1943 in the west Ethiopia city of Jimma, Mulatu studied music in London, New York City, and Boston, where he was the first African graduate of the Berklee College of Music, and went on to work with several acclaimed jazz artists, including a guest spot with Duke Ellington in 1971. Further schooled in New York’s dance clubs in the 1960s, Mulatu recorded three of his LPs in the city, Afro-Latin Soul, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 in 1966 and Mulatu of Ethiopia in 1972. Most of his records were released by Amha Records, including several singles and the 1974 LP Ethio Jazz. Mulatu’s work brought a renewed focus on instrumentation and rhythm to Ethiopian pop music, shepherding in a golden age in that country’s pop and jazz circles from 1968 to 1974. He went on to found a music school and open his own club, and he stayed active as an arranger, advisor, and DJ. In 2004 he met the Massachusetts-based Either/Orchestra and formed a long-running collaboration with the band. Never one to paint himself into a creative corner and always expanding his musical vision, Mulatu also collaborated with the London-based psyche-jazz configuration the Heliocentrics in 2008 on the album Inspiration Information, Vol. 3, which included updated versions of many of his classic compositions. He also contributed to the soundtrack for Jim Jarmusch’s 2005 film Broken Flowers, which brought him a whole lot of new fans outside of his homeland. Source : ” Biography of Mulatu Astatke “ www.allmusic.com What Do Recruiters Look for in a Cover Letter? Top Keywords Ethiojobs Employers are Searching The Virtue of Being Vulnerable A Good decision starts with I don’t know Why have a corporate culture? 2018 Powered By Ethiojobs.net

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http://appserver-329e629b/content/phony-energy-plan-gore-shifts-blame-rising-prices With Phony Energy Plan, Gore Shifts Blame for Rising Prices In recent weeks, gas prices have surged to their highest level in a decade. Prices for home heating oil and natural gas are expected to rise by about 30 percent this winter. Is the United States on the brink of an energy crisis? Perhaps, or perhaps not. But gas price spikes do pose a potentially lethal political threat in an election year. Perhaps no one is as vulnerable as Vice President Al Gore. With the Clinton-Gore administration’s policies largely to blame for the pain being felt by consumers, Vice President Gore’s camp has pulled out all the stops to shift blame away from his own administration. What Gore’s hastily crafted “solution” reveals is that he has no realistic long-term strategy, will accept no responsibility for the policies that have led to the current mess, and will not disclose how his real agenda would raise prices even further. On September 21, the vice president made a speech that, “takes aim at high prices on gasoline and home heating oil.” Gore bashed domestic oil producers, and called for policies he argued would meet America’s energy needs. Rather than “fighting for the people instead of the powerful” as he is fond of saying, it seems Gore wants to fool the people until he gets the power. Gore’s recipe for quick relief is releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). If we learned anything in the 1970s, however, it is that direct government intervention in energy markets usually produce very negative effects. The SPR, further, was not created to deal with price fluctuations. It was intended to meet serious fuel shortages in times of national security crises. Gore may consider threats to his White House aspirations a national security crisis, but using the taxpayer funded SPR to bail out his campaign is, quite simply, unethical. A better solution might be to cut the federal gas tax, which adds 18.4 cents to the cost of every gallon. This might prove embarrassing to Gore, since he cast the deciding vote to raise gas taxes in 1993. Gore’s long-term “solutions” hark back to failed schemes from the Carter era — mainly vast taxpayer subsidies for solar and wind power and other technologies that are still decades away from providing Americans with reliable energy, along with good old fashioned pork-barrel projects like light rail and high-speed trains. Part of Gore’s escape and evasion tactics — again funded by the taxpayers — is to use his elected office to order the Federal Trade Commission to investigate what he calls “profiteering” by “Big Oil.” Attacking business has been a favorite tactic of Gore’s, but courtesy of a memo from his own Department of Energy he has known for months that “profiteering” has nothing to do with rising prices. The memo instead found Clinton-Gore administration regulations to be one of the primary factors. In reality, Gore’s attacks on oil producers are designed to distract attention from his own culpability for the price spikes. As mentioned, Gore cast the deciding vote for higher gas taxes. The Clinton-Gore administration has also imposed new costs and complex regulations on domestic producers, blocked new exploration in remote Alaskan areas and offshore, and forced consumers to use scarce, costly, and ineffective reformulated gasoline blends. Over the past eight years, domestic production of oil has plummeted by almost 20 percent, and America is now more dependent on foreign supplies than at any time in history. Gore has also avoided discussing how his real long-term policy goals would hurt consumers. First and foremost is his unflinching support for the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty allegedly intended to slow the buildup of greenhouse gases Gore believes will cause global warming. Kyoto — were it ever approved — would cost Americans dearly. Economists estimate that the agreement could cost the U.S. economy as much as $397 billion annually, with a 60 cent per gallon increase in gas prices. It would do nothing to address greenhouse gases, however, since it exempts developing countries like China, Mexico, and India from its mandates. Then there are Gore’s other goals, like banning all exploration and drilling in potentially oil-rich sections of Alaska, imposing a carbon tax on fossil fuels, and another stab at the Btu tax on energy (which Congress rejected in 1993). If these plans were implemented, the current energy crunch might seem pleasant by comparison. America needs common-sense energy policies that will increase competition, lower prices, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Instead, Gore’s only strategy is to blame others until election day. Unfortunately for consumers, casting about for scapegoats doesn’t pay the bills.

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Methods of monitoring the concentration of an analyte Methods are disclosed for remotely monitoring an analyte concentration of an individual by one or more other individuals. Kraft, Ulrich (Hofheim, DE) Ebner, Manfred (Oberusel, DE) Stiene, Matthias (Gilching, DE) Mccluskey, Joseph (Sharon, MA, US) A61B5/00; G08B1/08 20080122635 Interactive Lighting System May, 2008 Fujikawa et al. 20070296577 Compound Security Systems Limited December, 2007 Stapleton 20050275549 Network support for emergency smoke detector/motion detector December, 2005 Barclay et al. 20070168120 METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DISPLAYING PROCEDURE INFORMATION July, 2007 Vandenbergh et al. 20090126473 Method and device to indicate the content of garbage cans and vessels May, 2009 Porat et al. 20030218549 Powerline communications system for providing multiple services to isolated power generating plants November, 2003 Logvinov et al. 20090237271 DEVICE FOR PREVENTION OF SPEEDING, AND METHOD THEREOF September, 2009 Sundstrom 20090309723 Public distress beacon and method of use thereof December, 2009 Freebody et al. 20020163577 Event detection in a video recording system November, 2002 Myers 20090094875 SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRACKING AMMUNITION SUPPLY IN A MAGAZINE April, 2009 Kim 20090219164 FAULTED CIRCUIT INDICATOR WITH FAULT CHARACTERISTIC DETECTION AND DISPLAY September, 2009 Feight MALLARI, PATRICIA C JOSEPH F. SHIRTZ (JOHNSON & JOHNSON ONE JOHNSON & JOHNSON PLAZA, NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ, 08933-7003, US) 1. A method of monitoring an analyte concentration of a first person by at least one secondary person, the method comprising: measuring the analyte concentration of the first person; transmitting a first wireless signal representative of a real-time status of the analyte concentration, the first signal having a first transmission range; and transmitting a second wireless signal representative of the real-time status of the analyte concentration to the location of the at least one secondary person, the second wireless signal having a second transmission range; wherein the second transmission range is greater than the first transmission range. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein a signal frequency of the first wireless signal is in the range from about 200 MHz to about 950 MHz and a signal frequency of the second wireless signal is about 2.4 GHz. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless signal is transmitted about 3 meters or less and the second wireless signal is transmitted up to about 30 meters or more. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising activating an alarm at the location of the at least one secondary person in response to the real-time status of the analyte concentration. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising activating an alarm at the location of the first person in response to the real-time status of the analyte concentration. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein in the analyte measuring is performed continuously. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the analyte measuring is also performed episodically. 8. A method of relaying a real-time analyte concentration of a first person by at least one secondary person, the method comprising: measuring the analyte concentration of the first person with a sensor; transmitting a first wireless signal representative of a real-time status of the analyte concentration from the sensor to a handheld device located a first distance from the sensor, the first signal having a first transmission range; transmitting a second wireless signal representative of the real-time status of the analyte concentration from the handheld device to a relay located a second distance from the sensor, the second wireless signal having a second transmission range; and transmitting a third wireless signal representative of the real-time status of the analyte concentration from the relay to at least one signal receiver located a third distance from the sensor, wherein the third wireless signal has a transmission range than the transmission range of the first wireless signal. 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the third distance is substantially greater than the first distance. 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first distance and the second distance are substantially the same. 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the third wireless signal has a signal frequency greater than a signal frequency of the second wireless signal. US Patent/Application/ Inventor/Applicant Publication No. Publication/Issue Date Mann WO 0019887 Pfeiler US 5558640 Bernson US 4676248 Russo US 6135949 Khair US 6441747 Levitas US 6053887 Mann US 6551276 Causey US 20020002326 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the third wireless signal has a transmission protocol different from a transmission protocol of the second wireless signal. There is a need to measure and monitor analyte concentrations in a continuous or in a frequent, periodic manner. For example, certain diabetics benefit from a system that can measure glucose concentration levels continuously and automatically without the need for human intervention. A variety of such systems exist, including those having sensors which are permanently or temporarily implantable or which. establish continuous access to the patient's blood or interstitial fluid. Such systems provide diabetics with real-time glucose concentration levels. It is contemplated that these systems include an alarm mechanism that is automatically activated to notify the user when his or her glucose level is outside of a physiologically normal zone. This would be especially useful for the nocturnal monitoring of diabetics. In such a scenario, when the patient enters a hypo or hyperglycemic state, the continuous glucose sensor activates an acoustical alarm (located either on the sensor itself or on a separate but closely positioned unit which is wired to or in wireless contact with the sensor) to wake up the diabetic person so that the appropriate therapy can be invoked. In certain cases, however, the alarm may not be sufficient to wake up the diabetic, particularly in situations where the diabetic is unable to be easily woken or has gone into a comatose state due to the hypo or hyperglycemic condition. Such an alarm is also not useful in situations where the diabetic is a baby or a very young child or is otherwise physically or mentally handicapped and unable to help himself in response to the alarm. In these situations, a parent or other caretaker must frequently and regularly check on the diabetic to monitor the diabetic's glucose level. While wireless technologies are available to enable remote placement of an alarm, such as in the parent or caretaker's bedroom, due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations, these types of sensor systems are required to use a very low transmission frequency which limits placement of the alarm to no more than several meters from the sensor. Low frequency devices and specifically their antennas are necessarily relatively large. On the other hand, sensor-alarm systems capable of transmitting high frequency (above about 100 MHz) are subject to interference by the human body and, thus, have limited transmission range capacity, especially indoors. Additionally, high frequency wireless signals can consume large amounts of power requiring a battery size that limits portability of the alarm unit. Accordingly, there is a continued need for the development of new devices and techniques for facilitating the remote monitoring of real-time analyte levels and other physiological characteristics that address the shortcomings of current technologies. The present invention is directed to methods of monitoring analytes that satisfy the need to remotely monitor a patient and to remotely transmit patient data and/or to activate an alarm that obviates the drawbacks and shortcomings of prior systems. Further, the subject methods utilize systems which consume minimal power, provide relatively long-range signal transmissions and are less inclined to have interference with the human body than conventional analyte monitoring systems. The analyte monitoring systems include a sensor for monitoring an analyte concentration of a user, a signal relay, and a signal receiver. In addition to monitoring analyte concentrations, the sensor is configured to transmit a first wireless signal to the signal relay which signal is representative of a real-time analyte concentration level, e.g., a value representative of a current glucose level, or a physiological state, e.g., hypo- or hyperglycemia. The signal relay is configured to receive the first wireless signal and to, in turn, transmit a second wireless signal to the signal receiver which is representative of such concentration level or state, wherein the second wireless signal has a different frequency and/or transmission protocol (i.e., including but not limited to signal transmission and reception times and data packaging (e.g., addressing, encoding, etc.)) than that of the first wireless signal. The signal receiver is configured to receive the second wireless signal and to provide notification to a user of the actual real-time analyte level, sensor state (function status, failure occurrence, error code, etc.) or a state representative thereof. Such notification may be an audible, tactile and/or visual alarm and may further include a display of the actual analyte concentration value. Accordingly, the analyte monitoring systems of the present invention can transmit an alarm by using a first frequency to communicate with the sensor to the relay over a relatively short distance, and subsequently using a second frequency to communicate with the relay to the receiving device over a relatively longer distance. The two signals may have the same or different frequencies. If the same frequency is used, the signals typically have different transmission protocols which do not interfere with each other. A method of the present invention is directed to monitoring an analyte concentration of a first person by at least one secondary person. The method includes measuring the analyte concentration of the first person and transmitting a wireless signal representative of a real-time status of the analyte concentration value. A second wireless signal representative of the real-time status of the analyte concentration the concentration value having is then transmitted to the location of the at least one secondary person. The transmission range of the second signal is greater than the transmission range of the first signal. Another method of the present invention is directed to relaying a real-time analyte concentration value of a first person by at least one secondary person. This method includes measuring the analyte concentration of the first person with a sensor and transmitting a first wireless signal representative of the real-time status of the analyte concentration from the sensor to a handheld device located a first distance from the sensor. A second wireless signal representative of the concentration value is then transmitted from the handheld device to a relay located a second distance from the sensor. A third wireless signal is then transmitted from the relay to at least one signal receiver located a third distance from the sensor, wherein the third wireless signal has a transmission range greater than the transmission range of the first wireless signal. These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will become apparent to those persons skilled in the art upon reading the details of the invention as more fully described below. The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a first embodiment of an analyte monitoring system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a second embodiment of an analyte monitoring system of the present invention. Before the subject systems and method are described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular embodiments described or illustrated, as such may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims. Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Each smaller range between any stated value or intervening value in a stated range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed within the invention. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included or excluded in the range, and each range where either, neither or both limits are included in the smaller ranges is also encompassed within the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the invention. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a signal” includes a plurality of such signals and so forth. All publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to disclose and describe the methods and/or materials in connection with which the publications are cited. The publications discussed herein are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior invention. Further, the dates of publication provided might be different from the actual publication dates which may need to be independently confirmed. Exemplary embodiments and variations of the present invention will now be described in detail. In further describing the present invention, the subject systems and device components will be described first. Next, various methods of using the subject devices and systems as well as methods for the transmission of real-time physiological information will then be described. Finally, a brief description is provided of the subject kits, which kits include the subject devices and systems for use in practicing the subject methods. In the following description, the present invention will be described in the context of glucose concentration measurement; however, such is not intended to be limiting and those skilled in the art will appreciate that the subject devices, systems and methods are useful in the measurement and monitoring of other physical, neurological and chemical characteristics, e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, neurological activity, therapeutic drug levels, fetal activity, sleep states, etc. FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of an analyte monitoring system of the present invention. Analyte monitoring system includes an analyte sensor 100, a signal relay 4, and a signal-receiving device 6. Sensor 100 may be any suitable type of sensor, including but not limited to one that is permanently or temporarily implantable through or within subcutaneous, dermal, sub-dermal, intra-peritoneal or peritoneal tissue or is otherwise worn or attached to the body allowing continuous or intermittent measurement and access to the user's blood, interstitial fluid or the like. The sensors may be electrochemical, chemical or optical sensors or the like. Examples of such sensors which may be used with the present invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,040,194; 6,232,130; 6,233,471; 6,272,364; 6,329,161; 6,514,718; 6,558,321 and 6,702,857, and in International Publication WO 02/49507, which are fully incorporated by reference herein. Examples of commercially available sensors usable with the present invention include but are not limited to GlucoWatch G2® Biographer from Cygnus, Inc., Redwood City, Calif.; CGMSO System Gold™ from Medtronic Minimed, Inc., Northridge, Calif. Sensor 100 may include an integrated signal transmitter or one that is directly coupled to the sensing portion of the sensor. The transmitter is preferably configured to transmit signals within the radio frequency (RF) spectrum. The sensor further includes a processor which may be programmed to enable the sensor to make continuous or intermittent but frequent measurements of the target analyte(s) and to transmit signals representative of those measurements continuously or intermittently. With non-implantable or partially implantable sensors, the sensor itself may also be configured to provide an alarm to the user to indicate a less than acceptable analyte measurement. With implantable sensors, the sensor may be configured to transmit a signal to activate an external alarm adjacent the user. Additionally, the sensor's processor may enable the detection of sensor malfunction, e.g., due to low battery power, temperature extremes, disconnection of the sensor from the user, etc., and the transmission of alarm signals representative of those malfunctions. Signal relay 4 includes a signal-receiving portion configured to receive transmitted signals from sensor 100 and a transmitting portion configured to transmit signals to signal receiver 6. Again, the receiving and transmitting portions are preferably configured to operate within the RF band. Relay 4 is further configured to convert a received signal having one frequency and/or transmission protocol to a signal having another frequency and/or transmission protocol, and to transmit the converted signal having a transmission range greater than that of the received signal. Suitable relays which may be used with the present invention include those by Millenial Net, Inc. and ZigBee, Inc. Depending on the user's setup, relay 4 may be used as a stationary and/or portable device. For example, relay 4 may be integrated into a substantially stationary base unit or station, as illustrated in FIG. 1, which may be powered by a designated power supply or by a wire or cable connection to a conventional AC outlet. With the relatively low energy signals transmitted by sensor 100, better results are achieved when the relay 4 is placed within about 3 meters from sensor 100. In one embodiment of this invention, relay 4 may be positioned in the room where a diabetic user resides. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 2, relay 4 may be configured to interface with a handheld, battery-powered unit 2. Handheld device 2 may be configured to mate with relay 4 in a modular fashion using an electrical socket union such as a USB port wherein device 2 communicates information (signals) to relay 4 and relay 4 is powered by device 2. Alternately, relay 4 may be electrically integrated within handheld unit 2. Handheld device 2 may also have the electronic functionality to measure an analyte concentration such as glucose in an episodic manner using a disposable glucose test strip. An example of an episodic glucose meter that can be incorporated into handheld device 2 is the commercially available LifeScan OneTouch® UltraSmart™ Monitoring System. Under certain situations it may be desirable for a system to measure glucose episodically in addition to the continuous method. For example, episodic glucose measurements may be needed to help calibrate sensor 100, perform a quality control check, make an emergency glucose measurement test while sensor 100 is equilibrating, or to confirm an extremely high or low measurement made by sensor 100 before taking drastic therapeutic actions. In another embodiment of the invention, handheld device 2 can be used as a remote control device sending and receiving data from sensor 100, an insulin pump (not shown), and other medical devices. With any of the relay configurations described above, the base unit or handheld unit or both may include user interface controls for controlling sensor function as well as a display for displaying analyte values and other system parameters. The unit also typically includes a primary alarm, such as an audible, tactical (vibration) and/or visual (flashing LED) alarm signal, to notify the user of a critical or potentially critical state. Because relay 4 has an AC power source, it can generate a stronger alarm, e.g., a louder noise or a brighter light, than one that is generated solely from sensor 100 to help alert the diabetic user. Where sensor 100 is used in conjunction with an insulin pump as part of a closed-loop or feedback control system to control delivery of the appropriate dosage of insulin to maintain a euglycemic state, such an alarm may not be necessary. However, where such a closed-loop system is not employed, this primary alarm alone may not be sufficient to wake up a user when the user's glucose levels have reached a critical state. Signal receiver 6 is configured to receive the higher energy signals from relay 4 and, as such, may be placed further away from relay 4 than the distance relay 4 is able to be placed from sensor 100, i.e., greater than about 3 meters. Receiving device 6 may be configured to be stationary whereby it is placed in a location or room (e.g., a bedroom, nurses' station) where a secondary person or user (e.g., parent, caregiver, nurse, etc.) is located. The stationary receiver may be battery powered or powered via an AC outlet source. Alternately, receiving device 6 may be a portable, battery-powered device which is configured to be worn or carried by the secondary person such as, for example, with a belt clip or on an armband. With either of the signal receiver configurations, the receiver provides a secondary system alarm, such as an audible, a tactical (vibration) and/or a visual (e.g., one or more flashing light emitting diodes (LED)) alarm mechanism which is activated when the analyte concentration is outside of a physiological normal zone. In this way, the secondary user is immediately alerted to a critical or potentially critical state being experienced by the primary (e.g., diabetic) user. In one embodiment, an audible alarm may be configured to emit various volume (decibel) levels depending on the urgency or type of situation at hand. For example, a more urgent situation, e.g., the primary user's glucose levels have entered a physiological critical zone, would be provide a very loud alarm while. Alternatively, the alarm sound may be a recorded voice which literally announces the primary user's real-time status, e.g., “urgent”, “caution”, etc. Also, the type of sound may vary depending on the situation necessitating an alarm. For example, a beeping sound may be emitted for signaling the primary user's physiological status while a buzzing sound may be emitted for signaling a system problem, e.g., low battery, loss of signal reception, etc. Visual alarms may be configured to emit a plurality of colors, for example, where green indicates that the primary user is in a euglycemic state, yellow indicates that the primary user is in or entering a potentially hypo or hyperglycemic zone, and red indicates that the primary user's glucose level has entered unsafe hypo or hyperglycemic zone, where a blue light indicates a system failure or problem. Receiving device 6 may further include a display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), which displays quantitative and/or qualitative real-time or stored (e.g., primary user information data about the primary user, e.g., a real-time measurement or several recently taken measurements of the primary user's glucose concentration. The display may also provide information regarding system parameters, e.g., remaining battery power, signal reception level, etc. As with the base unit or handheld unit associated with relay 4, signal receiver 6 may provide user interface controls such as functional menus, volume adjustment, etc. So configured, the systems of the present invention enable wireless signals, i.e., alarm signals as well as information representative of analyte measurement and system operation parameters, to be transmitted to signal receiving device 6 from sensor 100 via signal relay 4. In other words, relay 4 is used as a conduit to transmit information to a person remotely located from a monitored individual. The system may include one or more additional signal receivers placed in different locations so as to transmit information to more than one person. In the context of the application discussed herein, the subject systems provide a convenient way to wirelessly alert one or more secondary persons about the glycemic status of a monitored diabetic. Typically, the distance between the monitored individual and the secondary person is about 30 to 100 meters but may be more or less depending on the size of the building (e.g., home, hospital ward, etc) or area in which they users are located. Such a transmission range necessitates a signal transmission frequency that is greater than the allowable frequency range of sensor 100. Notwithstanding the federal regulations limiting medical sensor frequency ranges, practicality dictates that the size of sensor 100 be relatively small, e.g., no more than about a few cubic centimeters cubed, particularly if implanted, and thus having limited space capacity in which to house a battery or efficient antenna. Thus, only very small batteries having a low energy output are suitable for use with sensor 100. Due to the limited power supply, the range of signal transmission by sensor 100 is limited and the energy of the signals transmitted by sensor 100 is relatively low, e.g., no more than several hundred microwatts. According to the present invention, signal relay 4 is employed to compensate for the limited range of transmission of sensor 100. As signal relay 4 is not implanted within the body, and in certain embodiments is not worn by the primary user, it does not have the size, space, transmission range and power constraints of sensor 100. As such, relay 4 is usable with a larger power supply source and is able to transmit signals at a higher energy over a longer distance. Although the higher energy is more susceptible to absorption by the body, the relay is remote enough to minimize such absorption. Sensor 100 wirelessly communicates with relay 4 by means of a first transmission signal having a first frequency 8a and employing a first transmission protocol, and relay 4 wirelessly communicates with signal receiver 6 by means of a second transmission signal having a second frequency 8b and employing a second transmission protocol. If the same frequency is used for both, then the two transmission protocols are different, and visa-versa. Alternatively, both frequencies and both transmission protocols may be different. With any embodiment, first frequency 8a is sufficient to allow wireless communication from sensor 100 to relay 4 over a distance of no more than about 3 meters, and second frequency 8b is sufficient to allow wireless communication to occur between relay 4 and receiving device 6 over a distance greater than about 3 meters, and most typically up to about 30 to about 100 meters. Of course, the total transmission distance may be expanded as necessary by using one or more successively spaced relays. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, handheld unit 2 may wirelessly communicate with relay 4 using a third transmission signal having a third frequency 8c employing a third transmission protocol sufficient to allow wireless communication to occur between unit 2 and relay 4 over a distance similar to the distance between sensor 100 and relay 4, but such distance may be greater or smaller. The third signal may have the same or a different frequency and/or utilize the same or a different transmission protocol as the first signal. For practical reasons, signals within the radio frequency spectrum are preferable for applications of the present invention. Typically, the transmission signals used in the present invention have frequencies in the range from about 200 MHz to greater than 2.4 GHz. In one variation, the first and/or third frequencies 8a, 8c are typically in the range from about 200 MHz to about 950 MHz, and second frequency 8b is about 2.4 GHz (which enables the use of 802.11 wireless standards), but may be higher or lower as the application dictates. In one embodiment, either or both first and third frequencies are about 903 MHz (which frequency is available as part of the unlicensed spectrum of radio frequencies). The wireless communication within the described systems may be entirely unidirectional, i.e., from the sensor to the relay to the receiver, or entirely bidirectional, i.e., the receiver may be able to transmit to the relay which is able to transmit to the sensor, or the systems may be partially unidirectional and partially bidirectional, e.g., communication between the sensor and relay or handheld unit may be bidirectional while communication between the relay and the signal receiver may be unidirectional. The frequencies of the signals transmitted in the opposite direction to what has been primarily described herein (i.e., transmissions from the receiver to the relay and from the relay to the sensor) may be the same or different from frequencies 8a, 8b and 8c, respectively. The present invention further includes methods for monitoring an analyte concentration of a first person by at least one secondary person. In one variation, the method involves measuring the analyte concentration of the first person, such as with sensor 100 described above, and then transmitting a lower-energy wireless signal representative of a real-time status of the analyte concentration and/or an alarm reflective of such status to a relay station, such as with relay 4 described above (and/or to a handheld or base unit 2), where it is converted to a higher-energy wireless signal. The higher-energy signal is then transmitted to the secondary person at the location, and is received at the second location by of signal receiver, such as signal receiver 6 described above. An alarm on the signal receiver may be activated to alert the secondary person in response to an analyte concentration level of the first person which is outside an acceptable range. Additionally, the sensor and/or relay and/or handheld unit may have respective alarms which are activated under similar circumstances. With the embodiment of FIG. 2, the first wireless signal may be sent simultaneously to both the handheld unit 2 and the relay 4, or may be sent to one or the other first which may then transmit a second wireless signal to the other. Typically, the first signal is sent to the handheld unit which in turn transmits it to the relay. As mentioned above, the handheld unit may transmit signals having the same or different energy as the sensor. It is an advantage of this invention in that the first frequency range requires relatively low power and is less inclined to have interferences with the human body where sensor 100 is likely to be situated. A further advantage of the low power requirement is that it allows sensor 100 to have a smaller battery and/or less frequent battery charging/replacement which is highly desirable for both implanted and wearable continuous sensors. However, as discussed above, a lower energy signal generally causes the range of transmission to be limited. Relay 4 is thus used to relay the transmission of signals (i.e., information and data) from sensor 100 to receiving device 6. It is a further advantage of the present invention in that second frequency 8b allows a much larger transmittal range. Although second frequency 8b requires relatively more power than first frequency 8a, the use of a stationary relay 4 using an AC power source or a large battery having higher energy output, thus, mitigating the power issue. It should be noted that the use of a higher-energy signal is more inclined to have physiological interferences with the human body, but this is typically not an issue as relay 4 is usually remote from a human body. Also provided by the subject invention are kits for use in practicing the subject methods. The kits of one embodiment of the subject invention include at least one sensor, a relay and at least one receiver, as described above. The kits may further include software programs recorded on a CD-ROM or the like, which programs may be downloaded to the sensor, a base or handheld unit or meter, and/or a signal receiver by a user or a physician by means of an external device, such as a computer. Finally, the kits may further include instructions for using the subject devices. These instructions may be present on one or more of the packaging, label inserts or containers within the kits, or may be provided on a CD-ROM or the like. It is evident from the above description and discussion that the above-described invention provides a simple and convenient way to wirelessly alert one or more secondary persons about the real-time glycemic status of a monitored diabetic. As such, the subject invention represents a significant contribution to the art. Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the teachings of this invention that certain changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims. Previous Patent: System and method for remote access to security event information Next Patent: Method and system for alerting a person to a situation

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Category:Sergeants at Arms of the United States House of Representatives Those who have served as Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives. Pages in category "Sergeants at Arms of the United States House of Representatives" The following 16 pages are in this category, out of 16 total. This list may not reflect recent changes (learn more). Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives Edward Ball (congressman) Henry Casson Adam John Glossbrenner Robert B. Gordon Kenneth R. Harding Henry William Hoffman Adoniram J. Holmes George W. Hooker Paul D. Irving John P. Leedom Wilson Livingood Nehemiah G. Ordway Herman W. Snow Template:US House Sergeants at Arms Samuel S. Yoder Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Sergeants_at_Arms_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives&oldid=179092929" Employees of the United States House of Representatives

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Uffizi Gallery Prices Going Up, But there's More Art, too from Italy Magazine... Hercules and Cacus, Piazza della Signoria by Silvia Donati New rooms opening, a valuable collection finally on view, compelling exhibitions, and, alas, a price increase: here’s what’s new at the Uffizi for 2018. Let’s start with some not-so-good news: peak season ticket prices (March 1 through October 31) are now €20 (an increase of more than 50% since they previously cost €8). (If you travel in the low season - November 1 to February 28 - then the cost drops to €12.) But hey, art is priceless, and the art contained in the Uffizi even more so. And now there’s even more incredible art to see there, thanks to the opening of eight new rooms devoted to Caravaggio and 17th-century painting. Painted in a bright cinnabar red meant to evoke the fervor of that century, but also a color that was often used in fabrics and wallpapers depicted in paintings at the time, the rooms contain such Caravaggio masterpieces as La Medusa, Il Bacco and Il Sacrificio di Isacco, alongside works by Annibale Carracci, Guido Reni, Gherardo Delle Notti, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, and Artemisia Gentileschi, in a confrontation between Florentine and Italian art with European art. More welcome news comes with the recent opening to the general public of ... Quiz: Is it Italian or Isn't it? 12 of the Most Beautiful Paintings of Italy Ippolito Caffi, Venice in the Snow There is a reason people have flocked to la bel Paese as part of their Grand Tour in the nineteenth century and are still doing it today. Tourists gather en masse in hopes of discovering the romance, history and beauty of Italy. Blame the artists. That's right, the romantic movement in art filled the salons, galleries and the homes of the elite (who could actually afford a "Grand Tour" for a year or more) and in essence promoted the beauty of Italia. Here are a dozen of what I consider the most beautiful and romantic of this type of painting... who wouldn't want to travel to Italy after seeing the grandeur? Gulf of Naples by moonlight by Ajvazovskij Ponte Rotto by Hubert Robert River Beggers by Caneletto 1780 View of the canal channel from the Ponte San Marco, by Giuseppe Canella - 1834 Ragusa, Sicily by Emil Jakob Schindler Fireworks in Naples by Oswald Achenbach The Shipment, by Segantini Giovanni View from the Ponte Vecchio in Florence over the Arno, by Palladini 1862 Rome and Castel Sant Angelo by Silvestr Fedosievich Shchedrin The Bay of Naples by Aivazovsky 1841 Piazza San Marco, Venice by Canaletto Desperately Needed Technology Advancement in Italy: The World's Softest Toilet Tissue! Vespas: A Perfect Canvas for Mosaic Artists There are industrial creations that become iconic images in our minds and in history... the VW Beetle, the iPod, the Moka coffee pot, the Coca Cola bottle, the Fiat 500 (Cinquecento). Many have become inspiration for artists worldwide. One more comes to mind: The Vespa motor scooter. ​The classic shape of the Vespa has been around since 1946, evolving in design over the years by its parent company, Piaggio, but keeping its basic elements: a unibody with covered engine and wheels, a two-person boat-shaped seat, a flat floorboard with cyclops headlight and a fairing to protect legs from the weather. Many use the bodies of their scooters as their canvases, while others prefer to interpret the iconic shape of the Vespa in other mediums. They have been painted, bejeweled, sculpted, photographed and made into jewelry. Right now we will take a look at the art of mosaic, where cut pieces of tiles or stone used--some mosaics created on the vehicles themselves. Finally, there is this amazing mosaic illustration by Chris Sumka, an amazing mosaic artist from Edmundton, Alberta, Canada. Chris uses ceramic tiles and natural stone in his pieces. He often has existing creations for sale but also works on commissioned assignments. ​--Jerry Finzi How About Sorrento for Christmas? Sorrento is one of the most beautiful places in southern Italy with it's high perch overlooking the bay of Naples with the best view of Mount Vesuvius. The historic center of town is beautiful most days of the year, but it's during the Christmas season that the place takes on a really magical aire. Starting in late November, the Christmas tree in Piazza Tasso is lit which leads off the celebrations which include a Christmas Treasure Hunt, weekend street performances, concerts in churches and other venues in all sorts of musical genres and Villaggio di Babbo Natale (Santa’s Village) at Villa Fiorentino. If you're planning to visit, you might consider their Capodanno (New Year’s Eve) party with pulsing music rocking in Piazza Tasso, followed by a fireworks display down at the port. ​ 19 December 2016: Lauro Square from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm, "Papers Christmas" 20-21 December 2016: Campo Italia Soccer tournament “Christmas Stars” Piazza Tasso 6pm, Christmas Concert Basilica di S.Antonino 5 pm, Christmas Choir 22 December 2016: Church of SS. Rosario 6:30 pm, Traditional songs 23 December 2016: Church of Lourdes 7:00 pm, Carlo Morelli Gospel Choir 24 December 2016: Neapolitan fried pizza at Pizzeria Da Gigino; Street Animation 25 December 2016: Street Animation; Christmas Treasure Hunt 26 December 2016: Casarlano from 6 pm to 20 pm, Living Nativity; Cattedrale Sorrento 7:30 pm, Christmas concert; Christmas Treasure Hunt 27 December 2016: Christmas Treasure Hunt; Chiesa SS. Rosario 7 pm, Concert “Christmas Melodies” 28 December 2016: Teatro Tasso ore 7 pm (free), Nino Buonocore 29 December 2016: Teatro Armida, Concert 31 December 2016: Historical center, 10 am to 9 pm, Street entertainment; Teatro Tasso 11:30 am, New Year’s Concert; Piazza Tasso 6 pm, “Ciuccio di Fuoco” Fireworks; Piazza Tasso from 11 pm to 2 am, New Year party/dancing,music After Midnight, 1 January 2016: Port of Sorrento Fireworks During the month of January: Many weekend concerts, street performances and events. Guerrino Lovato: Maestro of Cartapesta (Papier-mâché) Most of us know Papier-mâché as a craft we had fun with in grade school--slopping together strips of newspaper, flour, water and some glue--to create a silly mask molded on an inflated baloon. The more artistic among us might have produced more ambitious creations in high school--a dragon, a dog, maybe even an abstrat Papier-mâché obect of art. But in Italy, Papier-mâché, or Cartapesta, as it's known there, is considered a high art medium, with some amazing Masters of the craft creating monumental works that can look like they were coming out of the workshops of Renaissance Masters. Guerrino Lovato is one of these Maestro di Cartapesta. After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, in 1983 he opened his Venice studio and workshop where he creates, along with his now famous Venetian paper mache masks, sculptures and architectural props for theater, opera and cinema. For many years he has organized the Venice Carnival, and in 1993 he created a monumental work--sculptures for the Nativity of Venice, an impressive 75 foot moving sculpture with narration by Marcello Mastroianni. This exhibit attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors. In 1995 he wrote and published "Objects and Sculptures out of Papier mâché ". More of his creations include sculptures for Gulliver Park in Tokyo, Japan; two large statues of Santa Rosalia for the famous feast in Palermo; for the Vatican, a statue of Christ in Michelangelo's style that stoof 18 feet tall; and he created the interior decorations for The Venetian in Las Vegas. Read more about Cartapesta HERE. Presepe (Nativity) and Figures Made from Bread in Palermo Each year at Christmastime, inside the church of St. Isidore Agricola in Palermo, an ancient brotherhood of bakers creates a Presepe di Pane (Christmas Nativity of Bread) made ​​entirely of bread, and they've been doing so since 1991. The Presepe of artistic bread is baked and displayed in the beautiful Chiesa St. Isidoro Agricola (...of the Bakers). St. Isidore was built in 1643, belonged from the beginning to the Society of Bakers. The Presepe is made completely out of bread, a representation of the importance and symbolism of bread to Catholics... Bread is the Christ. All the characters are made painstakingly by the skilled hands of the bakers. The Presepe di Pane is on display from December 9 to January 6 hours 9: 30-12: 00 16: 00-19: 00 Here is a video (in Italian) that profiles the Presepe di Pane.... In the next video, a baker-artisan works his magic and creates a detailed human figure. If you bake, this is well worth watching! If you enjoyed this article, please SHARE it and LIKE it on your favorite social media site. Buon Natale! We also have pages on: Spotted on Google Earth: Strange Shapes seen from high above Italy Italy is much more interesting than just going there to check off "must see" tourist sites from a list. And there's more than one way to take a Voyage around the country. In a country shaped like a boot, surrounded by crystal clear seas on three sides, filled with volcanic activity in both the people and geology, and with architecture that goes back hundreds if not thousands of years... and being the birthplace of the world's most favorite foods--pasta and pizza--well, this place makes for one hell of a visit... from space on Google Earth. First, take a look at this straight looking shape jutting out over half a mile into the Adriatic Sea at Trave, Italy? It looks like a man made jetty with boats anchored on the leeward side. Well, it's not man made. It's a natural geological formation--a angled uplift of layers of ancient seabed that you can see in the second photo going straight op the mountain. The effects of vulcanism in Italy are amazing to see. What do you think these strange arrow shapes are that I came across on Google Earth while trolling around Trevignano, Viturbo on Lago di Bracciano? They are an interesting type of fish trap called an arrowhead trap. Fish swim toward shore, then when they swim out to deeper water again, they get trapped in the arrowhead. They look very cool when seen from above. How about these circular shapes I found just off the southern coast of the Gargano Peninsula in Puglia? Yep... floating fish farms. This wasn't planned.... or was it? Looks like a bull dog puppy staring into the eyes of his master. I wish we were seeing more of this next one in the States. This is one of the largest solar power plants in Italy. It's almost a mile long and produces 70 megawatts, enough to power over 16,500 Italian homes. Why aren't we doing this here in the U.S.? Everyone knows what this shows... snow on mountaintops, right? Wrong. This image shows mountains entirely made of white marble, just outside of Carerra where Michelangelo found David hidden in a huge hunk of the stuff. Another jetty? No... it's actually a shipwreck, left there to rust. Italy has a decent number of these wrecks making their coastline much more than just a place to lay out in your Speedo. This is the Italian Space Agency's radio telescope field in Ortuccio in Abruzzo, but Google Earth shows the importance of this complex. Built in 1963, the Fucino Telespazio Center contains over 100 working dish antenna radio telescopes. I was checking Google Earth for the location of a museum in the town of Mantova (also, Mantua) in northern Italy when I saw this sight. Mantova is a town with three man made lakes surrounding it (built as protection in the 12th century). In one of the lakes is this mile long leaf shape. It's the Isola del Fior (Flower Island), not an island at all, but a one mile long bed of water lilies. This one is a shocker. I knew where it should be, but I didn't know Google Earth actually had an image of it.... Here's the Costa Concordia laying on it's side, as view from space. AMAZING! And now, how about a little salt on your steak? Sea salt, that is. Yes, these are salt drying marsh pens in Trapani, Sicily. They flood the fields with seawater and let the sun do its work. Now this one is one of the oddest things I've found on Google Earth. Believe it or now, this huge pattern is concrete--covering the ruins of an entire town that was destroyed in an earthquake. The artist entombed household items--dolls, beds, chairs, tables--in this web of concrete. The really strange thing is, the pattern are actually the old streets where people can visit and wander through this oddity. Read more about Cretto do Gibellina HERE. Then there is this strange, pie-sliced pattern, looking very much like an interesting pizza. This is the town of Cerignola, in Puglia. I find it fascinating the way they've developed the roads and farmers' fields into this radiating pattern. It reminds of how Washington DC's avenues or the les Grands Boulevards in Paris radiate out from a central point, like the Etoile. Very cool. In the end, this one gets my vote as the absolute strangest sighting found on Google Earth: The giant white rabbit in the Italian Alps. An art installation on a mountaintop, it has suffered the ravages of the Alpine extreme weather--along with and hikers and skiers climbing all over it. The current Google Earth image shows a mere road-kill outline of the bunny's former self. I hoped you enjoyed this bird's-eye view of la Bel Paese... Viste Italiani: Casa Malaparte, Capri Casa Malaparte is a house in the Italian Moderne style on Punta Massullo, a peninsula on the eastern side of the Isle of Capri, Italy. The house was conceived in 1937 by Italian architect Adalberto Libera for Curzio Malaparte. Malaparte eventually rejected Libera's design and built the home himself with the help of Adolfo Amitrano, a local stonemason. Casa Malaparte looks like it was designed by my son in Minecraft--a strange, fish-shaped building with pyramidal stairs clinging to the edge of a hundred-foot cliff at the edge of Gulf of Salerno. Access to this private property is either by a half mile trek from the edge of the Town of Capri, or by boat and a staircase cut into the cliff. Harvest Festivals in Italy: From Grapes to Wine, and More We came upon these beautiful grapes near San Gimignano Chestnuts are a really big deal in Italy In September and October (depending if you are in the North or South of Italy), the hanging bunches of grapes swell and beg to be picked. Flocks of wine aficionados go to Italy for the sole purpose of taking part of this miracle, vising wineries, walking through vineyards, taking part in the harvest and of course, paring the wines they discover with the amazing food of Italy. When to harvest is a tricky thing. It depends on the variety, the weather (rain, cold, frost, hail and wind) and the ripeness of the fruit on the vines. Wine makers have ways to measure the sugars, acid and tannin levels in their grapes. They look for a perfect time to send their pickers out to the fields--when the grapes reach the perfect ratio of sweetness and acid. Some fields are harvested in August, others in September while still others wait until October. Believe it or not, much of the grapes are still harvested by the old fashioned way--a mano (by hand). It costs more than harvesting with machines, but many vintners believe it helps them produce a superior product in the end. Hand picking allows the human hand and eye to selectively pick the grapes that are at their peak. At any given time there might be grapes that are not even close to being ripe, some that are perfect while others are mushy and moldy or rotten entirely. Hands and eyes can pick and choose--a mechanical harvester cannot. Grapes harvested by hand need a lot of sorting afterwards by humans--which costs more time and money. A good example of harvest time.... in Chianti at the end of September, the fields will be full of people picking grapes from the vines. They fill plastic milk-type crates up with grapes, then carry them to the end of the row and dump them into a big open container that is pulled by a tractor or a three-wheeled Treroute. You'll see many rigs driving down the roads loaded with grapes on the way to the fattoria. You will probably smell the fermenting process when driving by some vineyards. Truffles, Truffles and more Truffles in Alba Another reason to Voyage to Italy during harvest time is to enjoy the many various types of sagre (festivals) at this time of year. There's a lot more being harvested than just grapes. Local festivals are held for wine, cheese, bread, nuts, pumpkins, chocolate, mushrooms, sausages.... you name it, and there's a festival for you--some for food, some for history, all in the colorful autumn Italian countryside. Here are just a few... Lucca: Festa della Esaltazione della Santa Croce - September 13, La Luminaria procession. The streets are illuminated with candles during the Luminara di Santa Croce, the principal event of the year in Lucca and part of a series of festivals during September. A wooden crucifix figure is carried along the streets of the old town center illuminated by thousands of small candles. There is also the "Mottettone" concert inside the cathedral and fireworks on the banks of the river. Panicale: From Sept 8th to 11th, Panicale holds their Festa del l'uva - grape harvest festival, an interesting event dedicated to wine in Umbria. You can taste local dishes at the tavern and, of course, the excellent local wines. Lombardy, Emilia Romagna and Tuscany: Gran Premio Nuvolari - one of the most prestigious Grand Prix of classic cars in Italy, the Grand Premio Nuvolari (named after Tazio Nuvolari, one of the greatest drivers in the history of car racing), which takes place every year from 18th to 21st September. Over 500 drivers, in 250 classic cars start out from Mantua, driving over 1000 km through many towns in Lombardy, Emilia Romagna and Tuscany. For instance, on September 20th the cars will parade through the Piazza del Campo in Siena from 12:00 am to 2:30 pm. More info HERE. Aquaviva: The Viva Rock Festival will be held from September 7 through 11 in Acquaviva, a few kilometers from Montepulciano, featuring rock, world music, electronic music and reggae, admission is free for all the concerts. Siena: There seem to be festivals going on all the time in Siena. In September you might visit Siena and see a procession of hundreds of people dressed in medieval costumes or red devil costumes. Chianti: The olive harvest takes place in November. There are farm rentals (agriturismo) where you can actually take part in picking the olives. A perfect time to buy some oil. Chianti: The chestnut harvest takes place between the middle of October and the middle of November. Chestnut flour is available a month or two after harvest. Chestnuts are grown in many parts of northern Italy. Marradi: Northeast of Florence in the town of Marradi is the The Marradi Chestnut Festival, running every Sunday in October Pisa: Within the province of Pisa, the prestigious International Market and Fair of the White Truffle at Corazzano. San Miniato: In San Miniato, one of the more important truffle towns, you’ll have the chance to taste and buy one the most prestigious food products you’ll ever find on the first weekend in October. This is a "preview" of the main San Miniato market and fair that takes place every weekend in November. Asti: Festival Delle Sagre is a one day event with food and wine from 40 villages in the area. It’s only 45 minutes from Turin. Sample tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, frittata with chickpea and herbs, fried frog and cured donkey meat. Processions and live music entertain the large crowd throughout the day and into evening. www.festivaldellesagre.it Alba: In October there is the Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco--a festival for the Tartufo biano, or white truffle, is a veritable celebrity in Alba and the month-long autumn festival devoted to the famous fungus is a must-see. Last October, Prince Albert of Monaco made a royal appearance at the opening ceremonies, a fanfare fitting for one of the world’s most sought-after delicacies. www.fieradeltartufo.org Caluso: 20 miles outside Turin in the small town of Caluso, every September droves of wine enthusiasts celebrate the locally harvested grapes at the Festa dell’Uva. www.festadelluva.tn.it Negroamaro: In Puglia, the Negroamaro Wine Festival is held in Brindisi every November. Gubbio, Umbria: “Il Mese del Tartufo” (the Month of the Truffle) from November 19-20 and November 26-27, with events centering around different truffle-related products and other Umbrian specialties. Città di Castello: This Umbrian town hosts the Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco (White truffle festival) in early in November. Piegaio: The Festa della Zucca (Squash Festival) is held in early October in Piegaio, a small town near Lucca. Growers from across the region head to the village to show off their biggest and best produce. There are also stalls brimming with squash-based dishes (as well as local honey, meats and cheeses) and even dolls made out of the fruit. Montalcino: Beekeepers Week in Montalcino, Tuscany is held in early September. Honey tastings and all sorts of foods made with honey. Bra: The Slow Cheese Festival happens this year from September 18-21 in Bra, Italy, a town in the northern Piedmont region, which is also the birthplace of Slow Food movement. Buonconvento: In early September the walled town of Buonvonvento hosts a beer festival. Sigillo: From Dec. 7-8, the town of Sigillo near Perugia, Umbria hosts a Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Bianco. Piacenza: This is just one town that holds a Chestnut sagre, but there are more.... in Soriano (VT), Valfocchiardo (TO), Val di Susa, Castel del Rio (BO) and Cuneo. Vicenza: Festival Nazionale dell'Enoturismo, a Foodie festival that takes place every October in Vicenza. Ferrara: Ferrara Ballooning Festival is the most important hot air balloon event in Italy. September 9-18. Verona: The Tocatì, the International Festival of Street Games in Verona, is an interesting opportunity to check out games, sounds and flavors of the past. Sept 15-18. Greve: In Greve in Chianti there's the Expo del Chianti Classico celebrating the ubiquitous Chianti wine. There's music, lessons on wine and food sampling. There will be over 60 wine producers attending. In 2016 the event will be from the 8th to the 11th of September. Milan & Turin: The MITO music festival takes place in September in the cities of Milan and Turin, and lasts throughout the month. Ciminna: San Vito's day is celebrated in Ciminna, near Palermo, Sicily during the first week of September. There is a large parade where scenes from the life of the Saint are re-enacted. A livestock fair is also organized. Florence: One of the oldest September festivals takes place in one of Italy's best known and most beautiful cities, Florence--the Feast of the Rificolona. Pienza: The Pienza Pecorino Fair and "Cacio al Fuso" takes place on the first Sunday in September. Pienza is known for the pecorino (sheep cheese) in Italy and a wide range of excellent cheeses is available to be tasted and bought during this fair. The Cacio al Fuso is a cheese rolling competition--contestants roll a round of cheese to see how far it goes. If you enjoyed this post, please don't forget to share it with your on your favorite social media site. Ciao! Italy: Where Age Means Nothing... Macchine: Machines Italians Drive The Backbone of Italian Commerce: The Treruote A treruote packed to the gills. Macchina is another word Italians use when referring to their car. Sure, they say auto too, but most people seemed to use the word macchina (MAK-eena). Even in the Godfather, when Michael tells Fabrizio to get the car (just before Apollonia gets blown up), he uses the word macchina. Macchina also means machine. Sure. Makes sense. You have to examine the Italian psyche to figure out why they think of their vehicles as machines. I think of how they drive. With abandon. Seemingly fearless, not afraid to die. They will pass you on a blind curve with a cliff on one side and nothing on the other. They will pass you on a straightaway but wait until there is a car in the opposite oncoming lane so they can pass in between both cars. Towns like Naples or Bari don't have stop lights where you think they'd be, and even when there is a red light, the driver commands his machine to ignore it--and the cross traffic. Is it bravado? Is it too much wine? Perhaps it's just that they trust their car more... their macchina. Think of the expression "a well oiled machine". Consider the Italian race driver who trusts his car more than his wife. Consider the little, treroute (three-wheeler) which is seen hauling everything from grapes to cement to olives to hay to furniture or cases of wine. The slow-poked three wheeler will be seen on unpaved farm paths, the streets of Rome, and even the Autostrada. It might be taking a bride to her wedding, hauling trash or rigged out to sell gelati. Lucas and a dreamy Vespa. Supercars in Italy from Top Gear. The neat and tidy Rome caribinieri--posing. The end of parallel parking as we know it. Also consider the even smaller macchine--scooters. I've seen priests, old ladies, 300+ pound men, cool teens and 30 something, chic businesswomen (texting as they drive) driving these things as if they were dirt track racers. The same holds true for 50cc mopeds... their high pitched whine can be heard racing teens all over Italy. But again, it's a macchina--a tool just the right size for the job. Going from point A to point B... a practical, cheap people mover. And when you actually get someone with a proper supercar, stay clear! They will pass you faster than you can even notice them pulling up in your rear view mirror. EEeeeeooowww... And you have to check out how the police pose proudly next to their own macchine. They keep them as neat and tidy as their pretty uniforms. And then just sit there as the supercar flashes past. It's perhaps a sign of respect. I never saw a caribiniari pull over a speeder--a very common sight here in the U.S. (I never really saw police doing much of anything except standing and talking to each other... and looking pretty, but that's another story.) A Google Earth capture of the teeny concrete parking hanging over the cliff in Amalfi. Then you have the tiny cars... the CinqueCento (Fiat 500), the Pandas, the Puntas, the Smart ForTwo and those one person cycle-cars. Americans buy cars because of the emotional feeling it gives them... cars gives us a persona. Not the Italian driver. He is more practical, seeing his vehicle as a machine--macchina--a tool to get things done. Sometimes la macchina does specific tasks, other times more like a multi-tool or a Swiss Army knife--the treroute again. Small means you can park anywhere--literally--anywhere. Small means you can drive down the white line like a scooter. Small means you'll never get stuck in a ultra-narrow street in a small village. Small means you can have a parking space in your home, even if it's a tiny little platform hanging over the edge of a cliff--or on your roof, or in a small cave (I saw all three types on the Amalfi Coast.) One was a concrete pad hanging over thin air with barely enough space to fit a teeny Fiat Panda with the sea below. Check out the photo on the left. Paul Simon sings, "Cars are cars. All over the world." Not so, Paul. Not so. In Italy they are machines. Tools. Macchine. Even the Pope has his PopeMobile... a very specialized tool. P.S. If you like what you've read, please LIKE us on Facebook and SHARE us with your friends who might also be interested. Grazie! The Pope is the PA-pa, while to Lucas I am pa-PA. Important distinction in the Italian language. It's all in the accent. Another difference: Lucas' paPA doesn't stand up in the car! If Italians Could Rebuild St. Marks Campanile After it Collapsed, They Surely Can Rebuild After the 2016 Earthquake When people picture Venice, aside from the canals, they will inevitably think of the iconic Campanile in St. Marks Piazza. What they don't realize is the tower standing today was a replica... rebuilt after it collapsed in 1902 after suffering centuries of damage from earthquakes, rising water levels and lightning strikes. Its full height of 98 meters of brick and stone collapsed under its own weight into a huge pile of rubble in Piazza San Marco on a July morning... the only casualty, a cat. The same evening, the Venice commune council voted to rebuild--stone by stone--exactly how it looked before the collapse. The work began in 1903 using the stone and brick from the original structure. The newly erected tower was rededicated in April of 1912. An amazing feat. But of course, even back then, the Campanile was one of the jewels of Venice... a premier stop on one's Grand Voyage through Europe. It was a money-maker, so there was no question about it being rebuilt ASAP. Throughout history, historic structures have been cherished, ruined, loved and rebuilt by people who are proud of their own history. I have seen entire towns in Europe that have been rebuilt in historic accuracy even after World Wars. This bond in Italy is a powerful one which connects the everyday citizen to the ancient Romans, Greeks and Etruscans. Today, after the horrific loses in both life and architectural history from the earthquake of two days ago, Italians have to band together and come to a conclusion that the losses of such beautiful and historic treasures such as Amatrice (the "Town of 100 Churches") and other hill towns in the effected area are totally unacceptable. For example, Amatrice was voted one of Italy’s most beautiful towns last year and was cherished for its Cento Chiese (100 churches) filled with frescoes, mosaics and sculptures. Half the facade of the 15th-century church of Sant’Agostino has collapsed, taking with it the beautiful rose window. They should not allow these historic gems to suffer the same fate as other earthquake damaged towns that have come before them.... turning them into de facto ghost towns. After all, many of these, although beautiful in their own right, were fairly poor without the deep pockets of the likes of Venice. But I argue that rebuilding and restoration of these historic structures and villages should be done as a tribute to the souls lost in this tragedy. I have seen the pride on Italians faces all over Italy for the wonderful little hilltowns they live in. Each is unique in some way--and all have enormous beauty. The people whose lives were lost can never be brought back, but Italy should band together and give tribute to them by rebuilding the homes they treasured so much... where they lived, laughed, sang, ate wonderful local food, held their sagre (festivals), raised their children, honored their ancestors and eventually lost their lives to a cruel act of Mother Nature. Here are some photos of what the three hardest towns used to look like--before the quake... Rebuild these towns. No more ghost towns. Honor the memories and lives of all who left their homes this week for all eternity. Never forget. Do not abandon those left behind... Copyright 2016, Jerry Finzi/Grand Voyage Italy - All Rights Reserved Central Italy Shaken by Killer Earthquake... How You Can Help Pescara del Tronto UPDATE--August 25th, 2016: Although Amatrice's 13th century campanile tower is still standing, it's bell was knocked loose and its clock is stuck at 3:39, the time of the quake. Aftershocks have sent stones falling from the tower as late as Thursday--the danger is still very real. Over 250 people died and hundreds more were injured, with many more still trapped in the collapsed buildings. One hotel in Amatrice had over 70 people staying there--the hotel had completely collapsed. Aside from Amatrice, three other towns were also seriously affected... Accumoli, Pescara del Tronto and Arquata del Tronto. There are also dozens of hamlets in the area--small clusters of houses which are usually incorporated into nearby larger communes--that have yet to be reached by rescuers. Aftershocks are still occurring in the affected areas, hampering rescue teams. One CNN reporter was streaming live on Facebook when suddenly the house immediately behind her collapsed. Many residents that survived are telling frightening tales of crawling out of their crumbled homes through dust, rocks and broken furnishings. Many were thrust into the night wearing only pajamas coated with foul smelling dust... replaced with clean clothes by their neighbors other volunteer rescuers. People have "lost everything", including family members, friends and neighbors. Although the elderly have spent nights in emergency tents, others are forced to stay out in the open. The temperatures in this mountainous region tend to get very cold in the evenings. As aerial photography shows, in some towns the more serious damage occurred to historic centers of towns where buildings are from 400 to 600 or more years old. In newer built areas, damage was not as severe. In the past, towns like these struck by severe earthquakes have become ghost towns, with the populations moved to new-built towns near their original location. Italy does not have a successful record of rebuilding after such earthquakes. Their economy can't afford it. Former residents fear rebuilding and moving back to their homes which sit right on top of obviously active geological faults. About 8,300 people who were forced to leave their houses after a deadly earthquake in L'Aquila in 2009 are still living in temporary accommodation. When we visited Italy we passed through several "ghost towns" that have been abandoned after having gone through such quakes. The people still own their properties, and might still spend time there tending their gardens, olive and nut trees, but at night go elsewhere to sleep. This quake was felt in a wide area of central Italy... some in Rome reported being terrified as their hotel rooms shook for as long as 30 seconds. photo by Massimo Percossi August 24th, 2016 -- "A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit central Italy on Wednesday and was felt in Rome some 150 km (90 miles) away", the United States Geological Survey and AFP journalists said. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that an earthquake occurred 10 kilometres (six miles) southeast of Norcia, 75 km (47 miles) southeast of Perugia and 45 km (28 mi) north of L'Aquila, in an area bordering the Umbria, Lazio, and Marche regions. At the time I'm writing this, around 10:30 am, Eastern Time in the U.S., it's been reported by Italian civil protection authorities that 73 people have been killed in the earthquake. Aerial photos of villages in the region show large proportions of hilltop villages have crumbled with many people missing under the rubble. Sadly, the numbers of dead are expected to rise dramatically. In Amatrice, one hard hit town, there were a larger number of people in town preparing for their annual Pasta Amatriciana Festival this coming weekend. Officials fear more injuries and deaths because of the larger than normal number of people in the town at the time. The additional fact that the quake hit during the middle of the night makes matters even worse. Sant’Agostino Church in Amatrice was badly damaged Amatrice's mayor, Sergio Perozzi was heard on RAI radio saying, "The roads in and out of town are cut off. Half the town is gone. There are people under the rubble... There's been a landslide and a bridge might collapse." He then added, “The town isn’t here anymore.” Italy's Civil Protection agency described the earthquake as "severe". Teams from the Italian state police have come into the affected area to prevent looting. Woman being rescued near Amatrice Earlier Italy’s forestry police told AP that they had extracted dozens of people alive from the rubble in the town of Pescara del Tronto. News footage from the hill town showed rescue workers being winched from a helicopter. But there have also been reports of scores dead in the towns of Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto. This is what remains of Pescara del Tronto We can only hope and pray that our Italian cousins get through this natural disaster... with the help of all of us, I believe they can and will... Click the photo below to donate to the Italian Red Cross. (Italian Language) To donate to the Croce Rossa Italiana in dollars and English, go HERE. Italian Card Games: What are Those Italian Men Playing? We came across these men in Castelmezzano during passaggiata. When we Voyaged around Italy, we kept seeing men in the piazza or in their storefront clubs playing cards. The cards were very fancy looking, something like French cards I saw years ago. But what is this game that gets the men so absorbed they rarely look away from the game? When it seems sudden passions arise and they forcefully slap cards on the table--with a kind of macho panache. We saw it played in the north, down in Basilicata, in Molfetta and most small towns. I discovered they were most likely playing one of the two most popular Italian card games: Briscola (literally, Trump) or Scopa (broom, or Scopare--to sweep). The cards are very beautiful and interesting. A deck of Italian cards consists of forty cards, divided into four suits: coins (Denari, often looking like sunbursts), swords (Spade), cups (Coppe) and clubs (Bastoni--not the same as our clubs. Theirs are actual clubs or bats.) The number value of the cards range from one through seven (not up to ten like our cards). There are also "picture cards" in each suit: Knave (Fante), Knight (Cavallo), and King (Re). The Knave is man standing. The Knight always has a horse somewhere. The King wears a crown. Count the symbols for the number value of the cards. The Ace (Asso) of Coins is a bird with circle in the middle, and other Aces always have one of their symbol. Briscola is also played in Croatia, Libya, Spain and Portugal, Malta, Slovenia. and even Puerto Rico, its poularity more than likely spread by sailors who played the game in various ports and aboard ship. It is played by two to six players played with a standard Italian 40-card deck. The game is said to originate from an older Dutch game, evidenced by the word cappotto yelled when one team wins--very similar to the Dutch word "Kaput" meaning to be defeated (though capotto means jacket in Italian). Basically this is a trump following game, although the rules allow the trump to be suddenly changed by players, making it a bit more unpredictable. The four and six player versions of the game are played as a partnership game of two teams. Each card has its own point value-- Ace 11, Three 3, King 10, Knight 4, Jack 3. A deck has 120 points total. To win a game, a player or team must get more points than any other player. After the deck is shuffled, each player is dealt three cards. The next card is placed face up on the playing surface, and the remaining deck is placed face down, sometimes covering half of the up-turned card. This card is the Briscola, and represents the trump suit for the game. Before the game begins if a player has the deuce of trump he may retire the briscola. This move may only be done at the beginning of the game or first hand. Before the first hand is played (in four player game), team players may show each other their cards. Dealing out cards and the players turns go in a counter-clockwise direction. The player to the right of the dealer leads the first hand (trucco) by laying one card face up. Each player subsequently plays a card in turn, until all players have played one card. The winner of that hand is: if any briscola (trump) has been played, the player who played the highest valued trump wins; or if no briscole (trumps) have been played, the player who played the highest card of the lead suit wins. Players are not required to follow suit, that is, to play the same suit as the lead player. The winner of a trucco collects the cards he just won and places them face down in front of him. Each player maintains his/her own pile. Then each player draws a card from the remaining deck to replace the one previously played, starting with the player who won the trick, proceeding counter-clockwise. The last card collected in the game should be turned up and become the new Briscola (trump). The player who won the trucco plays the first can. During the game and only before the next to the last hand is played, a player who draws the card with the seven (7) of trump can take the briscola. This may be done only if the player has won a hand. Before the last hand, people in the same team can look at each other's cards. After all cards have been played, players calculate the total point value of cards in their own piles. For multi-player games, partners combine their points. Scopa is the other popular card game played in Italy. Scopa in Italian means broom, and the game is one when a player sweeps all the cards from the table. It is an easy game to learn but difficult to become really good at it. It's a game of both skill and luck. Again, this is an excitable game, with body language, hand gestures and a bit of cursing being the norm during play. It is also played with the 40-card deck of cards, either with 2 players or partnerships from 4 to 6 players. Members of the same team sit opposite each other. Only one player deals the cards and hands out 3 cards to each player, and then deals four cards face up on the table in front of him. A table card may be dealt before the deal begins, immediately after dealing a card to one player, but before dealing to the next player, or after dealing all players all three cards. The first player (going counter-clockwise again) decides from one of two options: place a card on the table, or play a card to capture one or more cards. A capture is made by matching a card in the player's hand to a card of the same value on the table, or if that is not possible, by matching a card in the player's hand to the sum of the values of two or more cards on the table. The card from the player's hand and captured cards are then placed face down player and considered out of play. If the player captures all cards, this is called a scopa, with additional points awarded at the end hand. After the players have played all three cards, three new cards are dealt to each player, with the new play starting with the player on the dealers right side. That player then begins play again. No additional cards are dealt to the table. This hands are repeated until no more cards remain. In the last hand, the player who most recently captured is awarded any remaining cards, and points are calculated for each player or team. When calculating scores, each scopa (sweep) nets one point. Then a player or team gets one point if he took the highest total number of cards, the highest number of Coin suit cards, the seven of Coins (called the settebello). Calculating the primiera (prime), is also usual. To award the primiera, each cards is given a value. You sum up the points for each card and the highest total is the primiera. The primiera is worth one point towards the total score. There are many variants to the traditional game of scopa, just like in poker. One of the most popular is the Asso piglia tutto (ace wins it all). The player that plays an ace can take all the cards on the table. This can count as a sweep or not, according to the variant in use. The next time you see men playing on their little table in the piazza, stand for a while and watch. See if you follow the play. Just don't make any side bets... Buy Italian Playing Cards on Amazon... click the photo above. Amazon Books: Italian Card Games for All Ages... If you enjoyed this post, please share it on your favorite social media site. Grazie! 37 Ways Italy Can Change Your Life Forever We planned on going to Italy even before our son, Lucas was born, but because of a sudden illness, we had to call it off. Then in 2014, we planned our three week Voyage to Italy, but this time, with our 12 year old son along with some typical goals... see the art, architecture, learn the history and search out my father's roots in Molfetta down in Puglia. We knew it would be a great time, giving us fantastic memories, but as this blog shows, it has changed our lives in many ways. Here are a few ways that a Voyage to Italy might change you forever: If you thought you were eating "Italian food" before, you'll learn that you were wrong. Chicken parmesan, spaghetti and meatballs and pasta swimming in Alfredo sauce are not Italian dishes. You'll realize that if--and when--you eat these, you are really enjoying Italian-American dishes. A totally different thing. You will appreciate fresh pasta more--especially if you make it yourself. You will at long last really know how to slow down. You won't want to pay extremely high prices for restaurants after learning how easy it is to implement the simple philosophy of Italian food preparation in your own kitchen. You will learn that you can get along with less... more fresh food requires a smaller fridge; you don't need a huge gas-guzzling car; and that 22' high entrance hall in your McMansion will start to seem very ridiculous. You will learn to recognize opportunities to relax and take in a view--learning to always make time to soak in the simple pleasures like a vista, a sunset, beautiful architecture or natural wonders. You will be humbled at your place in history after seeing buildings still standing--and often still being used--after 2000 years. The oldest structures (Pennsylvania stone colonials) in my area are no more than 300 years old. Your lunches will seem amazingly inadequate and short. You will want to have a job close enough to allow you to go home for lunch. You will begin to understand the Italian meaning behind your own "bella figura" and always try to appear well attired and attractive rather than going out in public in sweat pants and unkempt, wet hair. You will learn the advantage of a mid-day nap. You will want to have simpler breakfasts... an espresso and a sweet pastry. You might start keeping your home neater and cleaner. Italians even remove their shoes when home, walking on well cleaned tile floors. You will want to make your own pizzas, and when you don't, you will want to order individual pizzas with simpler toppings... basil, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella. You will want to learn all about soccer and watch international matches. You will begin to see how much of an overpriced, un-Italian joke Starbucks really is. You will no longer drink to excess, but rather have a cocktail or two (perhaps a Negroni?) with friends. You will start to select your bottles of wine based on how well they pair with your meals. Beer will lose its appeal. You will eat more slowly, especially in good restaurants. You will learn how to pronounce Italian words properly: broosh-KET-ah rather than broosh-etta, ree-COTT-ah rather than ri-cutta and eS-PRES-so instead of eX-presso. A measly two week vacation will seem very inadequate after learning of the mandatory 31 days given to Italian workers. You will never be satisfied by the fruit and veggies in your local supermarket again. You will learn to absolutely love cheeses--especially from sheep. American sodas will forever taste too sweet to you. You will never be afraid or timid on the road again. You will drive with the confidence of a Grand Prix race driver. You will learn to taste your food before automatically putting salt on it. If you've always thought that complex French cuisine was the ultimate in fine dining and cooking, you'll find yourself replacing that whole view with the simplicity of Italian techniques. The peanut butter will be shoved to the rear of the shelf, while Nutella comes to the front. You will want to have meals with larger numbers of family and friends than ever before. If you're a guy, you will feel fine about giving your friends big hugs and expect the same back. Men... you might want to try wearing a Speedo again. You will find yourself thinking about time in a different way... when it flows past, like a river, there is nothing you can do to get it back. There's always domani. If you've never cooked before--you will. If you have cooked before, you will cook better. You will never look at supermarket variety olive oils in the same way again. You will have learned how a walk after dinner is good for your soul, your family and your health. You will want to ask your family elders about their past, their romances, their family history and of course, you'll want them to write down their recipes for you. If you're a man, you will compliment women more--even your mother. If you're a woman, you'll flirt more. You will look at older people differently, and possibly even look forward to that stage in your own life. You will find yourself learning more and more Italian words and phrases... and perhaps take a lesson or two, in preparation for your next trip back to Italy. If you liked this article, please share it with your friends! Ciao! You can also follow Grand Voyage Italy on: Copyright 2016 - Jerry Finzi/Grand Voyage Italy - All Rights Reserved Video: Amazing Kids Playing Tarantelle from Melicucco, Calabria Will High-Speed Fiber Optic Finally Come to Italy? When we traveled throughout Italy, we found either no Internet access and barely any TV, or when they existed, they were usually satellite or antenna based systems--read: S L O W. In large cities, like Rome or Florence, no problem. There were decent speeds and a decent number of cable channels--often the internet packages are bundled with TV. Our best Internet and TV was in our Rome rental apartment--our worst was in rural areas of Campania, Basilicata and Puglia. Out in the countryside, in small villages all over Italy, we would see satellite dishes or small flat antenna units mounted on roofs that picked up the signals from either a satellite hovering above in space, or a tall tower in the nearby local area--a Wide Area Network of sorts. Even when there is a decent connection, the WiFi system inside homes and hotels can be terribly slow with buggy connections. The reason is the thick, stone walls that most structures are made out of. It's a simple task to send WiFi throughout the three floors of my American 1868 vintage brick and timber home (and much more so in standard stud framed and dry-walled track homes), but WiFi signals don't pass through 1-2 foot thick stone walls and 2" thick clay tile floors easily. Boosting the quality, stability and speed of broadband internet service is needed by most regions of Italy, not only for the locals, but for tourists who might be used to more reliable internet connections. It would also be a boon to business travelers, saving money to avoid cell phone data charges for mobile hot-spot use. In 2012, it was reported that Italy ranked dead last in Europe when it came to truly high speed broadband coverage. In the rest of Europe, anywhere from 27% to 54% subscribe to services with speeds at 30Mbps or above. Italy? Only 14%. The Italian government is at long last partnering with telecom companies to fix the problem. The project is called Fiber for Italy project initially will reach 20 million people in Italy's 15 largest cities, followed by another 138 cities by 2018. The government has also started the Italia Digitale project, which will provide at least 50% of Italians with high-speed internet access by 2020. They even plan on extending the resulting fiber-optic network to rural areas, hopefully putting an end to tower and satellite based systems. The Fiber for Italy project has three main objectives: implementing a digital national register, a database of all of Italy's citizens (will Grande Fratello be watching?); introducing a system that allows public sector suppliers submit invoices digitally; and creating a single digital identity for Italians to use when they interact with the state—no more separate logins for dealing with different government services. Italians and tourists alike might have to wait for a few more years, but barring an Italexit, the collapse of the Euro, and with a real financial commitment (one company's bid is almost one billion dollars), perhaps high speed fiber-optic technology will finally arrive in the land of gelato, Michelangelo's David, pasta and pizza. UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Starbucks Soon to Have Something in Common...Wifi In Italy, Internet service is rare, sluggish and prone to weather-related problems (most services are satellite based systems--easier to install with all those stone walls). But soon there may be another option to get connected while visiting your favorite tourist sites. Even though Italy is short on cash, in 2017 it is going to start providing high-speed internet access at major tourist attractions, including all of its UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Also in the plan to get connected: seaside resorts, historic cities, airports and train stations. But is this just a scheme to get Italian Big Brother watching and following even more people? The Italian government in fact wants to create a nationwide WI-fi network, which users can access via a single personal login, but according to La Repubblica, such a system will allow data to be collected on where tourists are spending their time, and perhaps it's own citizens. Officials claim that the system would make it easier for people to enjoy Italy's natural and cultural attractions. According to Antonello Giacomelli, from the Economic Development Ministry, "We need to integrate services as much as possible because the digital element is part of the complete visitor experience." Really? My son Lucas, my wife and I just used our imaginations and our own senses to delve into the history and majesty of the Colosseum when we visited--I had no desire to get on my smart phone to do some surfing. We already have Google tracking us like this. If I even look at a camera I'm interested in, I will then be barrages with camera ads on virtually every site I go onto that uses Googles data. I wouldn't want that after visiting historic sites in Italy (or the Taj Mahal, for that matter... apparently, this is a worldwide effort linking public WiFi with data mining and advertising). Italy has more World Heritage Sites than any other country--51 at this writing--from Pompeii and Herculaneum, to Palladian villas, the cave city of Matera and Sicily's Mount Etna. This project is odd when you consider that Italy has a problem with state funding for the upkeep of its historic sites and have already used corporate moneys to restore the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and more. Perhaps it's a scheme to sell the data from such a national WiFi system to pay for their maintenance. As for me, I don't need WiFi when visiting such sites and soaking in the historic significance and culture. Turn off your smart phones and just feel the history beneath your feet! Copyright Jerry Finzi/Grand Voyage Italy - 2016 1 Making Plans 2 Gear And Tips 3 Getting Around 4 Tuscany 5 Amalfi Coast 6 Basilicata 7 Puglia 8 Rome 9 Postcards Fotos Di Finzi History For Italians La Cucina & Recipes More Than Gelato Pizza More-than-gelato-pizza News Del Giiorno Off The Tourist Path

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Guttergeek 4.0 (2015- ) Archives (2006-14) The Hero Machine It Never Happened Again Gutter Briefs How to Fake a Moon Landing Sullivan's Sluggers Burning Building Comix Crater XV Cartozia Tales Battling Boy Pachyderme guttergeek the discontinuous review of graphic narrative Simon Oliver and Tony Moore, The Exterminators (DC/Vertigo, 2006-present), published monthly, $2.99. by Alex Boney The Exterminators is a book I’m not supposed to like. Any fledgling academic knows that he’s not supposed to like sensationalistic horror, just as any English major knows he’s not supposed to like a book whose narrator is named Henry James. The “original” Henry James, the prototypical American Europhile, is also the godfather of focused, controlled English-language narrative. Naming the protagonist of your comic book series after him is indulgent and probably unwarranted. But there are plenty of things I’m not supposed to like, such as Sex and the City and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, that I manage to enjoy despite the guilt. The Exterminators, a new Vertigo series written by Simon Oliver and illustrated by Tony Moore, is most certainly a guilty pleasure. But it also stands among scores of “mature readers” and independent books currently on the racks as something different—something new and unique. The book is difficult to shuffle into a classification, but that’s probably a good thing in contemporary comics. The Exterminators is ostensibly a horror book. Each cover and each issue push the boundaries of taste. Flies, cockroaches, rats, and various other insects and vermin are deployed to incite fear and queasiness. All of this can be rather hard to get past, and it would be easy to dismiss the series as “that awful bug book.” But when you pick an issue up and actually start reading it, you might realize that there’s something else going on here. The first page of the first issue opens with cockroaches crawling through a run-down tenement apartment, but the captioned narrative presents a reflection on The Complete Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Particularly relevant is Henry’s description of the empire’s rise and spread: “Ahead of their time, those Romans. Their empire wasn’t just about the fun stuff, like pillaging France and letting your pet lion eat Christians. It was about spreading the Roman way of life, building railroads, amphitheaters and schools in the conquered lands.” The juxtaposition of mating, scrounging roaches and historical analysis of human sprawl is jarring and effective, even as one of the employees from the “Bug-Bee-Gone” extermination company comes into the apartment and says “Hey, check out these two motherfuckers fucking.” It’s crude, but at least it’s highbrow crudity. In fact, highbrow crudity is essentially what informs The Exterminators in its first four issues. The cast of characters is comprised of a number of humans as detestable and repugnant as the varmints that forage and spread disease in dumpsters and apartments. As series writer Simon Oliver says in his introductory “On the Ledge” column, “First thing you have to ask yourself is just what kind of fucked-up society would stand idly by and allow a bottom-feeding, muck-raking exploitative piece of junk like The Exterminators to see the light of day.” This is a good question, and many of the characters in the book demonstrate exactly the type of society has lead to the publication and relevance of such a book. Each of the characters reflects aspects of humanity—avarice, addiction, lust, selfishness, unchecked ambition—that cumulatively reveal the darkness of human behavior. Henry’s first partner, AJ, is an appropriately rat-faced junkie whose addiction to the new pesticide DRAXX leads to a gruesome death by the second issue. The developer of DRAXX is fully aware that the pesticide is making roaches stronger and more aggressive rather than killing them, but his scientific curiosity leads him to keep that knowledge to himself. Henry’s second partner, Stretch, accepts bribery and turns a blind eye to the horrors he witnesses at a halfway house. Even Henry is an ex-convict who takes the job at Bug-Bee-Gone to keep his parole officer off his back. Ultimately, The Exterminators is as much about the depravity of humanity as it is about the squalor of pests. One of The Exterminators’ most effective tools is its shock-factor. Oliver’s pacing works well with Tony Moore’s meticulously detailed pencils and inks to develop the tension of a well-crafted horror story. Even Brian Buccellato’s muted color palette contributes to the atmosphere that’s necessary to make this book work. But shock-factor is difficult to manage and sustain over time. I stopped reading Vertigo’s mid-90s hit Preacher about forty issues into its run because it seemed that Garth Ennis was more interested in shocking and offending his readers than developing the plot and characterization of the compelling story he’d set up in the beginning. The Exterminators runs the same risk, and I’m not sure yet how the book will work as an ongoing series. The story reminds me of 1995 “Vertigo Voices” books like Peter Milligan’s Face and The Eaters and Jamie Delano’s Tainted, all of which were highly-disturbing but highly-engaging single-issue psychological thrillers. If The Exterminators can manage to keep its focus more on human insight than on the nastiness of bugs and rodents, it will make a curiously appealing addition to Vertigo’s increasingly diversified lineup. If not, it will turn into the gross-out book of the month. I’m hoping for the former. L O Guttergeek 4.0 (2015- ) » Archives (2006-14) » Exterminators » © 2017 guttergeek Contact

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iGaming Asia iGaming Events iGaming Asia is an experienced and dynamic company with recognised expertise within the igaming industry. The team consists of executive professionals with experience from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. We are based in Manila, Philippines, making sure you have a local consultant whenever you need assistance. We provide consultancy services for igaming companies and government bodies who wish to have a presence in the Asian market. With our skills and expertise in all aspects of an igaming business, you will get the highest quality of service whether you have a small project or you wish to set up a full-scale igaming company. You will also be able to meet us at the main igaming conferences around the world. Check the events calendar to see where we will attend next time. Jesper Jensen (JJ) Director iGaming Asia Jesper Jensen (JJ) As a former military officer from Denmark, Jesper has the skills and techniques for leading any size of company. Since the military he has been working for various gaming companies across different jurisdictions, hereunder in Asia, UK, Malta and now currently in Asia, based in Makati, Philippines. Besides being a great leader of the company, he has also extraordinary skills within sportsbook and operations. Before founding iGaming Asia he was the CEO at Yew Tree Services Inc. in the Philippines with the responsibility of around 450 employees. He also held the positions as Chief Product Officer of Tipico in Malta, Head of Trading at Samvo in London and he was one of the co-founders of EveryMatrix. Growing up in Sweden, Magnus has a typical Scandinavian mind and professionalism when it comes to business. He started in the igaming sector in 2004 with Stan James being Head of Swedish Operations in Gibraltar. Was headhunted as Managing Director for SBG Global in Costa Rica 2006, which at the time was one of the biggest operators in that jurisdiction, with a total of 300 plus employees. He then spent 7 years in Latin America, working in different jurisdictions such as Mexico and Panama. Was part of a group that worked to change and improve the Costa Rican government regulations for the igaming sector. As JJ, Magnus has been involved in different gaming companies based Europe, Asia and South America. Magnus Karlsson Director at iGaming Asia Robin Le Prevost iGaming Asia Robin Le Prevost Robin has been involved in the Financial Services Industry based in the Channel Islands and subsequently worked at Director level in two new start-up companies with a great deal of success. In 2005 he started his own consultancy company targeting gaming operators seeking to gain licensing from the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) who required all types of assistance. Robin was head hunted by the States of Alderney to advise the AGCC on the commercial developments within the eGaming industry and formulated how the AGCC regulations should be amended to take these factors into account. Robin was the main architect of the revisions adopted by the AGCC in 2010 when the concept of B2B and B2C operators was formalized. This regulatory framework is regarded as the blueprint for jurisdictions in the US and Europe. As a result of a changing regulatory and tax environment the AGCC implemented a second major change in the licensing framework in 2015 and again Robin is credited with being the major instigator. He enjoys matching commercial aims with E-Commerce functionality and has the skills which enable the successful marrying together of these two worlds. Jan Hansen After graduating from the University of Southern Denmark, Jan joined Ladbrokes in United Kingdom in 2009 focusing on the Scandinavian market. Through a stay in the Netherlands holding a position as Office Manager in a law firm, Jan became part of Tipico’s Customer Operation in 2012 before joining Jesper at Yew Tree in the Philippines in 2015 with responsibility of running their Sales and Customer Service department. As one of the directors of iGaming Asia he’s now responsible for the administration and business development of the company including relationship with the best gaming and payment providers in the Asian market. Jan Hansen iGaming Asia iGaming Asia is always available for new discussion and open dialogs with industry partners. Send os a message and get in contact with us today. © iGaming Asia 2019

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Singer Jenifer ignited the stage for the first evening of the Pruneau Show 5 septembre 2019 5 septembre 2019 VERONIQUE YANG agen, Alain Chamfort, Anahata, C.Jérôme, Calojero, Corsica, Guillaume Canet, Jenifer, Kyo, Marc Lavoine, Matthieu Chedid, Maxim Nucci, NRJ Music Awards, prune, Pruneau Show, Radio Elvis and Hoshi, Slimane, Star Seed, TF1, The Voice The Festival du Pruneau Show took place in Agen from 30 August to 1 September with a new artist on stage every evening: Jenifer on 30 August, Radio Elvis and Hoshi on 31 August and Alain Chamfort on 1 September. For the 15th edition of this festival of the Grand Pruneau Show, numerous animations were organized around the prune of Agen, attracting more than 70,000 visitors to take place throughout the city before the big concert at Place du Doctor Esquirol. For example, the Pruneau Parade took to the streets with tanks and bandas. The gastronomy was not left out, with tastings of local products, aperitifs and demonstrations around the drying of plums, as well as films showing the manufacture of prunes and a history of the advertising film… The prune Challenge brought together teams of the press and institutions that are partners in the operation. Jenifer’s concert ended the first evening after a long 2-year wait related to the traffic accident that the singer had been subjected to. The first part was played by Anahata, a pop rock quartet from the Agen region created in 2017 that makes mostly acoustic music in an effort to showcase the natural beauty of instruments and voice. This group is made up of Mylene Groussia, singer of the group and Ben Martin, former rugbyman and business student, composer-performer on guitar but also a guitarist, Tom Alexis. In the second part, Jenifer appeared on stage accompanied by his group whose composition is unique because it is composed exclusively of girls. The audience was eager to find out the singer who was playing for the first time in Agen and who said that the performance almost didn’t take place because she and her band found themselves stranded for three hours on the way, before being saved by a driver named Mario. Still as smiling and warm, the former Star Academy winner set fire from the second title, “My Revolution” and spectators picked up the lyrics in a chorus, with their arms in the air, she then picked up titles dating back about 15 years, such as “It’s Gold” (written by Calogero) or “Turn My Page”(20) 07) then it was the turn of these recent successes, including “The Simple Things” that she owes to Slimane. There was also the romantic moment with the title “I Want Love” where the audience danced and lifted their smartphones. Jenifer then chained to pieces where she didn’t hesitate to move from one end of the stage to the other as she unraveled. The concert ended after an hour and a half with the title “In the Sun” which she dedicated to the city of Agen as well as 2 reminders. Jenifer Bartoli was born on 15 November 1982 in Nice. At the age of 7, she won a great success in front of her family in Corsica where she performs “Milord” of Piaf, then at 10 she takes part in a concert by C. Jérôme in Corsica and at the age of 14, she performs in piano bars and restaurants on the French Riviera, and then 2 years later, she leaves for Paris where she presents herself at Gravur What’s up with Star, from where she comes out finalist. In 2001, she presented herself at the casting of the first edition of “Star Académy” which she won in front of Mario Barravecchia. She then released her first eponymous album with texts written by Lionel Florence (“I wait for love”) or Marc Lavoine (“Our common points”). The album received a “Platinium Award” for 1 million copies sold in Europe and its first solo concert tour attracted more than 350,000 spectators between October 2002 and March 2003, not forgetting its 5-time Olympia and Johnny Hallyday’s invitation in June 2003 to share with him on stage a duo about his song “I promise you,” during his tour of the stadiums. For her second album, “Ma Revolution”, she collaborates with Calogero, Kyo or Marc Lévy and wins several awards including “Best French Artist at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Female Francophone Artist of the Year and Album francophone de l’une at the NRJ Music Awards. The sale of 600,000 copies of the album will bring him a platinum disk. She has a new tour in France (including 4 Zenith and 2 Olympia, Belgium, Switzerland and Tahiti, retraced to “Jenifer makes his live” at the end of 2005, and rewarded with a gold disk and a diamond DVD for its 100,000 copies sold. On her 3rd album, “Lunatic” where she composed the music with her companion Maxim Nucci, she collaborates with David Verlant, Matthieu Chedid and Guillaume Canet . Thanks to its 300,000 copies sold and its number 1 place in sales, it obtains a platinum disk. Between 2008 and 2009, she attracted 310,000 spectators for her tour and became the third most popular artist to her concerts and was awarded the trophy of “the French Female Artist” at the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes. His 4th album “Call Me Jen” is noticed by the critic and has a circulation of 100,000, with the titles “I Dance”, “The Back of Paradise” and a new version of “The Mad Love.” She again won the NRJ Music Awards for Francophone Female Artist. A tour of more than 50 dates takes place in France, Belgium, Switzerland and, for the first time, Israel. In 2012, Jenifer released his 5th album, “L’Amour et moi” with the single “Sur le fil” written and composed by the band Mutine. 100,000 copies are certified platinum disk. In the spring of 2012, she joined the jury of “The Voice”, on TF1, alongside Florent Pagny, Garou and Louis Bertignac, and stayed there until 2015. She has also been on the jury for the show “The Voice Kids” since the first season. His 6th album, in 2013, is a collection of songs from France Gall. Despite a platinum disk, a controversy erupts between the 2 singers and after the summer, Jenifer cancels the 2014 tour and stops promoting the album. The 7th album , “Paradis secret” with sounds from the 1960s/70s is unfortunately not a success and the tour planned for 2017 must stop following a road accident. At the beginning of 2017, however, Jenifer was featured in the feature film, “Don’t tell her”, a comedy by Solange Cicurel. She plays alongside Camille Chamoux, Stéphanie Crayencour, and Tania Garbarski, who are the main characters, she represents Laura, a divorced woman. 2018 is a year of projects since it plays the leading role in its first telefilm “Tracked” on TF1. She also participated in the dubbing of the film “Maya l’abelle 2: Honey games.” As for music, she joined TF1 Music and prepared her 8th album “Nouvelle Page” with Yohann Malory, Slimane, Corson and Tibz. This album has been a great success so far. Jenifer also announces his return on stage with two tours: one Near and Intimate, and the other Flamboyant and Electric. She also finds her coach chair for the eighth season of “The Voice” as well as the sixth season of “The Voice Kids” in the 2019 season alongside Soprano, Amel Bent and Patrick Fiori . This year, in 2019, she was featured in the credits for a new fiction “Time is Murder” in one of the main characters. In this new series of 8 episodes, currently broadcast on TF1, Jenifer plays the role of Salomé Romani, one of the antagonists of the adapted plot of Michel Bussi’s novel. MAIRIE D’AGEN – Jean DIONIS DU SEJOUR Jenifer Bartoli ← For its 31st edition, Perpignan receives the International Festival of Visa for Image Photojournalism Sébastien Abellan, winner of the 277th edition of the St. Louis Festival → Paris Prize for LGBT Rights 18 mai 2018 18 mai 2018 VERONIQUE YANG The annual reception of Secours Populaire 4 janvier 2020 5 janvier 2020 Veronique PHITOUSSI Franck Provost signs the hairstyles for the parade at the 2019 chocolate show

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27TH-31ST OCTOBER 2016 PORTLAOISE ANDREW MAXWELL WITH GUEST MC NEIL DELAMERE DATE: Friday 28th Oct Time: 10.00pm (Doors 9.30) Venue: Kavanaghs Comedy Club ANDREW MAXWELL -­‐ ‘YO CONTRAIRE’ This autumn Andrew Maxwell is back in Ireland with a brand new show “Yo Contraire”, having performed it to sell-out crowds at festivals in Edinburgh and Australia. For a comedian with a natural ear for the absurdities of our news cycle, 2016 has been a vintage year. If you want a sneaky taste, check out AndrewMaxwellsLateAgenda on SoundCloud. “One of the most significant comedians working in the country today.” Independent Andrew is one of the biggest names in the history of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival having played to over 100,000 fans. He’s is the founder and curator of the Altitude Comedy Festival in Mayrhofen, Austria. A regular on prime time TV and radio with The Panel, Eureka (RTE) Monumental, The Blame Game, Delete Delete Delete (BBC NI), Live at the Apollo, Conspiracy Roadtrip (BBC), Ex on the Beach (MTV), 8 out of 10 Cats (CH4), Safeword, Celebrity Juice (ITV), Public Enemies, Late Agenda, New Quiz (Radio 4) among his many, many credits. “Fiercely funny and utterly invigorating.” Times Neil Delamere Following sold out shows last year, the master of mirth is back with his own unique brand of his irreverent humour. 2016 was another busy year for the perennially popular star of the Blame Game, which celebrates its 10th birthday on TV this year. With that, a science comedy series for RTE2 and his radio show on Today FM under his belt, now he is back to where it all started, talking to strangers in rooms for money. “Simply put, Delamere is a master” The Scotsman KAVANAGH'S COMEDY CLUB Kavanagh’s Comedy Club

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Computable Contracts Explained – Part 1 I had the occasion to teach “Computable Contracts” to the Stanford Class on Legal Informatics recently. Although I have written about computable contracts here, I thought I’d explain the concept in a more accessible form. (Part 2 of “Computable Contracts Explained” is found here) I. Overview: What is a Computable Contract? What is a Computable Contract? In brief, a computable contract is a contract that a computer can “understand.” In some instances, a computer can automatically assess whether the terms of a computable contract have been met. How can computers understand contracts? Here is the short answer (a more in-depth explanation appears below). First, the concept of a computer “understanding” a contract is largely a metaphor. The computer is not understanding the contract at the same deep conceptual or symbolic level as a literate person, but in a more limited sense. Contracting parties express their contract in the language of computers – data – which allows the computer to reliably identify the contract components and subjects. The parties also provide the computer with a series of rules that allow the computer to react in a sensible way that is consistent with the underlying meaning of the contractual promises. Aren’t contracts complex, abstract, and executed in environments of legal and factual uncertainty? Some are, but some aren’t. The short answer here is that essentially, the contracts that are made computable don’t involve the abstract, difficult or relatively uncertain legal topics that tend to occupy lawyers. Rather (for the moment at least), computers are typically given contract terms and conditions with relatively well-defined subjects and determinable criteria that tend not to involve significant legal or factual uncertainty in the average case. For this reason, there are limits to computable contracts: only small subsets of contracting scenarios can be made computable. However, it turns out that these contexts are economically significant. Not all contracts can be made computable, but importantly, some can. Importance of Computable Contracts There are a few reasons to pay attention to computable contracts. For one, they have been quietly appearing in many industries, from finance to e-commerce. Over the past 10 years, for instance, many modern contracts to purchase financial instruments (e.g. equities or derivatives) have transformed from traditional to electronic, “data-oriented” computable contracts. Were you to examine a typical contract to purchase a standardized financial instrument these days, you would find that it looked more like a computer database record (i.e. computer data), and less like lawyerly writing on a document. Computable contracts also have new properties that traditional, English-language, paper contracts do not have. I will describe this in more depth in the next post, but in short, computable contracts can serve as inputs to other computer systems. For instance, a risk management system at a financial firm can take computable contracts as direct inputs for analysis, because, unlike traditional English contracts, computable contracts are data objects themselves. II. Computable Contracts in More Detail Having had a brief overview of computable contracts, the next few parts will discuss computable contracts in more detail. A. What is a Computable Contract? To understand computable contracts, it is helpful to start with a simple definition of a contract generally. A contract (roughly speaking) is a promise to do something in the future, usually according to some specified terms or conditions, with legal consequences if the promise is not performed. For example, “I promise to sell you 100 shares of Apple stock for $400 per share on January 10, 2015.” A computable contract is a contract that has been deliberately expressed by the contracting parties in such a way that a computer can: 1) understand what the contract is about; 2) determine whether or not the contract’s promises have been complied with (in some cases). How can a computer “understand” a contract, and how can compliance legal obligations be “computed” electronically? To understand this, it is crucial to first understand the particular problems that computable contracts were developed to address. B. The Problem: Computers Can’t Understand Typical Contracts The essential problem is that computers cannot understand “traditional” legal contracts as they are generally written today. “Traditional” legal contracts – (what most of us think of when we envision a “contract”) – are typically written in English, often in (paper or electronic) documents. Let’s explore three reasons why computers cannot understand such traditional contracts, and how computable contracts can be understood as a partial workaround to some of these problems. Reason 1: The Natural Language Processing (NLP) Problem Computer scientists refer to the ordinary language that people use to communicate with one another – like English -as “natural language.” Thus, documents such as books, newspaper articles, or emails would be considered “natural language” documents (as contrasted with computer programs, which are not). A traditional contract is written in “legal English” – an impenetrable variant of ordinary English understandable largely by lawyers – containing words of legalese like “wherein” and “herein.” (“Seller hereby agrees to convey to buyer…”). Computer scientists consider traditional contracts to be “natural language” documents because they are written in ordinary language (as opposed to computer language). Thus, I am not intending to complement legalese by referring to it as “natural.” Rather, it is only considered natural in comparison to the mathematically formal languages used to program computers. The branch of computer science research devoted to the computer-based understanding of natural language documents like books, newspaper, articles, or legal contracts known as “natural language processing” (NLP). The problem is that contemporary computers are not nearly as good at people as understanding natural language documents. While there have been great strides in computer-based natural language processing, computers still fall far short in terms of processing the structure and understanding the meaning of even simple sentences, let alone complex documents like contracts, as compared to literate people. Let’s take an example of where contemporary computers might fall short compared to people. Natural language documents such as contracts tend to be relatively unstructured in the sense that natural language allows for multiple ways of expressing the same idea. People writing contracts, in other words, are not limited to one, and only one, choice of words to convey a concept. For instance, imagine a contract provision that simply identifies the buyer and the seller. An attorney crafting this provision might chose among any of the following, relatively comparable formulations: “John, the seller, promises to sell to Sally, the buyer” or “Sally, hereby referred to as the ‘buyer’”, and “John”, hereby referred to as the “seller.” We imagine that a literate person could probably read either of these provisions and reliably understand who is the buyer and who is the seller. However, these are just two variants of this concept. Natural language permits hundreds or thousands more, logically comparable formulations of the same simple concept, and people generally have little trouble understanding these variants. However, even a simple variant in such natural language formulation might trip up a computer as compared to a person. Computers can make errors in reading even such simple natural language texts – missing contextual clues – and making basic errors that would be trivial for a literate person to determine. Even relatively basic shifts in language (“John agrees to sell to Sally” or “Sally, hereby referred to as the ‘purchaser’”) might confuse a computer given the wide flexibility and variability of natural language. Thus, it might prove to be a significant hurdle for a computer to reliably perform a basic task, such as simply identifying the buyer or the seller in an arbitrary natural-language contract, given the unstructured and flexible nature of natural language. This is a task that would be trivial for an attorney. If such simple parsing problems are hard for computers, you can imagine that the more advanced problems of understanding complex contract provisions, or understanding the meaning and nuance in contract language, are harder still. Thus, while there have been huge advances in automated natural language processing by computers over the last 15 years, a computer can still not read an ordinary legal-English contract and understand its contents (who is promising what to whom) with the accuracy and understanding of a similarly situated attorney. Reason 2: Contract Terms Involving Discretion and Abstraction The second reason that contemporary computers cannot understand a typical “traditional” contract has to do with the meanings of contract terms themselves. Contracts often contain terms that are abstract or involve discretion such as “best efforts” or “material” or “reasonable.” In many contracting scenarios, these discretionary or abstract terms pose little problems for people that work together in long-term business relationships in determining what is or is not “reasonable” or “material” to a contract promise (e.g. “relational contracts”). However, rules-based computers tend to have difficulty assessing and applying words of discretion and subjectivity. Similarly, many contract provisions are highly abstract in nature. For instance, contracts often contain a basic provision a “merger clause”, which essentially says, “This documents is the complete and only and final agreement – any other pieces of paper other than this should not be considered part of this contract.” In other words: if its not in this document, the parties are not agreeing to it. This is a fairly simple idea for a person to understand, but it is incredibly abstract. How does one convey such abstract ideas such as “other documents” and “other promises” to a computer? The answer is – it is hard to do so today. Thus, our second problem is that computers are not as good at people at working with words of discretion or abstraction that often appear in complex contracts. We can imagine a scenario in which every person agrees that something is reasonable, or material, but that a computer would not be able understand or process this due to the abstraction. To the extent that contracts contain such terms, a computer would not be able to handle them adroitly. Reason 3 – Legal Uncertainty The third reason that computers cannot easily assess a typical contract has to due with uncertainty. In part, performance with a contract involves looking at what was promised, and then seeing whether or not what was promised, actually happened. As lawyers know, there can be a lot of uncertainty in determining compliance with contract obligations or other legal obligations. There may be uncertainty about the governing law, about what specific terms mean or do or do not cover, or external obligations imposed by law, etc. Similarly, there may be uncertainty about the facts. A contract often involves some activity that either did or did not happen in the world. However, in many cases, the answer to whether the activity happened according to the contract may not be black and white: there may be uncertainty about what did happen, differing opinions about quality, or good excuses for not performing, etc. Such legal and factual uncertainty is hard enough for lawyers, let alone computers, which often can be stymied in environments of uncertainty. Computer-Understandable Contracts Impossible? Given these technological and legal impediments, it might seem that it would be impossible for contemporary computers to understand contracts and automatically assess compliance with their promises. However, there is an approach to automating certain contracts, provided it is done in the appropriate context – and that is the computable contracting approach. Because of the length, I am splitting this explanation into two posts (appearing in the next day or so). The next post will discuss the computable contracting approach, how it actually works, its limits, and how it can be understood as a partial solution to the three problems just described. Harry Surden is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Colorado Law School. His scholarship centers upon intellectual property law with a substantive focus on patents and copyright, information privacy law, legal informatics and legal automation, and the application of computer technology within the legal system. His Twitter is : @Harry Surden Posted in Uncategorized on June 12, 2014 by Harry Surden. ← Supreme Court Gives Patent Law New Bite (Definiteness) Computable Contracts Explained – Part 2 →

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Health Policy Project/Dominican Republic Family Planning and Reproductive Health (FP/RH) Get the Topic Factsheet (pdf) Addressing Barriers to HIV-Related Services for Transgender Individuals "Transgender" is an umbrella term for people whose current gender identity, expression, and/or behavior is different from those typically associated with their sex assigned at birth. Transgender people are at heightened risk for HIV transmission, even when compared to other key populations at high risk of contracting HIV. In most countries, stigma and social factors reduce access to healthcare and HIV services for transgender individuals. The limited health-related data for transgender persons worldwide are consistent: transgender women (individuals whose sex assigned at birth was male but currently identify and/or express as female) are almost 50 times more likely to be HIV positive than other adults of reproductive age. Transgender sex workers are four times more likely to be living with HIV than female sex workers. Transgender men (individuals whose sex assigned at birth was female but currently identify and/or express as male) are at elevated risk for HIV as well, because many of these individuals identify as men who have sex with men, and face health risks similar to those faced by other key populations. Various structural and interpersonal factors contribute to the increased risk of HIV infection for transgender people: Formal or informal environmental factors that contribute to stigmatization and discrimination Invisibility of transgender populations from the mainstream (both voluntary and involuntary), making it difficult for these individuals to be reached with needed services Overt criminalization of gender nonconformity, and the perpetration or threat of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual assault due to gender identity and/or expression Increased risk of physical and sexual victimization for transgender people in prison contexts Sexual risk-taking to gain social support and protect against violence, particularly when engaging in sex work Governmental restrictions placed on access to condoms and lubricant for men who have sex with men, transgender people, and sex workers in many countries, which increases the likelihood that these individuals will engage in unprotected sex. There are significant barriers to care for this population, including lack of information, lack of access to appropriate services, and lack of participation in policy and community decision-making processes that affect health. The USAID- and PEPFAR-funded Health Policy Project (HPP) is committed to enhancing access to high-quality and welcoming healthcare services among transgender individuals who are often at higher risk for HIV infection and morbidity. To do so, we strengthen the capacity of government, health institutions, civil society, community-based organizations, regional networks, and individuals to advocate for stronger policies and equitable health services for people most at risk of HIV infection. We also work to empower transgender individuals and other vulnerable populations to become more involved in the policy process. We Strengthen the capacity of transgender (and gender-nonconforming) individuals to participate in the decision-making process and influence policy change for equitable access to health services Provide technical assistance to government and health institutions in developing policy and advocacy tools to improve health and HIV services for transgender people Foster partnerships among government institutions, national HIV councils, and transgender populations to devise and implement policies and strategies that curb HIV-related stigma and discrimination Develop capacity-building tools for healthcare providers, in collaboration with transgender networks, to train providers on appropriate, respectful care of transgender patients, and in the identification and prevention of GBV Dominican Republic Activists Work To Advance Transgender Health Care Transgender Men in Uganda: What We Want You to Know—and Do HPP Supports Transgender and Hijra Consultation in Kathmandu HPP Trains Caribbean Physicians on Transgender Healthcare Gender and Sexual Diversity Resources Key Populations: The Role of Policy, Advocacy, Governance and Financing in Addressing Concentrated HIV Epidemics Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for HIV-Related Services: Males Who Have Sex with Males, Transgender People, and Sex Workers Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for HIV-Related Services: People Who Inject Drugs

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Wind SE 9 Kona All About Hawai'i Volcanoes and Earthquakes The Big Island of Hawai'i is composed of five volcanoes... Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualālai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea. Hualālai and Mauna Loa are expected to erupt again. Mauna Kea can still be active though there are no current indications. The current active volcano is Kilauea which has been spewing forth lava pretty much nonstop since it began - and is among the worlds most active volcanoes. Currently lava comes out at the Pu'u 'O'o vent inside the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Depending on conditions the lava is quite often accessible and offers visitors an experience of a lifetime. Lava flowing from Pu'u 'O'o normally flows through lava tubes towards the ocean 6 miles away. About two miles before the ocean the lava encounters a 1,200 foot cliff which is flows over, and then two to three miles of coastal flats until it pours into the ocean. Often the lava is visible on the Pali (cliff), on the coastal flats, and at the ocean entry. In the huge Kilauea Summit caldera itself site Halema'uma'u Crater. On March 19, 2008, a vent opened in the crater causing a portion of Crater Rim Drive to be closed. The vent is still open but lava continues to remain below the surface of the vent. We have much to say about the volcano and the lava - this page lays out the various sections that you can visit. Be sure to read the section on Cautions and Warnings as it contains very important information about volcano safety. Cautions & Warnings Cooking In Lava Lava Photo Gallery Current Volcanic Activity The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory located in the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park provides a daily update of the eruption activity at Pu'u 'O'o and down on the coastal flats. This is a good place to check to see what is currently going on. We extract the daily report from USGS and have it for you below along with some of the most recent USGS pictures of the flow. Please visit the USGS website for more details and photographs. HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY MONTHLY UPDATE Thursday, January 9, 2020, 11:09 AM HST (Thursday, January 9, 2020, 21:09 UTC) KILAUEA VOLCANO (VNUM #332010) 19°25'16" N 155°17'13" W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m) Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN Activity Summary: Kīlauea Volcano is not erupting. Monitoring data for December show variable rates of seismicity and ground deformation, low rates of sulfur dioxide emissions, and only minor geologic changes since the end of eruptive activity in September 2018. Observations: Monitoring data have shown no significant changes in volcanic activity during December. Rates of seismicity over the month were variable but within long term vales. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are low at the summit and are below detection limits at Puʻu ʻŌʻō and the lower East Rift Zone. The pond at the bottom of Halema'uma'u, which began forming on July 25, 2019, continues to slowly expand and deepen. As of early January, dimensons are: 84 meters by 190 meters or approximately 280 feet by 620 feet. Current depth is about 23 meters or 75 feet. Over the past month, about a dozen deflation-inflation (DI) events occurred beneath the summit, similar to the prior month. Since early March 2019, GPS stations and tiltmeters at the Kīlauea summit have recorded deformation consistent with slow magma accumulation within the shallow portion of the Kīlauea summit magma system (1-2 km or approximately 1 mile below ground level). However, gas measurements show continuing low levels of sulfur dioxide, consistent with no significant shallowing of magma. Some amount of sulfur dioxide is being dissolved into the summit lake; work continues to try and quantify this process. Farther east, GPS stations and tiltmeters continue to show motions consistent with slowed refilling of the deep East Rift Zone magmatic reservoir in the broad region between Puʻu ʻŌʻō and Highway 130. Monitoring data do not suggest any imminent change in volcanic hazard for this area. In addition to motion along the East Rift Zone, the south flank of Kīlauea continues to creep seaward at elevated rates following the May 4, 2018 M6.9 earthquake near Kalapana. HVO continues to carefully monitor all data streams along the Kīlauea East Rift Zone and south flank for important changes. Although not currently erupting, areas of persistently elevated ground temperatures and minor release of gases are still found in the vicinity of the 2018 lower East Rift Zone fissures. These include steam (water), very small amounts of hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide. These conditions are expected to be long-term. Similar conditions following the 1955 eruption continued for years to decades. Hazards: Hazards remain in the lower East Rift Zone eruption area and at the Kīlauea summit. Residents and visitors near the 2018 fissures, lava flows, and summit collapse area should heed Hawaii County Civil Defense and National Park warnings. Lava flows and features created by the 2018 eruption are primarily on private property and persons are asked to be respectful and not enter or park on private property. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) continues to closely monitor geologic changes, seismicity, deformation, and gas emissions for any sign of increased activity at Kīlauea. HVO maintains visual surveillance of the volcano with web cameras and field visits. Additional messages and alert level changes will be issued as warranted by changing activity. Background As of June 25 2019, Kīlauea Volcano has been at NORMAL/GREEN. For definitions of USGS Volcano Alert Levels and Aviation Color Codes, see: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html. Kīlauea remains an active volcano, and it will erupt again. Although we expect clear signs prior to the next eruption, the time frame of warning may be short. Island of Hawaiʻi residents should be familiar with the long-term hazard map for Kīlauea Volcano (https://pubs.usgs.gov/mf/1992/2193/) and should stay informed about Kīlauea activity. This notice contains additional volcanoes not displayed: Hualalai (NORMAL/GREEN), Mauna Kea (NORMAL/GREEN), Haleakala (NORMAL/GREEN), Loihi Seamount (UNASSIGNED/UNASSIGNED). Activity summary for Mauna Loa is also available by phone: (808) 967-8866 Subscribe to these messages: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2/ Webcam images: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna_loa/multimedia_webcams.html Photos/video: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna_loa/multimedia_chronology.html FAQs of Mauna Loa: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/faq_maunaloa.html Summary of volcanic hazards from eruptions: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/hawaii_hazards.html Recent earthquakes in Hawaiʻi (map and list): https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna_loa/monitoring_summary.html Explanation of Volcano Alert Levels and Aviation Color Codes: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html askHVO@usgs.gov The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is one of five volcano observatories within the U.S. Geological Survey and is responsible for monitoring volcanoes and earthquakes in Hawaiʻi. Volcano Books and Videos Book: Chasing Lava: A Geologist's Adventures at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Book: Hawai'i's Volcanos: Legends and Facts Book: Hawai'i Volcano Watch: A Pictorial History, 1779-1991 Book: Mauna Loa: World's Largest Active Volcano Book: Hawai'i's Kilauea Volcano: The Flow to the Sea Video: Volcano - Fountains of Fire Video: Lava Flows and Lava Tubes Video: 2003 Eruption Update: A Firsthand Account of the Current Eruption of Kilauea Volcano This page is named 'Volcano'. Can't Find It? http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hi?Volcano

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Has Urbanism Lost All Meaning? July 1, 2014 / General, Intercultural City, New Urbanism, Placemaking, Urban Studies On New Year’s Eve 2013 the staff at Atlantic Cities (now City Lab) ran a story about “Urbanist Buzzwords to Rethink in 2014.” These buzzwords included popular favorites such as “placemaking”, “smart growth”, and even “gentrification.” Readers were urged to use some of the concepts much more carefully and reject others altogether. Why? Because they lack meaning or are too “jargony”, “wonky” or—god forbid—“academic.” Halfway through 2014 it doesn’t appear that much of the advice from the vocabulary police and translators of “academic-ese” at City Lab has been heeded. I think that’s a very good thing. Topping City Lab’s Rethink List is the “worst offender” of all: “urbanism.” Sommer Mathis opined thusly: At first glance, this word might seem utilitarian: urban is a perfectly fine word, and -ism, meaning a “distinctive practice, system, or philosophy, typically a political ideology or an artistic movement,” a frequently helpful English language suffix. But this particular combination never fails to makes me cringe when I hear it spoken aloud. Not only does it imply that there exists some universally accepted ideology of the best way to construct, organize, and manage any given urban area, it’s frequently misapplied as a term for the study of urban issues…or the basic interaction of people and things within an urban environment. Deploying this word should be undertaken with extreme caution, and always with the understanding that it almost never carries real meaning.” In an earlier City Lab piece from 2012 Kaid Benfield anticipated Mathis’s argument by likewise suggesting that the concept of “urbanism” had exhausted its utility. He also opined that the word was stifling creative thought about cities and their planning. Benfield said: …as a lover of words and language, I am always thinking about their meaning and best use. And I now believe it may be time to send “urbanism” to the same literary retirement as “vibrant.” [e.g., see here]…My first problem with urbanism is that in some circles it has taken on the air of a cult, providing a verbal badge of identification. The word carries an assumption not just that adherents love and promote cities but also subscribe to a growing code of written and unwritten precepts and rules about how our built environment should be organized – starting but not ending with density, gridded streets, mixed uses, priority to pedestrians rather than drivers, and so on…Just as the principles of smart growth have gotten stale, so have the overlapping principles of urbanism. Overly familiar vocabulary can lead to overly familiar thinking. But perhaps an even bigger problem with “urbanism” is that the word is ridiculously overused…It comes in a bewildering variety of forms—old, new, sustainable, tactical, landscape, pop-up, accidental, adaptive, emergent, Latino, recombinant, magical, integral, green, military, “true,” everyday, postmodern, guerilla, mobile, even an oxymoronic “agrarian” strain, and more [emphasis added]. Various versions of the label are used to justify everything from illegally spray-painting public property to development in places that no sensible person would honestly consider “urban” unless they have drunk gallons of metaphorical Kool-Aid. I could define urbanism in my own way and probably be perfectly comfortable with the result. But communication is about using words in ways that are not just personal but understood in common, and this one has now splattered all over the map, including in ways that I find troubling.” I appreciate aspects of Mathis’s and Benfield’s arguments. I agree that vocabulary is important and that we need to be precise and vigilant in our use of words. I also agree that inter-subjective agreement about the meaning of words has value given that city building is a collective undertaking. But both Mathis and Benfield push things a little too far. Benfield’s complaint (and perhaps Mathis’s as well) appears to be with a particular strain of urbanism; i.e., New Urbanism. The word urbanism itself doesn’t imply a single “ideology” or “set of principles” for city building. Indeed, I find the various versions of urbanism that Benfield identifies in the highlighted part of his quote above to be quite meaningful, useful, and even liberating. There’s nothing ridiculous about the variety of urbanisms that compete for the hearts and minds of city-lovers today (see Yuri Artibise’s engaging book for one attempt at stock-taking). They privilege different entry points to understanding the city. They alert us to different causal powers or forces that shape the city. In so doing they help explain why the city looks the way it does. They implicate different structural barriers to change and improvement. Comparing urbanisms allows one to critically evaluate their underlying epistemologies, theories, practical consequences, and ideologies (plural!). Comparison helps clarify their distinguishing features and emphases, their irreconcilabilities, and the possibilities for synthesis. Comparison identifies contradictions and blind spots in our thinking and inspires new thought about how to resolve the contradictions and fill the blind spots. Particular concepts of urbanism can usefully serve the purpose of pointed social criticism. They can also serve the interests of minority urban cultures. Jarrett Walker at the Human Transit blog suggests that “dominant cultures routinely co-opt and corrupt the words that the minority needs to think about itself and its situation.” We’re currently seeing this, I think, with the term gentrification. And as David Diaz explores in his book Barrio Urbanism, today’s New Urbanism very much co-opts the values and language of a much older, more widespread, and vastly underappreciated urbanism. Such alternative urbanisms—and the critiques of conventional “ways of doing” that inform them—are more important now than ever before. The concept of urbanism is also essential to our vocabulary if it’s understood as a process rather than a product. If we’re looking for words to jettison, then urban planning—a word that neither Benfield nor Mathis nor other City Lab staffers recognize as problematic—might be the better choice. I’m struck by the distinction between urban planning and urbanism that’s made by Barcelona architect Itziar Gonzàlez. Jeb Brugmann describes Gonzàlez’s distinction in the chapter on Barcelona’s Gràcia District in his book Welcome to the Urban Revolution: How Cities are Changing the World. For Gonzàlez, urban planning: …starts from the premise that “we want to reach this goal.” Urbanism, in contrast, asks “how do we reach this goal?” [Gonzàlez] draws a picture of a boat on a large sheet of paper. Then she shows the boat being buffeted by strong winds, just like the pressures a city faces during its redevelopment, which threaten to push its vision off course. “To reduce the pressure of the winds on the boat,” she argues, the planner makes the boat bigger and bigger. In other words, the project becomes less responsive to local values and priorities. It increasingly focuses on the needs of the boat. In contrast, she explains as she continues her paper illustration, ”urbanism is adding and developing solutions for all the different interests.” She draws each interest as a little boat. “Urbanism is getting lots of little boats moving in a similar direction.” Street in Gràcia District, Barcelona (Wikipedia) At the time of Brugmann’s writing Ms. Gonzàlez complained that urban planning was still substituting for urbanism in Barcelona. It likely continues to substitute in many other cities worldwide. The challenge to urbanists working for positive change in the city is to get an accurate assessment of “little boats”—or, the interests of community stakeholders—and their implications for designing the built environment. Interestingly, “stakeholders” and “built environment” are two other buzzwords identified by City Lab staffers as needing rethinking or replacement. The cynicism of their arguments is palpable, and their critiques unpersuasive. That’s why I like the work of folks who champion urbanisms that put cultural diversity and difference first in our re-imagining of the built city. They focus on identifying and working with different interests instead of assuming they don’t exist, ignoring them, caricaturing them, or declaring that they don’t matter because they’re outnumbered by a dominant majority interest. We need to understand, accommodate, balance, and integrate majority and minority interests if we’re going to build better, more livable, and more sustainable neighborhoods and cities. I think we already have some pretty good concepts for achieving that goal, and these include the many variants of “urbanism” that currently surround us. It’s in that more charitable spirit that I’ll give the last word of this essay to the final commenter on City Lab’s New Year’s Eve story, John Anderson. Mr. Anderson provides a thoughtful, optimistic, and convincing position on language use that simultaneously legitimizes an “academic” perspective on the urban issues that currently bedevil us: I can understand why folks who wordsmith for a living would want to overhaul the lexicon every year. Over exposure to some terms probably causes irritation—a buzzword rash perhaps. The discussions of the built environment that take place at the level of the neighborhood, the corridor, the municipality, or the region are already dumbed down significantly for lack of a common technical vocabulary. [City Lab] does a good job of writing about these issues with a little more depth than say, USA Today, but there is plenty of room to do more with the words that are available.”

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Joel M. Caplan | Official Website Teach About Data and Crime Analysis in Police Academies Teaching police recruits the basic value of data and the operational utility of crime analysis will prove to be public money spent for the public good. ​ ​Policy-makers, please take note: Teaching police recruits the basic value of data and the operational utility of crime analysis will prove to be public money spent for the public good. ​Billions of public dollars are spent on real estate, buildings and technologies to collect, manage, analyze and communicate the many, many, petabytes of data that police agencies generate. Fusion centers, real-time crime centers, CCTV and surveillance centers, mobile data terminals, or automatic vehicle location systems, are just a few of the capital assets. Each of these cost millions of dollars to build or setup, plus more to maintain and staff. Added to these appropriations are the costs of computer-aided dispatch, records management systems, and predictive policing software, to name a few of the digital resources, which comprise a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States, alone. Elected officials clearly value data because they invest heavily in producing and preserving its related infrastructure. But there is an obvious void: investments in the human elements that make data actionable. Far removed from the new buildings with walls of integrated flat screen TVs, in roll-call rooms and on police patrol routes throughout America, exists evidence that data analysis is undervalued by line-level police officers, and even some commanders. Or, maybe the value of data is just overlooked and, therefore, underappreciated. Police of all ranks have a symbiotic relationship with data and analytical products. Every day data informs strategies, tactics and resource deployments. It aids criminal investigations, and is discoverable in courts of law. Data analysis informs command decisions and patrol activities that can directly affect officer safety, public safety, and police-community relations. Skilled analysts in police departments throughout the country turn ‘big data’ into ‘smart data’ and, when used wisely, these products offer insights to prevent crime and reduce risks. Many stakeholders use police administrative data to measure various aspects of success or failure. Police officers are both the generators of original data and the end users of crime analyses. Yet, they are rarely, if ever, formally trained to preserve the integrity of data measures, to see value in datasets, or to fully harness the utility of analytical products. Largely missing from public spending is deliberate investments to teach police recruits the basic value of data and the operational utility of crime analysis for their personal and departmental interests. Basic law enforcement training programs in the United States last an average of 840 hours, or 21 weeks, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) survey of state and local academies. Major training areas include operations (an average of 213 hours per recruit); firearms, self-defense, and use of force (168 hours); self-improvement (89 hours); and legal education (86 hours). “Data utility” is not mentioned. Adding an hour long module to basic training would account for less than half of 1% of training time, but could yield a huge return on investment. Police are the front line brokers of crime analysis results to operational practice. Yet their brokering skills and training are often un-nurtured and ad hoc. Recently, 79% of survey respondents agreed that a basic introduction to data and crime analysis should be a required part of police academy training. Expert academy instructors can come from a variety of places, including from within a local police department’s crime analysis unit, as the City of Chesapeake already institutionalized. Policy-makers responsible for police academy curriculums should add learning objectives to teach recruits why data is important, how it relates to their job, how it can be reliably collected, how it should inform their decision-making, how it can be used to develop crime and risk reduction strategies, and how it can justly identify places for resource deployments. Recruits should graduate with clear expectations of how they’ll produce and use data on the job. Police officers deserve to understand why commanders might have told them to do what they’re doing, and where to do it. They deserve the transparency of knowing that data probably played a role in the orders they were given; that the reliability and validity of data analyses can be affected by the discretionary decisions they make and the actions they take every shift; and that directly or indirectly, this feedback loop affects their future work duties and related liabilities. The petabytes of data available to police only becomes actionable when people interpret it in meaningful ways. This takes training and practice; but it starts with an honest introduction. It requires a similar level of dedicated training that is already given to shooting accurately, driving emergency vehicles safety, or handcuffing quickly. Elected officials and many other stakeholders will realize huge long-term benefits when police learn that data has value, and how to harness it. They will witness a more effective, responsive and transparent police department when police officers are trained to balance empirical evidence with professional experience. Learning to value data should be taught early to new recruits and not forgotten or dismissed during field training. The mindset and operational practice of evidence-based policing requires that new generations of recruits learn to value data and empirical evidence, along with a healthy balance of critical professional insights and intuition. Police academies are the places to start to nurture this trend. Copyright © Joel M. Caplan. All Rights Reserved.

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Backlash from FDA's Bogus Marijuana Report 02 MAY 2006 - Marijuana Policy Project Last Friday, 24 members of Congress demanded that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) account for its disingenuous April 20 statement claiming that “no sound scientific studies” support the medical use of marijuana. In a letter co-authored by U.S. Reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Ron Paul (R-TX) and signed by 22 other members of Congress, the legislators accuse the FDA of basing its statement on politics, not science. The FDA’s claim, of course, is patently false. Numerous credible scientific studies document marijuana’s medical benefits, most notably a 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report commissioned by the White House drug czar’s office. The IOM concluded, “Nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety are all afflictions of wasting, and all can be mitigated by marijuana.” But as Dr. John Benson, one of the three authors of the IOM report, told The New York Times on April 21, the federal government “loves to ignore our report. ... They would rather it never happened.” The FDA’s statement — which was issued in response to pressure from notorious prohibitionist U.S. Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), who has demanded that the FDA’s acting commissioner denounce medical marijuana — contained no mention of new research or analysis that led to the agency’s pronouncement. Rather, the statement was simply a rehash of the federal government’s long-standing position. But in a sign that MPP and our allies’ work to educate the public and the media is paying off, the nakedly political document has been nearly universally derided in the media. Even Congressman Souder’s hometown paper printed an editorial criticizing Souder and the FDA, calling the statement “just the latest disgraceful effort to maintain an unconvincing position that has long been rejected by most Americans.” MPP staffers were quoted in stories in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Los Angeles Times, as well as in Associated Press, Reuters, and Scripps Howard News Service stories that were reprinted in hundreds of local newspapers. In addition, MPP staffers appeared on CNBC, NBC’s “The Today Show,” and dozens of local TV news broadcasts ... and co-authored an op-ed in The San Diego Union-Tribune. (Read news coverage of the FDA’s bogus statement here.) If you’d like to help MPP continue our aggressive work to get the truth about marijuana into the news, please make a financial contribution to our work today. Email This Article To A Friend - Print This Article Articles can be E-mailed to a friend and you can get a printable version of the article IMPORTANT: We provide all information for educational purposes only, and endorse or recommend nothing here. A special thanks to Keith for all his support and insight. Search Content :

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English Literature Essays Herman Melville (in Bartleby) about Freedom, Free Will and their Consequences by Risafov Katina · Published August, 2017 · Updated April, 2018 Bartleby is a short story about a man who was employed as a scrivener. What a scrivener does is copying the law documents. He does that as a machine without thinking just mechanical work. This story is narrated by a lawyer who has an office at Wall Street. Something happened in his life that made him to put this story on a paper so people can read it. That is obvious from the very beginning when he says “But I waive the biographies of all other scrivener, for a few passages in the life of Bartleby, who was a scrivener, the strangest I ever saw, or heard of.” (p.1328) The lawyer use past tense in this sentences from where can be concluded that he narrates the story as a consequence of an event this happened earlier. It is hard to define whether Melville views are the narrator ones or the views that Bartleby holds which is implied in all he is saying and doing. Anyway both views are opposite and that on the end makes the consequences. Freedom and free will are in a way connected and it will be hard to define them separately. Bartleby has another view of freedom and free will and that breaks the normal way in which people behave and think. Examples will follow to support both views and what the consequences are of holding such a kind of view. Freedom for the lawyer is when people can speak and tell their opinions in public. One example to explain the freedom of speech is “I think I should kick him out of the office.” (p.1335) This sentence is taken out of the conversation between the lawyer, Nipper and Turkey. Consequently on what is going on, these two people are asked to say what they think of the provided answer from Bartleby about examining the papers. Both of them are saying what they think. In the case of Bartleby when he says what he wants that breaks the borders of freedom in speech. That gives the lawyer so much trouble finding the rational explanation. That is all about freedom in speech and action. The lawyer gives an explanation that neither Nipper nor Turkey is perfect but they do their job and that is why he keeps them employed. That is a rational explanation, but he can’t find any for what Bartleby is doing. Freedom for Bartleby is not only freedom is speech but also freedom in choice. That freedom in choice automatically connects to free will. Free will from the aspect of the lawyer is when he acts in accordance with what is called a social law. Which means act in a way the society requires or with other words do their job as his other employees do. There is no right to choose only to do the order given. Free will for Bartleby is when he has a choice and prefers one. He is exactly doing what he prefers; one thing rather than the other one. There is the answer that Bartleby is saying when he is asked to do something.” I would prefer not to.” (1333) This sentence is neither yes or no. It is just saying that he would prefer not to do something, not that he will not do that. “You will not?” “I prefer not to.” (1336) Look at those words in italics. That word will is a part of free will. It means that is a free will to choose between two choices and prefer just one. If it is so, for the lawyer then free will does not exist. People should do what their job is to do. For the lawyer is very strange a scrivener to refuse to examine the papers and even to refuse to copy further documents. That is the part when the office owner does not know what to do and he tries to look into “Edwards on the Will” and “Priestley on Necessity.” These two books are mentioned in the story, but in his real life this is not a case to be found in those books. “Then, sir,” said the stranger, who proved a lawyer, “your are responsible for man you left there” (1347) In this statement that really makes a sense, but if that man did not want to leave the building no one else is responsible for him. In that time, 19th century in the United States money and property defined the social status of a person and that is the bounds that Bartleby tries to break. That is what people have to realize. What a free will is and not to act because the society requires so but to act because one prefers so. The society in the sentence above requires a responsibility from the lawyer even though Bartleby is not working there anymore. It is easier for them just to transfer the responsibility to someone else rather than respect ones will which is irrational for them. “Since he will not quit me, I must quit him. I will change my offices; I will move elsewhere, and give him fair notice, that if I find him on my new premises I will then proceed against his as a common trespasser.” (1347) This is not an example of a free will it as rather a rational thinking and the lawyer is not conscious what he really wants to do. He feels threatened. “Come, let us start now, right away.” “No: at present I would prefer not to make any changes at all.” (1349) The lawyer offers Bartleby to go with him and Bartleby says that he would prefer not to. Why? From another aspect how stupid and silly looks to offer a job to Bartleby such as bar-tender, clerkship, a traveler and a companion. Bartleby description was more or less as a dead man, so imagine how unreasonable looks Bartleby talking to other people when he is not communicative at all. That is a point when the lawyer still can’t get what free will is. Bartleby at that point of conversation knows what he wants and he states that. Concerning the consequences it could be concluded that each view has its own consequences. Bartleby is going to die and that is a consequence. The same as one has a right to live, he or she has a right to choose and die. Holding that view in a society where the people supposrt the lawyer’s view, the consequences are to get rid of the free will. With other words get rid of Bartleby. The consequence of the view that the lawyer holds is the story by itself. All through the story he narrates his opinion and he can’t stop thinking and looking for an answer. “I must get rid of a demented man, who already has in some degree turned the tongues, if not the heads of myself and the clerks.” (1341) With other words he must get rid of the free will that in a way does not allow him to act properly. “My procedure seemed as sagacious as ever- but only in theory. How it would prove in practice, there was the rub. It was truly a beautiful thought to have assumed Bartleby departure; but after all, that assumption was simply my own and none of Bartleby.” (1343) It is obvious that lawyer’s procedures does not work anymore. That is the point when theory does not apply anymore too. That is the truth, and the truth is that in practice freedom and free will means something more than just words. In conclusion, Melville wrote this story in a way to show that views about freedom and free will for different people are not the same. The last paragraph of the story is just awesome realization of how hollow humanity is. Scrivener does copy documents without thinking and a person writes a letter reasoning what he is writing and doing. That is the gap and that is the reason why those letters mentioned on the end of the story speed to death. There is a will written in them and people do prefer to send them nowhere. Imagine just what will be if everyone was taking the right of free will and prefer to do one thing rather than the other. Where will the humanity go? Simple as that, speed to death. Tags: free willlawscrivener How do Hawthorn and Irving use Religion in their Stories by Risafov Katina · Published April, 2018 Why Discussing John McGahern’s story “Korea” by Risafov Katina · Published August, 2017 Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Society’ а Humorous Story with a Serious Point by Risafov Katina · Published February, 2018 · Last modified April, 2018 Next story Virginia Woolf presents the ‘Different Tradition’ of Women’s Lives and Women’s Writing in “Three Guineas” Previous story The Language in Glengarry Glen Ross “That’s ‘talk,’ my friend, that’s ‘talk.’ Our job is to sell” Why How What? What are the Points of Interest in “Doctor Faustus” Virginia Woolf presents the ‘Different Tradition’ of Women’s Lives and Women’s Writing in “Three Guineas” What is Literature? Essential Rules for Writing an Essay How Can We Use the Poem “Inneskeen Road: July Evening” to Illustrate the Language Acquisition, Cultural Aspect and Personal Growth How Sense of Disillusionment is Used in Literature English Literature Essays © 2020. All Rights Reserved.

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Health benefits of wine aren’t due to resveratrol May 13th, 2014 Posted by Stephanie Desmon-JHU "The story of resveratrol turns out to be another case where you get a lot of hype about health benefits that doesn't stand the test of time," says Richard D. Semba. (Credit: Jonathan Cohen/Flickr) If red wine and dark chocolate prevent cancer or heart disease, it is not, as was suspected, because of the antioxidant resveratrol. Italians who consume lots of an antioxidant found in red wine, dark chocolate, and berries don’t outlive those who ingest smaller amounts and are just as likely to develop cardiovascular disease or cancer, new research shows. “The story of resveratrol turns out to be another case where you get a lot of hype about health benefits that doesn’t stand the test of time,” says Richard D. Semba, professor of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “The thinking was that certain foods are good for you because they contain resveratrol. We didn’t find that at all.” (Credit: kev-shine/Flickr) Earlier studies did show that red wine, dark chocolate and berries do reduce inflammation in some people and appears to protect the heart, but not, apparently, because of resveratrol. “It’s just that the benefits, if they are there, must come from other polyphenols or substances found in those foodstuffs,” says Semba, leader of the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. “These are complex foods, and all we really know from our study is that the benefits are probably not due to resveratrol.” Italians and red wine [related] Semba is part of an international team of researchers that for 15 years has studied aging in people who live in the Chianti region of Italy. For the current study, the researchers analyzed 24 hours of urine samples from 783 people over the age of 65 for metabolites of resveratrol. After accounting for such factors as age and gender, the people with the highest concentration of resveratrol metabolites were no less likely to have died of any cause than those with no resveratrol found in their urine. The concentration of resveratrol was not associated with inflammatory markers, cardiovascular disease, or cancer rates. Resveratrol is also found in relatively large amounts in grapes, peanuts, and certain Asiatic plant roots. Excitement over its health benefits followed studies documenting anti-inflammatory effects in lower organisms and increased lifespan in mice fed a high-calorie diet rich in the compound. The so-called “French paradox,” in which a low incidence of coronary heart disease occurs in the presence of a high dietary intake of cholesterol and saturated fat in France, has been attributed to the regular consumption of resveratrol and other polyphenols found in red wine. The study participants make up a random group of people living in Tuscany where supplement use is uncommon and consumption of red wine—a specialty of the region—is the norm. The study participants were not on any prescribed diet. None took resveratrol supplements, though few studies thus far have found benefits associated with them. The NIA, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the Italian Ministry of Health, and the Spanish government supported the research. Additional researchers from Johns Hopkins, the National Institute on Aging, the New England Research Institutes, the University of Barcelona and the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Spain, and Azienda Sanitaria and the Instituto Nazionale di Ripose e Cura per Anziani V.E.II.-Instituto di Recovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico in Italy contributed to the study. Source: Johns Hopkins Original Study DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.1582 Why cancer treatment causes bone loss Teen brains are no match for fast food TV ads Protein tweak may prevent DMD-related heart disease

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What You Read - Chapter 2. Book 2. Part 2: "The Unjust Fate of a 'Guilty' Woman" "What You Read" is a short story I am releasing in ten parts in this blog. Please see the postings for 4, 11 and 18 and 26 February 2018 for the previously released parts. Once a week a new part is released. It is inspired by the work I did for my upcoming book, the expanded version of "The Pendulum. Yet this small victory hadn’t saved you from harder things to come. “You cannot describe depression,” you said, and then went on to describe it. “It is a terrible thing; you don’t want to see anyone, or do anything. The day has no beginning and no end. One cannot wish it upon anyone.” Our conversation prompted me to read Effi Briest, and to learn of her world of paranoia and superstition that grew out of her confinement in a relationship and in a place she didn’t want to be in. Her fear that she was being haunted by the unrequited spirit of a Chinaman, who had come to the North Sea shores on a trading ship and died in her husband’s house, nearly drove her mad. You knew what it was like to stand on the brink of madness, and could take Effi’s predicament to yourself. What had begun as a titillating novel about someone else when you were a youngster, became a terrifying mirror. You kept to your superstitions, such as spending considerable periods of time holding a pendulum, a tiny magnet tied to the end of a piece of silk string, over the image of your son whom you were certain had died in the Brazilian wilderness. You insisted he was dead because the pendulum had told you so, and again I furled my eyebrows at the ferocity of your pain. I didn’t like superstition, but something in me couldn’t reject the possibility that the dead Chinaman and the tiny magnet might just have some power over us. The part you didn’t tell me about yourself was the part I learned from reading about Effi’s life, and what surrounded us in your apartment. Your sterling silver, the gold-rimmed plates and your blue satin bathrobe that hung in your oak closet, struck me as much as anything else each time that I visited. From the beginning, like you, Effi only wanted the best or nothing. Her desire was your desire, and it was this that attracted you to your husband and his ideology, which became the nemesis of your soul. It made you question whether you really were a victim, and wonder whether, like Effi’s critics, you had deserved what you had got. It was a mystery to me that an independent thinker like you, who saw the injustice of Effi’s fate, could marry a man whose ideology dictated that you and other women could only become heroes if you became slaves. Yet the answer lay in the story of Effi Briest itself. He had offered you the best, “only the best”- you said, he'd said - and you followed him in pursuit of this as he and his comrades grabbed land and murdered its owners in Poland, and eventually drove the family to ruin pursuing megalomaniac dreams in exile in Latin America. You didn’t tell me all of these things. Instead, I found them out myself in archives and among eyewitnesses. At over one hundred years of age, when death faced you each day, you asked the same question as Effi had on her death bed: “Will God take me?” For both of you it was a rhetorical question. Neither of you believed that he would, because you saw yourselves as justifiably guilty, not as innocent victims. Suddenly, I thought I understood why you said that the Pope should be shot. He was the anointed keeper of the entrance to God's house, from which you believed you had been expelled forever. Through Effi Briest I was able to distil the source of our guilt, which had trickled down from you, to the generation between us, and eventually to me. Was this just or unjust, and must the sins be paid for by the suffering of the generations? If I had been deeply superstitious, I would have said that we had no choice but to accept it. Yet I am only mildly so, and continue to seek another way of framing the question.

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Tuesday, November 19, 2019 11:05 PM EST MANHATTAN, Kan (KAKE) - Xavier Sneed had 21 points and six rebounds, Cartier Diarra had seven points and eight assists as Kansas State escaped a scare from Arkansas-Pine Bluff 62-51 on Tuesday night. Marquell Carter led the Golden Lions (0-4) with 20 points and nine rebounds as Arkansas-Pine Bluff trailed by just six points with nine minutes left in the game. This was Arkansas-Pine Bluff's closest margin of defeat this season. Makol Mawien finished with 10 points and Antonio Gordon provided nine as Kansas State ended with 24 points in the paint and 10 offensive rebounds. Neither team took care of the ball very well as Kansas State had 16 turnovers compared to Arkansas-Pine Bluff's 20. A zone defense by the Golden Lions proved to be troublesome and the Wildcats posted the fewest point total in a home game this season. Kansas State was able to make a season high eight 3-pointers and held the Golden Lions to just three. Both teams had a 12-0 run in the first half, and they were squared at 27 after 20 minutes. Kansas State has yet to be leading at the half in any game this season. INJURY WATCH Montavious Murphy didn't play for the Wildcats due to an undisclosed injury he sustained against Monmouth last week. He averages five points and five rebounds this season. Arkansas-Pine Bluff had too many turnovers to hang with the Wildcats but showed promise after a poor start to the season. Kansas State's first half woes continued, but they were able to pull away in the second half. Arkansas-Pine Bluff plays its third game in six days Thursday when they face Pittsburgh. Kansas State will take part in the Fort Myers Tipoff in Florida when they face Pittsburgh on Monday.

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Social Science that makes a difference High-performing learners also need support South Africa’s participation in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) has enriched our understanding of the South African education landscape. An analysis of our grade 9 results shows improvement, an indication that targeted interventions focusing on poorly performing schools and learners are having a noticeable effect. However, our high-performers might need more support, writes Dr Mariëtte Visser. South Africa is still among the lowest-performing countries that participate in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), however, it is encouraging to note that from 2003 to 2015, the country has shown the biggest positive improvement of all participating countries in both mathematics and science. Over this period, our average mathematics and science achievement scores increased by 87 and 90 points respectively, the equivalent of two grade levels. This indicates that our competency levels in mathematics and science have improved steadily over time. Since 1994, the Department of Education and subsequently the Department of Basic Education (DBE) have implemented a number of policies, including pro-poor initiatives to promote equity and improve the quality of education in previously disadvantaged schools. This includes the introduction of the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in 2012 and the implementation of the policy on learning and teaching support material (LTSM) that supports the provision of core LTSM to schools. These materials comprise textbooks or learner books, workbooks and teacher guides – all considered important for the implementation of the curriculum. Addressing policy In South Africa, where the majority of children live in poverty, lack of money can be a barrier to schooling. In 2007, the government introduced no-fee schools to make it easier for low-income households to send their children to school, which resulted in improved school enrolment. Almost all the learners from low-income households are receiving a government-funded school lunch under the national school nutrition programme. Other interventions such as the alcohol and drug prevention and management programme, the care and support for teaching and learning programme, and the integrated school health programme have also been implemented. In addition, through the accelerated schools infrastructure delivery initiative, schools that had been constructed from inappropriate materials are being replaced to provide an optimum environment for learning and teaching. This initiative also aims to address the basic safety norms backlog in schools without water, sanitation and electricity. Further support provided by government to the indigent include the social grant programme, the low-income housing subsidy; municipal rates rebates and free basic water and electricity. | Competency levels The TIMSS reports achievement at four points along a scale as international benchmarks. These cut-off points are: advanced (≥ 625 score points), high (≥ 550 and < 625 score points), intermediate (≥ 475 and < 550 score points), and low (≥ 400 and < 475 score points). The benchmarks are associated with identified capabilities of knowing and applying of content knowledge as well as reasoning abilities. Learners, who have not reached the low international benchmark, are seen as not yet competent in the subject at a particular grade level. For South Africa, another benchmark group was added for scores ranging from 325 to 399, and is referred to as the potential group. We believe that, although learners who fall in this group are not competent yet, with focused and structured classroom intervention, they can become competent and perform above the minimum competency level. The TIMSS findings Figure 1 presents the percentage distribution of South African grade 9 learners by competency level in mathematics. The patterns for mathematics and science are similar. The figure illustrates how competency levels have improved from 2003 to 2015. The percentages of learners performing at the high and advanced international benchmarks have been combined in Figure 1 in the category of high competence. There were significant shifts in competency level between 2003 and 2015. In Figure 1, these are indicated by the shift of the bars to the right, over time. For instance, in 2003, only 10% of learners were competent in mathematics, and the percentage increased to 34% in 2015. Additionally, in 2003, 13% of learners were competent in science, and this increased to 32% in 2015. When looking at the lower end of performance, one notices an increase in the group of potential learners. The percentage of learners in the potential group doubled from 2003 to 2015. Increases of 17 percentage points and 13 percentage points were observed for mathematics and science, respectively. Another significant result is the dramatic decrease in the percentage of learners performing below 325 average score points. For mathematics, this percentage decreased from 73% to 31%, and for science it decreased from 72% to 40%. Vast inequality When the achievement scores are broken down by the socio-economic status (SES) of the school, the patterns reveal vast inequalities. In Figure 2, the distribution of learners by competency levels in mathematics and by school SES is compared for 2011 and 2015. The graph shows that within our public school sector we clearly see the inequality divide between low and high SES schools. The analysis shows that, in 2015, approximately 80% of learners attending independent schools; 60% of learners at high SES public; and 20% of learners at low SES public schools achieved mathematics and science scores above the minimum level of competency. The percentage points increase (from 2011 to 2015) in the percentage of learners who achieved above 400 score points in mathematics were 6 for low SES, 15 for high SES and 10 percentage points for independent schools. Thus, high SES public schools had the largest improvement in learners who achieved at or above 400 score points. On the other hand, low SES schools had the largest improvement at the lower achievement levels with a reduction of 10 percentage points of learners who achieved below 325 score points. Within this unequal performance, it is also worth noting that in 2015, 3.2% of South African mathematics learners and 4.9% of science learners achieved mathematics and science scores at the high level of achievement, which is a score of at or above 550 points. This is higher than other lower-performing countries. Substantial improvements in the potential group, but slight improvements in the high-performers were noted. Achievement gains among lower performing learners show that targeted interventions focusing on poorly performing schools are having a noticeable effect. However, performance at the higher end is a concern. The groups of learners with high competence in mathematics and science do not seem to increase sufficiently to sustain and improve excellence in the education system. From 2003 to 2015, there were increases of only one to two percentage points. Experts believe that a country’s academic performance in subjects related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics indicates the future economic strength of that country. It is therefore important that the DBE also invest in interventions aimed at supporting high-performing learners towards advanced levels of excellence. Author: Dr Mariëtte Visser, a senior research manager in the HSRC’s Education and Skills Development research programme mmvisser@hsrc.ac.za FIGURE 1: PERCENTAGE OF LEARNERS BY COMPETENCY LEVEL IN MATHEMATICS FROM 2003 TO 2015 FIGURE 2: PERCENTAGE OF LEARNERS BY COMPETENCY LEVEL IN MATHEMATICS AND SCHOOL TYPE, 2011 TO 2015 Quick Links: Review Summary | Editor's Note | TIMSS in South Africa: Making global research locally meaningful | A new picture of early achievement in South Africa | High-performing learners also need support | Rising above: What makes a learner resilient? | Believing you can succeed in science | Building solid language foundations for achievement | The importance of the early learning environment | Bullying - reduced when learners feel like they belong in a school | Workbook and textbook availability - Adding learners' voices | "We were not consulted" - Triggers of school arson in Vuwani | The school transport challenge: A disproportionate effect on poor learners | Transforming higher education - Impact of a growing black middle class | Ready or Not - A documentary about student struggles and strategies | Water provision in Nyanga: The community needs to be on board | Perceptions of socio-economic circumstances: Survey indicates a daunting task lies ahead | Ship for World Youth - Building a global understanding | HSRC Press The HSRC is committed to the dissemination of research-based information. One of the vehicles for this activity is its quarterly news magazine, the HSRC Review, which contains accessible articles of recent research outputs, expert opinion and success stories of collaborative projects. The archive of previous issues of the publication is available here. Receive HSRC Reviews by Email HSRC latest news

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Liberation Unleashed Describe This? Quotes App Gateless Gatecrashers LooK! Seeing What IS LU interview with guide Moonlight Lisa Kahale Hello everyone, Lisa Kahale here with a lovely interview with Moonlight, a longtime Liberation Unleashed member and contributor. Moonlight is a guide on the LU website Forum for those seeking to pass through the gateless gate and has consistently given her time and effort to our organization. She edited and compiled our book “Look! An Illustrated Guide to Seeing What Is” and was co-publisher, as well as assisting with several other projects along the way. Lisa: Hi, Moonlight! Thanks for being here. Please tell us a bit about yourself, your background. Moonlight: Hi Lisa, I’m grateful that you are doing this with me. Thank you. Let’s see now… I come from Pakistan, which is a rather conservative and conformist country. Not to say there aren’t liberal, free thinking people here, but one thing you just cannot openly do is question certain core beliefs and traditions. That is a complete no-no. So I sometimes see myself in Liberation Unleashed and I think ‘Wow, how did I even get here?!!!’. But here I am and so grateful to everyone who I have met on the way and who have helped me on this journey. I didn’t spend my childhood in Pakistan. My father was in the diplomatic service, which brought me in contact with a lot of different cultures and traditions. But through it all, my Pakistani culture and Islam were deeply entrenched in my life because of my parents. I was not a seeker because I already thought I knew it all! There were no questions in that aspect of my life; my aim was simply to try to be a good person and a good Muslim There was no search for anything ‘higher’ – like enlightenment. I spent about 40 years of my life like that. I shudder to think how judgmental and self-righteous I must have been. I don’t mean this particularly about Islam, but just how deep-rooted my beliefs and concepts were. But then that is how life flowed at the time. My sister-in-law and best friend is not from Pakistan and through her I learnt that it is possible to live your life and think differently from the norm and it’s still okay. So some loosening of the tightly-clenched ‘rules’ in my head happened. Thank you! Then one day my nephew, who was a spiritual seeker and still is, made some comment about enlightenment. That comment, for some reason I still haven’t understood and don’t even remember, ignited a fire and set me on the journey from someone who thought she knew it all to someone who doesn’t ‘know’ anything at all. L: What did you do at that point? You were on fire; did you become a seeker? What did that look like, that fire? M: It was not a raging fire at all in the beginning, more like a little flicker – but one that kept growing. I just started feeling that there must be ‘more’. Up to this point, I was deeply religious still; hijab (head scarf), five times prayers, the whole works. That was my security net and go-to for escaping the troubles of life. But now, it wasn’t enough. I started reading voraciously on the net about this ‘enlightenment’ deal, and realized that all traditions described it in the same way. That seemed a little strange to me. I thought, ‘Okay, the only way to know what they’re talking about is to try it myself. Maybe then, I’ll be happy AND knowledgeable – special!!’ Little did I know what was coming … Sufism is the mystic side of Islam, so I tried to find a Sufic master at first. However, I didn’t want to get myself stuck with a ‘false master’, so I ended up searching for a ‘how-to’ on the net. But no, no Sufi do-it-yourself manual there! I did find Buddhist breathing meditation instructions and started that, thinking what the heck, meditation is meditation. Lo and behold, as I regularly meditated, all that I held to be true and unquestionable started loosening and, in some cases, disappearing altogether. I became panicky, didn’t know what to do, and then REALLY started searching in earnest. Eckhart Tolle, Ganga Ji, Adyashanti, Sufi books, Buddhist philosophies, anything and everything. I remember calling Adyashanti on one of his radio shows from here and asking him what to do as I was so disoriented suddenly after a lifetime of being secure in the knowledge of what it was all about. He said, ‘You’re only disoriented when you start looking for the security net. As long as you don’t look for it and just let yourself be, you’ll be fine,’ and gave an example from his childhood. That made me think that maybe I’m okay, maybe I can do this. Now, remember, this is all against a background of living in a conservative joint-family system, so I’m also pretending still to be pious, good old me while thinking, ‘Is this all a lie?’ And then, during my internet seeking, I happened across Ilona [Ilona Ciunaite, one of LU’s co-founders]. This was before the birth of Liberation Unleashed. I would see Elena [Nezhinsky, LU’s other co-founder] and Ilona posting on some pages and people getting all aggressive and fight-y. I found it unfair and commented a few times, just jumping in, asking what’s wrong, why aren’t you people even listening to what the girls are saying. I forget exactly how it happened but then Ilona asked me if I wanted to be guided. I am forever grateful for her and her direct, patient and loving pointing to reality and the end of the imagined ‘me’. L: I can’t even imagine that; the outer appearance of still being a devout Muslim and the inner realizations of so much that did not conform. Was there anyone in your life with whom you could discuss this? And once you saw that there was no individual self how did your everyday life change? M: It was a weird time for sure. At times I’d feel that I’d been living a lie, then I’d go in the other direction and think “What the heck am I doing, I was totally fine before!”. This was before I started really LOOKING. I didn’t really discuss it too much at home, my husband knew that I was looking into “something different” but he just said not to involve him in it and to continue to raise the kids as Muslims. He really didn’t want to know more. I did discuss it with my friend; she understood most stuff but not about the burning need to get to the truth, which was by now the case. She is not a seeker. And the truth? Let me remember what it felt like then… When I finally saw through the illusion of the self and how we create it, it was at once so mind-blowingly simple and at the same time, I have to say, a little underwhelming for me. I was expecting fireworks and an immediate and constant state of bliss, thanks to all the notions floating around about it. But what all I got was, ‘What? This is… so simple and so… obvious really. What a joke!’ But the effect of this realization… I don’t want to create expectations for others, but yes, life changed completely, even though everything around me was just the same. So much dropped away immediately, or within a few days. My anxiety, the constant worrying, regrets, judgments, beliefs… itreally felt like I had been seeing the world through a dirty lens and suddenly it was wiped clean! It was a shock as so much of what I believed to be true just disappeared or started unraveling, coming apart. Not to say that I was suddenly not reacting to stuff or not having “I” thoughts at all – I still do – it was just that they were seen for what they were, usually after the fact. I realized that the conditioning of a lifetime doesn’t just go away. But all my notions, my concepts… gone. In fact, not only gone, but the very concept of having any was laughable! Who is there to ‘have’ anything?!! And a sense of wonder, love and gratitude was left and has remained since. I think I went through a bit of a strange period really. It was this wonderful new way of seeing life and I wanted everyone to do the same. I went around (mostly grinning like an idiot), zealously promoting looking into this big unquestionable, universal lie – and of course, there were no takers. It was only later I realized that people are ready when they are ready. No one can or should be forced to look until they are. So I turned my enthusiasm to our website forum, which was by now running, and started guiding there. L: What was the appeal in that, assisting others into seeing that there is no personal self? And do you still guide, is it still appealing? M: As I said above, there was this overwhelming feeling of gratitude, which automatically led towards helping others. This (guiding) seemed to be the best way to express it at that moment. For those that are ready it is, I think, the most effective and direct way of seeing through the illusion of the ‘I’. Cuts through all the nonsense and the woo-woo stuff. And it is a beautiful feeling to help someone to see that, to see that there is no ‘I’ and there is no other. A different feeling from the way that I used to feel after having ‘achieved’ something; hard to describe… it feels not like a personal success but an increase in love and gratitude. And at the time of actual seeing, the seeker usually thanks the guide and I always feel like saying, ‘No, thank YOU for letting me do this’. I had to stop guiding after a while though, because things got really busy at home and I was just not able to put in regular time on the internet. Which really has to be the case as you cannot start guiding and not be committed. So I left it for a couple of years. I will add that the commitment and work done by guides and others who work on administrative things never ceases to amaze me. Recently, I felt the pull to start guiding again, and am loving it. L: That sounds very satisfying, the “… it feels not like a personal success but an increase in love and gratitude”. This must be because there is a lot in the seeing through the illusion of a personal self that is helpful and rewarding for each who realize it. So let’s move back to that for a bit. What is the effect of this realization now that it’s been around for a while for you? How has it deepened, if it has? What, if anything, has been challenging? M: I think the analogy of an onion with its many layers to be peeled is very apt. For a while, for me, it was like okay, this is it. But it’s not. Not at all. There’s much further to go, seeing the illusion of the self is really the start of it: de-conditioning, living an awakened life, whatever you want to call it. A friend called it “the process of enlightening” (thanks, Tim Foley) This was the way its been for me. Maybe for some it happens in one fell swoop though I would imagine that that would be rare, with all the baggage we accumulate. :) Speaking of my own experience… well, back to the onion analogy. The deepening process has been a stripping off of layers of conditioning and habitual thinking. All that doesn’t just disappear immediately, a lifetime of stuff doesn’t go away overnight. Subtle identifications, conditioning, habits, ingrained emotional reactions – these take the ups and downs of life and further ‘looking’ to dissolve, at least in my experience. For example, my eagerness for everyone I know to go through this process after I did, and annoyance when they didn’t even want to hear about it, those were also just so many more “I” beliefs. And I realize now that that it’s all life flowing as it will. All of it. The good, the bad, the ugly, the pleasant and crappy stuff – none of it is holier or better than anything else. Life simply unfolds and the wonder and mystery of it, ALL of it, is impossible to explain or understand. The search to know, for ‘more’, was replaced by acceptance and awe of the wonder, the mystery. The need for answers just.. stopped. Feelings… are of contentment. ‘Bad’ things happen, as to ‘good’ ones, but it is known intrinsically as life being experienced. The thoughts that qualify them as such come up and disappear. Emotions arise but without the thought-stories to further them they subside again pretty quickly. At times I find myself getting engaged in believing a story or getting emotional about it, but it is seen through quicker and quicker. There is an increase in empathy to the point where it is very difficult to see pain anywhere. Tears and joy both come and go easily. The baseline remains sweet: contentment, love and gratitude. That’s not to say that there were no ups and down on the way; there were calm and intense – sometimes painful – times internally. Sometimes we do not want to admit to or face our ‘sticky bits’, the parts of ourselves, or rather identifications, that are hard to let go. The main challenge though…I guess at the time of realization a lot changed for me but it was hard to live that due to the lifestyle I was in. It wasn’t like I was on my own, able to do what I wanted. I was still living in the family house with my in-laws, husband and four kids, still within the very strong traditional/Islamic framework. My realization was not deep enough to let things be, let the characters dance the dance of life. I used to get very frustrated about ‘living a lie’, not being able to shout from the rooftops, so to speak. Needing to stay within the bounds of conventions, etc. But then, frustrations and challenges are part of the teachings of life. Peel, peel, peel. When I really looked, I saw that this was actually more identification; about being ‘free’, about ‘others’ who are not, about life needing to be a certain way- hah! After this rather painful insight, I was finally able to let this go. This led to a deepening and a synchronizing, a harmonization with the flow of life. It is getting easier to spot those thoughts and triggers that hook identifications and deeply buried conditioning. They are pieces of resistance which need to be recognized and faced before they are let go. I have no idea where it will lead, but I do know there are more layers to get peeled. L: How are your relationships with friends and family now that you are approaching life with a deeper view? Have things changed at all? And what would you say is the biggest difference in how you lived before this realization and how you live now? M: Yes, things have changed. Quite a bit, to be honest. One difference is that I really don’t want to socialize or do the regular stuff much. I never was an extrovert, but now I feel no need to ‘try and fit in’, to be like everyone else and do what everyone seems to be doing. Another is no arguments, or hardly any. People say some words, I might say some back, but then I realize that that is all it is. End of argument. Relationships have changed as well. I’m not sure what this would be called, but it is very easy for me to see things from ‘another’s’ perspective. It’s almost as if I am feeling what they are, but not in an involved way. Again, hard to describe. It’s kind of like being able to see how the person is thinking and hence feeling, and yet knowing that it can be no other way, that is simply what is happening. The need for changing them or expecting them to behave a certain way usually just doesn’t happen. I know I’m going to sound obnoxious when I say this, but it’s a little like seeing children do the things they do. I cannot hold on to any resentments anymore. It is almost like an alien concept. Friends or others might say things like “How can you forgive her? Don’t you remember what she did/said to you?”, and I’m like, umm I really don’t. I can’t even bring up the feelings of resentment and anger from the past. I know I didn’t like a few people once, but the reasons don’t mean anything now. I think it’s a little weird for some people that I am now like that. A fascinating challenge now is that my husband and family’s expectations of the kids is very different from mine. The moral code, a certain expected way of life, things we do to motivate them… most of those are meaningless to me, but I am still expected to teach them these things. It is… interesting. What other differences?…In day to day life… there’s no interest in buying stuff which isn’t needed. My house remains a mess all the time and I don’t care. There sis hardly any ambition left. I still like to travel and see new places, new experiences. I have restarted my classical dance lessons, which I always loved, recently at the age of almost 50. Things once so important to me literally have no meaning anymore. For example, customs, patriotism, religion, possessions, structure, problems, expectations… the list is endless, and it has been completely liberating. Liberation indeed :) Oh my god, I think I’m sounding completely obnoxious. Oops, Sorry if I am. I am trying to be honest. I still get triggered by some people close to me, and I’m working on that. Criticism is a big one, especially by a few certain people, and I think the roots go back to my childhood low self-esteem. There’s more stuff to bring up, to see, to let go. Biggest difference is the almost constant state of acceptance and love, for myself, everyone else, life. After all, isn’t that all there is and always was? Difference is that it is now felt and seen and experienced. L: Lovely. What feedback would you give to others who wish to experience a liberation like this? Is it possible for just anyone? What would you suggest to those who are interested? M: Hmm. Thank you for asking this, Lisa. It is one of the most common misconceptions that one has to be ‘special’ or pious, or carry on arduous spiritual practices for years, etc, to ‘achieve enlightenment’. Whereas in reality there is no achievement because there is no one there to achieve anything. It is seen that we already are liberated and always were; it is this core lie that we are told from early childhood… and that our minds add to… this belief that that we are separate entities (and hence need to ‘get’ liberated) that one has to see through – and the walls go tumbling down. Yes, anyone who has a willingness to look honestly and with courage can do this. I say courage because during and after this process you will see through some of your most precious and closely held beliefs and might find that everything you thought to be true actually is not. It takes bravery and focus to do that and that is all. Perhaps the most simple and yet most difficult thing to do. We have always been told that nothing is simple and therefore this most sought-after goal of humanity ‘should’ be the most complicated and hardest of all. The simplicity and obviousness of it, once you’ve seen, is a cosmic joke. So, anyone who is interested, try to put away all that you have been told and the knowledge you have amassed and with fresh eyes simply look. Guides are always willing to help. They will not only help you to ‘gatecrash’, there are also groups and people to help afterwards, to help with dealing with the stuff that comes up. And once you have seen through the lies, perhaps you will be moved to help others in the same way. L: That’s sound feedback, very positive and clear. Is there anything else you’d like to say about awakening, your experience or Liberation Unleashed? M: Well, I think I’ve gone on enough, Lisa. I’ll only say a very big “thank you” to everyone here. For the love. Even though we might meet only in cyberspace there is a deeper connection with so many, they are truly friends. And also to all those with whom my character dances within the story of life. Even though ‘others’ and ‘time’ may not be a reality in experience, whatever happens to us brings us to where we are. It sounds paradoxical and yet it is also true. So… thank you. *Bows in gratitude*. I also want to say a very special thanks to you, Lisa. Not only are you a very dear friend but you have made this interview a pleasure to do, with your love and patience. Lots of love to you. L: Thank you, Moonlight, I feel the same. I’m so glad we are friends across an entire continent and an ocean. Wonderful! And thank you for your time and attention to this. It was fun and just plain great to hear more about your journey. Lots of love in return, dear friend. Dr. Julie interviews Ilona Ciunaite Chris Grosso interviews Ilona Ciunaite Ilona & Will Pye (Video) LU interview with guide Hannah (Video) LU interview with guide Sacha LU interview with guide Delma LU interview with guide Lisa Interview with Jerry Katz Buddha at the Gas Pump Interview Is this search for the truth something that you do, or is it just happening as part of the story? Is there a “you” that wakes up? What does the word “I” point to? Can an “I” wake up? Can a label “I” see the truth? Get the Enlightening Quotes App Liberation Unleashed ascribes to the ethos of the Open Source community in terms of its intellectual copyright. All ideas or insights developed or discovered by Liberation Unleashed, and all insights developed from them, are placed forever in the public domain. The forum and Facebook groups are run by volunteer guides and admins. Liberation Unleashed is a community of people who enjoy freely sharing their time and energy; and a community of people who love to give back. Powered with open source ProcessWire CMS and phpBB • PWPC

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'Champions League is different level': Europe success crucial for Man City, says football historian 10 May 2016 - 06:08AM | By Ellie Caddick Manchester football historian Dr Gary James believes Manchester City’s success in the Champions League will negatively impact their rivals Manchester United. Despite United still being in with a chance of winning the FA Cup and securing a top four Premier League finish, Dr James says even a good season could be underwhelming for the Red Devils in the shadow of City’s Champion League success. The Manchester Metropolitan lecturer wrote Manchester – A Football History, and says history suggests the fortunes of the Manchester rivals’ are always alternating. “Historically when one team has success it tends to impact on the other,” he told MM. An emotional Manuel Pellegrini addresses the fans following his final home game in charge of #mcfc. https://t.co/szlyN1AKVQ — Manchester City FC (@MCFC) May 8, 2016 “You often find there are managerial changes, protests or demonstrations, like when United first won the league in 1992/93 there were protests against City’s chairman Peter Swales and within a year he was gone. “United could see City experience their greatest ever success by winning the Champions League, maybe not this year but it seems likely at some point, and the rivalry between the clubs means that would negatively affect United. “United could still finish in the top four and they might win the FA Cup so it could be a successful season for them but it won’t feel like one. “It would be great for both United and City to be competing in the Champions League and in top four, that would help Manchester so much but it’s rare that both teams experience success at the same time.” Dr James, who is a life-long City fan, says despite winning the Premier League in 2011/12 and 2013/14, success in the Champions League holds extra significance for the Etihad residents. “In the 70s Manchester City competed in European football quite often and they had some great nights but football has changed so much since then,” he said. “Winning the Premier League is a fantastic achievement but the Champions League is at a different level, it’s incredible. “You’re in the company of Real Madrid and Barcelona and it makes you noticed around the world, and that’s fantastic for City.” Pellegrini’s side found Madrid one hurdle too far, losing 1-0 over the two legs last week in the semi-finals. But Dr James said that the strides taken this year bode well for the future. “What matters more than anything else is that City have progressed and the confidence that comes from that,” he said. “But there has been a lot of development in this team and when players have been out someone has always stepped up and it means people now look at Manchester City and don’t want to come up against them.” The #mcfc team make their way out to show their appreciation at the Etihad's final game of the season. https://t.co/x9WJYwwQFo Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal means that City’s qualification for next season’s premier European competition is no longer in their own hands. If United beat West Ham away on Tuesday and Bournemouth at home on the final fixture of the season, and Arsenal overcome Aston Villa at the Emirates, then new manager Pep Guardiola will have to settle for a tilt at the Europa League. Balancing the Premier League and Europe will be a challenge for Guardiola regardless of the competition, but Dr James believes the 45-year-old is up to the task. “Pep has to eclipse City’s performance this season,” he said. “There needs to be a serious challenge for the Premier League title and the Champions League is something that needs to be built on year after year. “Teams change managers after successes, Chelsea have done it in the past, and I’m sure Pep can cope.” Links to Dr James’ football research can be found on the Manchester Metropolitan website here. Image couresy of Old El Paso, via Wikipedia, with thanks Tuesday Team Talk: Top boy De Bruyne key for Man City ahead of Real Madrid clash 'Our chance to make history': Lucy Bronze aiming for Manchester City domination 'Not just good footballers, good people': How Man Utd academy transcends sport 'Siege mentality': FC United supporters attack state of democracy at fan-owned club City or United? Manchester theatre director says Calais refugees 'just normal people in extreme circumstances' Ellie Caddick

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Michael Gogins Computers, music, novels, DIY, photography, philosophy The Absurd in Science and Religion Algorithmic Composition, Computational Irreducibility, and Parameter Maps Passions, Achievements, and Catharsis Composing on My Phone; or, Silence Reborn as Silencio Review of “Oryx and Crake” and “Year of the Flood,” by Margaret Atwood Computer Music DIY Network Society Painting Politics Programming Religion Science Fiction « Composing on My Phone; or, Silence Reborn as Silencio Goal Refinement Department » Atwood proves herself a master science fiction writer in these books, the first two of a trilogy (the third has not yet been published). Spoiler alert: this review begins with plot summaries! Oryx and Crake tells the story, in reverse via flashbacks, of how Crake, a genius with a grudge against the world, designs both a plague to wipe out humanity and a new species, the “Crakers,” to replace humanity, all the while being employed by a Corporation to provide gene goodies for a toxic Corporation-ruled future. Crake employs or co-opts underground genetic partisans, “God’s Gardeners,” to help with his work. The story is told from the point of view of Crake’s less gifted friend Jimmy. Both men are in love with Oryx, a smart girl from a backwater country. The story proceeds through the death of almost everyone at Crake’s hand. As the plague rages, Crake cuts Oryx’s throat and is in turn shot by Jimmy, who survives because he has been inoculated by Crake in order to tutor his Crakers. At the end of the novel, Jimmy is left watching over the Crakers and trying to keep from being killed by rogue genetic pets such as wolvogs and pigoons. At the very end he chances on the camp of three more human survivors… The Year of the Flood recounts the same events from different points of view. The God’s Gardeners group, which attempts to contest the Corporate future, has advance warning of the plague and some of its members survive, including a young woman, Toby. Another woman, Ren, survives because she has been held captive in a sex club where she has been working; she has also been Jimmy’s girlfriend. Toby, Ren, and some other survivors make their way out of the city, where they meet Jimmy… In addition to being a more competent fiction writer than most science fiction writers, which is no surprise given her publishing record, sales, and critical reputation, Atwood also turns out to be a better science fiction writer than most science fiction writers. In this book, she cuts to the heart of a dilemma currently troubling the human race. We have gained a Godlike power over biology, including our own biology. But we are not living up to this responsibility, for which nothing has prepared us. The main characters in the books – Crake, Jimmy, the God’s Gardeners partisans, the Corporations, and even Oryx – epitomize and live through the twists and turns of this dilemma, which are not simple. In the books, our failure to live up to our responsibilities may well lead to our extinction (at least, that is very much where things appear to be heading at the end of the second book). Crake, a genuine genius, takes all responsibility upon his sole self: exterminate Homo sapiens sapiens with a designer plague and replace us with a successor species custom-designed for Eden. At the end of the second book, this extermination appears very close to success, and the Crakers, as Jimmy calls the new species designed by Crake and his co-opted biological partisans, are left on the stage. Along with, however, the pigoons and the wolvogs, creatures not created by Crake and that, in biological terms, would prey upon or compete with the Crakers. The pigoons are co-operatively social and intelligent (though apparently not linguistic or tool-using), they are a chimera with nervous systems partly derived from us. They are certainly more dangerous than any non-human creatures currently on this planet, though they would not be a serious threat to an intact human society. I do think they might well pose an existential danger to the Crakers, possibly this is Atwood’s intention. There are also a few human survivors, God’s Gardeners partisans forewarned to isolate themselves from the plague. In reality, the only extermination program likely to completely succeed against us would be an impact from a very large and fast-moving extraterrestial body, something big enough to boil the whole surface of our planet. But that is not Atwood’s scenario. The Year of the Flood leaves the pigoons, the Crakers, and a few humans together in a big fat mess. In reality, if the humans pull through, enough human weapons and other hardware would remain to leave the humans firmly in control. What would happen then would be another novel. Or perhaps Atwood’s third book. Quite possibly Atwood will find a solution I fail to imagine. We will see. Whatever the intent, or the weaknesses, of Atwood’s plot, our evolutionary dilemma is terribly real, and it lends Atwood’s tale a terrific power. The human race will not, cannot, remain in its present form for more than another generation or so. We cannot and will not remain as we are. In reality, it is not likely that we can be destroyed, even if we, or some Crake, try to kill us off. Therefore we will change, or we will be changed. Atwood’s novel very definitely lives in this change, and Atwood dreams its motives, fears, loves, and reactions. There are multiple pressures for large-scale change. In the first place is our palpable overpopulation, which is causing a great wave of extinctions across the planet. These extinctions are irrevocably, possibly catastrophically, altering the ecosystem of our planet. In the second place is urbanization, also irrevocable, and which is changing every selection pressure that is acting upon the human race. Global warming is but one facet of this urbanization. Atwood is very clear on other dire features such as mass consumption, social stratification, and out-of-control Corporations. In the third place, the place of honor, is germ line genetic engineering. Currently, the human race uses germ line genetic engineering on a very large scale for agriculture. At this time, somatic genetic engineering is being practiced upon a few human beings for medical purposes, with mixed results. Such research is inherently difficult and unpredictable, but the very existence of us and our fantastic capabilities compared with other creatures is a striking sign of what may be possible. Human researchers and institutions have achieved very difficult goals, such as safe jet travel and nuclear power, and I personally do not doubt that we will master genetic engineering. So, in the next generation or so, it will almost certainly become feasible to do germ-line genetic engineering, with stable results, upon human beings. That means future human beings, or at least some classes of them, may live longer, be smarter in at least some ways, and be profoundly different in other ways. In all likelihood, such genetic engineering will result in multiple species of human beings. I believe the most profound result of genetic engineering on us will be changes in human social biology. This indeed is, in Atwood’s novels, the major agenda of Crake’s engineering: get rid of pair bonding, meat eating, male competitiveness, and other striking features of human society. It’s not clear where Atwood’s preferences go – perhaps simply to telling a good story, or to making us think. But of course other changes would be equally feasible. Ant-like changes. Perhaps a warrior caste, an intellectual caste, and so on. Perhaps more disposition to conform. Perhaps less. Ultimately, what is 100% certain is that, since not all the effects of these changes can be foreseen by us, they will subjected to the same old judge that has decided every case of biological “justice” from the very beginning: natural selection, or an inscrutable God. Change on an unprecedented scale can’t be stopped, so the right questions are: what is the right thing for us to do? What is the right kind of germ-line genetic engineering for human beings? Who shall our descendants be? Crake’s post-humans are one proposal, but I am not at all sure it is Atwood’s. To me the Crakers seem painted in very satirical colors, though I could well be wrong about that…. A clue may lie in the recordings of the God’s Gardeners hymns to extinct creatures that are featured on Atwood’s blog. Dear reader, please understand that I doubt I will share Atwood’s values and goals as perhaps to be revealed more fully in the third book. I definitely favor the germ line genetic engineering of our descendants, but I think I would probably aim for different targets. Atwood seems to be focused on changes to very basic human instincts, I would be more likely to focus on decreasing the incidence of mental illness, reworking our ethnic and national chauvinism on a higher level than basic sexuality, and in other ways attempting to widen the authority of reason without huge unpredictable side effects. However, I think Atwood’s novels are excellent science fiction, and that they grapple with fundamental issues in an admirably thorough and compelling way. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel! May 10th, 2010 | Tags: Politics, Science Fiction | Category: Uncategorized Common Music Rubato Composer ruccas Brad Garton David Toub Dmitri Tymoczko Drew Krause Guerino Mazzola Steven Yi Copyright © 2020 Michael Gogins - All Rights Reserved

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Law & Professional Services Tourism & Conventions Elevator Pitches Morning Minutes Speaking Startup MO Made Missouri at the Market Mid-Missouri Gig Life Rudi Petry left a full-time job to work as a freelance graphic designer. | Courtesy of Iman Woods Educators rethink curriculum as more students turn to ‘gig economy’ Liying Qian Rudi Petry graduated in 2013 from Stephens College in Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. She took a full-time job in the field after graduation, but she soon experienced stress over her hours and pay. Instead of looking for another full-time job, she turned to freelance work. While in college, Petry learned how to produce high-quality design work, manage design projects and present them to clients in a professional way. As for how to start and manage a freelance business? She educated herself by researching online. Looking back, Petry says she wishes she would have gotten more practical business training in college. “If I took a basic entrepreneurship class, (the process of starting my own freelance business) would have been much faster and less terrifying,” Petry said. “Another thing is that I don’t even know what I don’t know about the business world. And since I work with businesses a lot, being able to speak their language is very important. So (an entrepreneurship class) would have been very helpful.” Petry is one of a growing number of Americans who are part of the so-called gig economy, in which workers take on temporary or contract-based jobs instead of or in addition to full-time employment. According to a 2014 study commissioned by the Freelancers Union, 53 million Americans are independent workers. That’s 34 percent of the total workforce. Another study, from Intuit, predicts that by 2020, 43 percent of U.S. workers will fall into this category. In light of those projections, some observers say colleges and universities aren’t doing enough to prepare students for the changing nature of work. Diane Mulcahy, the author of the book “The Gig Economy” and a senior fellow at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, has been teaching a graduate business course, Entrepreneurship and the Gig Economy, at Babson College in Babson Park, Massachusetts, for five years. “I started to teach (the course), because I felt like this is the future of work, this is a trend that is growing, and there is no sign of reversing,” Mulcahy said. “I still don’t see any other institutions teaching this. I think MBA schools in particular need to start addressing that curriculum. It doesn’t make any sense for our business schools to keep preparing our students to be full-time employees when it’s very likely that most of them will have some period working independently.” In Missouri, several representatives for colleges and universities said their institutions are thinking about how the changing economy might affect their students, and what they as educators can do to better prepare graduates for the new job market. Those educators outlined steps that their schools are taking or should take in the near future: Push projects and internships Tess Surprenant | Courtesy of Surprenant Tess Surprenant, director of the Bloch Career Center at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, said the emergence of the gig economy has stirred conversations among UMKC faculty about how the school can best prepare students for short-term, contract-based or freelance work. One way to help students is through real-world work opportunities like internships and projects, Surprenant said. “We typically encourage students to pursue at least one professional internship during their time in college; however, for younger students it can be difficult to find those internships, so we have encouraged them to look for opportunities to work on a project or offer short-term, ‘fill-in’ assistance to an organization,” she said in an email. “While some internships are highly organized and designed to evaluate talent for long-term professional employment within that organization, many internships are project-specific — an employer looking to hire talent for a limited period of time, to complete a project or fill a gap. This is essentially the same as a gig.” Incorporate entrepreneurship into the curriculum Bonnie Bachman | Courtesy of Bachman Bonnie Bachman, an economics professor at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, said Missouri S&T has been striving to develop an entrepreneurial mindset on campus through curriculum design. For instance, the school developed a seminar series in the electrical and computer engineering department through which seniors learn about customer discovery, entrepreneurship, value proposition and using the business model canvas, a chart that presents structure of a business plan, as a foundation. “We found that a lot of our students don’t necessarily want to go out and interview people, but the foundation of the business model canvas methodology is to go out and interview, to see if there is a market,” Bachman said. The school also created an innovation and entrepreneurship curriculum, which features project- and skills-based courses that promote experiential and collaborative learning. “To close the (educational gap), the curriculum needs to be more projects-based and skills-based,” said Bonnie Bachman, a professor of economics at Missouri S&T. “Communication, collaboration and knowledge about how to run a project are skill sets that are important to people who work for corporations, startups or on their own.” Equip students with in-demand skills Clifford Holekamp | Courtesy of Holekamp Clifford Holekamp, academic director for entrepreneurship of the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, stressed the importance of in-demand skill training. For example, he suggested that students should be familiar with software. He also emphasized skills in computer science, accounting, finance and digital marketing, which he said are highly valued in almost any industry. “We need to equip them with skills in demand in the 21st century,” Holekamp said. “We should be equipping all of our graduates in the state of Missouri with the ability to earn a good living.” Tony Luppino | Courtesy of Luppino In recent years, faculty at the UMKC School of Law have been focusing on training students to adapt to emerging technologies such as new practice management tools, document assembly tools and social media. “We’ve made a great effort to make (students) aware of different ways they can use technologies to be more efficient and to succeed as self-employed lawyers,” said Tony Luppino, director of entrepreneurship programs at UMKC’s law school. The use of technology also enables lawyers, especially self-employed ones, to expand their clientele and make law service more affordable, according Ellen Suni, dean of UMKC’s law school. Look to external resources and mentorship Next semester, UMKC will host its first workshop on managing a part-time or full-time freelance career. According to Surprenant, the event’s tentative title is “Good Gig: The Promise and Pitfalls of Freelance Work.” The workshop will be open to anyone at UMKC, as well as any community members who are interested. “Our idea is to bring in current students and alumni who work regularly as freelancers,” she said, “and we’ll try to get people who work in a few different industries and functions to give a more well-rounded view.” Audit finds faults in state education department’s CEE-Trust contract August 20, 2014 Michael Stacy 0 Gig Faces: David Spear on the freedom and burden of freelance art September 10, 2016 Liying Qian 0 Front Flip App To Reach 1 Million Customers In 2013 July 16, 2013 Austin Huguelet 0 Tags: Bloch Career Center, Bonnie Bachman, Clifford Holekamp, Diane Mulcahy, Entrepreneurship, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Gig economy, Gig life, Missouri S&T, Missouri University Of Science & Technology, Olin Business School, Stephens College, Tess Surprenant, Tony Luppino, UMKC, University of Missouri Kansas City, Washington University Subscribe for free to Missouri Business Alert Advertise with Missouri Business Alert © 2020 Missouri Business Alert Missouri Business Alert is participating in CoMoGives2019! Find out how we plan to use your gift to enhance training and programming for our students

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The true history of gun control – Timeline Posted by truther on February 28, 2013, filed in: Featured, Latest News, Lists, Strange, Unknown History J. D. Heyes NaturalNews Throughout the history of the world there have been despots, tyrants, dictators and kings who have imposed their will over those they conquered. After defeating rival armies in battle, many of these rulers went on to lead cruel, ruthless and abusive regimes largely by keeping the subjugated powerless to resist. Men like Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia; Genghis Khan, who founded and ruled the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his demise; the Caesars of the Roman empire; and the pharaohs of the Egyptian empire all conquered, then kept power, by ruling with iron fists over people who were powerless to resist because they did not have the means to do so. In feudal England, British subjects in Scotland, Ireland and elsewhere were forbidden to bear arms, and as such were forced to remain loyal to the crown (until they won their independence by force of arms). In more recent times the invention and mass production of the firearm made conquering – and then controlling – entire populations much more difficult, which is why the most heinous despots in the last 150 years have moved to limit or ban access to guns. In our own country, prior to the Revolutionary War, some colonists did own firearms but in the months before, and directly after, the war began King George’s generals implemented gun confiscation policies – a primary driver behind the adoption of the Second Amendment by our founding fathers. As gun control once more becomes an issue, and as some lawmakers, academics, pundits and ordinary Americans call for outright gun bans and confiscation in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in mid-December, it is vital and appropriate to examine the history of gun control around the world, and the carnage visited upon the innocent by gun-grabbing tyrants. Soviet Union – 1929 — Soviet Russia was established following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, when ruling Czar Nicholas II tossed 11 million Russian peasants into World War I. Frustrated and angered by the loss of life, scores of armed Russians – many current or former Russian soldiers who were led by Marxist Vladimir Lenin – rebelled against a ruling regime that was already teetering on the edge of collapse. Firearms were allowed to remain in the hands of Soviet citizens until 1929, when private gun ownership was abolished – a time which saw the rise of one of the world’s most repressive regimes, that was led by Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin (he ruled from 1941-1953 but was entrenched in the country’s leadership by 1928). From 1929 to the year Stalin died, tens of millions of Soviet dissidents or anyone the country’s leadership believed were a threat, were rounded up and either murdered or placed in labor camp/prisons and forced to work, sometimes to their deaths. Early in Stalin’s political career, he launched two national collectivization campaigns in order to transform the country into an industrial power. Both campaigns, however, were rife with murder on a massive scale. “In 1932-33, Stalin engineered a famine (by massively raising the grain quota that the peasantry had to turn over to the state); this killed between six and seven million people and broke the back of Ukrainian resistance,” says a history of his political career at Gendercide.org. “The Five-Year Plans for industry, too, were implemented in an extraordinarily brutal fashion, leading to the deaths of millions of convict laborers, overwhelmingly men. His “callous disregard for life” was matched only by his paranoia; later, he purged the Communist Party itself of anyone and everyone he believed was a threat – all under the auspices of a total gun ban. “If the opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves,” he once said. The Ottoman Empire – 1911 — The Ottoman Empire, the origins of which were in Turkey, implemented full gun control in 1911. A few years later, beginning in 1915 and lasting until 1917, some 1.5 million Armenians (out of a total of 2.5 million) living within the empire were rounded up and murdered by the “Young Turks” of the ruling class. In what has since been called the Armenian Holocaust, “Armenians all over the world commemorate this great tragedy on April 24, because it was on that day in 1915 when 300 Armenian leaders, writers, thinkers and professionals in Constantinople (present day Istanbul) were rounded up, deported and killed,” says a short history of the slaughter by the University of Michigan. “Also on that day in Constantinople, 5,000 of the poorest Armenians were butchered in the streets and in their homes.” The Ottoman government established “butcher battalions” which consisted primarily of violent criminals who had been released from prison just to kill ethnic Armenians. Those who were members of the army (which was currently fighting the Allies in World War I) “were disarmed, placed into labor battalions, and then killed,” said the university history. Germany – 1938 — Adolph Hitler’s Nazi Germany established gun control in 1938, just prior to the implementation of his horrendous, murderous campaign to exterminate the Jews. In the end, 13 million Jews and other perceived lesser races were killed by Hitler and his Nazi Party. In 1942, at the height of the Second World War and German advances, Hitler said: The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty. So let’s not have any native militia or native police. German troops alone will bear the sole responsibility for the maintenance of law and order throughout the occupied Russian territories, and a system of military strong-points must be evolved to cover the entire occupied country. China – 1935 — The Nationalist Chinese government established gun control in 1935, just two years before Japan invaded in 1937. In the period from 1935 to 1952, some 20 million citizens and political dissidents were murdered. The Chinese Cultural Revolution, which was launched by the country’s supreme ruler, Mao Zedong, took place from 1966-1976, and “claimed the lives of several million people and inflicted cruel and inhuman treatments on hundreds of million people,” says MassViolence.org. “However, 40 years after it ended, the total number of victims of the Cultural Revolution and especially the death toll of mass killings still remain a mystery both in China and overseas.” The actual figures remain a highly-classified state secret. Regarding gun control, Mao once said: “War can only be abolished through war, and in order to get rid of the gun it is necessary to take up the gun.” Cambodia – 1956 — The year this Asian nation issued its total gun control edict was in 1956, but the real carnage did not begin until several years later, during the regime of the demonic Pol Pot. Between 1975 and 1977, his regime murdered as many as 1 million “educated” people whom he believed represented a threat to his power in “killing fields” that were later depicted in a movie by the same name. In all, more than 56 million people around the world have been murdered as a result of gun control laws imposed by rulers and despots who knew that the only way they could continue to brutalize their own people and stay in power was by disarming them. And now left-wing pols, politicians, academics and pundits want our leaders to have the same ability to rule unopposed and unafraid of reprisal. “Our forefathers did not arm the American people for the purpose of hunting, but rather to protect themselves from those who were doing the hunting, namely the tyrant King George,” writes Bradlee Dean for WorldNetDaily. Anyone truly interested in preventing mass murder should not be a supporter of gun control. http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/easteurope/octrev.html http://www.gendercide.org/case_stalin.html http://www.umd.umich.edu/dept/armenian/facts/genocide.html http://www.wnd.com/wnd_video/gun-control-dictator-style/ http://www.massviolence.org Tags: 9/11, ACTA, Afghanistan, al-Qaeda, America, Anonymous, anti-piracy mission, assault weapons, Barack Obama, Biometrics, BoingBoing, brainwash, Canada, censorship, China, CIA, CISPA, copyright violation, credit if taxpayers, Crime, cyber attackers, Cyber attacks, cyber gangs, Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, cyber terrorism, cyber war, cyber warfare, cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Act, Cybersecurity Laws, Cyberspace, cyberwar, DDoS, espionage, Estonia, Europe, evidence, Facebook, false flag, false flag attack, false flag operation, false flag terror, Fed, Federal Bureau of Investigation, FEMA, FEMA camp, Firearms Elimination and Reduction, George Bush, George W. Bush, Google, Gun Confiscation, Gun Confiscation Bill, gun control, Gun Control Facts, gun control opponents, guns to the government, Hackers, hacking, Hacktivism, Hacktivists, history of Hitler and gun control, Hitler, House Bill 545, House of Representatives by Connecticut Democrat Rep, India, Infowars, Internet, Internet Ammunition Sales, Internet Censorship, Internet Freedom, Internet Privacy, internet warfare, Iran, Iraq, IRS code, Israel, Kashmir, Latest News, Law, law enforcement agencies, Lies, List, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, malware, Masonic conspiracy, mass media, Media, Microchips, Middle East, Missouri, Mossad, New World Order, Online Censorship, online spying bill, organized crime, Pakistan, Pentagon, PIPA, Piracy, President Barack Obama, privacy, Pro-Gun Advocates, propaganda, Reddit, Redditt, RFID, Russia, Sandy Hook massacre, semi-automatic weapons, SOPA, spies, spy, spying, surveillance, Taliban, Technological Revolution, terrorism, terrorist, threat, Traffic cameras, Transnistria, Trojan worm, United States, US military, USA, Video, Wake up!, war crime, war on terror, war propaganda, Web censorship, Wikipedia, World War 3, World War II policy, World War III, world wide web, Yahoo, ZHC, Zionist 60 Lab Studies Now Confirm Cancer Link to a Vaccine You Probably Had as a Child Eyewitness: Yes, The Nazis Did Confiscate Our Guns Rev. Robert M. Celeste says: http://www.mainetv.net/ If the g0vt, the police, the military, the UN or anyone else thought they could come and take our guns they would have already done it. They know they cannot count on the 800,000 cops and the million or so troops. They also know that between 1 and 25% of the 100 million gun owners would meet them with deadly force if they came. They also know that once they start it they, the politicians the chiefs of the police, the courts and media, become targets. Xenakis is simply one more political whore out to get his moment in the limelight. He also has publicly stated which side he is on. Why do you think your members of Congress no longer publish their itineraries? Why do you think slick willie mayors like Bloomberg have eight to ten armed men around them every minute of the day? The politicians are scared to death, they have opened a Pandora’s box and the only way for them to close it is to repeal every gun law since 1960, that’s right 60, not 67. Read the alst sentence signed by the founding fathers just above their names on the Declaration of Independence, can we do any less for our children and grandchildren, wife and parents? “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.“ anne belloni says: the evil intentions of these people constantly astound me. Additionally, the blind ignorance and/or denial of the large group of Americans that are agreeing to their revoking of their rights is equally astounding. Truly, we live in a time of profound “deception”. If these are not the last days, i pity anyone who is alive in the last days. truly not a joyful time.

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Home Buzz "I have been tempted to cheat on my husband many times" - Omotola Buzz | 1:11 PM "I have been tempted to cheat on my husband many times" - Omotola In a new interview with Vanguard, star actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde said she's been tempted to cheat on her husband of over 17 years many times but never went through with it because of all she stood to lose. "Absolutely. I have been tempted many times to cheat on my husband by men I really liked. But when you think of what you stand to lose, the destruction of all you have labored to build, when you weigh all the options, you are left to conclude that it is not worth the trouble. I know some women will find this somewhat objectionable, but if they want to be truthful to themselves, they will agree with me that, as married women, we have all faced moments that I have just described.” Omotola said Asked if she receives gifts from her male admirers, a very candid Omotola said "Sure, I have received lots of goodies from my male admirers. I do not give anything in return. I always tell them that I am married and would not compromise my martial vows. If after making that point clear, they still continue to shower me with gifts, maybe believing that something will break in the future, then I cannot help them.”Asked if her passion for her husband has cooled with time, Omotola said yes, but she also said it's a normal thing for couples who have been together for a long time. She encouraged women to try something she calls 'temporary separation' to bring back the fire in their marriage "Of course, it has. Which married woman who has been with her husband for years will, in her true state, tell you that the feeling has remained the same as it was the first time or the first year she met her husband? It is bound to cool off. What I recommend to women is what I call “temporary separation.” You will make yourself unavailable to your husband. Go somewhere, go on vacation with your friends, do something bold, lose weight, look different and, after weeks, come home, looking drop dead gorgeous, and I bet you, the fire of passion will be mightily rekindled and you will feel brand new again. I have applied this principle in my marriage and it has worked wonders.” she said

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Kenneth H. Brown Steven W. Golden Iain A.W. Nasatir Ilan D. Scharf James I. Stang Diocese of Great Falls-Billings Confirms Chapter 11 Plan Los Angeles, CA — August 16, 2018 — On Tuesday, the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Montana confirmed the chapter 11 plan for the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. The Diocese will pay a $20 million settlement to approximately 86 people who were sexually abuse by clergy when they were children. According to the Diocese’s chief financial officer Richard Moog, the Diocese’s insurer will pay $8 million, the Diocese will pay $5 million, parishes will pay $4 million, the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana will pay $2 million, and St. Labre Indian School will pay $1 million. The Diocese of Great Falls-Billings filed for bankruptcy in March 2017—shortly before the scheduled start of multiple jury trials addressing claims of sexual abuse filed in 2011 and 2014. The claims implicated the clergy in childhood sexual abuse from the 1940s into the 1990s. Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP (“PSZJ”) represents the creditors' committee, a continuation of PSZJ's string of committee representations in twelve other Catholic diocesan and religious order bankruptcies. A major, unique issue in this case was the civil status of unincorporated parishes and whether parish properties were part of the Diocese’s bankruptcy estate. While the litigation of that issue was settled by the confirmation of the plan and a $4 million contribution by the parishes to the global settlement, counsel for several of the parishes conceded to the bankruptcy court that he was less than satisfied with the state of Montana law on the issue. “Plan confirmation and distribution to victims will hopefully help those who have been deeply affected by clergy abuse. We are pleased with the Court’s approval of the plan,” said James Stang of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP. The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors is represented by James Stang, Ilan Scharf, Kenneth Brown, Iain Nasatir, Steve Golden and Erin Gray of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP. The firm also currently represents the creditors’ committee in The Weinstein Company chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Diocese is represented by Ford Elsaesser and Bruce Anderson of Elsaesser Anderson, Chtd. Contact: James I. Stang e-mail: jstang@pszjlaw.com

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April 7, 2019 brettlee WWE Hall of Fame (2019) is a future opportunity to highlight the bonsai class’s identity with WEE Hall of Fame, which will be provided by WED and on 6 April, 2019, New York From the Brooklyn Center of April 6, 1] [2] as a major aspect of the Wrestling 35 conclusion of the week. On February 18, 2019, the WWE announced its first students its 2019 Hall of Fame Class, de Generation X. [3]. In addition to the different people, there is a piece of Friday, only a big aspect of Triple H, Sean Michael, Chen, Road Diving, Bill Gun and XPP Integration. [4] The De Janeiro X initially wanted to join the Hall of Fame 2013, [5] however, he ended up with the bonuses cell phone. With the implementation of the D Generation X, the Michaels Wrightware will be added twice as a peace, which has been separately added to 2011. [6] After China’s death in 2016, due to lack of many industries, for example, talk about China’s Association in Stone Cold Steve Austin and [7] McFoli, Shake of Fame [8] But after that it ended up until 2019. After his Specialist his special practice was the boat’s determination. [9] On February 26, 2018, Hunky Tankman reported the principal single degree for the 2019 Hall of Fame Festival. [10] On April 5, 2019, it was reported that former Hin Minne, Inc., former surveillance of Jimmy Hurray, caught Hence[11] On March 3, 2019, Tory Wilson announced the principal female individual undergraduate of the 2019 Hall of Fame Festival. [12] On March 11, 2019, Halimmum Hit (Bakker TT and Steve Rai) were announced. [13] With the Hermes Hat mix, Becker TTT, in particular, compiled as Michael and Failure 2013 The multiples-time executive. [14] Bakery T asked before City Ray that after catching them, both did not talk in five years. [15] On March 18, 2019, it was reported that the Association of Talent Relations is WW’s 2019th House Award. [16] Aitchison has been made to create credit with WWE’s relationship [17] and the WrestleMania Challenge Program has been rejected. [18] On March 25, 2019, it was announced that the first necklace (Britney and Jim Nader) will enter On April 4, 2019, it was announced that he was the Mega Max Team Holk Hogan (initially in the third of Henin’s 2006 in 2006, “Beat Men” in the “Johnny Oakland” in 2006, the first in “Horny Witchage” Bar “.the Hall of Fame. [19] With a combination of the hit foundation, jewelry may probably match Michael, Fear and Bakery T twice in 2006, as India Editor is freely added. [20] On April 1, 2019, the court “Jaber” beef was presented as the last individual development for 2019 Hall of Fame. [21] Rivid Sports2019 hall of fame\, hall of fame, hall of fame 2019, wwe hall of fame Previous Previous post: WWE Wrestle Mania 35 News Coverage 2019 Next Next post: Best Workouts to make Wrestling Strengt

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Ingham County Pheasants Forever Ingham County Pheasants Forever - About Us Page A Local Michigan Chapter Michigan's Ingham County Chapter #467 of Pheasants Forever is located in the Capital City of Lansing, Michigan. Pheasants Forever is the only national organization with a model of chapters keeping 100% of the funds they raise. While belonging to a larger national organization that has a voice on federal and state conservation policies, chapters are tasked with finding projects for their funds. Michigan takes full advantage of this model using funds raised for projects locally as well as other areas in the state of Michigan. View Officers Join Our Chapter Our Chapter Mission Protect, restore, and enhance wildlife habitat by establishing and maintaining local projects. Create, improve, and preserve wildlife habitat by educating our youth. Develop, distribute and foster conservation education. Introduce and advance prudent management of conservation policies. Pheasants Forever is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. About Ingham County Pheasants Forever Our local chapter in Michigan was founded amongst those upland hunters and sportsmen and women in your community. Our goal is to provide those avid outdoormen and women an opportunity to assist in the protection and enhancement of pheasants and other upland bird populations around the local area. Pheasants Forever was co-founded in 1982 by co-workers at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch, outdoor editor Dennis Anderson and national advertising director Jeff Finden. Both recognized a need for habitat restoration and preservation to ensure the future of pheasants and other wildlife. PF's first publication entitled "Rooster Tales," published in February 1983. This became the forerunner of today's Pheasants Forever Journal of Upland Conservation. The fledgling PF held its first banquet on April 15, 1983, drawing 800 people at the inaugural banquet. In January 2007, PF's third-ever National Pheasant Fest in Des Moines, Iowa, became the largest event in PF history, drawing over 24,500 attendees over a three-day span. Twenty-five years after its inception, Pheasants Forever has become a grassroots, nationwide upland conservation movement - a national conservation powerhouse. The organization has grown to 110,000 members with over 600 chapters across the U.S. and Canada. Nationwide, Pheasants Forever has spent $260 million on program expenditures, which have helped fund 347,000 habitat projects affecting 4.4 million acres across North America. Along the way, PF has continued to employ the same unique organizational model of empowering local chapters to determine how 100 percent of their locally-raised conservation funds are spent. This local control allows chapters to see the fruits of their chapter efforts in their own communities. Our Local Habitat Projects We actively partner with other chapters and Michigan organization of natural resources on many habitat projects. Habitat field days are conducted when opportunities arise. We involve young people through activities such as youth hunts and habitat projects. Habitat projects and efforts to restore and preserve public lands. Contribute to funding purchasing and restoration of local land throughout our community. Our annual fundraising banquet, which is attended by more than 700 people, generates thousands of dollars. The banquet is held in early March each year. Who Is Pheasants Forever? Pheasants Forever (PF) is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant and other wildlife populations in North America. This mission is carried out through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. Such efforts benefit landowners and wildlife alike. Pheasants Forever's unique system of county chapters allows 100% of net funds raised by chapters to remain at the chapter level for local habitat projects. This is a unique distinction. Pheasants Forever is the only national wildlife conservation organization that leaves all of the fundraising dollars at the local, grassroots level where they were raised. This enables our chapter # 467 and volunteers to see the benefits of their efforts in there own backyard. In 2008, our chapter planted over 1,700 acres of habitat in Ingham County. That makes a two-year total of over 3,800 acres of habitat in Ingham County! That habitat was made possible by your donations. Similarly, Pheasants Forever has always recognized the impact federal Farm Bill policy has on wildlife habitat. Consequently, PF has played an active role in Farm Bill policy development and implementation, which includes the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP is this country's single most effective conservation program benefiting soil, water, and wildlife. Pheasants Forever has more than 100,000 members in over 700 local chapters across the United States and Canada. The national headquarters is located in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the organization was founded. Please explore our website and discover more about the Ingham County Pheasants Forever. You'll find detailed information on all our activities and upcoming events. Let us know what you think; we appreciate your feedback. If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact us. We welcome people interested in the Pheasants Forever mission to attend our monthly meetings, listed on our events page. Become a Pheasants Forever member or sponsor Volunteer your time or resources to our chapter Join Your Local Chapter Today! Our Local Sponsors Our Local chapter is empowered to determine how 100% of our locally raised conservation funds are spent; the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. 2020 Photos & Text Copyright - © Ingham County Pheasants Forever Pheasants Forever Chapter Websites by 3plains.com

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QMC on Google Earth Emergency powers The Long View: Judicial limbo Judicial limbo By Manuel L. Quezon III SEN. Antonio Trillanes IV will remain in detention, and incommunicado, until Judge Oscar Pimentel’s decision refusing him permission to go to work or set up an office in his cell is overturned by a superior court. Pimentel justified his decision by citing the case of Romeo Jalosjos, who’d been convicted of statutory rape and reelected congressman, but was refused permission to attend sessions of the House of Representatives because the Supreme Court said he had to serve his sentence. In a word, Pimentel decided that an individual facing trial is on par with someone who has already been convicted of a crime. But no one—not even Trillanes himself, to the best of my knowledge—is proposing that he be allowed to avoid punishment if he’s convicted. He is not, at this point, a convict. He is a detainee. What is the purpose of detention? It isn’t punishment, it’s to prevent escape, and to close off the possibility of someone accused of a crime evading justice. Trillanes’ lawyers had brought up a more appropriate legal precedent: the case involving the late Sen. Justiniano Montano. Facing multiple murder charges, arrested and denied bail, Montano was granted permission by the Supreme Court to attend Senate sessions anyway. The purpose of denying bail being to prevent the accused from fleeing, Montano’s position as a senator made escaping justice impossible. In contrast, that famous escape artist, Sen. Gregorio Honasan, was not only allowed to post bail so that he could campaign for election, but he subsequently received the delightful news that the charges against him would be dropped. Jalosjos, chairman emeritus of Kakusa, also became the beneficiary of a remarkable grant of executive clemency. Honasan has, of course, been inclined, with his return to office, to preach the virtues of collaboration with the administration. Kakusa remains on the threshold of winning a seat in the House, and its chairman emeritus can reasonably be expected to preach a similarly accommodating political line. It is therefore not a question of what you’ve done, but whom you support. Nothing is impossible, it seems—bail, the dropping of charges, executive clemency—if you publicly proclaim a, shall we say, flexible attitude toward the administration. But to remain determined, and thus, inflexible, in your political stand, as Trillanes has done, gets you not only an interminable trial, but a grudging accommodation of your reasonable requests at best (and more often than not, as Pimentel recently did, a harsh scolding and rejection from the courts). But the charges against Trillanes are so serious, some would say, that he deserves no consideration from the courts. Justice is blind. Even if someone faces the accusations raised against them squarely, as Trillanes has, what of it? Even if he’s submitted to the various proceedings against him, and conducted his defense without benefit of the pork barrel and the entire Armed Forces to protect him (in marked contrast to, say, the President who enjoys and uses with relish, every advantage accorded her by her office), so what? And why should the courts care if Trillanes never skulked around from hidey-hole to hidey-hole, a tried-and-tested strategy of then ex-Senator Honasan? That is what separates the courts from the political system. Trillanes went willingly, and with head held high, straight into captivity in 2003; the commander in chief he rebelled against has used every means at her disposal to avoid, then thwart, any attempt to hold her accountable for the conduct of her duties. It’s no surprise, then, that every vote for Trillanes was a vote against a commander in chief who praises generals accused of sanctioning political murders, and who presides over a military top brass which provides dud ammunition to its troops. There is a mountain of evidence to prove the accusations hurled by Trillanes; his accusers can only hide behind a heap of lies. Still, he is under detention. In the eyes of the judge, he deserves no consideration. And so, a senator with an iron-clad mandate, duly proclaimed as a bona fide member of the upper house, can neither attend sessions nor set up an office where he is detained. Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, meanwhile, dissipated whatever benefits of the doubt he might have been given by a skeptical public, basically embarking on a career of whining in office and beginning his senatorial stint by pawing at and fawning over Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. An administration that is prepared to extend every consideration to Honasan and demonstrate its compassion to Jalosjos, which gave its unstinting support to Zubiri, and expressed its admiration for Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, can’t be expected, of course, to lift a finger so that Trillanes can do his job. Just as it can’t—and won’t—permit anyone but Sen. Joker Arroyo to head the blue ribbon committee, which, in the wrong hands, would make it its first order of business to question not only the ZTE deal but why the Department of Justice had declared the whole deal kosher. An administration moving heaven and earth to prevent any of its senatorial critics from sitting on the Commission on Appointments, where they could question the fitness of Angelo Reyes for the Department of Energy or Lito Atienza for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is one that won’t let justice get in the way of keeping Trillanes from showing up in the same session hall graced by the presence of Honasan, Zubiri and that exemplar of judiciousness, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. It wouldn’t let him be there for the State of the Nation Address, it won’t let him go to work and it certainly won’t let a verdict be rendered. It will only keep him in limbo. To think that he’s one of our few officials whose mandate isn’t in doubt. Justice is blind, indeed. Antonio Trillanes IV, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Justiniano Montano, Philippines, politics, Romeo Jalosjos, rule of law, senate, senator, The Long View

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Crawlist Blogger widgets and tricks, Wordpress developing, tricks, plugin and theme info, tips, lists of resource, tutorials, codes plus lot more! Url : http://www.crawlist.net The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international community where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. Url : http://www.w3.org University of California, Santa Cruz: Celebrating 50 years Four-year public institution comprised of ten residential college communities nestled in the redwood forests and meadows overlooking central California's Monterey Bay. Url : http://www.ucsc.edu Homepage | Harvard University Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally. Harvard University is made up of 11 principal academic units. Url : http://www.harvard.edu Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally. Url : http://www.sju.edu Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York Stony Brook University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally. Url : http://www.stonybrook.edu UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) is the largest UC campus in terms of enrollment, and one of the few public research universities located in a major city. Url : http://www.ucla.edu Welcome to the University at Buffalo - University at Buffalo The University at Buffalo is the largest campus in the State University of New York system and New York’s leading public center for graduate and professional education. Our more than 29,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 400 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, UB is a member of the Association of American Universities. Url : http://www.buffalo.edu Michigan State University. Est. 1855. East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Spartans discover solutions for the world's most challenging problems—from alternative energy to the environment, from health to education. Spartans Will. Url : http://msu.edu The University of Vermont is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally. Url : http://www.uvm.edu

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Rabbi Elli Sarah Writing by Rabbi Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah About Trouble Making Judaism Order Trouble Making Judaism Beyond the Dysfunctional Family Welcome to the Cavalcade Women Rabbis in the Pulpit – A Collection of Sermons Festival Sermons LJ Today Jewish Chronicle Sussex Jewish News Portrait Film Mitzvah day 2011 Tashlich 2011 Sukkot Celebration Chanukkah 2011 at Ralli Hall Study opportunities calendar EXPLORING JUDAISM 5779 What’s in a Name? | Shabbat Sermon | 21st December 2013 21, December 2013 – 18 Tevet 5774 What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.[1] So says Juliet to her Romeo, as she struggles with the burden of his family name of ‘Capulet’. Of course, she is right. And yet as soon as we utter or write the word, ‘rose’: the varied yet distinctive scents, colours and shapes of this unique flower, fill our minds. Names are like this. And what is true about how we apprehend the world we name around us is also true of us and our names, given and chosen. In the past couple of weeks, one particular name has been in the headlines: Nelson Mandela. As soon as we say his name, we can picture him in all the various images the media has given us: the angry, defiant lawyer-come-militant, who stood in the dock in 1964, proclaiming his readiness to die for the cause of a democratic and free South Africa;[2] the older man, relaxed, smiling and waving, holding the hand of his wife, Winnie, as he emerged from 27 years’ imprisonment in 1990;[3] the sober President, and later elder world statesman, who, yet, continued to smile and laugh, joke and dance, in his colourful large print batik silk shirts – and even donned a Springbok rugby shirt and wore it with pride, when the Rugby World Cup came to South Africa in 1995. It was his teacher at his first school, Miss Mdingane, who named him ‘Nelson’. He never knew why she chose this name for him, but the giving of English names to African children was undoubtedly one of the consequences of British colonialism. In his later years, Nelson Mandela was known, with reverence and affection, as ‘Madiba’. This is the name of his clan and refers to his ancestor, Madiba, a Thembu chief who ruled in the Transkei in the 18th century. He was also spoken of with love as ‘Tata’, which is the –isiXhosa word for ‘father’ – because he was seen by the people of South Africa as a father of the new, multiracial nation. Nelson ‘Madiba’ Mandela also had an abundance of other names: the name ‘Khulu’, which means ‘great’, ‘paramount’, ‘grand’, highlighted his pre-eminence – and also his place not only as the father, but also as the grandfather of the nation – since ‘Khulu’ is also a shortened form of the isiXhosa word ‘uBawomkhulu’, meaning ‘grandfather’. When, following Xhosa tradition, he underwent the rite of circumcision and initiation into manhood at 16 years old, he was given the name Dalibhunga, which means ‘creator’ or ‘founder of the council’ or ‘convenor of the dialogue’. According to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, where I gleaned this information about Nelson Mandela’s names – and I quote: ‘The correct use of this name when greeting Mr Mandela is “Aaah! Dalibhunga”’[4] Each one of Nelson Mandela’s names tells us something important about him and about his relationship with others. But it is his birth name, which is far less well known – Rolihlahla – given to him by his father, which reminds us his long struggle against apartheid, much of which he spent in confinement. Rolihlahla is, and I quote again from the Nelson Mandela Foundation, ‘an isiXhosa name which means “pulling the branch of a tree”, but colloquially it means “troublemaker”’. So: Rolihlahla Madiba Nelson Dalibhunga Tata Mandela – to put his names in chronological order – the troublemaker, who became the father of the new South Africa. His names tell us so much about him, about his multifaceted identity, and about how he has been – and continues to be – regarded. I have chosen to talk to you about ‘names’ today, not just because one of the greatest individuals – perhaps the greatest – to emerge on the world stage in the second half of the 20th century has just died, and so it is fitting that we honour and remember him. This week we begin reading the second Book of the Torah. Known by its English name of Greek origins, Exodus, its Hebrew name is Sh’mot, ‘Names’, because the book begins: V’eilleh sh’mot b’ney Yisrael – ‘These are the names of the children of Israel’ – or, rather, more precisely, the sons of Israel (Jacob as he was first known). There is no mention of Dinah, the daughter of Leah and Jacob – or of the names of any of the other female members of the family. We read (Exodus 1:1-4): V’eilleh sh’mot b’ney Yisrael – These are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every man came with his household: / Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; / Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; / Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. Joseph is missing from this list because, of course, he was already in Egypt. It is the reign of a new Pharaoh, generations later, ‘who did not know Joseph’ (1:8) that sets the new narrative of slavery and persecution in train. That narrative introduces us to a new cast of characters: including, the midwives, Shifra and Pu’ah, whose names evoke the cries and groans of women in childbirth[5] – and, of course, Moses, Aaron and Miriam. As soon as I mention the sibling leaders of the Exodus in the order in which they are treated in the Torah – rather than their order of birth – we realise, not only the power of naming and names, but the way in which the differences in power between people are asserted in the ways in which their names are presented.[6] After the valiant midwives, Shifra and Pu’ah, have succeeded in subverting Pharaoh’s genocidal decree by saving the Hebrew baby boys (1:15-22), the narrative shifts in Exodus chapter 2 to the story of one particular family (2:1-10), and the saving of one particular baby boy – by ‘the woman’, who bore him (:2), ‘the child’s mother’ (:8) and ‘his sister’ (:4, 7) – both unnamed. While the two midwives are named because they are the centre of their particular tale, the mother and sister, who were responsible for ensuring the survival of the baby in their household, are presented only in relation to the baby – who is named at the end of the story, by the third female involved in his redemption from death – who is also not given a name: ‘Pharaoh’s daughter’ (:5,7,8,10). Pharaoh’s daughter adopts the child as her son, after his mother has finished nursing him and he has been weaned. We read (2:10): When the child grew up, she [that is, the mother], brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who made him her son. She named him Moses, and said, ‘because I drew him out of the water’ – ki min-ha-mayim m’shitihu And so, the Torah introduces the reader to the hero of the tale, the future saviour of the people. But that is not the end of the matter. On one level, the Torah narrative reads like any other ancient patriarchal text, chronicling the tales of great men. But the Torah is also an ancient text of an utterly different order. As we read the well-known story in the first portion of the book, known also as Sh’mot, we discover that Moses isn’t, after all, the central character. Indeed, the central character is not a man – or, a woman – or a human being of any kind. As the tale in Exodus chapter 2 unfolds (:11-22), some years later, after killing a taskmaster he saw beating a slave, Moses the Egyptian prince turned fugitive, fled to Midian, married the daughter of a Midianite priest, and became a Shepherd of his father-in-law’s flock. Then, one day he had an experience that changed his life forever. We learn in Exodus chapter 3 that when Moses led the flock achar ha-midbar ‘behind the wilderness, he came to Horev, the mountain of God, and a messenger of the Eternal appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush’ (:1-2). Captivated by the sight of the bush that was not consumed by the flames, Moses turned aside to look at it (:3). He then heard a voice calling him out of the midst of the flames (:4). The central character of the Exodus is an ineffable mystery – utterly un-graspable – and unnameable. How can one put into words the experience of the ineffable? The Torah narrative attempts to do this by conjuring up images of ‘fire’ and ‘a voice’. And it does much more than this. How extraordinary that Sh’mot, the Book of Names that relates the Exodus of the slaves, the oppressed and persecuted descendants of Israel/Jacob, whose renaming was such a transformative moment in his life,[7] should lead Moses into the light of the shimmering desert and that burning bush only to reveal the absolute nameless mystery of the Eternal Liberator of the slaves. And so, we read that Moses, over-awed and overwhelmed, asks the mystery that has apprehended him for a name (3:13): When I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘the God of your ancestors has sent me to you’, and they ask me, ‘what is his name?’ what shall I say to them? In response to his question, Moses receives an astonishing reply (:14) Then God said to Moses, ‘Ehyeh asher ehyeh’ – and continued: ‘Thus shall you say to the Israelites, Ehyeh sent me to you.’ You may be wondering why I haven’t fully translated the verse. I will do that now: Ehyeh asher ehyeh means ‘I am that I am’ or ‘I will be what I will be’ – the Hebrew imperfect form of the verb ‘to be’ used here can be translated in both a present and future sense. The translation points to the mystery – but it is only the Hebrew that succeeds in evoking the mystery: Ehyeh asher ehyeh. As Gabriel Josipovici puts it in a matchless passage that I have quoted elsewhere:[8] The phrase, ehyeh asher ehyeh… is as near as we can get in language to pure breath, non-articulation, non-division. In uttering, God both defines himself as pure potential and repudiates the kind of definition Moses – and we – are looking for. But he also indicates by his palindromic utterance, with its repeated ‘h’ and ‘sh’ sounds, that his is the breath that lies beneath all utterance and all action, a living breath which does not move forward yet does not remain static, upholding both speech and the world. Moses learnt an important lesson about the ineffable at the burning bush – but he would not have learnt it if he had simply walked on and not turned aside to apprehend the ‘great sight’ (Exodus 3:3). And so it is with us: The mystery, by definition, transcends time and space to address us today – but only if we are prepared to acknowledge it. Both cyber-space and the bookshelves of libraries the world over are filled with accounts of oppressive regimes and freedom struggles, and the key figures involved: All the events and the details – and the names of places, peoples, and individuals – including, individuals of monumental stature, like Nelson Mandela. But there is something else – the ineffable and unnameable: ‘the breath that lies beneath all utterance and all action, a living breath which does not move forward yet does not remain static, upholding both speech and the world’. The tale of the burning bush challenges us to acknowledge the ineffable and unnameable beyond our grasp. May each one of us find our own way to apprehend the mystery that apprehends us, summoning us to engage, to struggle, to liberate, to act. And let us say: Amen. Rabbi Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue – Adat Shalom Verei’ut 21st December 2013 – 18th Tevet 5774 [1] Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act II, Scene II, lines 47-48 [2] Nelson Mandela`s statement from the dock at the opening of the defence case in the Rivonia Trial, Pretoria Supreme Court, 20 April 1964. See http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?id=3430. The statement concludes: ‘During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.’ [3] 11 February 1990 [4] http://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/names [5] Shifra – from the Hebrew root, Shin Pei Reish is related to the noun, shofar – ‘horn’. Pu’ah – from the Hebrew root Pei Vav Cheit – to ‘puff’, ‘blow’. See Jeremiah 4:31, where he refers, metaphorically, to the voice of a woman in childbirth, ‘panting’ – tityappei’ach (although here the root is Yud Pei Cheit – a by-form of Pei Vav Cheit. [6] Numbers 26:59, gives the correct birth-order for Aaron and Moses, but mentions Miriam, the first-born, last: ‘The name of Amram’s wife was Yocheved, daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; she bore to Amram, Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam.’ Micah 6:4 puts Moses first: ‘For I brought you up from the land of Egypt’s, I redeemed you from the house of bondage, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.’ [7] See Genesis 32:23-33 [8] See ‘Beyond the Divine Autocrat: Speaking of God Today’, in my book, Trouble-Making Judaism (David Paul, 2012, p. 146). « Remembering Nelson ‘Madiba’ Mandela 18th July 1918 – 5th December 2013 » January and Sh’vat | SJN January 2014 The sky over #Seaford bay. In a divided world, a division that inspires awe for the wonders of the beautiful… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Women Rabbi's Facebook Rabbi Elli Sarah Facebook Synagogue Prayer for Peace © Rabbi Elli Sarah 2020

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NewsSportsSports News Roundup April 24 Sports News Roundup April 24 Cuba Opens US Basketball Camp The U.S. National Basketball Association, the NBA, has opened a sports camp here in Havana, aimed at supporting the development of basketball in Cuba. Also protected by FIBA America and the local Federation, the event -- which is part of the Basketball without Borders program -- will end on Sunday, April 26, and provides a program of clinics and lectures for children, young basketball players and referees. The NBA move is led by Canadian Steve Nash, an eight-time All-Star's Most Valuable Player, and Congolese Dikembe Mutombo, NBA global ambassador and member of the Hall of Fame. Also on the list is Portuguese Ticha Penicheiro, all-time leader in career assists (a 2,599 record), and was one of the best players in seven seasons. During the Camp's opening ceremony held late Thursday at the "Manuel Fajardo" University of Science of Physical Education and Sports in Havana, sports authorities delivered recognition plaques to former outstanding basketball players, coaches, and FIBA Americas regional director Alberto Andres Garcia. This trip to Cuba will open a bridge to develop basketball in the country. This will be a unique opportunity to teach the values of our sports, stated former pivot Mutombo, who stand 2.18 meters tall. The Americas' Basketball Academy director Victor Ojeda, the director of High Performance of the Cuban Institute of Sports (INDER) Jose Antonio Miranda, the University of Sports rector Amarilis Torres, other leaders and officials of the sports institution, and Cuban great sporting figures, also attended the ceremony. After winning the World Series of Boxing (WSB) title in their debut season, Cuba Domadores team have remained undefeated in the competition, and seek their 14th consecutive victory of the 5th Season against Ukraine Otamans. The Ukrainians are in excellent form, too, having won four of their last five matches, including an excellent win against the Russian Boxing Team last week. Cuba has already won Group A which means they will qualify directly to the semi-finals, while Ukraine currently sit third in the group, two points behind Russia, and two ahead of Mexico Guerreros. The team that finishes second in the group will enjoy home advantage in the quarter-finals, so Ukraine will be eager to secure the victory in this match against the undefeated Cubans. Havana's Ciudad Deportiva, is the venue for this Group A clash on Friday April 24th, fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand at AIBABoxingTV.com. Undefeated Cuban Flyweight (52 kg) star Yosbany Veitia opens the evening facing Azat Usenaliev. Veitia is number one ranked in his division and has already earned a Rio 2016 Olympic Games qualification through WSB. Cuban Lightweight (60 kg) Lazaro Alvarez is also guaranteed to finish in the top two of his weight class, however the number two ranked fighter will want to make it 7-0 in the Regular Season against Ukraine’s Viktor Slavinskyi. 2012 Olympic gold medalist Welterweights (69 kg) Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo is searching for a second win in a row against Oleg Zubenko. One fighter who needs a more dominant victory is Cuba’s 5-1 Julio Cesar La Cruz who surprisingly lost two weeks ago to Ecuador’s Carlos Mina. The result pushed the Cuban down into third in the Light heavyweight (81 kg) rankings, and out of the Rio 2016 Olympic quota places. La Cruz is expected to perform better in this event against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Khyzhniak. Cuba’s Lenier Eunice Pero is ranked second at Super heavyweight (91+ kg) but only one Rio 2016 quota is available from the heaviest weight class in WSB. Four points behind Croatia’s dominant Filip Hrgovic heading into the last week of action, Pero needs a stoppage or a unanimous decision victory against Ukraine’s Ihor Shevadzutskyi to maintain any hopes of overtaking Hrgovic. Don't expect to see big league baseball players at the 2020 Olympics, even if the IOC reinstates the sport for the Tokyo Games. And new Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says the sport's international governing body should demand a long-term pledge from the International Olympic Committee before agreeing to return. Baseball was an Olympic medal sport from 1992-2008, then was dropped after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The World Baseball Softball Confederation hopes both events will be reinstated in the Tokyo Olympics in five years, and the inclusion of new sports for 2020 will be voted on at the IOC session in Rio de Janeiro on the eve of the 2016 Games. Manfred is maintaining the stance of his predecessor, Bud Selig, who repeatedly said that the U.S. MLB, Major League Baseball, will not interrupt its schedule for the Olympics. "The Olympics are a challenge because of the calendar," Manfred said Thursday during a meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors. "They are particularly a challenge when the site is halfway around the world and the date falls in the middle of our regular season." In 2008, only players not on 25-man big league rosters as of late June were allowed to compete in the Olympics. “I think it would be good for our game, for baseball generically defined, to be an Olympic sport. I know there is some interest in having a baseball event in the Tokyo Olympics because it's so popular in that particular country," Manfred said. "I think it would be a mistake for our sport to make an arrangement with the Olympics whereby we go in for Tokyo and not have some commitment that the Olympics were going to commit to baseball over the longer haul." Edited by Ivan Martínez Sports News Roundup February 9 Sports News Roundup October 2 Sports News Roundup Sept 29

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Bookmark Website Visitor No since 22-10-98 Comment: Instil filial piety in young ones The writer describes his 83-year-old mother (right) and 89-year-old mother-in-law as women with great fortitude despite having gone through tragedies and hardships in their lives. ©New Sunday Times IT is indeed a blessing that I was able to celebrate Mothers Day with my 83-year-old mother and 89-year-old mother-in-law last Sunday. The picture shows both the octogenarians beaming with joy as their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren went home to Yong Peng to celebrate the occasion with them. For my mum, life was especially hard when she first came over with dad to Malaya in March 1947. Living in extreme poverty then, her pregnancies were often fraught with problems. She suffered three miscarriages, and two boys died one week after their births. Another girl had to be given up for adoption by the Christian missionaries at the Seremban Convent High School in 1957, who records showed had died of pneumonia three months later. In China in 1943, her first child, a girl, was born when mum was a weak and frail 19-year-old herself. It was also in that year that our paternal grandmother died in her 40s. Believing that the newly born girl had brought bad luck to the family, our superstitious maternal grandmother decided to let her die in the cold outside. Despite all these tragedies, mum is no doubt a woman of great fortitude. While dad toiled as a farmer and labourer and was often away from home, my mum performed her duties as a mother looking after us at home. My mother-in-law is also very much an indomitable character in her own right. Hailing from China in 1932, she did not stop tapping rubber trees to support the family until she was 65. As my father-in-law (who passed away in 1980) had asthma and was unable to work, one cannot imagine how she could have brought up a family of nine girls and three boys, including a fine daughter for me to marry. Today, she has 37 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. She would often testify that she derives her strength from her strong faith in God, which she no doubt does as she still reads the Bible every day. I am sure many others have similar if not more powerful stories to tell about their mothers. Likewise, there are many mothers out there whose children were not able to celebrate the occasion with them as depicted by the powerful Chinese New Year advertisement of Petronas in February this year. Indeed, how we treat our parents will indirectly teach our children how they treat us later. It is often said that filial piety is becoming a thing of the past. Surely, if our children are taught the importance of filial piety when they are young, then their children will also love them in return when they grow old. To the Chinese community, filial piety or xiao means complete obedience to one’s parents or parents-in-law, and nothing can be more important than looking after your own parents when they are old. So, a tale is often told that once upon a time in China, there lived a very poor family. They had a young son but the man’s mother would always give a part of her share to her grandson so that the young boy would not starve. Fearing that his mother would starve instead, the man decided to bury his son alive. But when he dug a hole, lo and behold, he discovered a pot filled with gold. Filial piety is a universal value fundamental to the family institution. For example, my Muslim friends are often reminded of Surah Luqman (31) verse 14 in the Quran: "And We have enjoined on man to be good to his parents: In travail upon travail did his mother bear him, And in years twain was his weaning: (Hear The Command), Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents; To Me is thy final Goal." Our Christian friends, on the other hand, are often told that it is one of the Ten Commandments to honour our father and mother so that we may live long. Our parents cannot just wither away in loneliness or be treated like "excess baggage" when they grow old. It follows that our young ones should be taught, trained and imbued with filial piety as early as possible. Our primary school education system must prioritise this. In fact, the New Sunday Times reported on April 22 that Jerai Member of Parliament Datuk Paduka Badruddin Amiruldin had urged parliament to enact a law to punish errant children who abandoned their parents. The report also quoted the president of the National Council of Senior Citizens’ Organisations Malaysia, Lum Kin Tuck, responding that the proposed law was unnecessary and, if introduced, "can be a disgrace to us". Of course, it was not too nice either to read the New Straits Times on March 12 that one requires between RM1.4 million and RM2.8 million in order to retire comfortably. In Singapore, the Maintenance of Parents Act 1995 allows any person who is 60 years old or above and who is unable to maintain himself to apply to the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents for an order that one or more of his children pay him a monthly allowance or any other periodical payment or a lump sum for his maintenance. In India, the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Bill 2006 was tabled to ensure that if a person responsible for the upkeep of his parents failed to take care of them, he can face up to three months’ imprisonment and a fine in addition to being disinherited from the parent’s will. To my mind, maintaining our parents is a family responsibility and not the state’s. If the state has to come in to compel our children to maintain us like what is being done in Singapore or India, then something is very wrong with our society. As a parent, to know that my children are maintaining me because of a court order only grieves me further to realise that this is retribution for I have failed as a parent all these years. It is also a damning indictment of poor parenting on our part which we, as parents, must assume full responsibility. In conclusion, let me share with you this oft-quoted inspirational lesson written by an unknown author: A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about grandfather," said the son. "I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening, the husband took grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days, he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled or the tablecloth soiled. Children are remarkably perceptive. *The writer still grieves for his missing father: www.missingourdad.com Write Comment. (Anonymous posting will not be published) Bar Council wants banks to stop charging fees for documents Bar Council: Review bank loan document fee too Bar Council urge banks to review processing fees on bank loan documents Who is Roger Tan, the lawyer in Pastor Koh and Amri’s task force? Malaysian Bar welcomes Moktar's withdrawal, new appointments to task force Read more at https://www. Bar welcomes changes to enforced disappearance panel, says credibility crucial Malaysian Bar: Task force into disappearances must be impartial, independent 2 new members for task force on missing pastor Koh, activist Amri The Role of Public Interest Litigation In Promoting Good Governance in Malaysia and Singapore Board to handle strata title grouses Interview: Of values and water Religion and the law COMMENT: Three Bills a boon for home buyers Peraturan-peraturan Pemaju Perumahan Pindaan 2002 Are we paying our judges enough? Post-millennium Pigeon Karpal urges Penang to clarify shariah law curbs on ‘Allah’ Q & A on amended housing law © 2020 Roger Tan :: www.rtkm.com

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Tip: Dividend Dates. There are four important dates for dividends: Declaration Date: The company announces when it will pay a dividend and how much the dividend will be worth. Ex-Dividend Date: Shareholders of record before this date are entitled to receive the next dividend payment. Record Date: On this date, the list of stockholders is finalized. Payable Date: On this date, the taxable dividend is paid to shareholders. When interest rates reach historic lows, some investors in search of income-generating investments turn to dividend-yielding stocks. Dividends are taxable payments made by a company to its shareholders. When a company makes a profit, that money can be put to two uses—it can be reinvested in the business or it can be paid out to the company’s shareholders in the form of a dividend. Some dividends are paid quarterly and others are paid monthly. Dividend Ratios Investors track dividend-yielding stocks by examining a pair of ratios. Dividend per share measures how much cash an investor is scheduled to receive for each share of dividend-yielding stock. It is calculated by adding up the total dividends paid out over a year (not including special dividends) and dividing by the number of shares of stock that are outstanding. Dividend yield measures how much cash an investor is scheduled to receive for each dollar invested in a dividend-yielding stock. It is calculated by dividing the dividends per share by the share price. Other Dividend Considerations Investing in dividend-paying stocks can create a stream of taxable income. But the fact that a company is paying dividends is only one factor to consider when choosing a stock investment. Dividends can be stopped, increased, or decreased at any time. Unlike interest from a corporate bond, which is normally a set amount determined and approved by a company’s board of directors. If a company is experiencing financial difficulties, its board may reduce or eliminate its dividend for a period of time. If a company is outperforming expectations, it may boost its dividend or pay shareholders a special one-time payout. When considering a dividend-yielding stock, focus first on the company’s cash position. Companies with a strong cash position may be able to pay their scheduled dividend without interruption. Many mature, profitable companies are in a position to offer regular dividends to shareholders as a way to attract investors to the stock. Dividend income is currently taxed at a maximum rate of 20%. Be cautious when considering investments that pay a high dividend. While past history cannot predict future performance, companies with established histories of consistent dividend payment may be more likely to continue that performance in the future. In a period of low interest rates, investors who want income may want to consider all their options. Dividend-yielding stocks can generate taxable income but, like most investments, they should be carefully reviewed before you commit any dollars. Keep in mind that the return and principal value of stock prices will fluctuate as market conditions change. And shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. The information in this article is not intended as tax or legal advice. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. Dividends Can Make a Difference This chart shows the role dividends have played in stock market performance during the past 35 years ended December 31, 2017. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Thomson Reuters, 2018. The S&P 500 Composite Index and S&P 500 Composite Index (Total Return) are unmanaged indices that are generally considered representative of the U.S. stock market. Index performance is not indicative of the past performance of a particular investment. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Individuals cannot invest directly in an index. Are you a thrill seeker, or content to relax in the backyard? Use this flowchart to find out more about your risk tolerance.

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Alta News Pilot Tribune View from the nose bleeds Craig Shultz Craig is the sports editor for the Pilot-Tribune. Why the ‘transfer culture’ is okay Posted Wednesday, January 8, 2020, at 11:05 AM Today’s college athletes seem better than they were when I was growing up. The ability that they show seems more breathtaking than when watching as a young boy. However, growing up, there wasn’t too much of a kid leaving a college for a different one. Not that I can recall anyways. In collegiate sports, transferring is become a popular option for numerous athletes if they aren’t able to find the field/court or someone takes their job. Some transfers come from junior colleges, which is the widely accepted variety of transfers, even if they are Division 1 kickbacks as seen in shows like Last Chance U. Student-athletes transferring from a four year to a different four year for “green pastures” is frowned upon by fans and some members of the media. Why though? Do we fault someone for finding a new job if they are unhappy? Do we get mad for someone ending a relationship, you know what, skip that one. When a person finds themselves in a situation where they feel like they need a chance, they are free to do so and finding a new school is no exception. When a coach leaves a job or gets fired, they can get a buyout from the school to pay off the contract. No one really bats much of an eye, except those who realize that being fired shouldn’t mean an extra $15 million in their pockets. Rather, people just let that go on and say nothing. But that third string quarterback wants to leave to try to win a job at another school? He has no loyalty what so ever. The kid just wanted to rip the heart out of the fan base because he was never going to see the field. Too much? Maybe, but sometimes you get these sports fans on social media that can say whatever they want, knowing how much space covers them from someone who might do something about it. A basketball player gets promised playing time and never was able to get to that point, should be okay for them to try a different school to capitalize on their talents. A graduate transfer is fine to everyone because they’ve finished with the school they went to and can now just play a year without anyone really getting on their back for their decision to leave. What’s the difference in that sort of loyalty? They finished up at that school and should still want to assist that program, right? See how that’s a little hypocritical? Why is that sort of transferring fine and not the other? If a coaching change occurs, a player should be able to freely leave that school without any sort of public opinion based on that decision. Most often times they are able to, like when Baylor went through everything a few years ago with the lack of institutional control. Not every player is going to like a situation once they get past the recruitment process and get to that school. Happiness is key for anyone in life and a new situation does exactly that. So, instead of attacking a kid for wanting to try something new, support them and wish them good luck in their new endeavors. That change might spark something better for them even in the classroom, which is ultimately what should matter with a student-athlete. Not the team they play for but the education they’re able to get. And, honestly, a transfer can help their potential professional status in the future. Look at Joe Burrow at LSU. He transferred from Ohio State and won the Heisman and is probably a lock to be the top pick in the NFL draft. Never would’ve happened if he had stayed at Ohio State. In fact, three of the top four quarterbacks in the College Football Playoffs were transfers. Imagine if they had to stick at their original school of choice. Never would have been as much fun to watch the CFP this season. Transfers are a good thing. Embrace that it’s going to happen and it’s going to continue to grow larger every year. Think of it as college’s version of free agency, only unlike coaches, they have to usually sit out a year. More from this blogger · Craig Shultz What a weekend of football! (9/18/19) A guide to a certain game (9/11/19) UnLucky Timing (8/28/19) Reflections on the season (7/19/19) An 'ode to replay reviews (5/10/19) Some tournament is starting soon… (3/20/19)1 Is it really Super? (2/1/19) © 2020 Storm Lake Pilot Tribune · Storm Lake, Iowa

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Screening the Past > Materialist Performance in the Digital Age Materialist Performance in the Digital Age There has been a renewed interest in film and video performance over the last decade, evident in the emergence of the VJ (Video Jockey) and VJing as real-time visual performance. Groups such as 242.pilots, for example, have been described as a real-time video ensemble, improvising and re-animating, live with images, what the jazz band has traditionally executed through sound. The processing speed of digital imagery has enabled such new forms of image manipulation, often developing audiences via sonic communities inhabited by sound artists whose initial focus was experimental music. Coupled with this, there has also arisen renewed activity in public, multi-screen performances of formalist, animated imagery by film artists such as Guy Sherwin, Greg Pope and Bruce McClure – as well as growing interest in its previously subjugated history. This form of audiovisual performance first emerged in the 1960s, when artists such as Peter Gidal, Paul Sharits and Ken Jacobs began to work with 16mm, Super 8 film and slide projection, when such secondhand equipment became available at low cost. What is the significance of this historic form of film performance’s continued practice in relation to the new digital situation described by media theorist Vilém Flusser? The Technical Image Flusser’s concept of the technical image productively marks the shift from analogue to digital technologies, a shift favouring the image ahead of the text as a communication tool. For Flusser, technical images are meaningful surfaces ‘created by programs, they are dependent on the laws of technology and the natural sciences’. [1] They are now constructed inside computers, rather than through photographic chemical processes. For Flusser, the means of constructing these meaningful surfaces are rendered invisible, creating a form of amnesia in its audience that urgently needs to be addressed: The technical images currently all around us are in the process of magically re-structuring our ‘reality’ and turning it into a ‘global image scenario’. Essentially this is a question of ‘amnesia’. Human beings forget that they created the images in order to orientate themselves in the world. Since they are no longer able to decode them, their lives become a function of their own images: Imagination has turned to hallucination. [2] … any criticism of technical images must be aimed at an elucidation of its inner workings. As long as there is no way of engaging in such criticism of technical images, we shall remain illiterate. [3] The technical image re-iterates Martin Heidegger’s concept of Weltbilt articulated in ‘The Age of the World-Picture’. [4] There, Heidegger identifies a calculative rather than meditative thinking, predicting the rise in the kind of techno-scientific thinking unleashed by the recent mobilisation of imaging technologies in neurological research. Like Flusser’s allusions to illiteracy and amnesia, Heidegger speculates ‘whether thinking will come to an end in a bustle of information’. [5] Flusser’s technical images, benefiting from the digital’s painterly hyper-malleability, foreground concepts ahead of phenomena: ‘Ontologically traditional images mean phenomena, while technical images mean concepts.’ [6] This emphasis marks a shift in the relationship between structure and content, signifier and signified, that were Peter Gidal’s central arguments in support of his concept of ‘Materialist Film’ in the 1970s, and performed in Paul Sharits’ early Flicker films and Ken Jacob’s Nervous System performances during that period. It is of value to review such film-based, performative practices then and now, to identify affinities and differences in relation to the digital, and to assess such a practice’s ability to provide productive insights and commentary into its inner workings – in short, to lay bare the contemporary technical image so critical to Flusser’s analysis. In this light, the recent formalist, multi-screen, 16mm moving image performances by film artists such as Guy Sherwin, Bruce McClure, Greg Pope and the perennial Ken Jacobs can be read as directly responding to the new immediacy and speed permeating digital technologies: the rise of Vilém Flusser’s technical image and the consequent disappearance of reflective space that Neil Postman has also indentified. In Technopoly, Postman notes that we embrace the ‘wondrous effects of machines and are encouraged to ignore the ideas embedded in them’. [7] For Flusser, this amnesia has migrated from the machine, to be incorporated inside the image itself. Origins of a Practice In the 1960s, under Abstract Expressionism’s influence and Minimalism’s rise in painting and sculpture, film artists in Europe and North America, including Sharits, Gidal and Jacobs, interrogated the film apparatus itself, emphasising structure over content to produce what became known as Structuralist or Materialist Film. For Gidal, such work is reflexive, referencing its own structure: I would like to make a film that is at one and the same time a film in its own right and as explication of the mechanisms of its own making. Thus the film would be both about something and about itself. I have been making films that fall into this concept since 1967. [8] Apart from the films themselves, Gidal’s later text Materialist Film is the densest and most articulate manifestation, in written form, of the concept. [9] The 1920s avant-garde’s lack of narrative is seen as a precursor to this formalist work, for which P. Adams Sitney and then Malcolm Le Grice develop the term Structuralist Film, and Gidal later Materialist Film. Referring to American practices, both Annette Michelson and Sitney outline the structural focus of these films as ‘a practice that focuses on the signifier, rather than the signified, on form ahead of content’ [10] ; ‘the structural film insists on its shape, and what content it has is minimal and subsidiary to the outline’. [11] Sitney identifies a checklist of four characteristics nearly always present: fixed camera position, flicker effect, loop printing, and screen re-photography. Le Grice expands Sitney’s definition to include processes leading to these effects: ‘I shall add to them a number of other concerns, like celluloid as material, the projection as event, duration as a concrete dimension’. [12] The basic idea of laying the apparatus bare is derived from Russian Formalism. [13] Rosalind Krauss describes such a materialist referentiality in relation to Paul Sharits’ four-projector Sound Strip/Film Strip (four screens, 8 minutes, 1971-72), installed at the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, New York, in 1976: Right away, then, we realize that we are not in the middle of the filmic illusion, as we are when seated in the theater, oblivious to the hidden machinery in the projection booth mounted behind us. We are, instead, at a tangent to the illusion, forcibly aware of the generative pair: projector/projected; aware, that is, of the mechanisms that are closer to the birth of the illusion. [14] Paul Sharits’ flicker films can be considered exact, single-frame focused, graphic animations, with frame-to-frame shifts in image, text or colour to create flickering afterimages or retinal effects. Images appear to float in front of the screen, their repetition building tension and trance effects. In his two-screen films such as Razor Blades (1965-8) and Vertical Contiguity (1974), subtle shifts in a film’s registration as it slides through the projector gate, and slight differences in projector speed, also become apparent when the two screens are butted next to each other – this adding further movement to these works, and bringing further attention to the projection apparatus itself. I wish to abandon imitation and illusion and enter directly into the higher drama of: celluloid, two dimensional strips; individual rectangular frames; the nature of sprockets and emulsion; projector operations; the three dimensional reflective screen surface; the retinal screen; optic nerve and individual psych-physical subjectivities of consciousness. [15] In Ken Jacobs’ Nervous System performances, he performs his theories directly, ‘rorschaching’ his audience. [16] This Nervous System machine has what looks like a large fan in front of its two bulky slide projectors. This fan works as a shutter for inching of filmstrips through the two projector gates. Lewis Khlar describes this method as a practice that uses the found single frame to communicate with history. [17] Paul Arthur describes this machine as ‘a two headed cinematic apparatus liberated from its linear shackles of 24 frames per second in order to stop and start, jump backward and forward at will. In turn, the movements of human shadows and other natural forms fed through the machine are blasted apart’. [18] In her discussion of Jacobs’ more recent New York Ghetto Fishmarket 1903 (2006), Pierson’s reference to the use of visual effect as part of a salvage operation on history describes a method for re-claiming history, an operation that is at the heart of Jacobs’ practice. [19] This suggests a method for addressing the illiteracy Flusser which identifies in the surface characteristics of the technical image. A Subjugated History and its Return Despite a common moving image ancestry, Materialist Film is absent from Manovich’s The Language of New Media (2001). In asserting that ‘Vertov is able to achieve something that new media designers and artists still have to learn – how to merge database and narrative into a new form’, [20] Manovich renders invisible the whole history of post ‘20s avant-garde cinema including Gidal’s Materialist Film concept – which also claims Dziga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera (1929) as a precursor, along with a general ‘20s European avant-garde. For Manovich, computer users ‘speak the language of the interface’ [21] spawned by cinema. Where montage between shots was cinema’s critical development, the montage within a shot introduced by the ‘20s European avant-garde is an essential characteristic of digital media. Fernand Léger’s and Dudley Murphy’s Ballet mécanique (1924) [22] and Vertov’s ‘endless, unwinding of techniques’ [23] both represent this innovation. Guy Sherwin’s ongoing filmmaking emerges out of the phase of reflexive practice that I have evoked here via through the activities of Gidal, Jacobs and Sharits (Sherwin himself also worked in this earlier period). For example, in his early Phase Loop (1971), Sherwin’s deft, calculated intervention is to punch holes into a loop of black leader in the centre of the image every twenty-four frames, whilst placing a scratch on the soundtrack area every twenty-six frames. The flash of light and ‘tapping’ sounds created when this loop is projected consequently drift in and out of sync in an unending animated dance of perceptual play, exercising the audience’s eye and ear co-ordination, endlessly looping ‘a microcosm of film’s temporal experience’. [24] Phase Loop heralds the terrain explored by hand-made, camera-less animation in the following decades, remaining in step with the precepts of Gidal’s Materialist Film in which the film’s structure becomes its content. Further, the self-contained simplicity and mathematical foundation of Phase Loop predicts the characteristics of numerical representation and modularity that Lev Manovich places at the heart of digital media, three decades later. [25] For Manovich, New Media’s secondary characteristics of automation and variability arise from this core – characteristics that are also locatable in Sherwin’s work via a loop’s interminable repetitions, the phasing of its essentialist ‘pixels’ of image and sound, the variation of a projector’s speed, and the repeatability of the loop’s construction. This is a moving image/sound form that is now part of the landscape of any web grazing by computer or mobile. In the digital, mobilising his work’s modular and variable potential to respond to digital media’s ascendancy, Sherwin revisits these concerns with a new emphasis on live filmic performance and multi-projection. [26] For Manovich, the avant-garde tradition sourced by Sherwin, and Gidal’s Materialist Film, this ‘avant-garde became materialized in a computer.’ [27] In the digital, the formal editing strategies used to create the technical image within analogue image construction – traditionally taking place in the artist’s studio, within the camera and optical printer – are now executed inside the computer, having migrated into the post-production process. Techniques or camera-based effects such as dust, film scratches, the blur, flash frames, lens and exposure flares, reticulation, processing mistakes and light leaks – all qualities borne out of limited access to the means of production or signifying the limits and nature of the technology itself – are transported into menus and buttons as simulations in film editing software such as I-Movie, Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro. There is a shift here from political and financial imperatives to aesthetic choices. Such in-camera residue, camera-based effects and optical printer manipulations, like masking, travelling mattes, double exposure, time-lapse, subtitling, under- and over-exposure, have all migrated from the filmic event into the post-production process. They figure as an afterthought inside these editing programs, to be aesthetically spun and nuanced as ornamentation at no extra cost. The density of techniques available for constructing and manipulating technical images inside the computer approximates the process of animation. Manovich identifies animation as the core practice of painterly, digital, moving image production. [28] He also outlines affinity of digital production with pre-cinema toys: ‘the manual construction of images in digital cinema represents a return to the pro-cinematic practices of the nineteenth century, when images were hand-painted and hand-animated’. [29] The digital image’s malleability, its ability to break, stretch, distort, morph, pulse and colour-shift seamlessly, transforms the image from a photographic medium to a painterly one. The warehouse of techniques accumulated in avant-garde and experimental film practice moves to centre stage, populating computer software’s filter, transition, distortion and image-adjustment menus. Stressing this shift, Manovich identifies the serial database of John Whitney’s Catalog (1961) ‘as the founding moment of new media’. [30] The computer’s corralling of avant-garde techniques has elicited a response by this avant-garde’s contemporary successors, in their continued use of film. Sherwin, McClure and Pope stress the ephemeral, visceral, performative and direct qualities of their practice. In contrast to the pervasive and overwhelming ‘global image scenario’ of the digital as described prophetically by Flusser, film becomes a more elusive and transient medium, ironically value-adding to its cache in the Fine Art world – although its collectability, as ever, remains unclear. As Andrea Picard notes in relation to McClure’s work: His pieces are unique, but not in the sense of an objet d’art, rather as an ephemeral experience. This can be difficult for a museum to grapple with for many reasons, including archiving, storage, display, fear of obsolescence, immeasurable value, and so on. In short, what would they collect and how would they show it? [31] Much like the rise in income that a popular music band gains from live performances as compared to recorded song sales, the film artist’s response has been to perform live what was initially constructed or explored in the studio – to reclaim, in measured improvisation, that space of immediacy and the ephemeral that the digital tames and colonises through instant availability. One quality lost in technique’s migration into the digital realm is the corporeal experience of shine and transparency, which for Stephen Prince remains available in film’s celluloid: ‘Grain – bits of silver halide suspended in the emulsion of a film stock – gives the celluloid image its special luminosity and vividness.’ [32] This is a quality identified in proto-cinema media such as magic lanterns, tiffany lamps and the stained glass windows of the Gothic Church. As an act of refuge from digital media’s proliferation, recent moving image art practice has honed in on such elusive differences. McClure’s sonic assaults of flicker and abstraction perform after-images and optical residue, un-photographable retinal effects, which was the purview of Stan Brakhage’s concept of ‘closed-eye vision’. Sherwin focuses on this perceptual gap by mining perceptual ambiguity. In his Man with Mirror performance, originating in 1976, the audience becomes disoriented as to whether they are viewing an image or a real touchable body, an image perceptually loosened from its on-screen moorings. Within these artists’ recent multi-screen presentations, such manipulations are now elusively experienced in live ephemeral performance, re-performing and laying bare those processes that have been rendered invisible in digital technology’s polished and aesthetically nuanced technical-image surfaces. These artists address Flusser’s invocation to lay bare, in the tradition of Russian Formalism, the technical image’s inner workings. Elusive Contemporary Practices (1): Sherwin Sherwin’s practice sits inside a dialectic of ‘material simplicity/perceptual complexity. The fascination is in seeing and knowing how something is made, but being surprised by how it appears’. [33] Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological insistence that ‘the way we experience works of cinema will be through perception’ is evident here. [34] In collaboration with Lynn Loo, in Cycles #3 (1972/2003), for example, Sherwin’s method of experimenting with and presenting perceptual effects is reminiscent of Johann Wolgang von Goethe’s method in his 1810 Theory of Colours. Goethe observed such visual phenomena as afterimages and recorded their effect. For Goethe, this work responded to Newton’s more objective scientific research on colour, which did not account for the phenomena he had observed. His subjective yet repeatable observations included: Let a black object be held before a grey surface, and let the spectator, after looking steadfastly at it, keep his eyes unmoved while it is taken away: the space it occupies appears much lighter. Let a white object be held up in the same manner: on taking it away the space it occupied will appear much darker than the rest of the surface. Let the spectator in both cases turn his eyes this way and that on the surface, the visionary images will move in like manner. [35] When projected, the multi-screen Cycles #3 presents flashes of circles in varying rhythm, creating afterimages, perceptual traces, artifacts that are not physically present on the film, but nevertheless are directly experienced by the eye. The viewer is asked to observe as Goethe once observed, to reflect on the experience he or she encounters, to underline that gap between what is perceived and what is physically and materially present on the film stock. We learn and encounter how the eye acts in the world in a different register to when we read and graze images on a computer screen. After forty years of practice, it is clear from the way Sherwin presents this work that he is aware of such perceptual effects, and has incorporated their experience into the timing and structure. In its finest moments, we become disoriented as to whether we are watching an image or an afterimage. We consciously bear the ambiguity. Where a flash of light creates an afterimage, Sherwin mischievously, physically places this same effect on the film, while at other times he does not. We are never sure if what we see is physically present or merely a byproduct of the way our retina works. The operation of the viewer’s sensory cluster is Cycles #3’s subject. These are unrecordable, ephemeral, perceptual events, presented fleetingly, lying outside the reach of the digital image; they identify a gap between such an image and the body’s perceptual apparatus. Like Goethe’s writing on colour, this subjective play is comprehensible as research into the moving image’s perceptual impact. Sherwin’s Man with Mirror performance is relevant here. The performance consists of a single projection of a 1970s film of Sherwin facing the camera in a park, holding a white-backed 1×0.75 metre mirror, with both hands in front of him. Sherwin slowly rotates the mirror so that, at times, the reflection shows the park in front, below or above, depending on the mirror’s angle; and, at other times, an image of a young Sherwin staring into the originating camera (and thus directly at the audience). This is the film’s content, but also the performance’s structure: the film is projected onto Sherwin standing in the performance space holding and rotating a similar mirror. Like the gap between the projected and perceived afterimage of Cycles #3, in Man with Mirror Sherwin sets up a dialogue between the projected image and his physical presence in the performance space. This situation produces an ephemeral experience onto the bodies of the audience. As the performance proceeds, a movement occurs from the real Sherwin to the projected Sherwin, and the difference in age between the old and the new becomes instantly palpable. In a moment like this – and it seems to happen for all observers simultaneously – the moving image becomes unhinged, begins to float. The new and old merge in a single, perceptual event. The eye loses its bearings. It becomes immaterial as to whether we are watching a projection or a real presence. This gap is experienced directly, viscerally. This is a palpable experience of that unlocatability that Flusser identifies in his description of the global image scenario as amnesic, produced by the proliferation of technical images. Sherwin presents the physical history of his ageing body ahistorically, as a compacted flash of insight. While in Oscar Wilde’s famous tale, Dorian Gray’s surface looks hid the unscrupulous life history made visible in the painting of him, the relationship between Sherwin’s old and new bodies delivers no such dysfunction. The experience of Sherwin’s performance is not available in any YouTube or Vimeo recording of the event – although the ‘oh-ah’ trace of the impact on its audience may be heard on such recordings. Sherwin’s practice here interrogates the pre-reflective experience that Merleau-Ponty described: My field of perception is constantly filled with a play of colours, noises and fleeting tactile sensations which I cannot relate precisely to the context of my clearly perceived world, yet which I immediately place in the world, without ever confusing them with my daydreams. Equally constantly I weave dreams around things. [36] Inscriptions or scratches that are drawn directly on the film surface are part of the genre of direct, camera-less animation. This tradition developed through Norman McLaren and Len Lye’s studio-based, moving-image practices, and also became part of the vocabulary employed by Sharits’ multi-screen films as well as Sherwin’s Phase Loop. When such strips of film are viewed over a light box, they suggest a very different patterning or language to when such work is seen projected, intimating something of that gap presented and worked by Sherwin in his performances. Elusive Contemporary Practices (2): Pope Film artist Greg Pope integrates this camera-less film practice directly into his film performances. With long loops of black leader running through one 16mm projector or a series of them, the strips of film pass over a metal plate where he scratches and/or punctures the film ‘live’. With each pass of the loop over the plate, the abstract patterns are added to, coloured and further layered for the audience to see on the loop’s next pass through the projector’s gate. In one of the more complex versions of this intervention process, a number of projectors are directed onto a fog making machine to create, not images on a two-dimensional screen, but a cloud of kinetic activity, recalling and extending into improvisation Anthony McCall’s seminal 16mm film installation, Line Describing a Cone (1973). Scratches in the soundtrack area add a further synchronous, sonic layer to the dynamic movement created. Pope has also built and used a machine that can inscribe such patterns onto the strip of film automatically. Such improvisation recalls Konrad Zuse’s Z1, built in 1935-8: the world’s first binary calculating machine, considered the world first computer, it read its instructions from a perforated strip of 35mm film. Pope’s scratch performances re-enact the operation of Zuse’s original computing machine, but place it in an immersive body-centred sonic environment that engage the senses in a very different way to sitting in front of a computer screen. The process lays bare something of that activity occurring in the computer’s covered-over circuitry. Elusive Contemporary Practices (3): McClure Bruce McClure’s multi-projector film performances also define the digital’s outer limits. McClure’s instrument is a bank of four modified 16mm projectors. These allow him to subtly shift the focus, intensity and speed of his projected film loops that, more often than not, are themselves embedded with flicker effects. A handmade soundboard and sound-effect pedals give him control of the tone, volume, pitch and echo of his sounds – an ability to subtly sculpt his rudimentary sprocket-hole soundtracks on the run, in parallel to his manipulations of the projected image. The sonic rhythms, the back-and-forth between the soundtracks of each projector, shift in pitch and volume over time. These one-hour-plus performances build up a trance-like interplay between image and sound pulse, re-materialising and multiplying Sherwin’s earlier template of Phase Loop into a constantly changing field of audio-visuality. These loops are pared-back versions of the camera-less animation that Manovich alludes to in noting the hand-painted imagery of pre-cinema; in his bio, McClure describes himself as having ‘crossed over into the realm of the proto-cinematic’. McClure produces an audiovisual response to or extension of Steve Reich’s minimalist, process-based music pieces, which use repeating tape loops to create phasing and shifting harmonic patterns over extended periods of time. To be in the audience inside one of McClure’s light and sound concerts viscerally impacts one’s body and breathing, similar to how sound can immerse the body in dance and movement at a rave or music event. McClure forces his imagery to behave sonically. Its complex of flicker, intensity and coloured light, of multiple projected images moving in and out of phase and focus, produce layered visual artifacts of pulse and afterimage. The pulsing light impacts like a visual bruise on the eye. As with Sherwin, there is a gap between what exists on his film loops, what you can see McClure doing as he plays his instrument, and what the eye experiences. This is highlighted by the available images of these performances, often shot by audience members to capture the event: as a blur or static, abstract shape, they bear little resemblance to the actual experience. Unlike the avant-garde palette that Manovich re-locates inside the computer, McClure’s performances resist containment or definition in digital form. On the repeatability of these performances, McClure states: I use boxes and plastic bags as my archiving system and what seem to be precise notes to the future. In label boxes I store materials and try to identify the original film loop sources to distinguish them from prints. I do this because I look forward to the opportunity to exhume the remains, but in the end it’s always like trying to decipher last month’s bills. Recent work constantly brings me to a retracing of worn paths causing me to note that I can never put my foot in it the same way. [37] Even a digital video of one of McClure’s performances lacks the presence and physicality of the originating event; it becomes more like the sublimated nuisance of an air-conditioner’s whirr or traffic hum, rather than an immersive, body-centred, expanded-cinema exploration of the senses. Colour My World: Art and Research There is an uncanny resemblance between the way McClure sets up his array of projectors and their flickering streams of light, and Edwin Land’s experimental set-up with projectors and pulses of light for his 1960s experiments into colour constancy, through which he developed his Retinex Theory of Colour. [38] Both arrangements boast a subtle and meticulous control over the light pulses they emit. Land’s Retinex Theory (Land 1964) adds scientific credibility to Goethe’s subjective view, or indeed what artists since Leonardo Da Vinci have intuited. In Land’s theory, fluctuations in Mondrian’s yellow, for example, are explained as the result of the phenomenon of colour constancy, the colours placed around the yellow changing its perceived hue. In colour constancy, a banana is perceived as the same yellow irrespective of the red light used to illuminate it, because the coloured objects in its vicinity ground its perceived hue. Abstract painting both intuitively and explicitly pushes such colour rules to their limits. Kandinsky actively sought out research into colour’s psychological impact [39] , incorporating this knowledge into his creative practice: ‘It is often the case that to improve the bottom left hand corner, one needs to improve something on the right’. [40] Land’s experimental design contains two identical, Mondrian-like patterns (referred to as ‘Mondrians’ in the research) separately illuminated by varied combinations of red, green and blue light for very short and longer intervals. Shooting different packets of light at each ‘Mondrian’, the experimental subject is asked to identify any differences in the two physically identical images. This procedure isolates perceptual artifacts (persistence and shifts in colour, shape and luminosity). Such subjective effects are also present in McClure’s performances, and are achieved by similar means. Land’s Retinex model, constructed from these experiments, recognises both Goethe’s and Newton’s views, integrating their subjective and objective theories of colour into the one gestalt. John McCann’s commentary on Retinex places these objective-subjective views in relation: The interesting paradox of the past is the conflict between physics and psychology. The physics of colorimetry has produced a robust quantitative model of quanta catch in the retina. The psychology of color sensation has pointed out that human biological processes use spatial comparisons. [41] Land’s experiments indicate that colour constancy is the result of complex, referential, perceptual processes hardwired into the body’s neural architecture. His model shows that the colour one sees is dependent on how the eye ‘processes’ the whole field of view. This supports Gestalt Psychology’s understanding that the whole is a perceptually primary phenomenon. It also relates to Hans Hofmann’s push/pull theory of art which the Abstract expressionists mobilised; and Mondrian’s general principle of plastic equivalence: ‘The entire work must be only the plastic expression of relationships and must disappear as particularity’. [42] Land’s experiments demonstrate that such hardwiring is evaluative, comparative and referential, producing paradoxical visual artifacts that may not be materially present. Such perceptual artifacts provide the meat in McClure’s performances. Similarly, in James J. Gibson’s concept of a visual kinaesthetic mobility, head movement and direct perceptual assessments of ambient light are incorporated into a visual gestalt of our environment, instantly playing before us as a totality: ‘The persistence of the environment together with the co-existence of its parts and the occurrence of its events are all perceived together’. [43] Like Land and Merleau-Ponty, this view rests on a direct perception ‘not mediated by retinal pictures, neural pictures or mental pictures’ [44] , but of a field perceived as a whole rather than the sum of parts. In colour perception, there is thus a gap between scientifically measurable ‘quanta catch in the retina’ and what is perceived and experienced. In McClure’s or Sherwin’s performances, this gap is demonstrated in the incongruity between, for example, viewing the projected film and inspecting the same material over a light box. This gap between what is perceived and what exists as real in such cases as Goethe’s afterimages, wrongly illuminated bananas or yellows in a Mondrian painting, all suggest this perceptual gap. Although our eyes register a banana illuminated with blue light as yellow, a digital camera does not. In the Realm of the Senses Such gaps, plumbed by the visual performance practices of Sherwin, Pope and McClure, offer insights into the technical image’s limits, and point to a body-centred realm. This method is informed by and traceable back to Goethe’s subjective experiments with seeing, and Land’s work on the perception of colour. By returning us to our senses, these proto-cinema performance practices tell us that what is real in the technical image is no longer photographic, but grounded in its sonic impact on the body. With the shrinking of reflective, critical space that the technical image’s proliferation has produced, there is a need to better utilise such body-centred knowing. Originating within analogue moving image techniques, Materialist Film has evolved as a practice preoccupied with laying bare such technological architectures, as an implicitly political project. This is a practice whose focus on the structure of moving-image/sound production articulates an emphasis also critical to digital media, according to Manovich and Flusser. What better way to uncover the hidden or amnesic vistas of the digital realm and its malleable surfaces, than a practice that – despite its affinities with the digital arts – is itself largely unrecognised and subjugated within the digital discourse? [1] Vilém Flusser in Andreas Ströhl (ed.), Vilém Flusser: Writings (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2004), p. xxiii. [2] Vilém Flusser, Towards A Philosophy of Photography (London: Reaktion, 2000), p. 10. [4] Martin Heidegger, ‘The Age of the World-Picture’, in The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays (New York: Harper, 1977). [5] Heidegger, Pathmarks (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998). [6] Flusser, Towards A Philosophy of Photography, p. 14. [7] Neil Postman, Technopoly (New York: Vintage Books, 1993), p. 94. [8] Peter Gidal, ‘Proposal for Room Film submitted to BFI February 1973’, in British Film and Video Artist’s Study Collection (London: St Martin’s School of Art, 1973), unpaginated. [9] Peter Gidal, Materialist Film (London: Routledge, 1989). [10] Annette Michelson (ed.), New Forms in Film (Montreux Exhibition Catalogue, 1974), p. 15. [11] P. Adams Sitney, Visionary Film: the American Avant-Garde 1943-2000 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 348. [12] Malcolm Le Grice, Abstract Film and Beyond (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1977), p. 88. [13] Viktor Shklovsky, ‘Isskustvo kak priëm’, in J. Striedter (ed.), Texte Der Russischen Formalisten (1969). [14] Rosalind Krauss, ‘Paul Sharits’, Film Culture, vol. 65-66 (1978), p. 91. [15] Paul Sharits, ‘Notes on Films/1966-1968’, Film Culture, no. 47 (Summer 1969), p. 13. [16] Michele Pierson, David E. James & Paul Arthur (eds.), Optic Antics: The Cinema of Ken Jacobs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), p. 30. [20] Lev Manovich, The Language of New Media (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2001), p. 243. [24] Guy Sherwin, Optical Sound Films 1971-2007 (London: LUX Publishing, London, 2007), p. 10. [25] Manovich, The Language of New Media, pp. 27-48. [26] Sherwin, Optical Sound Films, p. 122. [27] Manovich, The Language of New Media, p. 307. [31] Andrea Picard, ‘Reading Between the Lines with Bruce McClure’, CinemaScope, no. 32 (2007), p. 64. [32] Stephen Prince, Movies and Meaning: An Introduction to Film (Needham: Allyn & Bacon, 2004), p. 31. [33] Sherwin, Optical Sound Films, p. 17. [34] Maurice Merleau-Ponty, The World of Perception (London: Routledge, 2004), p. 99. [35] Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Theory of Colour (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1967), p. 14. [36] Merleau-Ponty, The Phenomenology of Perception (London: Routledge, 1962), p. x. [37] Picard, ‘Reading Between the Lines’, p. 65. [38] Edwin Land, ‘The Retinex’, Scientific American, vol. 52, no. 2 (1964), pp. 247-64. [39] John Gage, Colour and Culture (London: Thames and Hudson, 1993), p. 207. [40] Wassily Kandinsky, Complete Writings in Art (London: Faber, 1982), p. 387. [41] John J. McCann, ‘Color Theory and Color Imaging Systems: Past, Present and Future’, Journal of Imaging Science and technology, vol. 42, no. 1 (1998). [42] H. Holtzman, & M.S. James (eds) The New Art – The New Life: The Collected Writings of Piet Mondrian (Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1986), p. 138. [43] James J. Gibson, The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception (New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1979), p. 222. [44] Ibid., p. 147 © Dirk de Bruyn and Screening the Past September 2013 Dr Dirk de Bruyn currently teaches Animation and Digital Culture at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. He has made numerous experimental, documentary, and animation films over the last 35 years. His Expanded Cinema Performances have been staged internationally. He was a founding member and past president of MIMA (Experimenta).View all posts by Dirk de Bruyn →

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Steve Goodwin Deputy Chancellor and Chief Planning Officer sgoodwin@cns.umass.edu A native of Beverly, Massachusetts, Steve Goodwin received his BS in zoology from the University of Maine, his MS in environmental science from the University of Virginia, and his PhD in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin. Joining the UMass Amherst Department of Microbiology in 1986, his research has ranged across such diverse topics as microbial synthesis and degradation of biopolymers, anaerobic digestion and bioremediation, bioenergetics of microbial growth in extreme environments, and microbiology and redox chemistry in groundwater. Goodwin served for 10 years as dean of the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) and one of its forerunners, the College of Natural Resources and the Environment (NRE). Goodwin oversaw the formation of CNS, and during his tenure, undergraduate enrollment in the college grew from less than 3,000 to more than 7,000. Goodwin also participated in the creation of the College of Information and Computer Sciences and the School of Earth and Sustainability. He was also a key supporter of programs such as Eureka! with Girls Inc. in Holyoke and the Integrated Concentration in Science. In 2017, he stepped down as dean of CNS and was appointed deputy chancellor. In this role, Goodwin facilitates the university’s community-based engagement activities throughout the commonwealth, serves as the chancellor’s representative for strategic planning to ensure that space allocation and capital investment decisions align with campus priorities, and is responsible for oversight of the Chancellor’s Sustainability Advisory Committee. Biography of Chancellor Subbaswamy Campus Leaders Provost John McCarthy Deputy Chancellor Steve Goodwin Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford Vice Chancellor William Brady Vice Chancellor Mark A. Fuller Vice Chancellor John Kennedy Vice Chancellor Brandi Hephner LaBanc Vice Chancellor Michael Malone Vice Chancellor Andrew Mangels Vice Chancellor Christopher Misra Associate Chancellor Nefertiti Walker 374 Whitmore Building chancellor@umass.edu

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Bright Eyes Announce First New Album in Nearly Four Years The People’s Key is Due February 15th on the Band's Longtime Label Saddle Creek. Nov 30, 2010 By John Everhart Conor Oberst has kept busy since the release of the last Bright Eyes album, 2007's Cassadaga. He's dropped two records on Merge, the first a self-titled solo album in 2008, while Outer South, released in 2009, was accompanied by The Mystic Valley Band. He also found the time to complete the long gestating Monsters of Folk collaboration album with longtime pals Mike Mogis, M.Ward, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket in the Fall of 2009. Now, he's back with his main band Bright Eyes with the album The People's Key, due February 15 on Saddle Creek. The album again revolves around the Bright Eyes core lineup of Oberst, Mogis, and Nathaniel Walcott, and was recorded at the band's own ARC studios in Omaha with production helmed by Mogis, with engineering assistance lent by Andy LeMaster (Now It's Overhead). This wasn't an insular affair, as they were also augmented by the likes of Matt Maginn (Cursive), Carla Azar (Autolux), Clark Baechle (The Faint), and Laura Burhenn (The Mynabirds) throughout the recording. We have the full tracklisting, as well as the two rather high profile tour dates announced thus far below. The People's Key 1. Firewall 2. Shell Games 3. Jejune Stars 4. Approximate Sunlight 5. Haile Selassie 6. A Machine Spiritual (In the People's Key) 7. Triple Spiral 8. Beginner's Mind 9. Ladder Song 10. One For You, One For Me Bright Eyes Tour Dates: March 9 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall June 23 - London, U.K. - Royal Albert Hall (www.conoroberst.com)

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Tag: IAM&AW ULA Machinists Go on Strike May 6, 2018 May 6, 2018 News 18 Nearly 600 machinists working at United Launch Alliance (ULA) are on strike against the company after they voted down a three-year contract offer from the company on Sunday. The machinists, who are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), are employed at ULA facilities in Decatur, Ala.; Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla,; and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. “It’s unfortunate that a company who makes a living off the backs of tax payer dollars would offer a substandard package for a highly skilled workforce,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary Allen prior to the vote. The union had recommended machinists reject the contract. In a statement, ULA called the offer fair, competitive and in the best interest of the company and its employees. “We’re disappointed that the IAM members rejected ULA’s last, best and final offer and voted to strike,” said Tory Bruno, ULA president and chief executive officer. “We believe our proposed contract is very competitive with other companies. Importantly, ULA’s final offer contributes to ULA’s long term viability in an increasingly competitive launch business environment.” Union officials disagreed. “The best-case scenario for both sides is when we are able to come to an agreement at the bargaining table. Unfortunately, in this case, that didn’t happen,” said Chief of Staff and Aerospace Negotiator Jody Bennett. “Although the contract does include some improvements, it just wasn’t enough for a group of working men and women who have made ULA the absolute safest company in the aerospace industry. Their offer did not clearly mirror the decades of hard work put forth by these machinists members.” ULA’s said it would implement strike contingency plans and continue to operate at all three locations. AIA, Machinists Union Urge Obama to Protect Aerospace, Defense Jobs September 3, 2011 September 2, 2011 AIA 0 AIA PR — September 02, 2011 — The International Association of Machinists and the Aerospace Industries Association sent a letter to President Obama Sept. 1 urging him to preserve the aerospace and defense industry and its high-skilled workforce. “As you finalize proposals to save and create American jobs, we urge you to consider the vital role that our second to none aerospace and defense industry has played in America’s global leadership, and to keep in mind the many thousands of aerospace and defense workers that face the loss of their jobs in these difficult economic times,” the letter urged.

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Reverend Loughridge Ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1842, Robert Loughridge traveled 600 miles on horseback to ask the Creeks if he might establish a mission-school. They wanted a school but no preaching but soon changed their minds. In 1843 he established the Koweta Mission and school, located near present day Coweta. His first wife, Olivia, taught alongside Robert, bearing him two children before passing away in 1845. The following year he married another teacher, Mary, who taught at Park Hill Mission (located south of Tahlequah) in the Cherokee Nation. The Creek government established Tullahassee Labor School in 1848, located about 5 miles northwest of Muskogee, and named Loughridge superintendent. He supervised the construction in 1848-1850. Mary Loughridge passed away in 1850. Robert retained his post until the Civil War forced him in to Texas. He returned in 1881 to be the superintendent at the Creek Nation's new Weleaka School located between Bixby and Leonard. Loughridge became an expert in the Creek language during his ministry to them. He translated and transcribed portions of the Bible with the assistance of Legus Perryman (one of many grandsons of Benjamin Perryman) and published an English and Muskogee Dictionary with David Hodge in 1890. In the 1870's Creek Indian Daniel Childers built a small church so that Rev. Loughridge would have a place to preach to the Indians in the community of what is now Broken Arrow. According to the Indian Pioneer History Project, the lumber was brought overland from Coffeyville and it was named the White Church because it was painted white and painted buildings were quite unusual in those days. The five acres adjoining the church lot on the north became a cemetery that was named for Dr. Loughridge. The church was used as a school house during week days in the early 1880's. Lilah Lindsey taught at this school between 1880-1885. It was primarily a community church but was looked after by the Presbyterian board. This photo was taken in the 1940's: Recently I took a drive by the White Church. It is located on 129th E. Ave and 131st Street. The church still stands proudly, obviously well taken care of although missing the once-cherished bell. It is used by another denomination at this time. In the cemetery the oldest grave is said to be that of Daniel Childers himself who was buried in 1885. The Reverend Thomas Perryman (son of Lewis) lived in that vicinity and also preached at the White Church. One of his daughters, who died at age 3, was buried there about 1883, perhaps one of the first. Her body was later disinterred and placed with her father at Oaklawn Cemetery along with the marker brought from the Loughridge Cemetery. Sources: digital.library.okstate.edu, Indian Pioneer Project I live close to this church and cemetery and no idea of its history. Thank you for this very interesting information! You're welcome! Thanks for stopping by. Also....I'm very fascinated with the fact that Lilah Lindsey once taught there. I've always been interested in her and her contributions to Tulsa. Until reading this, I didn't know she had had any connection to the Broken Arrow/Bixby area. Thanks! Beverly From your photographs the Tullahassee Labor School and Tullahassee Mission School were both impressive structures. Is there any trace of them now? According to the National Registry of Historic Places, they were one in the same building. The Creek Indian Council gave the school to the freedmen in 1881. In 1916 the African American Church established Flipper Davis College and used the old mission building. It was closed in 1935. The A.J. Mason Building, built in 1912, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the only remaining original structure in the town of Tulahassee, OK. Tulsa's First Schools

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BIAFRA: THE DEMAND OF THE PEOPLE CANNOT BE WISHED AWAY THE DEMAND OF THE PEOPLE CANNOT BE WISHED AWAY By Ogeh Friday Igiri For Family Writers Press The unmistakable Biafran restoration struggle under the able leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has no doubt, gone through stages and processes over the years, which has recently rattled the Nigerian establishment. The civilised world has variously commended the modus operandi so far adopted in realising this set objective which is under the United Nations (UN) code of freedom agitation for the implementation of the rights of the oppressed Indigenous People Groups all over the world. Uncountable number of sacrifices were made by the Biafran people between 1967 - 1970 which was christened the Biafran / Nigerian civil war in which over 3.5 million Biafran citizens were killed and properties worth millions of US dollars, wantonly destroyed . And up till date, various degrees of sacrifices are yet being made in staying the course. The arrival of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on the scene, tend to correct this state institutionalised anormaly. Dating back to decade of years, Biafrans have steadily been made to suffer varying degrees of marginalisation from the Nigerian governments that were supposedly bound by law to impartially cater for the interest of all. Millions of Biafrans within the Biafran territory have consistently been subjected to indescribable levels of oppression occasioned by the policies of despotism and tribalism by agents of the government of Nigeria and most ostensibly pronounced under the government of Muhammadu Buhari. The cost of living for the people is hellish. Peasant farmers, traders /business people and even the working class citizens reel in the same economic quagmire. The story remain the same. The infrastructural development within the entire Biafraland is zero in spite of the indispensable record of facts that the oil proceeds that enrich and sustain Nigeria as a country come from the region. It is very clear from the foregoing to note that the only panacea of liberation from this slavery, is the fight for unfettered freedom from Nigeria, the costs nonetheless. The efforts of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) worldwide and lovers of freedom and human dignity are quite commendable and appreciated. Biafrans, in the face of damning dangers of death and destruction, have demonstrated variously to the world, that their primary desire and demand are their freedom and independence. They have severally displayed high standard of civility, discipline and maturity in their protests both within and outside Biafraland, even against provocative and dangerous treatments from the Nigerian combined security operatives, in the course of their entitled civil dissent against unjust government policies. Biafrans therefore, are unequivocally demanding that a referendum be organized for them forthwith, to enable them determine their future and that of their upcoming generations in the contrapted enclave called Nigeria. It is a democratic right enshrined in civilised laws across the world. There is absolutely no other better time for it than now, forever therein lies the solution to the many ills that have bedevilled not just only Nigeria but also Africa by extension. Edited by Peter Oshagwu

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dom@theproimage.co.za Founder of Pro Image Dominique Rensleigh (Mr SA Photogenic 2006) has been a professional photographer since 1990 after he finished his studies in Photography at the Pretoria Technikon. He has been the owner of Pro Image for more than 20 years. His photography specializes in fashion, portraiture, wedding, glamour, sports, action, family, school, advertising and pack-shots. His work has been in various magazines and newspapers, and he has worked with a lot of celebrities over the years. His work also helped launch various model’s careers. His fast experience over the years and his gift to work with people has made him very easy to work with. He’s keen eye for castings and to get the right picture for the job according to the brief has never let him down. Pro Image has been running since 1998. It all started with all the different types of photography, and expanded to sound, lighting, shows, video, models and promotions. We are a team of Professionals working together to make any job possible and do work all over SA. We have divided the different divisions on the website so to better focus on the specialization of each area of expertise. © 2020 The Pro Image. All Rights Reserved. The Pro Image

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Homepage American death penalty area shrank further in 2012 American death penalty area shrank further in 2012 Article by Thomas Hubert published on December 20th, 2012 Only nine US states carried out executions this year, the lowest number in 20 years, according to a new report released by the independent organisation Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC). More than half of the states (29) either have no death penalty or have not carried out an execution in five years. The number of executions in 2012 (43) was 56 percent less than the peak in 1999 and equal to last year’s total. The number of new death sentences in 2012 was the second lowest since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Seventy-eight people were sentenced to death in 2012, representing a 75 percent decline since 1996 when there were 315 sentences. Many death penalty states with histories of high use had no new death sentences or no executions in 2012. North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia (which is second to Texas in total executions since 1976) had no death sentences and no executions. “Marginalised and meaningless” “Capital punishment is becoming marginalised and meaningless in most of the country,” said Richard Dieter, DPIC’s Executive Director and the author of the report (watch the video below). “In 2012, fewer states have the death penalty, fewer carried out executions, and death sentences and executions were clustered in a small number of states. It is very likely that more states will take up the question of death penalty repeal in the years ahead.” Just four states (Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Arizona) were responsible for over three-quarters of executions nationwide. Death sentences were also primarily imposed in a few areas, with four states (Florida, California, Texas, and Alabama) accounting for two-thirds of the nation’s death sentences. The number of states with the death penalty declined this year as Connecticut joined 16 other states that have repealed the death penalty. Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011. Five states in five years have abandoned capital punishment; the other three were New York, New Jersey, and New Mexico. California came close to repealing the death penalty by a ballot measure in November. Beating the death penalty in Illinois Video published on January 15th, 2011 Trend Towards Abolition Country/Regional profiles

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Apply now for studies at the Ecumenical Institute By Staff on November 20, 2014 The World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland. Photo courtesty of the Ecumenical Institute The World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland said it is now accepting applications for its academic programmes in ecumenical studies, 2015-2016. The application deadline is 30 November 2014. The Ecumenical Institute, which is related to the theology faculty of the University of Geneva, is the WCC’s international centre for ecumenical formation, encounter and dialogue. Founded in 1946, the institute brings together people from different church traditions, cultures and backgrounds for ecumenical learning, academic study and personal exchange. “The tremendous social fractures we are witnessing worldwide and the accelerated transformation in the Christian world show that a uniquely diverse center of encounter and learning is necessary,” said Fr. Ioan Sauca, WCC associate general secretary for ecumenical formation and education. The current annual academic programme offers a Complementary Certificate in Ecumenical Studies; a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Ecumenical Studies and a Master of Advanced Studies in Ecumenical Studies. It is also possible to earn a Doctorate in Theology specializing in ecumenical studies. Students interested in ecumenical studies, fulfilling the programme conditions, are invited to apply. Churches in need of a younger generation of ecumenically trained theologians are encouraged to support applications. Applicants may apply for a scholarship if they fulfil the conditions for financial support. Considered part of the avant-garde laboratories of the ecumenical movement, the institute offers an academic platform of rigorous study guided by faculty from different churches and cultural backgrounds. It is a place where complex challenges confronting the churches are debated and analyzed. “Bossey is a place where the students encounter the whole world with its cultural diversities, conflicts, struggles and sufferings,” said the Rev. Dr. Dagmar Heller, academic dean at the institute. Ecumenical learning at the Ecumenical Institute consists of a close combination of academic study with experimental learning through life in an intercultural and inter-confessional student community. Information on how to apply is here. A list of courses at the Ecumenical Institute is here. Watch an 11-minute video here of “The Bossey Experience.”

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Babbage Claim: A Media Archeology Primer Posted on June 11, 2012 by Roy Christopher Steampunk, that excitingly innovative yet alienatingly weird subculture, possesses hints of nostalgia, punk-rock attitude, and a love for self-styled, homemade gadgets. William Gibson and Bruce Sterling provided an easy touchstone with their 1990 book The Difference Engine (Bantam Spectra), a revisionist history of the world in which Charles Babbage actually finished a steam-powered calculating machine and the information age preceded the industrial revolution. Another great example is Terry Gilliam’s Brazil (1985). The movie’s ontology operates atop what Barry Brummett (1999) points out is a machine metaphor. He writes, “Several references within the film make it clear that the characters regard their society as if it were a machine” (p. 122). Certainly Babbage aimed at divining this universal machine or at least harnessing its hidden power (see Spufford & Uglow, 1996; as well as Babbage’s memoirs, 1864; 1994), and so it goes with steampunk as a whole. Sam Lowry takes the promotion, disappointing his boss Mr. Kurtzmann. This strange machinery is keeping you from seeing me. — Ride, “Leave Them All Behind” After applying a twisted version of media archeology in his last book, Jussi Parikka has come to explicate the approach proper. Under the playful guise of legitimizing a steampunk approach to media studies, What is Media Archeology? (Polity, 2012) introduces the field with just as much fun and fervor. It makes way more sense that it seems to at first. Steampunk, so named to contrast it with cyberpunk, looks to the past as well as the future and wonders whether certain initial conditions could change the outcome of our machinic media-madness. Digging up pieces of the past, media archeology seeks the same. So, beyond the weak tie to a sci-fi subgenre, what is media archeology? Parikka breaks it down on his website like this: If you ask Erkki Huhtamo or Siegfried Zielinski, you might get a different answer than from asking me. For Huhtamo, it is the recurring topoi/topics of media culture; for Zielinski, a poetic exploration of deep times and variantology; and so forth. For me, it is an exciting theoretical opening to think about material media cultures in a historical perspective. However, it expands into an experimental set of questioning about time, obsolescence, and alternative histories as well. In one way, it is about analyzing the conditions of existence of media cultural objects, processes and phenomena. It picks up on some strands of ‘German media theory’, but connects that to other debates in cultural theory too. I like what Bernhard Siegert has said about the early ethos of media archaeology being that of Nietzschean gay science — experimental, exploratory, radical. Perhaps in this vein, media archaeology is one answer to the need to think transdiscplinary questions of art, science, philosophy, and technology. Following Michel Foucault, Friedrich Kittler, Paul Virilio, Katherine Hayles, Geert Lovink and Jeffrey Sconce, among others, the field has a pedigree, and Parrika’s book is the first to align its lineage. Further afield, Media Archeology: Approaches, Applications, and Implications, edited by Parikka and his colleague Erkki Huhtamo (University of California Press, 2011), samples the many flavors of media archeology. In many ways, the field offers an alternative to simply historical views of media (see Wolfgang Ernst, this volume). It is “first and foremost a methodology,” as Geert Lovink (2004) put it, “a hermeneutic reading of the ‘new’ against the grain of the past, rather than telling the histories of technologies from past to present” (p. 11). For example, citing Howard Rheingold‘s discussions of the development of Apple’s Smalltalk (primarily by Alan Kay; see Tools for Thought, 1985), and Christopher Alexander’s A Pattern Language (Oxford University Press, 1977) via the germinal book Design Patterns (Addison-Wesley, 1994), Casey Alt illustrates how object-orientation pushed programmers from mere computer programming to media-making. By allowing them to see the machine as many machines, each with access to all of the machine’s resources, they could see potential past its place as one big computing device. Also consider the indexing of dead media. Media are “dead” based on their manufacture, adoption, business viability, etc. (or lacks thereof rather), but all of these aspects vary, overlap, and waver in and out of relevance. “Radio didn’t kill newspapers, TV didn’t kill radio or movies, video and cable didn’t kill broadcast network TV;” writes Bruce Sterling, “they just all jostled around seeking a more perfect app.” From the onset of the digital and imaginary media to dead devices and the world of sound, finding these (non)lineages as such and predicting the present is what media archeology is all about. As Manuel De Landa (2000) wrote, “Human history is a narrative of contingencies, not necessities, of missed opportunities to follow different routes of development, not of a unilinear succession of ways to convert energy, matter, and information into cultural products” (p. 99). Indeed. So, what if Charles Babbage had finished the Difference Engine? What if one cog in the universal machine were different? What happens when dead media come back to life? Outside of the speculations of steampunk and science fiction, media archeology provides a method for finding out. If you’re interested in a finding a new way to how we got to today, these two books are the place to start. Babbage, Charles. (1864; 1994). Passages from the Life of a Philosopher. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press Brummett, Barry. (1999). Rhetoric of Machine Aesthetics. Westport, CT: Praeger. De Landa, Manuel. (2000). A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History. New York: Zone Books. Gardener, Mark. (1992). Leave Them All Behind [Recorded by Ride]. On Going Blank Again [Record]. United Kingdom: Creation Records. Huhtamo, Erkki & Parikka, Jussi (Eds.). (2011). Media Archeology: Approaches, Applications, and Implications. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Lovink, Geert. (2004). My First Recession: Critical Internet Culture in Transition. Rotterdam, Netherlands: NAi/V2. Milchan, Arnon (Producer), & Gilliam, Terry. (Writer/Director). (1985). Brazil [Motion picture]. United Kingdom: Universal Studios. Parikka, Jussi. (2012). What is Media Archeology? Cambridge, UK: Polity. Rheingold, Howard. (1985). Tools for Thought: The History and Future of Mind-Expanding Technology. New York: Simon & Schuster. Spufford, Francis & Uglow, Jenny. (1996). Cultural Babbage: Technology, Time, and Invention. London: faber & faber. Posted in ReviewsTagged Media Theory, Science Fiction, Technology Summer Reading List, 2012 Concept-Oriented Discography: Literary Post-Metal

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Dating unitarians History of Unitarianism Can Unitarian Universalists Make It Another 50 Years? Unitarianism at a glance List of Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists - Wikipedia From the 16th to 18th Centuries, Unitarians in Britain often faced significant political persecution, including John Biddle , Mary Wollstonecraft , and Theophilus Lindsey. In England, the first Unitarian Church was established in on Essex Street, London, where today's British Unitarian headquarters are still located. In the United States, different schools of Unitarian theology first spread in New England and the mid-Atlantic states. The first official acceptance of the Unitarian faith on the part of a congregation in America was by King's Chapel in Boston, from where James Freeman began teaching Unitarian doctrine in , and was appointed rector and revised the prayer book according to Unitarian doctrines in In India, three different schools of Unitarian thought influenced varying movements, including the Brahmo Samaj , the Unitarian Church of the Khasi Hills [13] , and the Unitarian Christian Church of Chennai , in Madras, founded in Unitarians place emphasis on the ultimate role of reason in interpreting sacred scriptures, and thus freedom of conscience and freedom of the pulpit are core values in the tradition. Reformation is an ongoing process, to be celebrated. Constant study and new experiences can lead to new insights for teachings and community practice. In varying contexts, Unitarians seek to affirm the use of reason in religion and freedom of conscience. Gordon Melton 's Encyclopedia of American Religions , the Unitarian tradition is classified among "the ' liberal ' family of churches". Unitarianism is a proper noun and follows the same English usage as other theologies that have developed within a religious movement Calvinism , Anabaptism , Adventism , Wesleyanism , Lutheranism , etc. In that case, it would be a nontrinitarian belief system not necessarily associated with the Unitarian religious movement. Although these groups are unitarians in the common sense, they are not in the proper sense. To avoid confusion, this article is about Unitarianism as a religious movement proper noun. For the generic form of unitarianism the Christology , see Nontrinitarianism. Recently some religious groups have adopted the 19th-century term biblical unitarianism to distinguish their theology from Unitarianism. The term Unitarian is sometimes applied today to those who belong to a Unitarian church but do not hold a Unitarian theological belief. Over time, however, some Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists moved away from the traditional Christian roots of Unitarianism. After several decades, the non-theistic members outnumbered the theological Unitarians. Unitarian theology, therefore, is distinguishable from the belief system of modern Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist churches and fellowships. This article includes information about Unitarianism as a theology and about the development of theologically Unitarian churches. Unitarianism, both as a theology and as a denominational family of churches , was defined and developed in Poland, Transylvania, England, Wales and the United States. Although common beliefs existed among Unitarians in each of these regions, they initially grew independently from each other. Only later did they influence one another and accumulate more similarities. Though frequently called "Arians" by those on the outside, the views of Fausto Sozzini Faustus Socinus became the standard in the church, and these doctrines were quite removed from Arianism. So important was Socinus to the formulation of their beliefs that those outside Poland usually referred to them as Socinians. They were ordered to convert to Roman Catholicism or leave Poland. Most of them went to Transylvania or Holland, where they embraced the name "Unitarian. The word Unitarian had been circulating in private letters in England, in reference to imported copies of such publications as the Library of the Polish Brethren who are called Unitarians Henry Hedworth was the first to use the word "Unitarian" in print in English , and the word first appears in a title in Stephen Nye 's A brief history of the Unitarians, called also Socinians The movement gained popularity in England in the wake of the Enlightenment and began to become a formal denomination in when Theophilus Lindsey organised meetings with Joseph Priestley , founding the first avowedly Unitarian congregation in the country. This occurred at Essex Street Church in London. The first official acceptance of the Unitarian faith on the part of a congregation in America was by King's Chapel in Boston, which settled James Freeman — in , and revised the Prayer Book into a mild Unitarian liturgy in In , Joseph Stevens Buckminster became minister of the Brattle Street Church in Boston, where his brilliant sermons, literary activities, and academic attention to the German "New Criticism" helped shape the subsequent growth of Unitarianism in New England. Unitarian Henry Ware — was appointed as the Hollis professor of divinity at Harvard College, in Harvard Divinity School then shifted from its conservative roots to teach Unitarian theology see Harvard and Unitarianism. Buckminster's close associate William Ellery Channing — was settled over the Federal Street Church in Boston, , and in a few years he became the leader of the Unitarian movement. A theological battle with the Congregational Churches resulted in the formation of the American Unitarian Association at Boston in Unitarians believe that mainline Christianity does not adhere to strict monotheism , but that Unitarians do by maintaining that Jesus was a great man and a prophet of God, perhaps even a supernatural being, but not God himself. Unitarians believe in the moral authority but not necessarily the divinity of Jesus. Their theology is thus opposed to the trinitarian theology of other Christian denominations. Unitarian Christology can be divided according to whether or not Jesus is believed to have had a pre-human existence. Both forms maintain that God is one being and one "person" and that Jesus is the or a Son of God , but generally not God himself. In the early 19th century, Unitarian Robert Wallace identified three particular classes of Unitarian doctrines in history:. Unitarianism is considered a factor in the decline of classical deism because there were people who increasingly preferred to identify themselves as Unitarians rather than deists. Several tenets of Unitarianism overlap with the predominant Muslim view of Jesus and Islamic understanding of monotheism , although no direct link between the two is suggested. The Christology commonly called " Socinian " after Fausto Sozzini , one of the founders of Unitarian theology refers to the belief that Jesus Christ began his life when he was born as a human. In other words, the teaching that Jesus pre-existed his human body is rejected. There are various views ranging from the belief that Jesus was simply a human psilanthropism who, because of his greatness, was adopted by God as his Son adoptionism to the belief that Jesus literally became the son of God when he was conceived by the Holy Spirit see Virgin birth of Jesus. This Christology existed in some form or another prior to Sozzini. Theodotus of Byzantium , [35] Artemon [36] and Paul of Samosata [37] denied the pre-existence of Christ. Having influenced the Polish Brethren to a formal declaration of this belief in the Racovian Catechism , Fausto Sozzini involuntarily ended up giving his name to this Christological position, [40] which continued with English Unitarians such as John Biddle , Thomas Belsham , Theophilus Lindsey , Joseph Priestley , and James Martineau. In America, most of the early Unitarians were "Arian" in Christology see below , but among those who held to a "Socinian" view was James Freeman. List of Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists. where can i watch dating rules from my future self. hook up two linksys routers. legal dating age difference in california. Regarding the virgin birth of Jesus among those who denied the preexistence of Christ, some held to it and others did not. Its denial is sometimes ascribed to the Ebionites ; however, Origen Contra Celsum v. There were a number of Unitarians who questioned the historical accuracy of the Bible, including Symon Budny , Jacob Palaeologus , Thomas Belsham, and Richard Wright , and this made them question the virgin birth story. They embraced evolutionary concepts, asserted the "inherent goodness of man", and abandoned the doctrine of biblical infallibility, rejecting most of the miraculous events in the Bible including the virgin birth. Famous American Unitarian William Ellery Channing was a believer in the virgin birth until later in his life, after he had begun his association with the Transcendentalists. An Atheist Goes to Church - Unitarian Universalist Church Review The Christology commonly called " Arian " holds that Jesus, before his human life, existed as the Logos , a being created by God, who dwelt with God in heaven. There are many varieties of this form of Unitarianism, ranging from the belief that the Son was a divine spirit of the same nature as God before coming to earth, to the belief that he was an angel or other lesser spirit creature of a wholly different nature from God. It is still Nontrinitarian because, according to this belief system, Jesus has always been beneath God, though higher than humans. It was only with the advent of American Unitarianism that it gained a foothold in the Unitarian movement. Proponents of this Christology also associate it more controversially with Justin Martyr and Hippolytus of Rome. Cookies on the BBC website. Unitarianism. BBC - Religion: Unitarianism. dating websites uk for professionals! Antitrinitarian Michael Servetus did not deny the pre-existence of Christ, so he may have believed in it. And in that very spot the face and personality of Christ shone bright. William Ellery Channing in his earlier years. Although there is no specific authority on convictions of Unitarian belief aside from rejection of the Trinity, the following beliefs are generally accepted: Unitarians have liberal views of God , Jesus, the world and purpose of life as revealed through reason , scholarship , science , philosophy , scripture and other prophets and religions. They believe that reason and belief are complementary and that religion and science can co-exist and guide them in their understanding of nature and God. They also do not enforce belief in creeds or dogmatic formulas. Although there is flexibility in the nuances of belief or basic truths for the individual Unitarian Christian, general principles of faith have been recognized as a way to bind the group in some commonality. Unitarian Christians reject the doctrine of some Christian denominations that God chooses to redeem or save only those certain individuals that accept the creeds of, or affiliate with, a specific church or religion, from a common ruin or corruption of the mass of humanity. In , The Christian leader attributed " the religion of Jesus, not a religion about Jesus" to Unitarians, [65] though the phrase was used earlier by Congregationalist Rollin Lynde Hartt in [66] and earlier still by US President Thomas Jefferson. Worship within the Unitarian tradition accommodates a wide range of understandings of God , while the focus of the service may be simply the celebration of life itself. Each Unitarian congregation is at liberty to devise its own form of worship, though commonly, Unitarians will light their chalice symbol of faith , have a story for all ages; and include sermons, prayers, hymns and songs. Some will allow attendees to publicly share their recent joys or concerns. This section relates to Unitarian churches and organizations today which are still specifically Christian, whether within or outside Unitarian Universalism. Unitarian Universalism, conversely, refers to the embracing of non-Christian religions. The ICUU tends to contain a majority membership who express specifically Unitarian Christian beliefs, rather than the religious pluralism of the UUA, but nevertheless remain liberal, open-minded and inclusive communities. The largest Unitarian denomination worldwide today is also the oldest surviving Unitarian denomination since , first use of the term "Unitarian" ; [71] the Unitarian Church of Transylvania in Romania, which is in union with the Unitarian Church in Hungary. The church in Romania and Hungary still looks to the statement of faith, the Summa Universae Theologiae Christianae secundum Unitarios , though today assent to this is not required. The Unitarian churches in Hungary and Transylvania are structured and organized along a church hierarchy that includes the election by the synod of a national bishop who serves as superintendent of the Church. Many Hungarian Unitarians embrace the principles of rationalist Unitarianism. The majority of Unitarian Christian publications are sponsored by an organization and published specifically for their membership. Generally, they do not serve as a tool for missionary work or encouraging conversions. The Unitarian Christian Conference USA promotes the concept of the unity of God and the message and example of Jesus of Nazareth as a rational and enriching spiritual path for personal development and a guide for creating a world of justice, peace and human dignity. The American Unitarian Conference is open to non-Christian Unitarians, being particularly popular with non-Christian theists and deists. Unitarian Christian Ministries International was a Unitarian ministry incorporated in South Carolina until its dissolution in when it merged with the Unitarian Christian Emerging Church. The Sydney Unitarian Church was founded under a Reverend Mr Stanley and was a vigorous denomination during the 19th century. The modern church, no longer unitarian Christian, has properties in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, and smaller congregations elsewhere in Australia and New Zealand. He encountered advanced liberal religious thought while completing his studies at the University of Leiden in Holland for the ministry of the Dutch Reformed Church in Cape Town. Biblical Unitarianism or "Biblical Unitarianism" or "biblical unitarianism" [80] identifies the Christian belief that the Bible teaches God is a singular person, the Father, and that Jesus is a distinct being, his son. A few denominations use this term to describe themselves, clarifying the distinction between them and those churches [81] which, from the late 19th century, evolved into modern British Unitarianism and, primarily in the United States, Unitarian Universalism. In Italy the Biblical Unitarian Movement powered by the ideas of Sozzini and others [82] is represented today by the churches associated with the Christian Church in Italy. Julia Ward Howe was a leader in the woman suffrage movement, the first ever woman to be elected to the Academy of Arts and Letters, and author of the Battle Hymn of the Republic along with volumes of poetry and other writing. Eleven Nobel prizes have been awarded to Unitarians: Four presidents of the United States were Unitarians: Adlai Stevenson II , the Democratic presidential nominee in and , was a Unitarian, and he was the last Unitarian to be nominated by a major party for president. Although a self-styled materialist, Thomas Jefferson was pro-Unitarian to the extent of advocating that it become the predominant religion in the United States. Unitarians, who believe in one God, rather than Christianity's traditional Trinity; and Universalists, who hold that God's salvation extends to all, regardless of race, creed or religion. Nearly 4, Unitarian Universalists gathered in Charlotte, N. As usual, progressive politics prevailed, with pledges for an "institutional commitment" to ethical eating, an anti-discrimination rally and a special collection taken for ministry to immigrants. Such activism dates to 19th-century Unitarian godfather William Ellery Channing, who argued that the aim of religious life is to encourage public virtue. John Buehrens, a former president of the UUA. A separate Pew survey found that 65 percent believe multiple religious paths can lead to eternal life. Green, a political scientist who worked on the Pew studies and has studied the UUA. But the opportunity is certainly there. Peter Morales, the UUA's current president, calls those trends, as well as the exodus of Americans from most Christian denominations, "an amazing opportunity. Many UUA members say they find meaning and purpose in the familial bonds forged in congregations -- regardless of religious beliefs. He says the UUA has always shied away from God-talk for fear of offending members and shattering congregations. But Bumbaugh has made the rounds recently at regional UUA conferences, encouraging them to publicly wrestle with foundational questions. Whom do we serve? To whom or what are we responsible? Those are the questions with which every viable religious movement must wrestle," Bumbaugh has said. The whole association could go toes up if members continue to muffle religious discussion, the report said. Scott, said the UUA has stepped -- albeit gingerly -- in a spiritual direction. 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PSYCHS History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814 (TREDITION CLASSICS) Free download. Book file PDF easily for everyone and every device. You can download and read online History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814 (TREDITION CLASSICS) file PDF Book only if you are registered here. And also you can download or read online all Book PDF file that related with History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814 (TREDITION CLASSICS) book. Happy reading History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814 (TREDITION CLASSICS) Bookeveryone. Download file Free Book PDF History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814 (TREDITION CLASSICS) at Complete PDF Library. This Book have some digital formats such us :paperbook, ebook, kindle, epub, fb2 and another formats. Here is The CompletePDF Book Library. It's free to register here to get Book file PDF History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814 (TREDITION CLASSICS) Pocket Guide. This meant the towns had nothing to trade with the countryside. Not only was far less produced, but everything was needed for revolutionary defence — as the Red Army swelled to a force millions-strong. The peasants had supported the Bolsheviks because they wanted the land. The towns, starved of food and raw materials, struggled to recover. Economic growth, even after , was painfully slow. The wider context, of course, was the failure of the world revolution, which had surged from until , and then crashed back in a succession of defeats and finally ebbed away by the end of This played out in a succession of crises and debates inside the revolutionary regime. The contradictions eventually destroyed it. The milestones on this road — the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly, the breakdown of the revolutionary coalition with the Left SRs, the establishment of the Cheka the security police , the banning of factions inside the party, the suppression of the Kronstadt revolt, the elevation of the party secretariat, and so on — are as much a part of the revolutionary process as the great events of But note a critical contrast with the experience of the French and the English Revolutions. The Civil War, instead of radicalising the revolution, had the opposite effect. Lenin had, of course, foreseen it. Again and again he had argued that the Russian working class was one contingent in the world army of socialist revolution. Any day, if not today or tomorrow, the crash of the whole of European imperialism may come. The Russian Revolution, made by you, has begun it and opened a new epoch. Hail the world-wide socialist revolution. He returned to this theme repeatedly. To understand the Russian Revolution properly, we need to think of it as a ten-year process, just as Lefebvre conceived the French Revolution. This outlines how and why we collect, store and use your personal data when you use our website. Like most websites, we use cookies to improve our service and make your user experience better. Late , France conquered present-day Belgium. A French plebiscite ratified the document, with about 1,, votes for the constitution and 49, against. The first chamber was called the ' Council of ' initiating the laws, the second the ' Council of Elders ' reviewing and approving or not the passed laws. Each year, one-third of the chambers was to be renewed. The executive power was in the hands of the five members directors of the Directory with a five-year mandate. The early directors did not much understand the nation they were governing; they especially had an innate inability to see Catholicism as anything else than counter-revolutionary and royalist. The Directory denounced the arbitrary executions of the Reign of Terror, but itself engaged in large scale illegal repressions, as well as large-scale massacres of civilians in the Vendee uprising. The economy continued in bad condition, with the poor especially hurt by the high cost of food. State finances were in total disarray; the government could only cover its expenses through the plunder and the tribute of foreign countries. If peace were made, the armies would return home and the directors would have to face the exasperation of the rank-and-file who had lost their livelihood, as well as the ambition of generals who could, in a moment, brush them aside. Barras and Rewbell were notoriously corrupt themselves and screened corruption in others. The patronage of the directors was ill-bestowed, and the general maladministration heightened their unpopularity. The directors baffled all such endeavours. On the other hand, the socialist conspiracy of Babeuf was easily quelled. Little was done to improve the finances, and the assignats continued to fall in value until each note was worth less than the paper it was printed on; debtors easily paid off their debts. Although committed to Republicanism, the Directory distrusted democracy. It never had a strong base of popular support; when elections were held, most of its candidates were defeated. Its achievements were minor. The election system was complex and designed to insulate the government from grass roots democracy. The parliament consisted of two houses: the Conseil des Cinq-Cents Council of the Five Hundred with representatives, and the Conseil des Anciens Council of Elders with senators. Executive power went to five "directors," named annually by the Conseil des Anciens from a list submitted by the Conseil des Cinq-Cents. The universal male suffrage of was replaced by limited suffrage based on property. The voters had only a limited choice because the electoral rules required two-thirds of the seats go to members of the old Convention, no matter how few popular votes they received. Citizens of the war-weary nation wanted stability, peace, and an end to conditions that at times bordered on chaos. Nevertheless, those on the right who wished to restore the monarchy by putting Louis XVIII on the throne, and those on the left who would have renewed the Reign of Terror, tried but failed to overthrow the Directory. The earlier atrocities had made confidence or goodwill between parties impossible. The army suppressed riots and counter-revolutionary activities. In this way the army and in particular Napoleon gained total power. Parliamentary elections in the spring of , for one-third of the seats in Parliament, resulted in considerable gains for the royalists, [] who seemed poised to take control of the Directory in the next elections. This frightened the republican directors and they reacted, in the Coup of 18 Fructidor V 4 September , by purging all the winners banishing 57 leaders to certain death in Guiana, removing two supposedly pro-royalist directors, and closing 42 newspapers. Not only citizens opposed and even mocked such decrees, also local government officials refused to enforce such laws. When the elections of were again carried by the opposition, the Directory used the army to imprison and exile the opposition leaders and close their newspapers. In , when the French armies abroad experienced some setbacks , the newly chosen director Sieyes considered a new overhaul necessary for the Directory's form of government because in his opinion it needed a stronger executive. The Army at first was quite successful. It conquered Belgium and turned it into a province of France; conquered the Netherlands and made it a puppet state; and conquered Switzerland and most of Italy, setting up a series of puppet states. The result was glory for France and an infusion of much needed money from the conquered lands, which also provided direct support to the French Army. The allies scored a series of victories that rolled back French successes, retaking Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands and ending the flow of payments from the conquered areas to France. The treasury was empty. Despite his publicity claiming many glorious victories, Napoleon's army was trapped in Egypt after the British sank the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile. Napoleon escaped by himself, returned to Paris and overthrew the Directory in November Napoleon conquered most of Italy in the name of the French Revolution in — He consolidated old units and split up Austria's holdings. He set up a series of new republics, complete with new codes of law and abolition of old feudal privileges. Napoleon's Cisalpine Republic was centred on Milan. Genoa the city became a republic while its hinterland became the Ligurian Republic. The Roman Republic was formed out of the papal holdings and the pope was sent to France. The Neapolitan Republic was formed around Naples, but it lasted only five months before the enemy forces of the Coalition recaptured it. In Napoleon formed the Kingdom of Italy , with himself as king and his stepson as viceroy. All these new countries were satellites of France and had to pay large subsidies to Paris, as well as provide military support for Napoleon's wars. Their political and administrative systems were modernised, the metric system introduced, and trade barriers reduced. Jewish ghettos were abolished. Belgium and Piedmont became integral parts of France. Most of the new nations were abolished and returned to prewar owners in However, Artz emphasises the benefits the Italians gained from the French Revolution:. For nearly two decades the Italians had the excellent codes of law, a fair system of taxation, a better economic situation, and more religious and intellectual toleration than they had known for centuries Everywhere old physical, economic, and intellectual barriers had been thrown down and the Italians had begun to be aware of a common nationality. In the Old regime there were a small number of heavily censored newspapers that needed a royal licence to operate. Newspapers and pamphlets played a central role in stimulating and defining the Revolution. The meetings of the Estates-General in created an enormous demand for news, and over newspapers appeared by the end of the year. The next decade saw 2, newspapers founded, with in Paris alone. Most lasted only a matter of weeks. Together they became the main communication medium, combined with the very large pamphlet literature. The press saw its lofty role to be the advancement of civic republicanism based on public service, and downplayed the liberal, individualistic goal of making a profit. Symbolism was a device to distinguish the main features of the Revolution and ensure public identification and support. In order to effectively illustrate the differences between the new Republic and the old regime, the leaders needed to implement a new set of symbols to be celebrated instead of the old religious and monarchical symbolism. To this end, symbols were borrowed from historic cultures and redefined, while those of the old regime were either destroyed or reattributed acceptable characteristics. These revised symbols were used to instil in the public a new sense of tradition and reverence for the Enlightenment and the Republic. It acquired its nickname after being sung in Paris by volunteers from Marseille marching on the capital. The song is the first example of the "European march" anthemic style. The anthem's evocative melody and lyrics have led to its widespread use as a song of revolution and its incorporation into many pieces of classical and popular music. Cerulo says, "the design of "La Marseillaise" is credited to General Strasburg of France, who is said to have directed de Lisle, the composer of the anthem, to 'produce one of those hymns which conveys to the soul of the people the enthusiasm which it the music suggests. Hanson notes, "The guillotine stands as the principal symbol of the Terror in the French Revolution. It was celebrated on the left as the people's avenger and cursed as the symbol of the Reign of Terror by the right. Vendors sold programmes listing the names of those scheduled to die. Many people came day after day and vied for the best locations from which to observe the proceedings; knitting women tricoteuses formed a cadre of hardcore regulars, inciting the crowd. Parents often brought their children. By the end of the Terror, the crowds had thinned drastically. Repetition had staled even this most grisly of entertainments, and audiences grew bored. Cockades were widely worn by revolutionaries beginning in The tricolour flag is derived from the cockades used in the s. These were circular rosette-like emblems attached to the hat. Camille Desmoulins asked his followers to wear green cockades on 12 July The Paris militia, formed on 13 July, adopted a blue and red cockade. Blue and red are the traditional colours of Paris, and they are used on the city's coat of arms. Cockades with various colour schemes were used during the storming of the Bastille on 14 July. Lafayette argued for the addition of a white stripe to "nationalise" the design. Well after the revolution, by the French Third Republic had authorised the form of the tricolore cockade for use on its military aircraft by the Aeronautique Militaire as a national insignia , [] the first-ever in use worldwide — it is still in use by the current Armee de l'Air of France, and directly inspired the use of similar roundel insignia by the United Kingdom and many other nations worldwide. Fasces are Roman in origin and suggest Roman Republicanism. Fasces are a bundle of birch rods containing an axe. The French Republic continued this Roman symbol to represent state power, justice, and unity. The Liberty cap, also known as the Phrygian cap , or pileus , is a brimless, felt cap that is conical in shape with the tip pulled forward. It reflects Roman republicanism and liberty, alluding to the Roman ritual of manumission of slaves, in which a freed slave receives the bonnet as a symbol of his newfound liberty. Historians since the late 20th century have debated how women shared in the French Revolution and what long-term impact it had on French women. Women had no political rights in pre-Revolutionary France; they were considered "passive" citizens; forced to rely on men to determine what was best for them. That changed dramatically in theory as there seemingly were great advances in feminism. Feminism emerged in Paris as part of a broad demand for social and political reform. The women demanded equality for women and then moved on to a demand for the end of male domination. Their chief vehicle for agitation were pamphlets and women's clubs; for example, a small group called the Cercle Social Social Circle campaigned for women's rights, noting that "the laws favor men at the expense of women, because everywhere power is in your hands. The movement was crushed. Devance explains the decision in terms of the emphasis on masculinity in a wartime situation, Marie Antoinette's bad reputation for feminine interference in state affairs, and traditional male supremacy. When the Revolution opened, groups of women acted forcefully, making use of the volatile political climate. Women forced their way into the political sphere. They swore oaths of loyalty, "solemn declarations of patriotic allegiance, [and] affirmations of the political responsibilities of citizenship. The March to Versailles is but one example of feminist militant activism during the French Revolution. On 20 June a number of armed women took part in a procession that "passed through the halls of the Legislative Assembly, into the Tuileries Gardens, and then through the King's residence. As part of the funeral procession, they carried the bathtub in which Marat had been murdered by a counter-revolutionary woman as well as a shirt stained with Marat's blood. The Society of Revolutionary Republican Women, a militant group on the far left, demanded a law in that would compel all women to wear the tricolour cockade to demonstrate their loyalty to the Republic. They also demanded vigorous price controls to keep bread — the major food of the poor people — from becoming too expensive. After the Convention passage law in September , the Revolutionary Republican Women demanded vigorous enforcement, but were counted by market women, former servants, and religious women who adamantly opposed price controls which would drive them out of business and resented attacks on the aristocracy and on religion. Fist fights broke out in the streets between the two factions of women. Meanwhile, the men who controlled the Jacobins rejected the Revolutionary Republican Women as dangerous rabble-rousers. At this point the Jacobins controlled the government; they dissolved the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women, and decreed that all women's clubs and associations were illegal. They sternly reminded women to stay home and tend to their families by leaving public affairs to the men. Organised women were permanently shut out of the French Revolution after 30 October Olympe de Gouges wrote a number of plays, short stories, and novels. Her publications emphasised that women and men are different, but this shouldn't stop them from equality under the law. In her "Declaration on the Rights of Woman" she insisted that women deserved rights, especially in areas concerning them directly, such as divorce and recognition of illegitimate children. Madame Roland a. Manon or Marie Roland was another important female activist. Her political focus was not specifically on women or their liberation. She focused on other aspects of the government, but was a feminist by virtue of the fact that she was a woman working to influence the world. Her personal letters to leaders of the Revolution influenced policy; in addition, she often hosted political gatherings of the Brissotins, a political group which allowed women to join. As she was led to the scaffold, Madame Roland shouted "O liberty! What crimes are committed in thy name! Most of these activists were punished for their actions. Many of the women of the Revolution were even publicly executed for "conspiring against the unity and the indivisibility of the Republic". A major aspect of the French Revolution was the dechristianisation movement, a movement strongly rejected by many devout people. Especially for women living in rural areas of France, the closing of the churches meant a loss of normalcy. When these revolutionary changes to the Church were implemented, it sparked a counter-revolutionary movement among women. The French Revolution: 1770-1814 Although some of these women embraced the political and social amendments of the Revolution, they opposed the dissolution of the Catholic Church and the formation of revolutionary cults like the Cult of the Supreme Being. Counter-revolutionary women resisted what they saw as the intrusion of the state into their lives. By far the most important issue to counter-revolutionary women was the passage and the enforcement of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy in In response to this measure, women in many areas began circulating anti-oath pamphlets and refused to attend masses held by priests who had sworn oaths of loyalty to the Republic. These women continued to adhere to traditional practices such as Christian burials and naming their children after saints in spite of revolutionary decrees to the contrary. The French Revolution abolished many of the constraints on the economy that had slowed growth during the ancien regime. It abolished tithes owed to local churches as well as feudal dues owed to local landlords. The result hurt the tenants, who paid both higher rents and higher taxes. It planned to use these seized lands to finance the government by issuing assignats. It abolished the guild system as a worthless remnant of feudalism. Living the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon The government seized the foundations that had been set up starting in the 13th century to provide an annual stream of revenue for hospitals, poor relief, and education. The state sold the lands but typically local authorities did not replace the funding and so most of the nation's charitable and school systems were massively disrupted. The economy did poorly in —96 as industrial and agricultural output dropped, foreign trade plunged, and prices soared. The government decided not to repudiate the old debts. Instead it issued more and more paper money called "assignat" that supposedly were grounded seized lands. The result was escalating inflation. The government imposed price controls and persecuted speculators and traders in the black market. The assignats were withdrawn in but the replacements also fuelled inflation. The inflation was finally ended by Napoleon in with the franc as the new currency. Napoleon after paid for his expensive wars by multiple means, starting with the modernisation of the rickety financial system. The French Revolution had a major impact on Europe and the New World , decisively changing the course of human history. Otto Dann and John Dinwiddy report, "It has long been almost a truism of European history that the French Revolution gave a great stimulus to the growth of modern nationalism. Hayes as a major result of the French Revolution across Europe. The impact on French nationalism was profound. For example, Napoleon became such a heroic symbol of the nation that the glory was easily picked up by his nephew, who was overwhelmingly elected president and later became Emperor Napoleon III. The changes in France were enormous; some were widely accepted and others were bitterly contested into the late 20th century. The kings had so thoroughly centralised the system that most nobles spent their time at Versailles, and thus played only a small direct role in their home districts. Thompson says that the kings had "ruled by virtue of their personal wealth, their patronage of the nobility, their disposal of ecclesiastical offices, their provincial governors intendants their control over the judges and magistrates, and their command of the Army. After the first year of revolution, the power of the king had been stripped away, he was left a mere figurehead, the nobility had lost all their titles and most of their land, the Church lost its monasteries and farmlands, bishops, judges and magistrates were elected by the people, and the army was almost helpless, with military power in the hands of the new revolutionary National Guard. The central elements of were the slogan "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" and " The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen ", which Lefebvre calls "the incarnation of the Revolution as a whole. The long-term impact on France was profound, shaping politics, society, religion and ideas, and polarising politics for more than a century. The French Revolution differed from other revolutions in being not merely national, for it aimed at benefiting all humanity. The most heated controversy was over the status of the Catholic Church. The movement to dechristianise France not only failed but aroused a furious reaction among the pious. Priests and bishops were given salaries as part of a department of government controlled by Paris, not Rome. Protestants and Jews gained equal rights. They raged into the 20th century. By the 21st century, angry debates exploded over the presence of any Muslim religious symbols in schools, such as the headscarves for which Muslim girls could be expelled. Christopher Soper and Joel S. Fetzer explicitly link the conflict over religious symbols in public to the French Revolution, when the target was Catholic rituals and symbols. The revolutionary government seized the charitable foundations that had been set up starting in the 13th century to provide an annual stream of revenue for hospitals, poor relief, and education. In the ancien regime, new opportunities for nuns as charitable practitioners were created by devout nobles on their own estates. The nuns provided comprehensive care for the sick poor on their patrons' estates, not only acting as nurses, but taking on expanded roles as physicians, surgeons, and apothecaries. During the Revolution, most of the orders of nuns were shut down and there was no organised nursing care to replace them. They were tolerated by officials because they had widespread support and were the link between elite male physicians and distrustful peasants who needed help. Two thirds of France was employed in agriculture, which was transformed by the Revolution. With the breakup of large estates controlled by the Church and the nobility and worked by hired hands, rural France became more a land of small independent farms. Harvest taxes were ended, such as the tithe and seigneurial dues, much to the relief of the peasants. Primogeniture was ended both for nobles and peasants, thereby weakening the family patriarch. Because all the children had a share in the family's property, there was a declining birth rate. In the cities, entrepreneurship on a small scale flourished, as restrictive monopolies, privileges, barriers, rules, taxes and guilds gave way. However, the British blockade virtually ended overseas and colonial trade, hurting the port cities and their supply chains. Overall, the Revolution did not greatly change the French business system, and probably helped freeze in place the horizons of the small business owner. The typical businessman owned a small store, mill or shop, with family help and a few paid employees; large-scale industry was less common than in other industrialising nations. A National Bureau of Economic Research paper found that the emigration of more than , individuals predominantly supporters of the Old Regime during the Revolution had a significant negative impact on income per capita in the 19th century due to the fragmentation of agricultural holdings but became positive in the second half of the 20th century onward because it facilitated the rise in human capital investments. The Revolution meant an end to arbitrary royal rule and held out the promise of rule by law under a constitutional order, but it did not rule out a monarch. Napoleon as emperor set up a constitutional system although he remained in full control , and the restored Bourbons were forced to go along with one. After the abdication of Napoleon III in , the monarchists probably had a voting majority, but they were so factionalised they could not agree on who should be king, and instead the French Third Republic was launched with a deep commitment to upholding the ideals of the Revolution. Vichy denied the principle of equality and tried to replace the Revolutionary watchwords "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" with "Work, Family, and Fatherland. France permanently became a society of equals under the law. The Jacobin cause was picked up by Marxists in the midth century and became an element of communist thought around the world. In the Soviet Union , "Gracchus" Babeuf was regarded as a hero. Robinson the French Revolution had long-term effects in Europe. They suggest that "areas that were occupied by the French and that underwent radical institutional reform experienced more rapid urbanization and economic growth, especially after There is no evidence of a negative effect of French invasion. A study in the European Economic Review found that the areas of Germany that were occupied by France in the 19th century and in which the Code Napoleon was applied have higher levels of trust and cooperation today. From this moment we may consider France as a free country, the King a very limited monarch, and the nobility as reduced to a level with the rest of the nation. Britain led and funded the series of coalitions that fought France from to , and then restored the Bourbons. Philosophically and politically, Britain was in debate over the rights and wrongs of revolution, in the abstract and in practicalities. The Revolution Controversy was a " pamphlet war " set off by the publication of A Discourse on the Love of Our Country , a speech given by Richard Price to the Revolution Society on 4 November , supporting the French Revolution as he had the American Revolution , and saying that patriotism actually centers around loving the people and principles of a nation, not its ruling class. Edmund Burke responded in November with his own pamphlet, Reflections on the Revolution in France , attacking the French Revolution as a threat to the aristocracy of all countries. Conversely, two seminal political pieces of political history were written in Price's favor, supporting the general right of the French people to replace their State. One of the first of these " pamphlets " into print was A Vindication of the Rights of Men by Mary Wollstonecraft better known for her later treatise, sometimes described as the first feminist text, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman ; Wollstonecraft's title was echoed by Thomas Paine 's Rights of Man , published a few months later. In Christopher Wyvill published Defence of Dr. Price and the Reformers of England , a plea for reform and moderation. This exchange of ideas has been described as "one of the great political debates in British history". In Ireland, the effect was to transform what had been an attempt by Protestant settlers to gain some autonomy into a mass movement led by the Society of United Irishmen involving Catholics and Protestants. It stimulated the demand for further reform throughout Ireland, especially in Ulster. The upshot was a revolt in , led by Wolfe Tone , that was crushed by Britain. German reaction to the Revolution swung from favourable to antagonistic. At first it brought liberal and democratic ideas, the end of gilds, serfdom and the Jewish ghetto. It brought economic freedoms and agrarian and legal reform. Above all the antagonism helped stimulate and shape German nationalism. The French invaded Switzerland and turned it into an ally known as the " Helvetic Republic " — The interference with localism and traditional liberties was deeply resented, although some modernising reforms took place. Both territories experienced revolutions in Both failed to attract international support. During the Revolutionary Wars, the French invaded and occupied the region between and , a time known as the French period. The new government enforced new reforms, incorporating the region into France itself. New rulers were sent in by Paris. Belgian men were drafted into the French wars and heavily taxed. Nearly everyone was Catholic, but the Church was repressed. Resistance was strong in every sector, as Belgian nationalism emerged to oppose French rule. The French legal system, however, was adopted, with its equal legal rights, and abolition of class distinctions. Belgium now had a government bureaucracy selected by merit. Antwerp regained access to the sea and grew quickly as a major port and business centre. France promoted commerce and capitalism, paving the way for the ascent of the bourgeoisie and the rapid growth of manufacturing and mining. In economics, therefore, the nobility declined while the middle class Belgian entrepreneurs flourished because of their inclusion in a large market, paving the way for Belgium's leadership role after in the Industrial Revolution on the Continent. The Kingdom of Denmark adopted liberalising reforms in line with those of the French Revolution, with no direct contact. Reform was gradual and the regime itself carried out agrarian reforms that had the effect of weakening absolutism by creating a class of independent peasant freeholders. Much of the initiative came from well-organised liberals who directed political change in the first half of the 19th century. The Revolution deeply polarised American politics, and this polarisation led to the creation of the First Party System. In , as war broke out in Europe, the Republican Party led by Thomas Jefferson favoured France and pointed to the treaty that was still in effect. George Washington and his unanimous cabinet, including Jefferson, decided that the treaty did not bind the United States to enter the war. Washington proclaimed neutrality instead. Jefferson became president in , but was hostile to Napoleon as a dictator and emperor. However, the two entered negotiations over the Louisiana Territory and agreed to the Louisiana Purchase in , an acquisition that substantially increased the size of the United States. The French Revolution has received enormous amounts of historical attention, both from the general public and from scholars and academics. The views of historians, in particular, have been characterised as falling along ideological lines, with disagreement over the significance and the major developments of the Revolution. Historians until the late 20th century emphasised class conflicts from a largely Marxist perspective as the fundamental driving cause of the Revolution. By the year many historians were saying that the field of the French Revolution was in intellectual disarray. The old model or paradigm focusing on class conflict has been discredited, and no new explanatory model had gained widespread support. Historians widely regard the Revolution as one of the most important events in history. It marks the end of the early modern period , which started around and is often seen as marking the "dawn of the modern era ". After the collapse of the First Empire in , the French public lost the rights and privileges earned since the Revolution, but they remembered the participatory politics that characterised the period, with one historian commenting: "Thousands of men and even many women gained firsthand experience in the political arena: they talked, read, and listened in new ways; they voted; they joined new organisations; and they marched for their political goals. Revolution became a tradition, and republicanism an enduring option. Some historians argue that the French people underwent a fundamental transformation in self-identity, evidenced by the elimination of privileges and their replacement by rights as well as the growing decline in social deference that highlighted the principle of equality throughout the Revolution. This, combined with the egalitarian values introduced by the revolution, gave rise to a classless and co-operative model for society called " socialism " which profoundly influenced future revolutions in France and around the world. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For other uses, see French Revolution disambiguation. Revolution in France, to The Storming of the Bastille , 14 July Part of a series on the. History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814 by M. Mignet! (PDF) French Revolution and Rise of Napoleon | Muratan Mungan - xiwepicohy.tk! French Revolution - Featured Topics | xiwepicohy.tk; Early Middle Ages. Middle Ages. Direct Capetians — Valois — Early modern. Long 19th century. Main article: Causes of the French Revolution. Main article: Estates General of in France. Main article: National Assembly French Revolution. Main article: National Constituent Assembly France. Main article: Storming of the Bastille. Main article: Abolition of feudalism in France. Main article: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Main article: French Constitution of Main article: Women's March on Versailles. Main article: Flight to Varennes. Central concepts. Monarch Monarchism. Divine right of kings Mandate of Heaven. Trienio Liberal First French Empire. Liberal Wars Second French Empire. Maggie. Priority Code. Download This eBook? The Bravest Boy I Ever Knew? Italian unification Meiji Restoration. Xinhai Revolution Russian Revolution. Iranian Revolution Modern Cambodia. Related topics. Types of republics. Important thinkers. By country. Communitarianism Democracy Liberalism Monarchism. Main article: National Convention. Main article: Reign of Terror. Main article: French Directory. History of the French Revolution from to by M. Mignet - Free Ebook Main article: Symbolism in the French Revolution. Main article: La Marseillaise. La Marseillaise. The French national anthem La Marseillaise ; text in French. Main article: Guillotine. Main article: Tricolore cockade. Main article: Influence of the French Revolution. Main article: Helvetic Republic. Main article: French period. Main article: Historiography of the French Revolution. Main article: List of political groups in the French Revolution. Making Democracy in the French Revolution p. This was the truly original contribution of the Revolution to modern political culture. Frey and Marsha L. Frey, The French Revolution , Foreword. Sister Revolutions. New York: Faber and Faber. A History of the Modern World , pp. A History of the Modern World , p. Aulard in Arthur Tilley, ed. Cambridge UP. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The French Revolution in Global Perspective , pp. Citizenship and social class. Cambridge, World Politics Citizens without Sovereignty: Equality and sociability in French thought , — Princeton: Princeton University Press, Addison-Wesley, The Journal of Modern History : — Jordan Louis XVI. University of California Press. The origins of the French revolution. Palgrave Macmillan, Revolution and Political Conflict in the French Navy — Cambridge University Press, University of Chicago Press, Journal of Interdisciplinary History : — Journal of interdisciplinary history : — Retrieved 26 October A Documentary Survey of the French Revolution. Bert Bakker, Amsterdam, Chapter 4 pp. Veen Media, Amsterdam, Translation of: The French Revolution. Faith, Desire, and Politics. Chapter 3 pp. A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution pp. The French Revolution: Vol. Columbia U. Thompson, The French Revolution , pp. Routledge, London and New York, Censer, "Historians Revisit the Terror — Again". Journal of Social History 48 2 : — The Making of the West. University of California: J. Aristocracy and its Enemies in the Age of Revolution. Oxford UP. Glasnost archiv. Retrieved 22 January In Chisholm, Hugh ed. Cambridge University Press. Chapter 5 pp. Napoleon: The Path to Power — Yale University Press. A Companion to the French Revolution. Emerson Kent. Retrieved 8 February Chapter 6 pp. A History of Modern Britain: to the Present. The Oxford History of the French Revolution. Oxford University Press. The Terror in the French Revolution. Chapter 7 pp. The New York Times. Chapter 8 pp. Timeline of French Revolutions 1789-1870 Gottschalk, The Era of the French Revolution — p. Retrieved 21 April Retrieved 19 April Retrieved 6 March Kingston University. Archived from the original PDF on 17 January A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution , p. Chapter 9 pp. Penguin, CUP, University of California Press, Facts on File Publications, Penguin, [] Revolution in the Netherlands — New York: Vintage Books, Blom and E. HB uitgevers, Baarn, [] Mayr, Brown Napoleon and the Transformation of Europe. Macmillan International Higher Education. Artz, Reaction and Revolution: — pp. Popkin, "The Press and the French revolution after two hundred years. Sociological Forum. Hanson The A to Z of the French Revolution. Scarecrow Press. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein, and Bonnie G. Paris, —," Eighteenth-Century Studies , , p. BCP Publishing, Cooper and John McCardell. The French Revolution and Human Rights. Boston: Bedford. Rabine p. Hufton pp. McMillan, France and women, — gender, society and politics Routledge, p. Women in Revolutionary Paris, — pp. Crouzet, "The role of assignats during the French Revolution: An evil or a rescuer? Palgrave Macmillan. Global Ramifications of the French Revolution. Nationalism in the Age of the French Revolution. SUNY Press. Thompson, Robespierre and the French Revolution p. The Coming of the French Revolution. Princeton UP. Sinno Muslims in Western Politics. Indiana UP. Jones The Peasantry in the French Revolution. Retrieved 2 December Rochester, NY. Alexander, ed. Contesting the French Revolution. Cambridge Core. June Retrieved 27 February American Economic Review. European Economic Review. Retrieved 16 June University of Missouri Press. Retrieved 17 June In Cottret, Bernard; Henneton, Lauric eds. Rennes: Presses Universitaires de Rennes. Anglo-Irish Relations: Hamerow The Low Countries: — Oxford: Clarendon Press. Cook, Belgium pp. Scandinavian Journal of History. Comninel American Historical Review. Critical Review. Censer, Jack; Lynn Hunt Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press. Cole, Alistair; Peter Campbell French electoral systems and elections since Palmer, R. A History of the Modern World. Doyle, William The Oxford history of the French Revolution 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. The French Revolution: A very short introduction. The Oxford history of the French Revolution 2nd ed.

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Herein you can find more information and application portals for many of the summer programs hosted at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Jun 16, 2014 · Mskcc Employee Health Insurance Another important suggestion is always to engage your self for on-line assessment and online material. The latest Tweets from Kharas MSKCC (@KharasLab). ©2019 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: MyMSK (Version# 2. Learn about your gifts at work, opportunities to give, and ways to get involved. Login Assistance Forgot User Name? Forgot Password? Connect. Unauthorized access to this system is forbidden by company policies, national, and international laws. Log in here to get access to your fundraising dashboard. 7:00pm-9:00pm Family Medicine Residency Conference Room, located on […]. Democracy requires responsible citizens who can make sound decisions about their future, and can act on these decisions. Careers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. I am a non-profit, academic user E-mail Please cite: Pelossof, Fairchild, et al. 26: 1: 980. For assistance contact the Help Desk at 646-227-3337. Using iLab Operations Software Core Admin/Staff Core Customers Lab Administrators Requisitioning. This is the extranet of Home Language International Limited. Learn about working at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the PRO-CTCAE central coordinator at [email protected] MSKCC SSO Login (Log in using your MSK network credentials just as you do to log into Outlook. TEFAF New York Fall Opens this Week: Come for the Art, Leave with the Jewels. Please browse all of our available job and career opportunities. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is #1 In The Northeast. Welcome to the MSKCC Connections Community. org Access to this portal is only available to authorized users at MSKCC. A simplified workorder ticketing system for the services industry. At MSK, cancer care - from immunotherapy and surgery to integrative medicine - is the only thing we do. MyMSK is a secure website and app that gives you convenient online access to a broad range of personalized information and services. If you are not authorized to access this system, please exit immediately. Founded in 1884, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is the world’s oldest and largest private cancer center. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Contemporary Management of Complex Skin Cancers 2019, 11/1/2019 7:30:00 AM - 11/2/2019 4:00:00 PM, The purpose of this course is to provide the attendee with a multidisciplinary management approach for patients with skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, merkel cell carcinoma, melanoma and other complex skin cancers. Cancer and Cultural Values Get Personal at Valentino, MSKCC Fall Party. Welcome to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Vendor Portal. Page rendered 111 ms. Keyword CPC PCC Volume Score; mskcc login: 1. 2 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center MSKCC SSO Login. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Montvale, NJ, US. Learn about working at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Find Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center phone numbers, email addresses, and links. Timothy Chan. Matthew Paulson. At MSK, we recognize that our employees dedicate their whole selves to their work and need appropriate time off to recharge and refuel. Keyword Research: People who searched mskcc outlook login also searched. Additional websites related to Mskcc Outlook Login. Skip Navigation. org data below. Log in here to get access to your fundraising dashboard. See who you know at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, leverage your professional network, and get. For assistance contact the Help Desk at 646-227-3337. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, is a world leader in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research. MSKCC is the largest and oldest private cancer center in the world, and is one of 70 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. No other requests will be acknowledged. Sep 25, 2018 · According to the report, "Memorial Sloan Kettering holds an equity stake in Paige. Members range widely in age, live and work in different areas of the world, and represent the full spectrum of oncology specialties. Each day, they help us strive toward our main goal: to control and cure cancer. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Montvale, NJ, US. Keyword Research: People who searched mskcc login also searched. In order to provide benefits and fun events, members of The Alumni Society are asked to pay a $90 annual fee. The goal of the Continuing Medical Education Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering is to disseminate current and new knowledge of the etiology, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and allied diseases. MSK librarians created these customized guides to meet the needs of medical teams, research programs, and administrative staff. Our oncologists and cancer researchers practice and develop some of the most advanced cancer treatments in the world. MSK cBioPortal Login. LibGuides provide links to resources for research, patient care, and education at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The system can only be accessed by our registered partners. At MSK, cancer care - from immunotherapy and surgery to integrative medicine - is the only thing we do. If you are not authorized to access this system, please exit immediately. You're in good company! All Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center employees are eligible for unbeatable deals at over 250 of the world's best retailers. Keyword Research: People who searched mskcc careers login also searched. All returning users and past participants please enter your login info. The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering and VALENTINO Host the Fall Party. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 4th Annual Advances in Colorectal Oncology, 11/7/2019 7:00:00 AM - 11/9/2019 12:30:00 PM, This three day conference will provide attendees with up-to-date information on the biology, diagnosis, and treatment of colorectal cancer. As shown in the diagram. org page load time and found that the first response time was 176 ms and then it took 14. The cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics provides visualization, analysis and download of large-scale cancer genomics data sets. We welcome your application and look forward to reading more about you. Log in here to get access to your fundraising dashboard. Message your doctor's care team Get answers to your medical questions from the comfort of your own home. desription. 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Welcome to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Vendor Portal. 100% of every dollar raised has been invested in research led by Memorial Sloan Kettering—and together we are revolutionizing the way cancer is diagnosed and treated. Connections is an on-line community for Sloan-Kettering patients, caregivers, survivors and friends to exchange support, information and inspiration. This is a poor result, as 90% of websites can load faster. 8; Server Time: 12/1/2019 12:47:38 PM). You want a secure app. mskcc login | mskcc login | mskcc office login | mskcc login portal | workday login mskcc | ilabs mskcc login | mskcc login page | mskcc office login connect |. Keyword Research: People who searched mskcc portal login also searched. Cycle for Survival is a high-energy indoor team cycling event that provides a tangible way for you to fight back. Keyword Research: People who searched mskcc outlook email login also searched. Each day, they help us strive toward our main goal: to control and cure cancer. The most common type of memorial is the gravestone or the memorial plaque. org, or in person at 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, or at our other locations in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and New Jersey. My Dashboard. Also common are war memorials commemorating those who have died in wars. Welcome to the MSKCC Connections Community. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center login and bill pay links, customer care, service, support and contact info. org Access to this portal is only available to authorized users at MSKCC. The latest Tweets from Kharas MSKCC (@KharasLab). For general information, call 212-639-2000, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 70% of websites need less resources to load. However, be aware that no encryption method can be guaranteed to be unbreachable. Learn about your gifts at work, opportunities to give, and ways to get involved. What if I've forgotten my Username and Password? If you've forgotten your login credentials, the system can send it to you. We found that 77% of them (10 requests) were addressed to the original Mskoffice. All returning users and past participants please enter your login info. Lifetime registration is 100% free to all employees. If you need to reset your password, you can do so by entering your email and hitting submit. Cycle for Survival is a high-energy indoor team cycling event that provides a tangible way for you to fight back. Since its inception in 2012, the Whit Whit Fund has raised more than $846,000 to find more effective and less toxic treatments for children with cancer. MSK is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of recruiting and employment. Search job openings, see if they fit - company salaries, reviews, and more posted by Memorial Sloan Kettering employees. Additional websites related to Mskcc Outlook Login. Thanks to Valentino, The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering's Annual Fall Party Was Especially Chic. org solely for your own personal or research purposes. Matthew Paulson. "Prediction of potent shRNAs with a sequential classification algorithm. 1 Security Disclaimer This system is owned by MSKCC. Please complete the form below to register for the application process. Reset Your Password. All returning users and past participants please enter your login info. We found that 77% of them (10 requests) were addressed to the original Mskoffice. The Bunny Hop welcomes children to a wonderland jam-packed with fun activities and entertainment for the entire family — while raising critical funds for MSK’s Department of Pediatrics. 7:00pm-9:00pm Family Medicine Residency Conference Room, located on […]. org, or in person at 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, or at our other locations in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and New Jersey. 70% of websites need less resources to load. Paying your bills is as easy as a click of your mouse. Payments on doxo are fast, easy, and safe. At Memorial Sloan Kettering, we understand how important it is for you to have ready access to information about your or your child’s care, anytime you need it. In keeping with its commitment to education and patient care, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center offers a two-year, full-time program of study in Radiation Therapy. Welcome to MSKCC Connections. Note; If you already have a Pymetrics account under this email for a different application, login with your existing account. Make sure you chose The Rockefeller University as your. Keyword Research: People who searched mskcc login page also searched. Pay all of your medical bills in one place with InstaMed and create a digital wallet. Tweets are my views alone not MSKCC. Mar 19, 2015 · "Worst place to work. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is pleased to invite you to submit an abstract for poster presentation at MSK's 2nd Congress - Interventional Cancer Pain Symposium 2019. The Research Battlefront. You want a secure app. NorthShoreConnect - Your secure online health connection As a member of NorthShoreConnect, you will be able to:. Keyword Research: People who searched mskcc portal login also searched. org, 15% (2 requests) were made to Maxcdn. You can use it to stay connected any time, even when you’re not here. If you are not authorized to access this system, please exit immediately. Donate to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and support cancer research and patient care. MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER AT BASKING RIDGE NEW JERSEY is located in New York City, New York and offers Pain Medicine & Management. 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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is pleased to invite you to submit an abstract for poster presentation at MSK's 2nd Congress - Interventional Cancer Pain Symposium 2019. Cancer and Cultural Values Get Personal at Valentino, MSKCC Fall Party. The Memorial Hospital Alumni Society is a community unlike any other. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Mission Statement The Department of Volunteer Resources coordinates the participation of thousands of men, women, and young people as volunteers at MSK. You may receive email updates about other MSK related. MSKCC SSO Login (Log in using your MSK network credentials just as you do to log into Outlook. About MSKMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center — the world’s oldest and largest private cancer center — has devoted more than 130 years to exceptionalpatientcare. We found that 77% of them (10 requests) were addressed to the original Mskoffice.

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America must protect religious freedom abroad January 21, 2013 /in AIFD in the News, AIFD Press Releases /by AIFD By M. Zuhdi Jasser, Published January 20, 2013, | FoxNews.com In the mid-1960s my family fled the oppressive Baath regime of Syria for liberty’s shores in the United States. Raised in Wisconsin as an American Muslim, I learned that my faith was best served by a nation founded in liberty with a Constitution that guaranteed genuine religious freedom. As I watched the Arab Awakening unfold in 2011 and 2012, I had high hopes that my co-religionists might finally be lifting the yoke of their oppressive secular dictators for the freedom that I have enjoyed here in the United States. But now as 2013 opens, we are witnessing the frightening ascension of an even greater oppressive force than the dictators who had a stranglehold on the region for almost five decades — Islamism (political Islam). Islamism combines the autocracy of the secular Arabist dictators with unrestrained religious supremacy. The primary battle front, where Islamists suffocate their enemies, is on religious liberty. The plight begins in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the royal family, in a bid to maintain power, essentially gave control of religious life to the radical Wahhabi elements within the country. The petro dollars of the Kingdom have spread this lethal Islamist ideology around the world. They are joined by the Qatari through arms like the Al Jazeera Media Group, which, after decades of failure, just recently acquired access to more than 40 million American homes through the purchase of Al Gore’s Current TV. The recipe is simple: Islamists are government theocrats who promote a particular version of an Islamic doctrine in order to impose their fascist interpretation upon all citizens. They use elections and so-called “democracy” in order to empower a single version of Shariah – their interpretation of Islam’s legal framework for the “Islamic state.” Islamists exploit their own perceived divine mandate to justify a litany of draconian laws upon their people. The most obvious permutation of those laws leaves no room for religious tolerance let alone religious liberty. Make no mistake, the victims of Islamist control are both religious minorities and those with dissident beliefs, whether Muslim or non-Muslim who are against the theocrats. Throughout the region we are seeing a significant increase of oppression of religious freedoms. In Pakistan this week, the Ambassador to the United States has been indicted by the Pakistani Supreme Court under blasphemy laws for simply saying that the country needs to rework its blasphemy law. In Iran, we continue to see case after case of devout Christians, Baha’i, and Islamic apostates who face death penalties for expressing their religious beliefs. It is not a coincidence that this plight coincides with a government that at the same time is pounding its collective Islamist chest in seeking nuclear arms and feeding the genocide against an entire dissident citizenry in Syria. On Monday, a 32-year-old Christian pastor, former Muslim, and American citizen, Saeed Abedini will stand trial for supposedly “compromising national security.” His real crime to the Iranian theocrats is his own human expression of religious freedom through the development of an underground network of home churches. He will face the infamous Islamist Judge Abbas Pir-Abassi, known for sending innocent dissident believers to Iran’s dungeons. In Egypt, with the ink hardly dry on the new Egyptian Islamist Constitution, the Muslim Brotherhood has wasted no time in bringing their Islamist justice to the people of Egypt. Nadia Mohammed Ali was sentenced this week to prison along with her children and the clerks who documented their Christian identity cards. The plight of Christians signals the future of religious freedom for all in Egypt. Ali and her children are now imprisoned simply for their chosen faith of Christianity. The silence from devout Muslims around the world must end. It is time to rise up as free-thinking Muslims against governments and groups like the Muslim Brotherhood which exploit the faith of Islam for their own supremacist mission. The essential fuel of Islamist political parties and systems is the idea of the “Islamic state.” Nadia and her family are canaries in the coal mine of the Islamic state. The silence from the White House also must end. We must stand with Nadia as human beings. An Obama Doctrine is nowhere to be found and at this point the administration is unlikely to ever lay out a coherent foreign policy strategy with regards to religious liberty in the Middle East. Real global leadership for human rights needs a Liberty Doctrine. Free-thinking Muslims, however, are most directly positioned to repair this rupture within our collective soul. The stifling of religious freedom is a natural evolution of an Islamist system fueled by an obsession upon one faith and its divine mandate. As a Muslim, I know the Islamist state will never evolve into genuine democracy. I reject the entire notion of the Islamic state and I see no other way to defeat Islamism but through the separation of mosque and state. Mollifying Islamism into some kind of tolerant form is a fool’s endeavor with example after example in Islamic history of failure. That is why my family came to the U.S. In the U.S., I learned that whether I am in the minority or the majority, the only way to realize religious freedom is to live in a society where its governmental laws are based in reason and government stays out of the business of determining which religious legalisms are righteous. There are sadly hundreds to thousands more cases like these of courageous religious minorities and also dissident Sunni and Shiite Muslims from within the majority in countries like Egypt and Iran who are at the tip of the spear. They are often alone cutting through the battle raging inside the soul of Islam and Muslim communities across the world. As leaders of the free world, our nation can choose to abandon these canaries in the Islamist coal mine or we can lift up their plights as beacons of freedom that can ultimately defeat Islamism. It is time to call out the governmental oppressors of innocents like Nadia Mohammed Ali in Egypt or Saeed Abedini in Iran for what they are—ruthless fascist theocrats (Islamists) who use religion as a tool to destroy the spirit of their citizenry. If the United States stands for anything we need to vigorously and consistently stand for the protection of religious freedom abroad that is not only enshrined in our own founding documents, but in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which we are supposed to protect. M. Zuhdi Jasser is the author of the recently released book, “A Battle for the Soul of Islam” and is President and founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy based in Phoenix, Ariz. He is also a Commissioner on the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (the opinions here are his own). https://aifdemocracy.org/wp-content/uploads/aifd-logo-300x120.png 0 0 AIFD https://aifdemocracy.org/wp-content/uploads/aifd-logo-300x120.png AIFD2013-01-21 15:10:222013-01-21 15:17:07America must protect religious freedom abroad 11/27/12 Fox News “Hannity” brought Dr. Zuhdi Jasser on to discuss... 4/3/13 Zuhdi Jasser discusses the decision to not award Purple Hearts to victims...

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Tag Archives: Jon Bernthal Casting calls for Sony Pictures feature film ‘Fury’ starring Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf Shia LaBeouf, Jon Bernthal, Brad Pitt, and Logan Lerman at National Training Center to prep for “Fury”. Le Grisbi Productions and QED International are now in pre-production on the epic Sony Pictures World War II drama feature film “Fury,” which stars Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, and Jon Bernthal. The film’s twelve-time Casting Society of America Artios Award nominated casting director in Los Angeles has sent out casting calls for co-starring and supporting roles, as well as smaller speaking roles. The extras will be hired throughout production which will take place in London, UK beginning late-September. The actors cast in the United States, even the smaller speaking roles, will be flown to the United Kingdom for shooting, all expenses paid. However all actors hired must provide the proper paperwork to be legally eligible to work in the United Kingdom Sony Pictures “Fury” Casting Calls Standard | Posted in Acting Auditions, Auditions, Entertainment, Extras Casting, Film Casting, London Casting Call, Los Angeles Casting Calls | Tagged 12 Years a Slave, 2013 London Actors Resource Guide eBook, alan baltes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Birdman, brad pitt, Casting Society of America, David Ayer, Emma Stone, End of Watch, Fury, Fury Casting Calls, Jon Bernthal, Lindsay Graham, Logan Lerman, London Casting Call, los angeles auditions, Mary Vernieu, Michael Peña, Sabotage, Shia LaBeouf, The Walking Dead, United States, World War II, World War Z | 0 comments

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Smart women and the boyfriends who beat them A version of this article was published in The Straits Times on December 6 2017 This is an unusual counselling group even for Sudha Nair, the social work veteran who founded PAVE, Singapore’s pioneer family violence agency. All but one of the eight women in the room are unmarried and were battered by their boyfriends. The eighth married her abuser. They have been meeting Dr Nair weekly at the Ang Mo Kio agency to tell their stories, cry, embrace one another and sometimes even laugh at the absurdity of some of the situations they landed in. This is no gathering of meek women with few options. Aged between 20 and their early 30s, all appear articulate and confident. More than half have tertiary qualifications, including one woman who is a doctor and another who is a lawyer. It is hard to imagine any of them allowing a man to bully and hit them, but all of them did. For between four months and three years, they lived with their boyfriends and were subjected repeatedly to physical attacks on top of being abused verbally, having vulgarities hurled at them and being controlled in extreme ways, right down to having the men decide what they wore, whom they met or spoke to on the phone, whom they befriended on Facebook and, for one woman, when she could go to the toilet. Their boyfriends include two doctors, two businessmen, a fitness instructor and a couple of fulltime national servicemen. The details of their experiences are frightening not only for revealing the things men do to exert control over their girlfriends, but also the willingness of women to tolerate it all, believing mistakenly that this is what it means to be loved. You would think that smart single women might find it easier than married women with children to bolt from men who use violence, but that clearly isn’t the case. So why would an unmarried young woman stay after being attacked once, twice and then, regularly? “Almost all of them say they really loved their boyfriends, hoped to marry them and believed their love could change the men,” Dr Nair says. “One woman said, ‘If I love him hard enough, perhaps I could love away his violence’.” It’s an unrealistic optimism PAVE’s social workers are familiar with from nearly two decades of dealing with domestic violence. Countless married women have described how they went ahead and married the boyfriends who battered them, hoping that love, marriage and children would change the men. Instead, they suffered violence for years afterwards. PAVE has always seen unmarried teenage girls and young women who described dating violence or being battered while in live-in relationships, and until now all were counselled individually. Dr Nair decided to start a group for singles this year after several unmarried women appeared at around the same time, and because group work has proven successful with married clients. “This is a powerful way to get victims to support each other, understand quickly that they are not alone, and get them to learn ways to avoid being abused again,” says Dr Nair. The ongoing weekly meetings have helped the participants to make sense of what their boyfriends did to them, and it’s different for each woman. Melinda was in her early 30s when she reconnected with a former schoolmate, Jon. Both were now professionals, and they were together for a year and a half, including about five months when she lived with him. She noticed the red flags early. He would get incensed over small matters, fly into a rage while driving if another motorist got in his way, and scream at people over the phone. The first time he attacked her physically, he grabbed and punched her in the stomach and she had blue-black bruises down one arm from trying to fend him off. “It was horrifying to me, because nobody had ever done this to me before,” she says. She did not leave him. “He would look at my bruises afterwards and say, ‘I can’t believe I did that.’ And he’d cry, say sorry and promise to change.” Jon was also a serial cheat, and that became a trigger for fights and more beatings until the relationship finally broke down. Melinda now believes she was too soft-hearted and quick to forgive him. “Nobody is bad 24/7 and it was possible to fall back on my good memories with him and carry on,” she explains. Dhershini, 20, the youngest in the group and still a student, has an 11-month-old son with her 21-year-old boyfriend Jason, who has just completed fulltime national service. She is torn by conflicting feelings about him. “He is really a very nice guy who cares for people and animals,” she says. But he also has a drinking problem, anger issues, disrespects everyone including his own mother, gets into brawls with strangers and was arrested for being a nuisance while drunk. He has slapped, punched and pushed Dhershini many times during their two-year relationship, including in public, in front of their friends and when she was five months’ pregnant. Twice, she blacked out. “He can apologise so well,” she says with a laugh, when asked why she stayed with him through all that. They were preparing to get married on Nov 30 but the other women in the group persuaded Dhershini to think hard. She called off the wedding, but has not yet given up on becoming his wife. “I always hope he will change and become better, and learn to control his anger,” she says. “If he doesn’t change, I don’t know what will happen.” After six weeks of group counselling, advertising agency copywriter Rachel, 25, was ready to tell the world what happened to her during her whirlwind relationship with a 33-year-old doctor she got to know via an online dating application. They met, liked each other at first sight, and became an item instantly. Two weeks into the relationship, he punched and stomped on her so hard, she was left bleeding and bruised all over. “I was shocked and traumatised,” she recalls. “But he was so apologetic and full of remorse afterwards. He bought me flowers, and said it wouldn’t happen again.” She continued seeing him, and the abuse did not stop. Then came the day he flew into a rage and attacked her with a ferocity she had never experienced before, because he wanted to have sex and she said no. He punched her in the face, smashed her head against the wall, pulled her by the hair to prevent her from escaping, choked her and yelled obscenities at her through it all. “I could not breathe, I could not get away, I thought I was going to die at the hands of the man I loved,” she recalls. She suffered a broken nose and left hand, multiple fractures in her facial bones and eye sockets, bleeding in her brain and her eyes were puffed and bloodshot for weeks. Doctors inserted metal implants in her cheekbone and hand. “I was in hospital and I kept saying I still loved him,” she recalls. “Then a friend came and grilled me about every aspect of my relationship. That was when I woke up and realised what had happened to me.” She made a police report. Last month (Nov 25) she wrote an account of what her ex-boyfriend did to her and posted it on her blog, with two pictures of her bloodied, horribly misshapen face that are too graphic to reproduce. The photos were selfies taken three weeks after the assault. “You can’t imagine what I looked like earlier,” she says.Friends were shocked to realise what she went through. Now Rachel wants other girls and unmarried women to know too. “Many victims of violence are embarrassed about being repeatedly slapped, punched and kicked by the person we love the most, but why should we be the ones who feel humiliated?” Raising awareness is hard enough. But helping unmarried victims of violence is a challenge, because Singapore’s laws do not provide them the same protection that married women have. Under the Women’s Charter, married women can obtain Personal Protection Orders and Domestic Exclusion Orders to force their husbands stop the abuse or keep away. Women can apply for these protection orders easily at PAVE, through a video link to the Family Justice Court. The court can order husbands to attend mandatory counselling, and PAVE sees the men as well. Many make the effort to change, not least because they do not want to lose their wives, children and homes. Unmarried women cannot apply for protection orders. A victim of violence may file a police report, as Rachel did. The police will then investigate and decide if the matter is serious enough to be treated as a criminal case under the Penal Code, in which case the alleged abuser is arrested and charged. However, if the police decide that the case is “non-arrestable”, the complainant may be advised to file a magistrate’s complaint instead. This is a tedious option rarely chosen by victims, who go away feeling the police do not take their complaints seriously. Dr Nair’s concern is that unmarried victims receive no protection from their abusers while waiting for police investigations to conclude, whereas the protection order is effective in stopping the violence immediately in the majority of cases. When a married woman obtains a protection order, her husband can continue living in the family home but he must stop his violent behaviour or he can be hauled before a judge. If he continues to be a threat, the wife can obtain a Domestic Exclusion Order which bars him from entering the home. Men who ignore these orders can end up jailed. More helpfully, the protection order results in the Family Justice Court sending both husband and wife for counselling. The victims learn to survive and make the changes necessary to avoid violence. Although most men go reluctantly when ordered to attend counselling, those who are motivated to keep their families together do gain from learning to stop choosing violence. These options are not available to unmarried women and men in violent relationships. Singapore also has the more recent Protection from Harassment Act (POHA), but it is mostly not helpful to unmarried people dealing with violence. The 2014 law covers everything from cyberbullying to stalking, bullying and sexual harassment outside of an intimate relationship. It was not meant to cover domestic violence, already provided for in the Women’s Charter. “If you’re unmarried and experiencing violence in your relationship, you need immediate help that comes from the Women’s Charter through the protection order. POHA is available to some, but takes a longer time and the process is much more drawn out,” says Dr Nair. In PAVE’s experience, few women make police reports, and even fewer men are punished for assaulting girlfriends. There is no compelling these men to confront the reasons why they use violence, and they learn none of the ways to keep violence out of their future relationships. The agency would like to see unmarried victims of violence have the same access to protection orders as married people. This will mean widening the definition of domestic violence in the Women’s Charter to include unmarried people in dating and live-in relationships, or looking at other laws that could include these provisions. “It just doesn’t make sense to know that unmarried girls and women are being beaten badly by their boyfriends but they receive no protection and the men get no help either,” says Dr Nair. “We need the law to provide speedy and effective help to everyone in a violent relationship. We know that men who use violence to control women will not stop unless they are forced to receive help.” Except for Rachel, the names of the women have been changed at their request. Alan John is a member of PAVE’s management council. HELPLINES Those seeking help with dating and domestic violence can go to any of three Family Violence Specialist Centres: PAVE Block 211 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3,#01-1446 Singapore 560211, Tel: 65550390 TRANS SAFE Bedok Block 410 Bedok North Avenue2, #01-58, Singapore 460410, Tel: 64499088 PROJECT START, Block 7A, Commonwealth Avenue, #01-672, Singapore 140007, Tel: 64761482 Posted in Catholic, Family violence, Published columns, Uncategorized, Volunteering Previous The crazy things men do: Near Ipoh, a Scotsman who wanted his own castle in the middle of Malaya Next Valentine’s Day lies: This can’t be love

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Ex-Liverpool winger claims he was lied to over his future Ryan Kent declared Rangers were the first club he has felt at home as he claimed he had been lied to over his future before his return to Ibrox. The 22-year-old rejoined Rangers on the final day of the Scottish transfer window in a deal understood to be worth a guaranteed £6.5million. Rangers had previously failed to persuade Liverpool to sanction a second season-long loan after the winger made a major impression at Ibrox last term. Kent featured for Liverpool in pre-season but found himself in limbo after his international team-mates returned from an extended break. And he admitted it had been a difficult period before Rangers resurrected the move. “It was very tough,” he said. “I had to stay mentally strong, when you are told you can do one thing and then you are lied to and it doesn’t happen, that is quite hard to take. “I just had to keep myself fit and train on my own and make sure I keep my fitness levels up and I was waiting for a moment like this to arrive. “There’s no bitter taste, the thing that I wanted from the start happened at the end so I am just happy with that. “I would have liked to have been here from the start, it is quite difficult watching it on the TV wishing I was part of some of the games but I am delighted to be back and I can’t wait to get going. Read Also! Inter Milan complete signing of Ashley Young from Manchester United “There were probably some slight concerns along the way when I thought this might not happen and I might have to plan for something else but I always had a feeling that it might go to the last day of the window and that’s what happened.” Kent had loan spells at Coventry, Barnsley, Freiburg and Bristol City and made one first-team appearance for Liverpool before finding happiness in Glasgow. “I’m in a privileged position in life to be playing football, it’s every kid’s dream,” he said. “And I think it’s naive to not enjoy that position in life. I’m fortunate to be in that position in life. “For once in my life to be feeling at home somewhere, to be actually enjoying my football, I want that feeling for the rest of my career. I felt that for the first time when I came here. “The manager believes in me and the coaching staff. Mick Beale had me as a kid at Liverpool and he got the best out of me then and I really started to flourish as a young kid coming through at Liverpool, and obviously the fans get the best out of you. “So just everything as a collective at this football club I think gets the best out of me and my football.” Rangers boss Steven Gerrard thanked former club Liverpool for their part in the transfer and claimed it proved his club’s ambition. Read Also! Liverpool appear to troll Tottenham and Jose Mourinho in matchday programme for Manchester United game “We want to try and make this team and squad competitive, and I am in a rush to do that,” he said. “The club are very ambitious, they want to get back to the top. For me, qualifying for Europe for the second year on the spin certainly helped in terms of the board’s decision. “But of course this club will never lack ambition. It wants to get back to the top as quick as it can.” Gerrard confirmed Kent was in contention for Saturday’s Ladbrokes Premiership clash with Livingston. But he added: “I must say, we have to be careful. He hasn’t been doing regular sessions and hasn’t had many game minutes, so I think we all have to appreciate where he is at from a physical point of view. But he is available for selection which is great news.” David Moyes ‘proud’ to be back at West Ham after being appointed as Manuel Pellegrini’s replacement European Club Sacks Nigerian Striker In Just Two Months Liverpool fined as Reds avoid expulsion from EFL Cup Pochettino reveals what he thinks of Kieran Trippier… Why I Swapped Chelsea For Arsenal – David Luiz Previous Article Pochettino reveals what he thinks of Kieran Trippier… Next Article We will take 10 Million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years – Vice-President, Osinbajo Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal MUST beat Chelsea on Tuesday evening if they are to have any chance of finishing in … PL RESULTS: Crystal Palace deny Man City at the death, Wolves stage dramatic comeback, Arsenal held by Sheffield United

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Five things I didn’t know about Darwin You should probably know by now that in 2009 we celebrate 200 years of Charles Darwin’s birth and 150 years since “The Origin of Species” was first published. I’ve been feasting on all the information flooding in the media about him, and I learned quite a bit about the man and the book in the last few months. Here’s my top 5 list, in no particular order. 1. A dinasty of sorts The last publication by Darwin, written just 2 weeks before he died, was about a tiny clam found on a beetle leg. Nothing particularly interesting there. The person sending Charles the specimen was Walter Drawbridge Crick, a shoemaker and amateur naturalist. Even less remarkable, one could say, until you learn that Walter would eventually have a grandson named Francis, of Watson & Crick’s double helix fame, arguably the second most important insight in Biology, and perhaps in all sciences (Source: National Geographic Magazine). 2. Evolution The word “Evolution”, so associated with Darwin in our collective mind, never appears in “The Origin of Species”. The closest you get is the last word in the last sentence of the book, a poetic gem of scientific literature: “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” You can check that yourself by downloading a PDF version of the book here (Source: Quirks and Quarks podcast, CBC). 3. Survival of the fittest Even more puzzling is the fact that the term “survival of the fittest” was first coined by Herbert Spencer in the book “The principles of biology” (1864), and only shows up in late editions of Origin, duly acknowledging Spencer’s authorship: “I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term natural selection, in order to mark its relation to man’s power of selection. But the expression often used by Mr. Herbert Spencer, of the Survival of the Fittest, is more accurate, and is sometimes equally convenient.”. (Sources: The Phrase Finder and Gutemberg project). 4. The destiny of species Long before coming up with his theory about where the species came from, many of Charles’ objects of study ended up in his stomach. Darwin used to eat several of the animals he helped describing, including, but not limited to, water-hogs (capivaras for Brazilians, a REALLY big rat, in fact the largest rodent in the world), birds of prey like the caracara, and armadillos. I guess that to provide a comprehensive description of a species, behaviour and looks were not enough: the more information the better 🙂 . I learned about this bizarre piece of trivia while watching the excellent “Darwin’s Legacy” course by Stanford University, available in iTunes U., but you can find a very good description of Darwin’s culinary adventures here. 5. Brazil according to Darwin Charles, to put it mildly, didn’t enjoy much his time in Brazil, affirming at the end of his “Voyage of the Beagle” travelog: “On the 19th of August we finally left the shores of Brazil. I thank God, I shall never again visit a slave-country.” I’m not sure if slavery in Brazil was worse than in other parts of the world, but being the last country in the Western hemisphere to abolish slavery suggests that the Brazilian society of the 18th century relied heavily on it, to the point that even today Brazil still has the second largest population of black origin in the world (after Nigeria). On the other side, Darwin was awed by the forests in Brazil: “Among the scenes which are deeply impressed on my mind, none exceed in sublimity the primeval forests undefaced by the hand of man; whether those of Brazil, where the powers of Life are predominant, or those of Tierra del Fuego, where Death and decay prevail. Both are temples filled with the varied productions of the God of Nature: — no one can stand in these solitudes unmoved, and not feel that there is more in man than the mere breath of his body.” Both quotes are a bit surprising given their quasi-spiritual tone. Finally, to conclude on a lighter note, this is Darwin’s account of Carnival folies in Salvador, Bahia, written on March 4th, 1832: This day is the first of the Carnival, but Wickham, Sullivan & myself nothing undaunted were determined to face its dangers. — These dangers consist in being unmercifully pelted by wax balls full of water & being wet through by large tin squirts. — We found it very difficult to maintain our dignity whilst walking through the streets. — Charles the V has said that he was a brave man who could snuff a candle with his fingers without flinching; I say it is he who can walk at a steady pace, when buckets of water on each side are ready to be dashed over him. After an hours walking the gauntlet, we at length reached the country & there we were well determined to remain till it was dark. — We did so, & had some difficulty in finding the road back again, as we took care to coast along the outside of the town. — To complete our ludicrous miseries a heavy shower wet us to the skins, & at last gladly we reached the Beagle. — It was the first time Wickham had been on shore, & he vowed if he was here for six months it should be only one. Watching Darwin braving the festive Carnival crowds in Salvador would have been priceless. If only we had Flickr and YouTube back then! Tags: brazil, darwin, science, socialmedia, trivia, web2.0 Categories : biology, Life, Places, Social Media, Travel, Web 2.0

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Person of interest in Texas judge shooting held in unrelated slaying HOUSTON -- Authorities say a person of interest in the non-fatal shooting of a Texas judge last week has been charged with murder in an unrelated Houston slaying. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo says 28-year-old Chimene Hamilton Onyeri was charged Tuesday in the Houston killing and is being held in jail. Acevedo didn't give details of that case and the criminal complaint wasn't accessible online yet. He says Onyeri is a person of interest but not charged in Friday's attack on Judge Julie Kocurek, who was wounded as she arrived at her Austin home. The Austin American-Statesman reports that Travis County prosecutors filed a motion Aug. 28 seeking to have Onyeri's probation revoked after authorities in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, charged him with the unauthorized use of a debit card. Kocurek was considering that motion. She remains hospitalized and her family said in a statement Monday that her condition has been improving every day. Kocurek, a former prosecutor, was appointed to the 390th District court in Travis County, which includes Austin, by then-Gov. George W. Bush in 1999. Later, she became the only Republican elected to a state district judgeship in the left-leaning county, but switched parties and became a Democrat in 2006. "Our hearts go out to Judge Kocurek and her family. We wish her a speedy recovery," the Texas Democratic Party tweeted Saturday. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's office said he was praying for Kocurek's recovery and for Austin police "in apprehending those responsible." She is perhaps best known for her statements after former Gov. Rick Perry was indicted on felony coercion and abuse-of-power charges by an Austin grand jury in August 2014. Perry held a news conference where he vowed: "This farce of a prosecution will be revealed for what it is" adding that "those responsible will be held to account." Kocurek responded that that could be interpreted as a threat against members of the grand jury, and that they would be protected from Perry or anyone else since "no one is above the law." Perry abandoned his presidential campaign in September, and now only faces the abuse-of-power charge, which is being reviewed by the state's highest court. The judge also is overseeing the oft-delayed case of Mark Norwood, who has pleaded not guilty in the 1988 killing of an Austin woman, Debra Masters Baker. Norwood was convicted of the 1986 slaying of Christine Morton, whose husband wrongly spent nearly 25 years in prison for her death. Man with autism says officer tackled him while crossing road Gov. Greg Abbott to reject new refugees coming to Texas Fiance says Austin mom loved woman accused of killing her Baby dies after mom's boyfriend crammed her in backpack: Police Body of man found burned, bound in Queens Village home

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President Trump: I 'Absolutely' Will Put Safe Zones in Syria Trump made the announcement in an exclusive interview with ABC News. JUSTIN FISHEL Syria and Defeating ISIS: What Will Trump Do?Trump has promised to defeat radical Islamic terrorism.Martin H. Simon/ABC News — -- President Donald Trump has a plan for controlling the number of Syrian refugees flooding into Europe. "I'll absolutely do safe zones in Syria," Trump told ABC's David Muir Wednesday. "Safe zones" refer to protected havens inside Syria for civilians displaced by the violent conflict -- areas that would need to be established by the U.S. military. The Obama administration considered the idea, but ultimately decided against it, partly out of fear of being drawn into a broader military conflict with Russia and Syrian forces, which together have waged a massive assault against rebel forces. Trump told Muir safe zones are a necessary tool in stemming the flow of refugees into Europe and neighboring countries, which he said has been a "disaster." McConnell, Ryan Say Congress Will Pay for Trump's $12B Border Wall Mexican President Cancels Meeting With Trump After Border Wall Order Safe zones have been advocated by prominent Democrats as well, most notably by Trump's campaign rival Hillary Clinton and by Obama's former secretary of state, John Kerry. Turkey, which has been greatly affected by the refugee crisis, also wants safe zones in norther Syria and could potentially partner with the U.S. in such an effort. Turkey's Foreign Minister Huseyin Muftuoglu said today he'd seen Trump's comments but held off on commenting further, adding that he would like to see the plans for how this would be enforced first. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, said today that Washington did not consult Moscow regarding the creation of safe zones in Syria because high level contacts have yet to be established between the Trump White House and the Kremlin. Trump did not provide any details about how the safe zones would be enforced. Previous assessments by the Obama administration found that the process could include the establishment of a no-fly zone. An unclassified assessment prepared in 2013 by Obama's former chief of staff, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, said a no-fly zone over just one area of Syria could require "hundreds of ground and sea-based aircraft, intelligence and electronic warfare support, and enablers for refueling and communications." He said the Pentagon would be required to deploy "thousands of ground forces" and that maintaining such an effort could average as much as $1 billion per month. He also said there's a risk "that American jets could be downed." The Pentagon refused to comment on whether Trump's new secretary of defense, retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, supported U.S. military involvement in safe zones in Syria. "I will tell you right now, what you’re asking about is based on things that are draft and pre-decisional and we’re just not going to be able to comment on pre-decisional things that may or not reflect what ultimately comes out," spokesman Jeff Davis said in today's Pentagon briefing. "Our focus right now is what it has always been -- the degrading and defeating of ISIL." Davis added that Mattis had not received an order regarding "safe zones" in Syria. ABC's Elizabeth McLaughlin and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

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Deadly air pollution worsens in developing countries, WHO finds Vehicles move past the Presidential Palace as smog engulfs the evening in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016. Image: Tsering Topgyal/AP Almost all inhabitants of large cities in low- and middle-income countries face excessively high air pollution, a growing problem that is “wreaking havoc on human health” and causes more than 3 million premature deaths each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday. The agency, hoping to raise awareness and highlight national efforts, said its database now shows more than four in five urban dwellers worldwide live in cities that don’t meet WHO air quality guidelines 98 percent in poorer countries and 56 percent even in high-income countries. The findings are part of WHO’s third Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution Database, which examines outdoor air in 3,000 cities, towns and villages but mostly cities across 103 countries. It is based on country reports and other sources. An accompanying news release said global urban air pollution levels rose by 8 percent between 2008 and 2013 “despite improvements in some regions,” and it noted that people face a higher risk of strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases as air quality worsens. “Urban air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc on human health,” said Dr. Maria Neira, a WHO director for environment and public health. “At the same time, awareness is rising and more cities are monitoring their air quality. When air quality improves, global respiratory and cardiovascular-related illnesses decrease.” The database named Zabol, Iran, as the city with the highest annual mean concentration of particulate matter of less than 2.5 microns in diameter. The Indian capital of New Delhi, which had previously topped the list, dropped to No. 9 after the city managed to decrease its annual average concentration of particulate matter by about 20 percent from 2014 to 2015. The change coincides with a series of air-clearing measures including banning older cars and cargo trucks from city limits. “New Delhi has succeeded in arresting the trend, which shows that if you take action, you will see results,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy at the Delhi-based Center for Science and Environment. New Delhi has continued its air-clearing campaign by introducing steep fines for construction pollution or the garbage burning, as well as shutting down an old coal-fired power plant. Create column charts But India overall is still struggling, with the WHO data set showing four other Indian cities Gwalior, Allahabad, Patna and Raipur surpassing New Delhi to rank as the world’s second, third, fourth and fifth most polluted. “Ambient air pollution, made of high concentrations of small and fine particulate matter, is the greatest environmental risk to health causing more than 3 million premature deaths worldwide every year,” WHO’s statement said. Citing efforts by policymakers to promote cleaner transportation, production of more efficient energy and better waste management, WHO said: “More than half of the monitored cities in high-income countries and more than one-third in low- and middle-income countries reduced their air pollution levels by more than 5 percent in five years.” Read more: http://mashable.com/2016/05/12/air-pollution-health-who/

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Impact of disablement due to rheumatic disorders in a British population: estimates of severity and prevalence from the Calderdale Rheumatic Disablement Survey. E M Badley, A Tennant Arthritis Community Research and Evaluation Unit, Wellesley Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A survey of rheumatic disablement in the population has enabled the comparative impact of self reported causes of disability to be studied. One in three households in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom was screened in 1986 with a postal questionnaire (87% response rate), followed by in depth interviews with a sample of subjects reporting disability in conjunction with a rheumatic disorder (608 interviews). Severity of disablement was assessed using the physical independence handicap classification. The estimated prevalence of disability in conjunction with reported rheumatic disorders is 82/1000 population aged at least 16 years (95% confidence interval (CI) 77 to 87). Arthritis (mainly osteoarthritis) is the most commonly reported cause (47/1000 population; 95% CI 43 to 51), followed by back or neck disorders (25/1000; 95% CI 23 to 28), soft tissue disorders (18/1000; 95% CI 15 to 20), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (4/1000; 95% CI 3 to 5). A total of 30% reported more than one category of rheumatic disorder (mean number 1.3) and 63% reported non-rheumatic comorbidity. Current joint symptoms were reported by 98%, current antirheumatic drugs (including analgesics) by 70%, and severe pain by 62%. Overall 82% of subjects had seen their general practitioner in the past year, and 71% reported having attended an outpatient clinic; 26% reported current outpatient clinic attendance, and 15% a hospital inpatient stay during the previous year. Forty six per cent reported some dependence, with 12% reporting being dependent on a daily basis. Rheumatoid arthritis was the most disabling disorder with 73% dependent. Taking into account prevalence, osteoarthritis and back disorders are the most, and RA the least, common causes of dependence and incapacitating pain in the population. This challenges stereotypes and raises questions about the organisation and priorities for specialist services and for research. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ard.52.1.6

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Oscars 2020: How to watch the awards show and red carpet online January 15, 2020 rajtechnews Hollywood News 0 There’s still a little while before the Oscars. Between now and Feb. 9, the BAFTAs and the Screen Actors Guild Awards will take place, and those will likely help shape Oscars predictions. Or you can boycott the Oscars entirely, depending on how you feel about the lack of diversity in major acting categories and best director (Greta Gerwig was sadly snubbed). But if you’re a Joker fan, you’re in for a real treat. Hold your breath during the 11 categories the most nominated movie is up for (yes, the most nominated movie at the Oscars is a comic book movie). 1917, The Irishman and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood are also among the best picture front-runners, with 10 nominations each. Check out how to watch the Oscars (which are going hostless for the second year in a row) below. Date and start time The Oscars will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. US: The Oscars start at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 9. UK: The Oscars start at 1 a.m. GMT on Monday, Feb. 10. Australia: The Oscars start at midday AEST on Monday, Feb. 10. How to watch the Oscars online The Oscars will air on ABC in the US. To stream online, there are a couple of options: ABC is streaming the live broadcast of the Oscars on the ABC website, but only to specific cities and only after you sign in with a participating pay TV provider — typically a cable company, satellite provider or livestreaming service. Another option is Locast, which streams local broadcasters, including ABC, in certain large US cities, for free. And of course, you could always use an antenna to try to pick up the ABC station in your area (DVR optional). If you subscribe to a live TV streaming service that carries ABC in your city, you can use it to watch the Oscars too. AT&T TV Now (previously DirecTV Now), Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV all carry ABC in most US cities. All of them offer a seven-day free trial, so you can sign up now and cancel after the ceremony if you want. Note that Sling TV, Fubo TV, AT&T Watch Now and Philo don’t carry ABC at all. Disclosure: CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of products featured on this page. AT&T TV Now (DirecTV Now) DirecTV Now’s basic, $50-a-month Live a Little package includes ABC. You can use its channel lookup tool to see if you get a live feed of Fox and the other local networks in your ZIP code. Read full review……Read More>> Source:- cnet

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Nas: I'm Waiting For People Not To Be Scared Of The Race Issue THE HIP HOP LEGEND SAYS IT'S TIME FOR PEOPLE TO STAND UP FOR WHAT'S RIGHT (AllHipHop News) Nas recently did an with interview GQ magazine, and the Queens emcee was asked about various topics - Hip Hop, his career, and race relations. When writer Zach Baron asked the 41-year-old rap icon if activists have contacted him after he participated in the Eric Garner protests in New York, the creator of the classic album Illmatic replied by stating he is an activist. [ALSO READ: Nas On Racial Divide: It’s Not Cool For U.S. To Look Like Apartheid South Africa (VIDEO)] Nas said: We're already activists. I'm looking at what's happening to the world, and I'm waiting for people to stop being scared. Mainly whites in power and in government, to not be scared of the race issue. Not be scared to say, "This is wrong, and this has to change." Not be scared to do what's right. He continued explaining what he feels people are afraid of: Votes. Their career. Backlash. They're confused; they don't really know much about it. We're all human beings. So I understand being scared. But at some point, you got to come out and do the right thing. No matter who you are, you got to put the people first. Compassion, and your love for people, has to exist. And your love to humanity has to exist. It can't just always be about your career, your money, your stature, where you think you belong in this government. You've got to be about reality and love. Those fears Nas spoke on were echoed in a statement made by another Queens, New York rap representative. Young Money's Nicki Minaj was featured in a 2014 issue of Rolling Stone. The "Feeling Myself" performer told the publication: I feel like when Public Enemy were doing 'Fight the Power,' we as a culture had more power -- now it feels hopeless. People say, "Why aren't black celebrities speaking out more?" But look what happened to Kanye when he spoke out. People told him to apologize to Bush... He was the unofficial spokesman for hip-hop, and he got torn apart. And now you haven't heard him speaking about these last couple things, and it's sad. To read Nas' full GQ interview visit gq.com. [ALSO READ: Nicki Minaj Speaks On Police Violence & Criticism That Black Celebrities Are Not Addressing Social Issues] Last Reply 17 secs · by

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Wu-Tang Clan In Studio For New Album With Ghostface Running The Show The Wu-Tang has reunited and Ghostface Killah is the man in charge, with RZA supervising. (AllHipHop News) The Wu-Tang Clan is recording a new album, making the upcoming album the band's sixth official studio project. According to Masta Killa, Wu-Tang's usual musical mastermind RZA will be "supervising" the project, while Ghostface Killah "is at the wheel" of the fresh material. "He's (Ghostface Killah) putting that together as we speak," Masta Killa said. "There will be another Wu-Tang Clan album. We're working on that right now, and hopefully it's ready right with the 25th anniversary." "He (Ghostface) just gives it a new outlook and a fresh coat of eyes and ears," Inspectah Deck adds. "Ghost has taken it upon himself to say, 'I want to get the beats, I want to hear some things that's happening here,' so we're trusting him the same we trusted RZA in the beginning. Why not, man? Ghost has been successful in his solo endeavors. It's a change of pace. Hopefully we get another banger, another Wu classic out of this project as well, in the 25th anniversary." The group celebrated the 25th anniversary of their debut album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by performing the LP in its entirety onstage. The hip-hop legends are playing at the Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit today (May 28). "It's been awhile since we've done (the whole album live), since the early 2000s, maybe," Inspectah Deck told Billboard. "It's 25 years, man, and we stood the test of time and we're still proving ourselves - and people still appreciate you like that, which is dope. So it's gonna be fun. "We made our music just to be a voice for the voiceless, and that's what we continue to be 25 years later, so when we get up there, don't expect a lot of Cristal (champagne) popping. When you come to our show, you want some food for thought, and we've got our aprons on." Other Wu-Tang members GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, U-God and Cappadonna are also expected to take part in the 25th anniversary of 36 Chambers, which was officially released in November, 1993. $MKingpinGRISELDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Andrew Eaton-Lewis grew up in Cumbria and now lives on a former RAF radar station on the Isle of Lewis, along with his family, chickens, and a small flock of sheep. Before he moved to the Outer Hebrides he lived in Edinburgh, where, as Seafieldroad and a member of the band Swimmer One, his songs found their way to daytime Radio One, a Hollywood movie, and numerous festivals, theatre shows and short films. He was one of the core creative team behind the award-winning multi-media project Whatever Gets You Through The Night, performing with Emma Pollock, Ricky Ross, RM Hubbert and Rachel Sermanni, among others (a project he recently revived as part of the first Hebridean Dark Skies Festival on Lewis). His own music has won widespread acclaim from critics, who have variously compared it to John Cale, Belle and Sebastian, the Pet Shop Boys and the Blue Nile. All this activity sprang from a teenage obsession with music that resulted in Andrew’s first 38 ‘albums’ – almost 40 hours of unreleased home recordings made between the ages of 15 and 21. After All Of The Days We Will Disappear is the first album Andrew has released in five years. It is part reinvention, part retrospective, a collection of new songs and old songs made new, exploring the various ways in which human beings move from one place to another – from a city to an island, from childhood to adulthood, through the seasons of the year, and from life to death (the title is an attempt to describe death by Andrew’s four-year-old son). The tone is set by the opening and closing tracks – Medicine, a new song shaped by recent grief, and Dead Orchestras, a complete reworking of the title track from Swimmer One’s second album, about the things we leave behind for the next generation. Enchanted / Alright is a very modern take on two classics (by Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hammerstein) that had a special resonance for Andrew’s parents, whose deaths in 2014 and 2017 prompted him to help keep the family name alive by releasing an album under his own name for the first time. The song that says they’re gone ventures deeper into the theme, imagining what kind of music will be left behind when humanity has disappeared. Andrew’s own journey from Edinburgh to Lewis is described in The path, the beach, the sea, a 12 minute song cycle that travels from Leith to Portobello and on to the Hebrides, punctuated by field recordings from Scotland’s east and west coasts and the Ullapool to Stornoway ferry. Production on After All Of The Days We Will Disappear is by Hamish Brown, Andrew’s long-time musical collaborator and Swimmer One band mate. The cover photograph is a still from a short film that was shot in Edinburgh, Ullapool and the Hebrides to accompany the album’s opening song, Medicine; the film is directed by Daniel Warren, whose diverse portfolio includes projects for Biffy Clyro, Scottish Ballet, Hanna Tuulikki and Kirsty Law. When he’s not making music, Andrew programmes festivals, produces theatre shows, and develops new arts projects for the Mental Health Foundation and his own Lewis-based company, sruth-mara. Most recently, as part of his work for An Lanntair arts centre on Lewis, he programmed the first Hebridean Dark Skies Festival. For sruth-mara he is currently developing a stage version of Alastair McIntosh’s Lewis-set memoir Soil & Soul with playwright Alan Bissett. After All Of the Days We Will Disappear will be available from October 2019 via iTunes, Amazon, Spotify etc. It can also be bought directly from the artist’s website. Accompanying the album is All of the Days, a series of short essays inspired by all of the songs that Andrew, a former arts journalist, has released since 2002, which wryly reflect on everything from Brian Wilson and Michael Jackson to political protest and national identity. After All Of The Days We Will Disappear tracklist: Don’t let the winter freeze your heart The song that says they’re gone Enchanted / Alright The path, the beach, the sea (a song cycle) Dead orchestras Responses to previous work: ‘A lovely album. A late contender for one of the best of the year.’ Gideon Coe, 6 Music ‘It’s the sort of record that they – the Mark Eitzels and the Paddy McAloons – used to make… an adult pop record with heart and brains.’ The Guardian ‘Captivating to the point of hypnosis.’ Drowned in Sound ‘He crafts songs that sound like minimalist classical composers working on adventurous ballads for REM. This album will either win the Mercury Prize or vanish into cherished cult obscurity. It’s so good it deserves no compromise in between.’ Sunday Herald ‘As irresistible as a warm hearth on a snowy day, these songs do for Scotland’s east coast what the Blue Nile’s did for the city of Glasgow.’ Scotland on Sunday ‘The songs glow with a sense of sincere, melancholic wonderment… An album to get lost in.’ The List ‘A heartbreaking and delicate album… a great piece of work.’ Sunday Mail

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Posts Tagged ‘Col. Tim McCoy and his Congress of Rough Riders of the World Photographs: Edward J. Kelty Categories: American, american photographers, beauty, black and white photography, documentary photography, existence, intimacy, light, memory, New York, photographic series, photography, portrait, reality, space, time and works on paper Tags: American black and white photography, American documentary photographer, American documentary photography, American group portrait photography, American traveling circuses, banquet camera, banquet photographer, banquet photography, big top, candy butchers, canvasmen, Celebrating "Ringling Golden Jubilee", Century Photographers, Christy Brothers Circus, Christy Brothers Circus Side Show, circus band conductor, circus memorabilia, circus photography, circus pictures, circus publicity, Clyde Beatty, Clyde Beatty Circus, Col. Tim McCoy and his Congress of Rough Riders of the World, Col. W.T. Johnson's World Champion Cowgirls, Cole Bros., Cole Brothers - Clyde Beatty Circus, Coney Island, Congress of Clowns, Congress of Freaks, Congress of the World's Rough Riders, disciplined bodies, Doll Family of Midgets, Dorothy Herbert, Edward J. Kelty, Edward J. Kelty Celebrating "Ringling Golden Jubilee", Edward J. Kelty Christy Brothers Circus Side Show, Edward J. Kelty Col. Tim McCoy and his Congress of Rough Riders of the World, Edward J. Kelty Col. W.T. Johnson's World Champion Cowgirls, Edward J. Kelty Cole Brothers - Clyde Beatty Circus, Edward J. Kelty Congress of Clowns, Edward J. Kelty Congress of Freaks, Edward J. Kelty Congress of the World's Rough Riders, Edward J. Kelty Doll Family of Midgets, Edward J. Kelty George Denman and His Staff, Edward J. Kelty Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, Edward J. Kelty Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus Executive Staff, Edward J. Kelty Harlem Black Birds, Edward J. Kelty Hunt's Three Ring Circus, Edward J. Kelty James Whalen and His Big Top Department, Edward J. Kelty Marcellus Golden Models, Edward J. Kelty Queens of the Air, Edward J. Kelty Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus, Edward J. Kelty Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Concert Band, Edward J. Kelty Ringling Golden Jubilee, Edward J. Kelty Sam B. Dill's Circus, Edward J. Kelty Sells-Floto Big Double Side Show, Edward J. Kelty Tommy Atkins Military Riding Maids, Edward J. Kelty U.S.W.P.A. Federal Theatre Circus Unit, Edward J. Kelty Walter L. Main Circus, Edward J. Kelty World Renowned Acrobats, Edward Kelty, exotic physiognomies, flash photography, Flashlight Photographers, George Denman and His Staff, glass plate negatives, Greatest Show on Earth, group portrait photography, group portraits, group portraits of clowns, Hagenbeck-Wallace, Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus Executive Staff, Harlem Black Birds, Hunt's Three Ring Circus, impresarios, interior and exterior panoramas, interior and exterior photographic panoramas, James Whalen, James Whalen and His Big Top Department, limelight daredevils, Madison Square Garden, Marcellus Golden Models, Maxwell Frederic Coplan, Merle Evans, Merle Evans Bandmaster, Merle Slease Evans, Miss Tommy Atkins, New York City, New York studio, Nitrate-based film, panoramic photographer, panoramic photography, physiognomies, Queens of the Air, razor-backs, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus Side Show, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Menagerie, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Concert Band, Ringling Golden Jubilee, Sam B. Dill Circus, Sam B. Dill's Circus, Sells-Floto, Sells-Floto Big Double Side Show, Tarrytown, teeterboard tumblers, Terre Haute, the Great Depression, ticket takers, Tommy Atkins, Tommy Atkins Military Riding Maids, Toscanini of the Big Top, U.S.W.P.A. Federal Theatre Circus Unit, Walter L. Main Circus, web-sitters, wedding and banquet photographer, World Renowned Acrobats, wranglers Edward J. Kelty (1888-1967) Century Photographers Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey (Combined) Circus [clowns behind Madison Square Garden] 7 3/8 × 9 1/4 inches (23.8 × 23.5 cm) There’s a quality of legend about freaks… I mean, if you’ve ever spoken to someone with two heads, you know they know something you don’t. Most people go through life dreading they’ll have a traumatic experience – freaks were born with their trauma. They’ve already passed their test in life. They’re aristocrats. During my research for this posting, someone, somewhere, said that Kelty was “not a very adventurous photographer.” What a load of rubbish. If they meant “adventurous” by being avant-garde to that you can only answer: imagine the passion and dedication, and the skill of the photographer to compose these panoramic images for 15 years, from the mid-1920s to 1940, using a specially made “banquet” camera that produced 12-by-20-inch images. Just imagine loading up your car with such a monster camera and travelling the roads to the site of these circus encampments, sometimes two or three different circuses a day, to record a veritable feast of difference and diversity. To give equal weight to each and every person. And to then develop the negatives in the back of your car. If this is not adventurous I don’t know what is. And Kelty had to pay for the privilege. “Kelty was under contract to that circus, meaning he had to pay Ringling Brothers a commission for every circus picture he took. But he was not a circus employee, which had several of its own photographers who specialized in behind-the-scenes candids.”1 The photographs, these grand assemblages of multiculturalism, were not staged for free. Kelty’s stylised images of sideshow freaks, clowns and other circus exotics are highly idiosyncratic in the world of art photography because, of course, he would not have thought of himself as an artist. Much as Eugène Atget never thought of himself as an artist, hanging a sign on his studio door saying, “Documents pour artistes” (Documents for artists), the sign declaring, “… his modest ambition of providing other artists with images to use as source material in their own work” (MoMA), so Kelty would have only thought he was recording these mise-en-scène for his own benefit, his passion, and to possibly sell a few photographs on the side. Kelty’s day job was that of professional banquet photographer photographing weddings and the corporate world. The freedom he must have felt going to the circus and engaging with all these wonderful people would have been incredible. And he didn’t discriminate: his egalitarian photographs document the archetypes of the travelling circus, from “group portraits of clowns, sideshow attractions, bands, elephants, menageries, aerialists, equestrians, tractor and train crews, candy butchers (seen with their backs turned to show the “Baby Ruth Candy” logo on their smocks), and even everybody in the Ringling-Barnum cookhouse tent on July 4, 1935.” (Amazon) Ellen Warren in her article “The mysterious Mr. Kelty”2 observes that Kelty’s photographs are “hopelessly politically incorrect by today’s standards”. In one sense this is true, with the camera documenting and objectifying the “Other”, with the literal naming of difference – “congress of freaks”, “colored review” – but is this objectification little different to the later, more intimate photographs of Diane Arbus documenting a dwarf in his bedroom, a Jewish giant at home with his parents, or an Albino sword swallower at a carnival? Only the archetypal scale is different. In another and perhaps a more generous sense of spirit, Kelty’s images of circus life document a “family” that lived, breathed, ate and travelled together, who looked after each other during fires and vicissitudes, who had a job and food on the table during The Great Depression … people who Kelty imaged as equal and important as each other by placing them in row after row. In photographs such as Christy Brothers Circus Side Show, H. Emgard – Manager (1927, below), “Living Curiosities” mix it with “Minstrels”, musicians, dancers and comedians and a Scottish family band dressed up in Tartan. All given equal weight in a splendid display, a panopoly of presentation from around the world. And it would seem that the crowds at the circus were equally fascinated by these assemblages, and the process of Kelty taking the photograph, if the glimpses of the audience at left in Congress of the World’s Rough Riders – Celebrating Ringling Golden Jubilee, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus (1933, below) and at right in Col. Tim McCoy and his Congress of Rough Riders of the World Featured on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus (1935, below) are anything to go by. Other things to note about the photographs are: the shutter time which can be seen by the moving figures at left in George Denman and His Staff, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows (1931, below); the impeccable use of even light; the use of flash in photographs such as Col. W.T. Johnson’s World Champion Cowgirls – Madison Square Garden – New York City – 1935 (1935, below) and Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Concert Band, Merle Evans – Bandmaster (1927, below); and Kelty’s innate ability to conduct and compose the scene. This is where Kelty excels himself as an artist and photographer, where he rises above the everyday to become extra-ordinary. Two photographs are instructive in this regard, the earlier Congress of Freaks with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus (1931, below) and the later “Doll Family of Midgets”, Celebrating “Ringling Golden Jubilee”, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus Side Show (1933, below) in which Kelty returns two years later to document more or less the same group of people in the same setting. In the first image, one of the most famous of Kelty’s photographs, two lines of people rise from the outside and then fall (using the height of the subjects) towards the woman seated centrally in the bottom row who grounds the giant, Christ-like figure in the row above, his outstretched arms offering the display to the viewer. In the elegance and placement of figures this is a masterful construction of the image plane. In the later photograph Kelty doubles down, bookending both rows with symmetrical characters (giant women with headdresses, men in black tie) instead of just the one row in the first photograph – the rows again rising and falling towards the central characters, the giants framing the composition with outstretched arms. It might seem simple but it is not. This is not some hack at work, not some unadventurous photographer with limited imagination, but a man composing a fugue like J.S.Bach, a veritable banquet for the eyes. To suggest otherwise is to not understand the history of photography, the history of representation, and the passion needed to represent life in all its forms. Dr Marcus Bunyan for Art Blart Ellen Warren. “The mysterious Mr. Kelty,” on the Chicago Tribune website February 7, 2003 [Online] Cited 23/11/2018 Ibid., All of the photographs in this posting are published under “fair use” conditions for the purpose of educational research and academic comment. Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image. Going by the evidence of the photographs, Kelty seems to have had three studio addresses close to each other in Midtown New York during his 15 years photographing the circus: first 144 West 46th (1925-1930), 74 W 47th (1931-1934) and finally 110 W 46th (1935-1940). As can be seen from the map above (with one exception of a photograph in St. Louis MO), Kelty usually travelled close to home to document the circus wherever they set up camp. Century Photographers 144 W 46 N.Y.C. Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Concert Band, Merle Evans – Bandmaster Merle Slease Evans (December 26, 1891 – December 31, 1987) was a cornet player and circus band conductor who conducted the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for fifty years. He was known as the “Toscanini of the Big Top.” Evans was inducted into the American Bandmasters Association in 1947 and the International Circus Hall of Fame in 1975. … Evans was hired as the band director for the newly merged Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1919. Evans held this job for fifty years, until his retirement in 1969. He only missed performances due to a musicians union strike in 1942 and the death of his first wife. He wrote eight circus marches, including Symphonia and Fredella. (Text from the Wikipedia website) Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus Jersey City, N.J. – May 27th 1929 Century Photographers 74 W 47 N.Y.C. George Denman and His Staff, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows Irvington, N.J. – June 9th, 1931 11 1/4 × 19 5/8 inches (28.6 × 49.9 cm) Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus – Greatest Show on Earth – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros. or simply Ringling was an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Earth. It and its predecessor shows ran from 1871 to 2017. Known as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows, the circus started in 1919 when the Barnum & Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth, a circus created by P. T. Barnum and James Anthony Bailey, was merged with the Ringling Bros. World’s Greatest Shows. The Ringling brothers had purchased Barnum & Bailey Ltd. following Bailey’s death in 1906, but ran the circuses separately until they were merged in 1919. … In 1871, Dan Castello and William Cameron Coup persuaded Barnum to come out of retirement as to lend his name, know-how and financial backing to the circus they had already created in Delavan, Wisconsin. The combined show was named “P.T. Barnum’s Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome”. As described by Barnum, Castello and Coup “had a show that was truly immense, and combined all the elements of museum, menagerie, variety performance, concert hall, and circus”, and considered it to potentially be “the Greatest Show on Earth”, which subsequently became part of the circus’s name. Independently of Castello and Coup, James Anthony Bailey had teamed up with James E. Cooper to create the Cooper and Bailey Circus in the 1860s. The Cooper and Bailey Circus became the chief competitor to Barnum’s circus. As Bailey’s circus was outperforming his, Barnum sought to merge the circuses. The two groups agreed to combine their shows on March 28, 1881. Initially named “P.T. Barnum’s Greatest Show On Earth, And The Great London Circus, Sanger’s Royal British Menagerie and The Grand International Allied Shows United”, it was eventually shortened to “Barnum and Bailey’s Circus”. Bailey was instrumental in acquiring Jumbo, advertised as the world’s largest elephant, for the show. Barnum died in 1891 and Bailey then purchased the circus from his widow. Bailey continued touring the eastern United States until he took his circus to Europe. That tour started on December 27, 1897, and lasted until 1902. Separately, in 1884, five of the seven Ringling brothers had started a small circus in Baraboo, Wisconsin. This was about the same time that Barnum & Bailey were at the peak of their popularity. Similar to dozens of small circuses that toured the Midwest and the Northeast at the time, the brothers moved their circus from town to town in small animal-drawn caravans. Their circus rapidly grew and they were soon able to move their circus by train, which allowed them to have the largest traveling amusement enterprise of that time. Bailey’s European tour gave the Ringling brothers an opportunity to move their show from the Midwest to the eastern seaboard. Faced with the new competition, Bailey took his show west of the Rocky Mountains for the first time in 1905. He died the next year, and the circus was sold to the Ringling Brothers. The Ringlings purchased the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth in 1907 and ran the circuses separately until 1919. By that time, Charles Edward Ringling and John Nicholas Ringling were the only remaining brothers of the five who founded the circus. They decided that it was too difficult to run the two circuses independently, and on March 29, 1919, “Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows” debuted in New York City. The posters declared, “The Ringling Bros. World’s Greatest Shows and the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth are now combined into one record-breaking giant of all exhibitions.” Charles E. Ringling died in 1926, but the circus flourished through the Roaring Twenties. John Ringling had the circus move its headquarters to Sarasota, Florida in 1927. In 1929, the American Circus Corporation signed a contract to perform in New York City. John Ringling purchased American Circus, owner of five circuses, for $1.7 million… The circus suffered during the 1930s due to the Great Depression, but managed to stay in business. After John Nicholas Ringling’s death, his nephew, John Ringling North, managed the indebted circus twice, the first from 1937 to 1943. Special dispensation was given to the circus by President Roosevelt to use the rails to operate in 1942, in spite of travel restrictions imposed as a result of World War II. Many of the most famous images from the circus that were published in magazine and posters were captured by American photographer Maxwell Frederic Coplan, who traveled the world with the circus, capturing its beauty as well as its harsh realities. Text from the Wikipedia website Congress of the World’s Rough Riders – Celebrating Ringling Golden Jubilee, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus Brooklyn, N.Y. May 19th 1933 “In the late nineteenth century, America displayed a new imperialistic mood and a heightened desire to impress her independence upon Europe when she embarked upon a number of military adventures in the Caribbean and Pacific. During the same period, there appeared a new popular hero – the “Rough Rider” – who derived from the Western frontier but expanded the field of heroic action well beyond the shores of America. The creation of this hero and the scene in which he was set demonstrates how popular culture of the period not only embodied but facilitated crucial developments in the nation’s growth.” Christine Bold. “The Rough Riders at Home and Abroad: Cody, Roosevelt, Remington and the Imperialist hero,” in Canadian Review of American Studies Volume 18 Issue 3, September 1987, pp. 321-350 Celebrating “Ringling Golden Jubilee”, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Menagerie In mid-20th century America, a typical circus traveled from town to town by train, performing under a huge canvas tent commonly called a “big top”. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus was no exception: what made it stand out was that it was the largest circus in the country. Its big top could seat 9,000 spectators around its three rings; the tent’s canvas had been coated with 1,800 pounds (820 kg) of paraffin wax dissolved in 6,000 US gallons (23,000 l) of gasoline, a common waterproofing method of the time. A menagerie is a collection of captive animals, frequently exotic, kept for display; or the place where such a collection is kept, a precursor to the modern zoological garden. The term was first used in seventeenth century France in reference to the management of household or domestic stock. Later, it came to be used primarily in reference to aristocratic or royal animal collections. The French-language Methodical Encyclopaedia of 1782 defines a menagerie as an “establishment of luxury and curiosity.” Later on, the term referred also to travelling animal collections that exhibited wild animals at fairs across Europe and the Americas. Texts from the Wikipedia website Ringling Golden Jubilee – Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus Newark, N.Y. June ? 1933 Congress of Freaks with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus “Doll Family of Midgets”, Celebrating “Ringling Golden Jubilee”, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus Side Show Century Photographers 110 W 46 NYC Col. Tim McCoy and his Congress of Rough Riders of the World Featured on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Newark. N.J. June 11th 1935 Timothy John Fitzgerald McCoy (April 10, 1891 – January 29, 1978) was an American actor, military officer, and expert on American Indian life and customs. He was also known Colonel T.J. McCoy. McCoy worked steadily in movies until 1936, when he left Hollywood, first to tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus and then with his own “wild west” show. The show was not a success and is reported to have lost $300,000, of which $100,000 was McCoy’s own money. It folded in Washington, D.C. and the cowboy performers were each given $5 and McCoy’s thanks. The Indians on the show were returned to their respective reservations by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. … For his contribution to the film industry, Col. Tim McCoy was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1973, McCoy was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. McCoy was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1974. Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Jersey City, N.J. June 12, 1935 Congress of Clowns, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus Patterson, N. J. June 13, 1935 11 1/8 × 19 5/8inches (28.3 × 49.9 cm) World Renowned Acrobats, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus “Queens of the Air”, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus Tommy Atkins Military Riding Maids featured with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Poughkeepsie, N.Y. – June 15th 1935 Dorothy Herbert (1910-1994) joined Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey in 1930 when she was only 20 years old. Over the next decade she truly became a headliner – appearing on a variety of posters, including several seen here. Like Lillian Leitzel, May Wirth and Tim McCoy, and later Lou Jacobs and Gunther Gebel-Williams – her star status led to the creation of a number of posters featuring her image. Herbert was only 24 years old when a portrait lithograph was added to the Ringling-Barnum billposter hod during the 1934 season. Starting that spring, and for several seasons following, an image of Miss Herbert and her horse Satan appeared in hundreds of store windows as both a one-sheet and a window card, and in a much larger format on the sides of walls and barns. The same portrait was also featured on the cover of the 1934 program book, the first time an individual circus star was featured on the Ringling-Barnum “Program and Daily Review”. … [Herbert] features in a display that she starred in titled “Miss Tommy Atkins and Her Military Maids” The depiction is of a group of girls on horses, dressed in British red-coat dress uniforms. The act consisted of military equestrian manoeuvres and the reason it carried the name “Miss Tommy Atkins” is that a British soldier of the era was often referred to as a “Tommy Atkins” much in the way that American soldiers have been known as “G.I. Joe”. Extract from Chris Berry. “Dorothy Herbert (Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey),” on the Collectors Weekly website 2012 [Online] Cited 20/10/2018 Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus Executive Staff New Brunswick, N.J. – June 17th 1931 The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus was a circus that traveled across America in the early part of the 20th century. At its peak, it was the second-largest circus in America next to Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. It was based in Peru, Indiana. The circus began as the “Carl Hagenbeck Circus” by Carl Hagenbeck (1844-1913). Hagenbeck was an animal trainer who pioneered the use of rewards-based animal training as opposed to fear-based training. Meanwhile, Benjamin Wallace, a livery stable owner from Peru, Indiana, and his business partner, James Anderson, bought a circus in 1884 and created “The Great Wallace Show”. The show gained some prominence when their copyright for advertising posters was upheld by the Supreme Court in Bleistein v. Donaldson Lithographing Company. Wallace bought out his partner in 1890 and formed the “B. E. Wallace Circus”. In 1907, Wallace purchased the Carl Hagenbeck Circus and merged it with his circus. The circus became known as the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus at that time, even though Carl Hagenbeck protested. He sued to prohibit the use of his name but lost in court. … The circus spent its winters just outside Baldwin Park, California. There, on 35 acres of land, the circus stayed with its huge parade wagons parked alongside a railroad spur. The elephants spent time hauling refuse wagons, shunting railroad cars and piling baled hay. A tent at the eastern edge of the grounds was used by aerialists to practice trapeze and high-wire acts. The circus usually remained there from late November to early spring. The Great Depression and Ringling’s ill health caused the Ringling empire to falter. In 1935, the circus split from Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey and became the Hagenbeck-Wallace and Forepaugh-Sells Bros. Circus. It finally ceased operations in 1938. The complex near Peru that formerly housed the winter home of Hagenbeck-Wallace now serves as the home of the Circus Hall of Fame. Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus 11 1/4 × 19 5/8 inches (28.6 × 49.9 cm.) Edward J. Kelty (1888-1967) moved to New York City following his service in the Navy during World War I, and opened up his first studio, Flashlight Photographers. Kelty was drawn to the circus and visited Coney Island often. In the summer of 1922, he transformed his truck into a mini studio, darkroom and living quarters, and traveled across America. His panoramic views captured the performers – human and animal – associated with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Hagenbeck-Wallace, Sells-Floto, Clyde Beatty, Cole Bros. and other train, wagon and truck shows. A typical day for Kelty would have him waking at dawn to set up cameras and tripods, gathering bearded ladies and sword swallowers, snake charmers and giants and shooting all morning. At times he had as many as 1,000 people in a picture. Afternoons were spent processing film and making proofs, taking orders and printing well into the night. The following day, he distributed prints, most often to circus staff and performers, before returning to his New York studio to work on his wedding and banquet photography business. Kelty was hit hard by the Depression, and by 1942 had cashed in his glass plate negatives to settle a hefty bar tab. He moved to Chicago and, as legend has it, never took another photograph. His extant negatives eventually made their way into a Tennessee collection of circus memorabilia. Since Kelty used Nitrate-based film, which is unstable when improperly housed, the negatives self-destructed and were disposed of. After Kelty died in 1967, his estranged family found no photographs, cameras or negatives among his belongings – just one old lens and a union concession employee ID card identifying him as a vendor at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. There was no evidence of the man who, along with his custom mammoth-size banquet camera and portable studio, documented America’s greatest traveling circuses. Text from the Swann Galleries website Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, Jess Adkins, Manager – Rex De Rosselli, Producer of Spectacle – Harry McFarlan, Equestrienne Director Brooklyn, N.J. June 11th 1932 St. Louis, MO. – May 11th 1934 Banquet photography Banquet photography is the photography of large groups of people, typically in a banquet setting such as a hotel or club banquet room, with the objective of commemorating an event. Clubs, associations, unions, circuses and debutante balls have all been captured by banquet photographers. A banquet photograph is usually taken in black and white with a large format camera, with a wide angle lens, from a high angle to ensure that each person is in focus while seated at their table. Large cameras such as a 12×20 view camera or a panoramic camera were used. The defining characteristic of a banquet photograph is the depth of focus and detail and clarity of the image. Banquet photography was most popular in the 1890s, and had mostly waned by the 1970s. In part its decline is owed to the difficult technical aspects of producing quality banquet photos, the difficulty of printing such large negatives, and the expense and size of the equipment needed. Today, though hard to find, there are a handful of photographers still shooting banquet photos with flashbulbs and large format film cameras. View cameras use large format sheet film – one sheet per photograph. Christy Brothers Circus Side Show, H. Emgard – Manager George Washington Christy was born February 22 1889 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania to parents John and Ida Christy. The circus opened in 1919 under the title of “Christy Hippodrome Shows” (later changed to Christy Bros. Circus). The show opened as a two car show, Christy purchased many of his parade wagons from the Ringling Bros. after they discontinued their downtown parades. The circus wintered first in Galveston, Texas and then in South Houston, where Christy had built a home. On May 25, the show’s trained wrecked just outside of Cardston Alberta, Canada.. G.W. Christy, being the showman that he was set up in a cornfield near the wreck and gave a performance while the rails were being cleared. In 1925 and 1926, Christy operated a second unit named “Lee Bros.”, but closed it after the the 1926 season. The “Great Depression” beginning in 1929, was a difficult time for all shows on the road. The Christy Bros. Circus was no exception, not only was the economy in bad shape but weather was also a major factor. Christy and his loyal employees struggled to keep the circus on the road. On July 7, 1930 the Christy Brothers Circus gave it’s last performance in Greeley, Colorado. After the close of the show, most of the equipment was sold in 1935 to Jess Adkins and Zack Terrell, who were framing their Cole Bros. Circus, some of the parade wagons went to the “Ken Mayner Circus”. Christy kept his elephants and horses, the elephants were used to help build Spencer Highway in South Houston, Texas. After leaving the circus world George Christy became mayor of the City of South Houston serving from 1949 to 1951 and again from 1960 to 1964. George Washington Christy died August 07, 1975 in Houston Texas. Text from the Circuses and Sideshows website Walter L. Main Circus The Walter L. Main Circus was founded by Walter L. Main in 1886. Walter’s father “William” was a horse farmer, trainer and trader in Trumbull, Ohio. William began supplying horses to circuses, which led to him joining the “Hilliard & Skinner’s Variety and Indian show”. William toured with several shows and in the 1870s began his own, very small circus. … 1904 was the last year that the “Walter L. Main Circus” operated under Walters ownership, the circus was sold that year to William P. Hall. In 1918 Walter leased the Main title to Andrew Downie who made a small fortune operating his circus under the Main name until he sold the show to the Miller Bros. of the 101 Ranch Wild West Show in 1924. In 1925 until 1928 the Main title was used by Floyd King and his brother Howard. The Main title was used by various operators 1930-1937. (Text from the Circuses and Sideshows website) Edward J. Kelty (American, 1888-–1967) Harlem Black Birds, Coney Island 12 x 20 in. (30.5 x 50.8 cm) Collection of Ken Harck © Edward J. Kelty Sells-Floto Big Double Side Show, Jersey City, N.J. – June 19th 1931, Lew. C. Edelmore – Manager Sam B. Dill’s Circus Mineola, L.I., N.Y. – June 19th 1933 Early Wednesday morning, July 19, 1933, a long train arrived in York and stopped near the fairgrounds. The Sam B. Dill Circus had arrived. “Young America, having caught the infectious circus spirit is likely to be in ahead of both morning orb and circus and be on the lot along with enthusiastic adults to greet the show train on its arrival there,” The York Dispatch reported the day before the train’s arrival. The unloading and setting up of the circus tents and shows worked smoothly. All of the performers knew their jobs. They had been doing it multiple times each week since the circus had opened its season in Dallas on April 9. Wagons containing the menagerie were rolled down ramps. Trunks were carried off to other areas. Elephants and roustabouts worked to raise the big top as the sun rose. Within a relatively short time, the big top tent was erected, and the performers went to work preparing their equipment inside while the roustabouts set up the bleacher seating. By the time everything was finished around 9 a.m., the cooks in the circus kitchen had breakfast ready. The Sam B. Dill Circus was scheduled to play two performances, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., for York residents. “Sam B. Dill’s Circus isn’t the biggest circus in the world, but what it lacks in size it makes up in quality,” the Amarillo Sunday News and Globe wrote about the circus. Dill had managed the famous John Robinson Circus, but when it was sold to the American Circus Corp., Dill had struck out on his own. Though not a large circus, Dill’s circus was popular and tended to sell out its performances. After breakfast, everyone had a short rest, and then they began to scurry around getting the menagerie wagons harnessed to horses and in a line. Performers dressed in their bright and flamboyant costumes. At noon, “a long column of red, gold and glitter, with bands playing and banners flying will move sinuously out of the Richland Avenue gate,” The York Dispatch reported. From Richland Avenue, the parade moved east on Princess Street, then north on George Street to Continental Square. From the square, the circus moved west on Market Street and then back to Richland Avenue. Thousands of spectators lined the route to watch the performers, hear the music and marvel at the wild animals. The first wagon was the band wagon where Shirley Pitts, the country’s only female calliope player, conducted the band. Then came the wagons pulling tigers, monkeys, seals and more. Other flat wagons featured clowns goofing off and Wild West displays. When the parade arrived back at the fairgrounds, many of the spectators followed. Although the big top wouldn’t open until 1 p.m., spectators wandered the midway, playing games, getting an up-close look at the menagerie or viewed some of the shows in the smaller tents. The three-ring show under the big top had dozens of animals such as Oscar the Lion, Buddy the performing sea lion, camels, zebras, horses, elephants, dogs, monkeys and ponies. Christian Belmont swung on the trapeze, along with aerialist Rene Larue. Mary Miller performed a head-balancing act. The four Bell Brothers showed off their acrobatic skills, and Betha Owen owned the high wire. Among the clowns, young Jimmy Thomas was noted as the “youngest clown in the circus world.” He traveled with his mother, Lorette Jordan, who was also an aerialist with the show. The circus also liked to feature a western movie star with its Wild West acts. In 1933, that performer was Buck Steel. The following year, Tom Mix joined the circus. He had been a major western movie star who had seen his popularity decline in the 1920s. In 1935, he bought the circus from Dill and renamed it the Tom Mix Circus. Following the 8 p.m. show, the performers broke down the circus and loaded it back on the train to head out by midnight for the next city. Text “LOOKING BACK 1933: The circus comes to town,” from the York Dispatch website Hunt’s Three Ring Circus Northport, L.I., N.Y. – June 26th 1931 James Whalen and His Big Top Department – Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus Reading, P.A. – June 1st 1934 Cole Brothers – Clyde Beatty Circus Cumberland, MD July 27th 1935 Clyde Beatty Circus Clyde Beatty (June 10, 1903 – July 19, 1965) began his circus career working as a cage boy for Louis Roth, he learned his trade quickly and soon had his own animal act. Beatty’s “fighting act” style and his showmanship propelled him to stardom. Not only was Clyde a star of the center ring but he also starred in numerous movies, radio shows and his adventures were fictionalised in novels. The name “Clyde Beatty” became a very value asset to circus. The name was used on posters and painted on show equipment alongside the circus’ name on whatever show he was working. In 1935 Clyde Beatty was on Jess Adkins and Zack Terrell’s “Cole Bros. Circus”, Then in 1943 he worked for Art Concello on the “Clyde Beatty-Russell Bros. Circus”. Beatty continued to be active with the show until his death in 1965. Cole Bros. Circus The Cole Title dates back to 1870 when William Washington Cole (1847–1915), started the W. W. Cole Circus. Cole was very successful in in the circus business and when he died in 1915, left an estate of five million dollars. He is considered to be the first circus millionaire. in 1906 the title was purchased by Canadian showman Martin Downs and his son James and the title was changed to Cole Bros.. The circus was moved from St. Louis, Mo. to it’s new winter quarters in Birmingham, Al.. In the late 1920s the Cole Bros. titled was used by Floyd King and his brother Howard. This version of the Cole Bros. Circus operated mostly in the west, playing mining camps and boomtowns, truly a frontier circus. The new Cole Bros. Circus, 35 railroad car show first took to the road in 1935 with Jess Adkins and Zack Terrell as the circus organizers and owners. Terrell who had managed the Sells-Floto Circus for the American Circus Corp. from 1921 – 1932 and in 1934 he managed a circus at the Chicago World’s Fair operated by the Standard Oil Company. Adkins had managed the Gentry Bros. Circus for Floyd King, the 25 car John Robinson Circus and in 1931 the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. Jess Adkins and Zack Terrell were very capable managers however neither had ever owned a circus, however in 1934 each were quietly making plans to take out their own circuses. Adkins and Terrell went to Lancaster, Mo. and purchased equipment left from the now defunct Robbins Bros. Circus. The purchased included 15 wagons, 6 elephants, 5 camels, school horses, and zebras. The equipment was moved to Rochester, IN where they had bought property to serve as a winter quarters. Adkins and Terrell hired Floyd King as general agent and Arnold Maley as office manager who both assisted in the organisation of the show. This was the beginning of the Cole Bros. Circus Texts from the Circuses and Sideshows website Col. W.T. Johnson’s World Champion Cowgirls – Madison Square Garden – New York City – 1935 The Great Depression of the 1930s was one of the most traumatic periods in American history. The human suffering caused by the Stock Market crash, and the business failures that followed took a toll which has never been fully calculated. Yet through all of the hardships, some business did thrive… One sport which prospered during the Depression was rodeo, Its big-time circuit grew enormously during the 1930s, and incomes of contestants and producers increased as well. Much of the credit for this must go to Col. William Taylor Johnson of San Antonio, Texas. Johnson became a rodeo producer in 1928, and by the mid-thirties had taken over the prestigious Madison Square Garden Rodeo and created a viable eastern circuit which ushered in a new era of rodeo history. The eastern contests paid excellent prizes and extended the season, so that many cowboys and cowgirls did exceptionally well for those troubled times. During the Depression, average incomes for rodeo professionals on the big-time circuit averaged from one to three thousand dollars annually, while top champions earned from ten to twelve thousand dollars a year… By 1934, every rodeo which Johnson produced had set attendance records, and the eastern circuit was an integral part of rodeo. (“The Story of The Billboard, and Col. W. T. Johnson’s Rodeos,” The Billboard, 29 October 1934, 75). In spite of his many contributions, Johnson is honored by no rodeo Hall of Fame, and has never been nominated. How could such a major figure be ignored? Extract from the abstract from Mary Lou LeCompte. “Colonel William Thomas Johnson, Premier Rodeo Producer of the 1930s.” The University of Texas at Austin Century Photographers 110 W 46 U.S.W.P.A. Federal Theatre Circus Unit New York City, Sept. 26th 1936 United States Works Progress Administration (U.S.W.P.A.) The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was the largest and most ambitious American New Deal agency, employing millions of people (mostly unskilled men) to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads. In a much smaller project, Federal Project Number One, the WPA employed musicians, artists, writers, actors and directors in large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects. The Federal Theatre Project (FTP; 1935-39) was a New Deal program to fund theatre and other live artistic performances and entertainment programs in the United States during the Great Depression. It was one of five Federal Project Number One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administration. It was created not as a cultural activity but as a relief measure to employ artists, writers, directors and theater workers. It was shaped by national director Hallie Flanagan into a federation of regional theatres that created relevant art, encouraged experimentation in new forms and techniques, and made it possible for millions of Americans to see live theatre for the first time. The Federal Theatre Project ended when its funding was canceled after strong Congressional objections to the left-wing political tone of a small percentage of its productions. Marcellus Golden Models 11 1/4 × 8 7/8 inches (28.6 × 22.5 cm) “Fortunately, we aren’t entirely bereft of a visual record of these arcane marvels. A Manhattan banquet photographer name Edward Kelty, whose usual venue was hotel ballrooms and Christmas parties, went out intermittently in the summer from the early 1920s to the mid-1940s, taking panoramic tripod pictures of circus personnel, in what could only have constituted a labor of love. He was expert, anyway, from his bread-and-butter job, at joshing smiles and camaraderie out of disparate collection of people, coaxing them to drape their arms around each other and trust the box’s eye. He had begun close to home, at Coney Island freak shows, when the subway was extended out there, and Times Square flea-circus “museums” and variety halls, and the Harlem Amusement Palace. Later, building upon contact and friendships from those places, he outfitted a truck for darkroom purposes (presumably to sleep in too) and sallied farther to photograph the tented circuses that played on vacant lots in New Jersey, Connecticut, or on Long Island, and gradually beyond. He would pose an ensemble of horse wranglers, canvasmen, ticket takers, candy butchers, teeterboard tumblers, “web-sitters” (the guys who hold the ropes for the ballet girls who climb up them and twirl), and limelight daredevils, or the bosses and moneymen. He took everybody, roustabouts as conscientiously as impresarios, and although he was not artistically very ambitious – and did hawk his prints both to the public and to the troupers, at “six for $5” – in his consuming hobby he surely aspired to document this vivid, disreputable demimonde [a group of people on the fringes of respectable society] obsessively, thoroughly: which is his gift to us. More of these guys may have been camera-shy than publicity hounds, but Kelty’s rubber-chicken award ceremonies and industrial photo shoots must have taught him how to relax jumpy people for the few minutes required. With his Broadway pinstripes and a news-man’s bent fedora, as proprietor of Century Flashlight Photographers in the West Forties, he must have become a trusted presence in the “Backyard” and “Clown Alley.” He knew show-business and street touts, bookies and scalpers – but also how to flirt with a marquee star. Because his personal life seems to have been a bit of a train wreck, I think of him more as a hatcheck girl’s swain, yet he knew hot to let the sangfroid sing from some of these faces… These zany tribes of showboaters must have amused him, after the wintertime’s chore of recording for posterity some forty-year drudge receiving a gold watch…. The ushers, the prop men and riggers, the cookhouse crew, the elephant men and cat men, the show-girls arrayed in white bathing suits in a tightly chaperoned, winsome line, the hoboes who had put the tent up and, in the wee hours, would tear it down, and the bosses whose body language, with arms akimbo and swaggering legs, tells us something of who hey were: these collective images telegraph the complexity of the circus hierarchy, with the starts at the top, winos at the bottom. … While arranging corporate personnel in the phoney bonhomie of an office get-together, Kelty must have longed for summer, when he would be snapping “Congresses” of mugging clowns, fugue-ing freaks, rodeo sharpshooters, plus the train crews known as “razor-backs” (Raise your backs!), who loaded and unloaded the wagons from railroad flatcars at midnight and dawn… Circuses flouted convention as part of their pitch – flaunted and cashed in on the romance of outlawry, like Old World gypsies. If there hadn’t been a crime wave when the show was in town, everybody sure expected one. And the exotic physiognomies, strangely cut clothes, and oddly focused, disciplined bodies were almost as disturbing – “Near Eastern,” whatever Near Eastern meant (it somehow sounded weirder than “Middle Eastern” or “Far Eastern”), bedouin Arabs, Turks and Persians, or Pygmies, Zulus, people cicatrized, “platter-lipped,” or nose-split. That was the point. They came from all over the known world to parade on gaudy ten-hitch wagons or caparisoned [decked out in rich decorative coverings] elephants down Main Street, and then, like the animals in the cages, you wanted them to leave town. Edward Hoagland. Sex and the River Styx. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2011, pp. 81-84 Review: 'Turning Points: Contemporary Photography from China' at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

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Content by Keyword: Biomedical Research Cost Drivers in the Development and Validation of Biomarkers Used in Drug Development Despite the increasing investment and interest in drug development, the amount of time and resources needed to develop a new drug continues to rise. Biomarkers are an important tool with the potential to decrease the time, cost, and failure rate of drug development. Given the role of biomarkers in drug development, it is important to understand ho FinalBiomarkersReport.pdf Costs and Benefits of Selected Policy Tools to Promote Drug Development The development of new drugs and biologics is critical to ensuring that the U.S. population continues to enjoy improvements in quality and length of life. However, pharmaceutical companies must balance this imperative with the need to earn economic returns when making investment decisions. Some drugs, although desirable from a societal perspecti DrugDevelopmentPolicyTools.pdf Analysis Report: Understanding the Role of Partnerships in Medical Product Development Partnerships involving public sector organizations, academia, non-profits, and pharmaceutical companies have demonstrated their potential for addressing unmet needs in medical product research and development (R&D). Effective partnerships can enhance access to innovation, reduce risk, manage costs, and may provide a means for steering R&D ASPEAnalysisReport.pdf The Impact of Reimbursement Policies and Practices on Healthcare Technology Innovation It is widely accepted that reimbursement policies and practices are important considerations in the research and development (R&D) decisions of potential innovators of healthcare technologies, and the investors who finance them. The decision by a public program or health plan to subsidize use of a technology (often referred to as a coverage dec ImpactofReimbursementonInnovation.pdf Personalized Health Care Expert Panel Meeting: Summary Report Contents Demonstrating Clinical Validity and Utility Demonstrating Value Reducing Health Disparities Educating and Engaging Providers and Consumers Using Databases to Build Evidence, Inform Decisions Examination of Clinical Trial Costs and Barriers for Drug Development Pharmaceutical companies conduct clinical trials for many reasons. The most obvious goal of clinical trials is to demonstrate safety and efficacy to gain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. FDA provides guidance to developers about what constitutes acceptable clinical trials and appropriate outcomes. Improving the drug development process rpt_erg.pdf Identifying Opportunities to Maximize the Utility of Genomics Research Data Through Electronic Health Information Exchange This report is a summary of the presentations and discussions at the workshop held by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, the National Cancer Institute, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Office of the National Coordination for Health Information Technology on October 15, 2009. From: Identifying Opportunities to Maximize the Utility of Genomics Research Data Through Electronic Health Information Exchange report.pdf Developing a Framework to Guide Genomic Data Sharing and Reciprocal Benefits to Developing Countries and Indigenous Peoples: A Colloquium The O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law invited twelve thought leaders with extensive experience in the conduct of biomedical research among indigenous peoples and developing countries to a colloquium at Georgetown University on January 7-8, 2009. The colloquium addressed a basic question: as genomic science develops across the w From: Developing a Framework to Guide Genomic Data Sharing and Reciprocal Benefits to Developing Countries and Indigenous Peoples: A Colloquium The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) commissioned the Lewin Group to convene an Expert Panel on Personalized Health Care (PHC) for a one-day meeting to provide input to the Office of the Secretary, HHS, toward realizing the integration of PHC into clinical and public health practice. The Expert Panel identified Examination of Clinical Trial Costs and Barriers for Drug Development. E.4 Analysis of Barriers to Clinical Trials In selecting barriers to analyze in the context of the clinical trial decision-making model developed, we considered whether each proposed strategy could be alleviated by policies, whether the appropriate policies could be implemented or encouraged by FDA, and whether there was evidence in the literature that could be used to quantify the potentia Examination of Clinical Trial Costs and Barriers for Drug Development. E.3.9 Barriers Related to the Globalization of Clinical Research The clinical research footprint is shifting overseas. There are a number of factors, including cost savings and shorter timelines, driving this shift and making it cheaper and easier to conduct trials outside the U.S. Ethical and scientific concerns may arise when conducting studies in other countries. Conducting trials at multiple sites Examination of Clinical Trial Costs and Barriers for Drug Development. E.3.8 Barriers at Academic Institutions Sponsors might be compelled to select academic centers as sites due to the presence of key opinion leaders or specific patient populations. Ethical and Regulatory Requirements Academic institutions can take their responsibility to provide ethical and regulatory oversight to extremes and create excessive barriers to conducting clinical trial Examination of Clinical Trial Costs and Barriers for Drug Development. E.3.7 Disconnect Between Clinical Research and Medical Care Community physicians are largely uninvolved in the clinical research process. Many healthcare professionals do not receive training in research methods. Examination of Clinical Trial Costs and Barriers for Drug Development. E.3.6 Drug Sponsor-Imposed Barriers Excessive risk-aversion leads to unnecessary steps being taken. In multicenter trials, uncertainty and inconsistent enrollment success across sites creates a need to over-enroll and plan trials “defensively.” Internal review processes for organizations conducting/sponsoring clinical trials can delay a trial’s start. Examination of Clinical Trial Costs and Barriers for Drug Development. E.3.5 Regulatory and Administrative Barriers U.S. regulations pertaining to clinical research could benefit from revisions. They were written at a time when the clinical trials enterprise was smaller and before multicenter trials became common. Ethical / Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval (21 CFR 56) There is often a lack of clarity regarding the roles and responsibilities of v Examination of Clinical Trial Costs and Barriers for Drug Development. E.3.4 Increasing Competition for Qualified Investigators and Sites According to some, there is a shortage of biostatisticians and informaticists across academic medicine, industry, and government; others say researchers exist but are difficult to find, often due to competition. There is more widespread agreement that there is a shortage of investigators who can enroll high-quality patients. There is also compe Examination of Clinical Trial Costs and Barriers for Drug Development. E.3.3 Difficulties in Recruiting and Retaining Participants Patient recruitment requires a substantial investment of time and money. Failure to recruit can cause costly delays or trial cancellation, wasting resources. There is competition for limited patient pools for certain conditions, such as rare cancers and multiple sclerosis. Clinical trial sites are often selected based on the location of i Examination of Clinical Trial Costs and Barriers for Drug Development. E.3.2 Lengthy Timelines According to one study, the average length of time from the start of clinical testing to marketing is 90.3 months (7.5 years). Longer timelines increase costs and decrease revenues. Longer studies are needed to see if any safety issues arise when drugs are taken long-term to manage chronic diseases. The “one-off” nature of trial organ Examination of Clinical Trial Costs and Barriers for Drug Development. E.3.1 High Financial Cost Studies estimate that it now costs somewhere between $161 million and $2 billion to bring a new drug to market. Examination of Clinical Trial Costs and Barriers for Drug Development. E.3 Barriers to Clinical Trials The major obstacles to conducting clinical trials in the United States identified through this research include: high financial cost, the lengthy time frames, difficulties in recruitment and retention of participants, insufficiencies in the clinical research workforce, drug sponsor-imposed barriers; regulatory and administrative barriers, the disc

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Placentally derived prostaglandin E2 acts via the EP4 receptor to inhibit IL-2-dependent proliferation of CTLL-2 t cells Nino Kvirkvelia, I. Vojnovic, T. D. Warner, V. Athie-Morales, P. Free, N. Rayment, B. M. Chain, T. W. Rademacher, T. Lund, I. M. Roitt, P. J. Delves A number of immunomodulatory molecules are present in the placenta, including cytokines, prostaglandins, progesterone and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. An undefined factor capable of down-regulating T-cell activity has recently been reported [1] as being produced by short-term cultures of placental fragments. By careful repetition of these studies we have confirmed that chorionic villi isolated from term placenta produce a low molecular weight, heat stable factor capable of inhibiting the IL-2-dependent proliferation of mouse CTLL-2 cells. This activity was not due, however, to a previously unknown immunosuppressive molecule, but rather to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 was detected in the syncytiotrophoblast of chorionic villi explants using immunohistochemistry. Culture of the explants in the presence of the COX-1/COX-2 inhibitors indomethacin and diclofenac, or with the COX-2-selective inhibitor DFP, blocked the production of the immunosuppressive factor. The immunosuppressive activity was restored by adding PGE2 to the supernatants obtained from diclofenac-inhibited explants. A number of different receptors are involved in mediating the biological effects of prostaglandins. By utilizing selective antagonists of individual receptors, we have established that the immunosuppressive effect of PGE2 on CTLL-2 cells is exerted via the EP4 receptor. Thus, addition of an EP4-selective antagonist, but not of EP1 or EP3 antagonists, abolished the immunosuppressive effect of PGE2 on CTLL-2 cells. This may have implications for attempts to selectively manipulate T-cell responses. Clinical and Experimental Immunology Immunosuppressive Agents Chorionic Villi Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase Isoflurophate Cyclooxygenase 1 Trophoblasts CTLL-2 Cyclooxygenase-2 Fetomaternal Th1,Th2 Kvirkvelia, N., Vojnovic, I., Warner, T. D., Athie-Morales, V., Free, P., Rayment, N., ... Delves, P. J. (2002). Placentally derived prostaglandin E2 acts via the EP4 receptor to inhibit IL-2-dependent proliferation of CTLL-2 t cells. Clinical and Experimental Immunology, 127(2), 263-269. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2249.2002.01718.x Placentally derived prostaglandin E2 acts via the EP4 receptor to inhibit IL-2-dependent proliferation of CTLL-2 t cells. / Kvirkvelia, Nino; Vojnovic, I.; Warner, T. D.; Athie-Morales, V.; Free, P.; Rayment, N.; Chain, B. M.; Rademacher, T. W.; Lund, T.; Roitt, I. M.; Delves, P. J. In: Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Vol. 127, No. 2, 27.03.2002, p. 263-269. Kvirkvelia, N, Vojnovic, I, Warner, TD, Athie-Morales, V, Free, P, Rayment, N, Chain, BM, Rademacher, TW, Lund, T, Roitt, IM & Delves, PJ 2002, 'Placentally derived prostaglandin E2 acts via the EP4 receptor to inhibit IL-2-dependent proliferation of CTLL-2 t cells', Clinical and Experimental Immunology, vol. 127, no. 2, pp. 263-269. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2249.2002.01718.x Kvirkvelia N, Vojnovic I, Warner TD, Athie-Morales V, Free P, Rayment N et al. Placentally derived prostaglandin E2 acts via the EP4 receptor to inhibit IL-2-dependent proliferation of CTLL-2 t cells. Clinical and Experimental Immunology. 2002 Mar 27;127(2):263-269. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2249.2002.01718.x Kvirkvelia, Nino ; Vojnovic, I. ; Warner, T. D. ; Athie-Morales, V. ; Free, P. ; Rayment, N. ; Chain, B. M. ; Rademacher, T. W. ; Lund, T. ; Roitt, I. M. ; Delves, P. J. / Placentally derived prostaglandin E2 acts via the EP4 receptor to inhibit IL-2-dependent proliferation of CTLL-2 t cells. In: Clinical and Experimental Immunology. 2002 ; Vol. 127, No. 2. pp. 263-269. @article{c761598bccf348cbb1849c9ae6679b81, title = "Placentally derived prostaglandin E2 acts via the EP4 receptor to inhibit IL-2-dependent proliferation of CTLL-2 t cells", abstract = "A number of immunomodulatory molecules are present in the placenta, including cytokines, prostaglandins, progesterone and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. An undefined factor capable of down-regulating T-cell activity has recently been reported [1] as being produced by short-term cultures of placental fragments. By careful repetition of these studies we have confirmed that chorionic villi isolated from term placenta produce a low molecular weight, heat stable factor capable of inhibiting the IL-2-dependent proliferation of mouse CTLL-2 cells. This activity was not due, however, to a previously unknown immunosuppressive molecule, but rather to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 was detected in the syncytiotrophoblast of chorionic villi explants using immunohistochemistry. Culture of the explants in the presence of the COX-1/COX-2 inhibitors indomethacin and diclofenac, or with the COX-2-selective inhibitor DFP, blocked the production of the immunosuppressive factor. The immunosuppressive activity was restored by adding PGE2 to the supernatants obtained from diclofenac-inhibited explants. A number of different receptors are involved in mediating the biological effects of prostaglandins. By utilizing selective antagonists of individual receptors, we have established that the immunosuppressive effect of PGE2 on CTLL-2 cells is exerted via the EP4 receptor. Thus, addition of an EP4-selective antagonist, but not of EP1 or EP3 antagonists, abolished the immunosuppressive effect of PGE2 on CTLL-2 cells. This may have implications for attempts to selectively manipulate T-cell responses.", keywords = "CTLL-2, Cyclooxygenase-2, Fetomaternal, Immunosuppression, Th1,Th2", author = "Nino Kvirkvelia and I. Vojnovic and Warner, {T. D.} and V. Athie-Morales and P. Free and N. Rayment and Chain, {B. M.} and Rademacher, {T. W.} and T. Lund and Roitt, {I. M.} and Delves, {P. J.}", journal = "Clinical and Experimental Immunology", T1 - Placentally derived prostaglandin E2 acts via the EP4 receptor to inhibit IL-2-dependent proliferation of CTLL-2 t cells AU - Kvirkvelia, Nino AU - Vojnovic, I. AU - Warner, T. D. AU - Athie-Morales, V. AU - Free, P. AU - Rayment, N. AU - Chain, B. M. AU - Rademacher, T. W. AU - Lund, T. AU - Roitt, I. M. AU - Delves, P. J. N2 - A number of immunomodulatory molecules are present in the placenta, including cytokines, prostaglandins, progesterone and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. An undefined factor capable of down-regulating T-cell activity has recently been reported [1] as being produced by short-term cultures of placental fragments. By careful repetition of these studies we have confirmed that chorionic villi isolated from term placenta produce a low molecular weight, heat stable factor capable of inhibiting the IL-2-dependent proliferation of mouse CTLL-2 cells. This activity was not due, however, to a previously unknown immunosuppressive molecule, but rather to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 was detected in the syncytiotrophoblast of chorionic villi explants using immunohistochemistry. Culture of the explants in the presence of the COX-1/COX-2 inhibitors indomethacin and diclofenac, or with the COX-2-selective inhibitor DFP, blocked the production of the immunosuppressive factor. The immunosuppressive activity was restored by adding PGE2 to the supernatants obtained from diclofenac-inhibited explants. A number of different receptors are involved in mediating the biological effects of prostaglandins. By utilizing selective antagonists of individual receptors, we have established that the immunosuppressive effect of PGE2 on CTLL-2 cells is exerted via the EP4 receptor. Thus, addition of an EP4-selective antagonist, but not of EP1 or EP3 antagonists, abolished the immunosuppressive effect of PGE2 on CTLL-2 cells. This may have implications for attempts to selectively manipulate T-cell responses. AB - A number of immunomodulatory molecules are present in the placenta, including cytokines, prostaglandins, progesterone and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. An undefined factor capable of down-regulating T-cell activity has recently been reported [1] as being produced by short-term cultures of placental fragments. By careful repetition of these studies we have confirmed that chorionic villi isolated from term placenta produce a low molecular weight, heat stable factor capable of inhibiting the IL-2-dependent proliferation of mouse CTLL-2 cells. This activity was not due, however, to a previously unknown immunosuppressive molecule, but rather to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 was detected in the syncytiotrophoblast of chorionic villi explants using immunohistochemistry. Culture of the explants in the presence of the COX-1/COX-2 inhibitors indomethacin and diclofenac, or with the COX-2-selective inhibitor DFP, blocked the production of the immunosuppressive factor. The immunosuppressive activity was restored by adding PGE2 to the supernatants obtained from diclofenac-inhibited explants. A number of different receptors are involved in mediating the biological effects of prostaglandins. By utilizing selective antagonists of individual receptors, we have established that the immunosuppressive effect of PGE2 on CTLL-2 cells is exerted via the EP4 receptor. Thus, addition of an EP4-selective antagonist, but not of EP1 or EP3 antagonists, abolished the immunosuppressive effect of PGE2 on CTLL-2 cells. This may have implications for attempts to selectively manipulate T-cell responses. KW - CTLL-2 KW - Cyclooxygenase-2 KW - Fetomaternal KW - Immunosuppression KW - Th1,Th2 JO - Clinical and Experimental Immunology JF - Clinical and Experimental Immunology

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Category Archives: Australian Captial Territory Celebrating New Beginnings – Canberra Residential district and Hotel Ainslie in North Central part of Canberra lowland. This week is a time to celebrate New Beginnings at The Past Present. Not only are we finally launching our blog, but we are celebrating 100 years since Canberra, Australia’s Capital City, received its name. To celebrate, the Past Present presents an image of a Canberra which is long gone. When Canberra received its name in 1913 it marked a new beginning for the area. Europeans had been in the Canberra region since the 1820s, and Aboriginal occupation by the Ngunnawal People dates back even further, to 21000 years ago. Yet up until the new name was given to the area, Canberra had simply been a farming community. The new name commemorated the past, being derived from the name Canberry, which was the name of the sheep station established by the first European settler in the area, Joshua John Moore. The sheep station in turn had possibly taken its name from the Aboriginal word for the area. Yet the name also pointed to a more illustrious future for the region. In 1901 Australia had become Federated and a National Capital had to be decided on where Federal Parliament could sit. The Canberra area was chosen as the site in 1908 and the Australian Capital Territory was declared in 1911. A competition was held to design the Capital City for the area, which of course Walter Burley Griffin went on to win. The city would need a name though and when this name, Canberra, was officially declared in 1913, Canberra’s future was assured. This photo was taken in 1936 by an unknown photographer. It shows Canberra as young city, with few buildings. Indeed many of the buildings we recognise today were not yet completed, and some were not even underway. (Old) Parliament House had opened less than 10 years before, the Australian War Memorial would not be completed for another 5 years, the National Library as we recognise it would not be opened for more than 30 years and the National Gallery would not even be built for nearly 50 years. The Canberra captured in this image is still a small, rural community, with an important future ahead. Leave a comment Posted in Australian Captial Territory, Canberra Tagged 1930s, black and white, canberra, photographic collection

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AWP calls for immediate halt to eviction and demands resettlement for kachiabadi residents PR: Islamabad, 2nd August, 2015: The Awami Workers Party called for an immediate halt to the ongoing eviction drive of the CDA in Islamabad, an immediate resettlement of all the former residents of the demolished I-11 katchi abadi and demanded that those who carried out the violent, brutal and unlawful operation in I-11 be brought to justice. These demands were made at a press conference organized by the AWP at the Islamabad Press Club, which was presided over by AWP President and senior Advocate Abid Hassan Minto and also featured AWP Sindh General Secretary Bakhshal Thalho, AWP Islamabad Information Secretary Ammar Rashid and Alia Amirali of the National Students Federation. The press conference was attended by a large number of AWP party workers and other progressives, all of whom were wearing black armbands in protest against the operation. Speaking on the occasion, Abid Hassan Minto said that the AWP had already moved the Supreme Court against the I-11 operation, in a petition that included AWP leaders and katchi abadi residents among the petitioners. He said that the petitioners would be seeking an immediate halt to the operation against katchi abadis, as well as compensation and resettlement for the evicted residents, justice for those whose rights had been usurped, as well as an acknowledgement of the responsibility of the state to provide and protect basic shelter and other amenities to all its citizens, as specified in the constitution. Abid Hassan Minto further said that the manner in which the operation was carried out constituted a fundamental violation of the residents’ inviolable right to life, housing and privacy, and could not be justified under any legal pretext. He said that by evicting the katchi abadi residents in this manner, the authorities had effectively penalized the working poor for being homeless, which constituted nothing less than a crime on the part of the state. Addressing the press, AWP Sindh secretary Bakhshal Thalho said that the CDA’s action in I-11 had resulted in protests by the AWP in different parts of the country. He said that the brutal operation was a vivid illustration of the kind of brutality that the state had employed for decades in different provinces of the country and was now carrying out in the Capital itself. He said that the AWP would not rest until justice and rightful compensation was provided to those who had been violently displaced. He further said that the AWP would continue the struggle for the basic rights of the urban poor for shelter and other basic amenities would be continued across the country. Speaking on the occasion, AWP Islamabad information secretary Ammar Rashid said that since the operation, over 66 people including AWP’s Hassan Turi, had been falsely charged under the Anti-Terrorist Act, which was an example of obscene victimization of political protest by authorities to cover up their own crimes. He said that all those arrested must be immediately released and that the AWP would challenge their illegal arrest in court and all other means necessary. Furthermore, he said that police had refused to register an FIR for the child who was killed as a result of the I-11 operation and was now threatening the father of the child with consequences in case he pursued the FIR. Nearly all the nominated candidates of the AWP had been charged with terrorism by the police, demonstrating a conscious victimization of all those associated with the AWP and a disenfranchisement of people’s democratic rights. He said that this campaign of intimidation demonstrated the criminal manner in which the state was carrying out this campaign. The AWP would continue to expose and challenge all these illegal actions of the authorities through all available means, he said. Alia Amirali of the National Students Federation (AWP students wing) said that even after the operation, residents were being victimized further by the authorities who were not allowing them to enter Rawalpindi or any other area of Punjab. Instead they were being told to go to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA she said, a clear example of institutional racism against working class Pakhtuns. She said that the immediate priority for the AWP and its allies was the immediate halt to the ongoing operation and an immediate resettlement of all those affected by the operation thus far. She said that the AWP would continue to resist all attempts to illegally evict katchi abadis in Islamabad and continue to fight for the rights of the working poor across the country. Tags:#stopevictions katchiabadi ← Islamabad’s slum-dwellers, activists and political workers protest the ongoing operation against katchi abadis by the CDA Supreme Court Petition Challenging Katchi Abadi Demolitions →

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196 countries, countless stories… Postcards from my bookshelf What I did World bookshopper Tag Archives: Central Asia Uzbekistan: banned books April 28, 2012 By Ann Morgan in Asia, The stories Tags: banned books, books, Central Asia, culture, fiction, Hamid Ismailov, Islam, Uzbekistan 7 Comments A frequent dilemma when you’re trying to read a book from every country in the world is deciding which of the many perspectives in each nation to choose literature from. This is particularly tricky in the case of states that ban books on certain topics or viewpoints and so have two literatures: the official stories and the books released underground or outside, away from the reach of the law enforcers. The journalist in me tends to be drawn to the illicit, banned books, partly because they’re more intriguing but also because I tend to assume that they will somehow be more authentic and truthful. However, as I found with my North Korean book (My Life and Faith by ardent patriot Ri In Mo), this tendency to favour marginalised voices over the official line can have the paradoxical effect of excluding the authorized stories and making them the ostracized, radical accounts on the world literature stage. But what about a book written with a view to mainstream publication in the author’s home country but banned at the last minute? That was the situation Hamid Ismailov faced when the Uzbek translation of his Russian-language novel The Railway was due to be published in Tashkent. The first half of the novel had already appeared in a journal in 1997 when the Uzbek government, jumpy about the work’s irreverent attitude to authority, pulled the plug. The book spans the first 80 years of the 20th century and is set in the small town of Gilas, a settlement on the old Silk Route and now a stop on the railway line ploughing its way across Central Asia. Presenting a portrait of the myriad narratives woven through this remote backwater, which has seen Uzbeks, Russians, Persians, Jews, Koreans, Tartars, gypsies, mullahs and Bolsheviks pass through and make their marks, it bombards the reader with a host of extraordinary, grotesque and often hilarious tales. There are the pregnant twins in a race to give birth after a town official promises to marry the first-born’s mother, the landowner bankrupted by paying off his pugnacious son’s blood debts, the Kirghiz teacher driven to absurdity by his desire to fit in and the orphaned boys who assume prominent positions in the town’s music scene despite one of them being deaf. Translator Robert Chandler describes his work on the book as being like ‘restoring a precious carpet’ in his excellent preface and it’s easy to see why. Not only is the book structurally elaborate with a cast of more than 100 named characters, but it is linguistically and culturally complex too. Labyrinthine sentences thread themselves through clause after clause, teasing the reader with puns, digressions and asides, and the narrative bristles with references to events, ceremonies, bureaucratic formalities and rites of passage that will be unknown to most Western readers. At its best, the humour and brilliance of this chronicle of ‘the inhabitants of Gilas: that lost and ill-assorted tribe of the debauched and depraved’ shines through. The puns are witty and the narrative glitters with insights – in particular it presents us with a ruddier and much more jovial face of Islam than we are used to seeing in the West. Chandler manages to smuggle a lot of the linguistic jokes across in one guise or another. The scene early on in the book, for example, where Ivan the train driver misunderstands Umarali’s prison Russian and gives him fuel instead of alcohol is great. However, there’s no denying the fact that this book is hard work. Even with the list of characters and Chandler’s end notes, it’s impossible to keep track of everything and everyone, at least on a first attempt. At times reading it felt like being at a lively party where people batted around in-jokes I could only half understand. The narrative expresses this sense of being on the outside looking in too. One of the most striking moments in the book, where a nameless boy blows a kiss to an unknown girl on a passing train, evokes a sense of extreme wistfulness. For this book, shut out from the readers who would appreciate its subtleties without referring to the footnotes, it seems a powerful metaphor: a connection attempted but somehow missed. The Railway by Hamid Ismailov, translated from the Russian by Robert Chandler (Vintage, 2007) Recognised by Wordpress I'm Ann Morgan, a UK-based author, TED speaker, Royal Literary Fund fellow and editor. My first book, 'Reading the World' or 'The World Between Two Covers', as it's known in the US, was inspired by my year-long journey through a book from every country in the world, which I recorded on this blog. I'm also the author of two novels: 'Beside Myself' and 'Crossing Over'. Afghanistan: blood and guts Sourcing translated audiobooks Andorra: buried treasure Categories Select Category Africa Asia Australasia Blogcast Book of the month Caribbean Central America Europe Events Middle East North America Oceania Post-world Postcards from my bookshelf Project preparation Reading the World (book) South America The stories The World Between Two Covers (book) World bookshopper Follow A Year of Reading the World AYORTW on Facebook Updates on the go AYORTW on Instagram Interesting spot in Changi airport. Here, books aren’t buy one get one free or three for the price of two but buy three get one free. Do people in Singapore read more than the average bear or are books relatively pricey here? #bookstagram I'm a freelance writer and editor from London. My first book, 'Reading the World' or 'The World Between Two Covers', as it is known in the US, was published in 2015. It was inspired by my year-long journey through a book from every country in the world, which I recorded on this blog. My next book, a novel called 'Beside Myself', will be published worldwide in English by Bloomsbury in 2016. When I'm not reading, writing, blogging or hanging around online, I can often be found singing in professional choirs.

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An Astronomical Book List by Shannon Hall | Jun 24, 2012 | Quick Notes | 1 comment With summer already here, you might be wondering what to do with all your new free time. Might we suggest grabbing a book and lounging by the pool? Here are a few of our favorite astronomy picks. Don’t worry, these books are far from “textbookish” and are definitely a must read! So choose one and add the rest to that astronomically growing book list of yours. Enjoy! Schrödinger’s Ball by Adam Felber An apt description of this book: “If Einstein and John Cleese had written a novel together, this would be it.” — Joseph Weisberg I discovered this clever work of fiction as an undergrad physics major and it immediately made (and has remained on) my list of favorite books ever. This novel is the perfect combination of humor and quantum physics, complete with a mind-bending, multi-layered plot and some fairly brilliant philosophical musings about what it means to be a scientist. Absolutely worth checking out. — Susanna Kohler The Universe in a Single Atom by His Holiness the Dalai Lama This unexpected author shares the dialogue between science and spirituality in a truly refreshing way. The Dalai Lama tells engaging stories about experimenting with his first telescope as a young boy, and grappling with the difficulties of special relativity. It’s clear that not only has he pursued meditative, philosophical, and spiritual studies, but scientific ones as well, constantly conversing with brilliant scientific minds. Drawing significant parallels between science and spirituality, he finds that they are complementary approaches with the same greater goal: seeking the truth. A dialogue between them will surely advance the wisdom contained in both disciplines and greatly benefit human kind. — Shannon Hall Archives of the Universe by Marcia Bartusiak Marcia Bartusiak’s 2004 book “Archives of the Universe” is the ideal summer reading for any astronomer looking to put his or her work in the field into broader context. Archives is a collection of 75 truly foundational scientific papers in astronomy, from Ptolemy all the way to the discovery of cosmic acceleration in 1998. Bartusiak presents scientific ideas in the way they ought to be taught (and the way we’re trying to do things here at Astrobites) — she provides a brief introduction giving her analysis and perspective on the topic, and then shows you how the authors described the discovery in their own words and what data they used. — Nathan Sanders The Philosophical Breakfast Club by Laura J. Snyder The year is 1809, and at Newton’s old college at Cambridge, Trinity, mathematics education has fallen far behind what is being offered in France. Not only that, but there is not even an option to study natural science — the closest is a three-year course in mathematics. In the early 1600’s, the famous natural philosopher Francis Bacon proposed that the scientist ought to be like the bee, gathering facts and using induction to transmute them into the honey of theory — but that is not how science is practiced in Cambridge, or in England more broadly. Rather, as in Ricardo’s economics, natural philosophers begin from first principles and try to deduce from them practical consequences, never bothering to square theory with fact, predictions with observation. Forty years later, the stars of the Southern hemisphere had been mapped for the first time, the world’s tides had been charted through a massive multi-national scientific collaboration, the first of its kind, photography had been invented, the first computer designed, and, not least of all, Charles Darwin had proposed his theory of evolution. What happened? Science in England was moribund in the early 1800’s, and the word “scientist” did not even exist to describe its practitioners, who had little funding from government and the public and less respect. What happened, as Laura Snyder, a professor of philosophy at St. John’s in New York, persuasively argues in “The Philosophical Breakfast Club”, was in no small part due to four extraordinary men whose stories she traces from their days sharing breakfast and plans for the reform of science in the eponymous club during student days at Cambridge to their latter years as éminences grises of science at the acme of Victorian England. Perhaps the best known to the modern reader will be Charles Babbage, the mercurial and intemperate inventor of the computer and writer of the first computer programs. But there’s a lot one did not know about him — he was fabulously wealthy in his own right, but still preferred to extract $2.5 million from the British government to fund a machine he never finished. He was the first to break the Vigenère cipher, a code invented in the 1550’s that had been considered unbreakable — and his solution may have been used by the British government to defeat the Russians during the Crimean War. He also corresponded avidly with Lord Byron’s mathematical-prodigy daughter, Ada Lovelace, who wrote a lengthy article explaining the workings of his computer. And Darwin was at his soirées and saw the demonstrations of his recursive computing machine, which may have helped seed his ideas on evolution. One might have thought Victorian men of science would be impossibly staid and boring — a misconception that “The Philosophical Breakfast Club” will surely dislodge in short order. I struggled to put the book down. — Zachary Slepian The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan In this series of essays, Sagan separates science from pseudoscience and illuminates ways in which our own brains can deceive us. He takes on topics such as demons, aliens, alternative medicine, astrology, recovered memories, ESP, and much more with compassion and civility. In the end, you see all sorts of crosscutting connections between superstitions from different cultures and different times. While a lot of it will be preaching to the choir for most scientists, I still think Sagan’s book does an excellent job of popularizing science and it serves as a great example of science communication. It may help crystallize ideas you already have, or give you something new to think about. — Kevin Moore Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang This collection of delightfully imaginative and detailed short stories brings together some of the early work of Ted Chiang, a critically acclaimed author of science fiction. Chiang specializes in the short story, a bit of a lost art since the golden age of sci-fi in the 50’s when major authors would regularly publish short form speculative fiction in magazines like Galaxy and Astounding Science Fiction. Chiang’s refreshing modern take on the format includes page turners like “Division by Zero,” a story about the psychological collapse of a brilliant mathematician after proving that inconsistency of arithmetic, “Tower of Babylon,” a realization of the tower of Babel myth – this story has been described as ‘Babylonian science fiction,’ and “Story of Your Life,” a story about a linguist involved in decoding the language of an alien civilization with a worldview that is fundamentally incompatible with human cognition. Some of Chiang’s stories are available for free from the Free Speculative Fiction Database. — Nathan Goldbaum by Douglas Adams The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism by Fritjog Capra The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene Galileo’s Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 by Jeffrey Kluger and James Lovell by Stephen Hawking A Sense of the Mysterious and The Discoveries by Alan Lightman How the Universe Got Its Spots by Janna Levin About Shannon Hall While writing for astrobites I was a graduate student at the University of Wyoming working on exoplanet research. Previously, I graduated from Whitman College with two degrees: one in physics-astronomy and one in philosophy. I am now working toward my career goals in science journalism and education. Feel free to visit my website. Gerard van Belle on June 26, 2012 at 12:08 pm Another good one for this list: “The Book Nobody Read”, by Owen Gingerich Leave a Reply to Gerard van Belle Cancel reply cosmology exoplanets habitability astrophysics solar system planetary science binary stars astronomical methods simulations planet formation supernovae statistics stellar evolution accretion astronomy stars Kepler observations theory spectroscopy star formation galaxies protoplanetary disks AGN dark matter radio astronomy AAS black holes transits galaxy evolution

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The Age of Solar System Exploration by Ben Cook | Jan 23, 2015 | Current Events | 11 comments If you haven’t heard about the Rosetta mission, and the European Space Agency’s remarkable feat of landing on a comet, then you must be like it’s lander Philae: living under a rock. What you probably also didn’t hear much about is the slew of other ways (both recent past and near future) we are exploring up-close-and-personal the more unusual parts of the Solar System. The tiny stuff; the names you didn’t memorize in grade school. That one that doesn’t get to play with the “big boys” anymore. The years of 2014 and 2015 may well be known as the time when our exploration of the solar system truly took off, as we explored asteroids, comets, and minor planets. Here’s a look back at what we’ve accomplished in the last year, and what we’re about to achieve in the year to come. Scroll to the bottom to see an abbreviated list of important upcoming events for these missions. The most recent image of Comet 67P/C-G, taken on January 16th by the orbiting Rosetta spacecraft. Rosetta and its lander Philae (the first objects to orbit and land on a comet) will follow the comet through its orbit to closest solar approach in August 2015. Image c/o ESA ESA’s Rosetta Mission Lands on a Comet: August 2014 – December 2015 One of the biggest science news pieces of the year, the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft reached Comet 67P/C-G (right). It began an orbit on August 6th, 2014, after a journey of more than 10 years and 6.4 billion kilometers. On November 12th, the spacecraft’s landing probe Philae became mankind’s first object to land on a comet. Unfortunately, a malfunction in the landing system resulted in Philae bouncing a kilometer off the surface, coming eventually to rest in the shadow of a cliff. Unable to get adequate sunlight to charge its batteries, Philae quickly went into hibernation mode. Before shutting down it was able to return measurements of gaseous water vapor, but was unable to drill into the surface to measure the content of the solid ice. Many models suggest that the high water content of Earth may have come from collisions with comets or asteroids during the late stages of the Earth’s formation. Most water is made of ordinary hydrogen and oxygen, but a tiny fraction contains a deuterium atom (a hydrogen isotope made of a proton and a neutron) in hydrogen’s place. One of the main scientific goals of pursuing comets is to identify the source of Earth’s water. The key to accomplishing this is to see if the abundance of deuterium (see this Astrobite) in a comet’s water matches the levels found on Earth. Philae’s water vapor measurements indicate a deuterium abundance more than 3 times higher than on Earth. Perhaps this suggests asteroids are more responsible for Earth’s water supply than comets. The Rosetta team hopes to be able to confirm this result, and perhaps obtain an ice sample with Philae’s drill, if the lander wakes up. Most of the team has little doubt the lander will resume function in the coming months. But since the orbiting Rosetta still has yet to pinpoint Philae’s final landing spot, the question of when the probe will be able to get the 5 to 7 more watts of energy it needs is a tough question to answer. The comet (and accompanying spacecraft) is approaching the Sun and will reach its closest point in August 2015. The team hopes the change in scenery may bring more sunlight to Philae’s solar cells. In the meantime, Rosetta will make a close approach orbit of the comet in February 2015 — snapping photos which should resolve details down to a few inches — and is planning to soar through an outgassing jet in July, when the comet’s tail begins to form. The Rosetta mission is scheduled to end in December 2015, although large public support for the mission may help researchers extend its lifetime into 2016. NASA’s spacecraft Dawn captures images of Ceres: our nearest dwarf planet neighbor and the largest asteroid in the asteroid belt. Dawn will enter an orbit around Ceres beginning in March 2015. Image c/o: NASA/JPL NASA’s Dawn Mission Orbits Asteroid Ceres: March 2015 – July 2015 A few years ago, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft spent about 12 months orbiting Vesta, one of the largest asteroids in the asteroid belt. For more details about Dawn’s encounter with Vesta, see this past Astrobite. After leaving the orbit around Vesta, Dawn has spent two and a half years traveling across the asteroid belt to catch up to Ceres, the largest known asteroid. On its own, Ceres makes up about 30% of the mass of the entire asteroid belt. It’s so massive, its gravity is strong enough to shape it into a rough sphere, so Ceres is also identified as a dwarf planet. This week, NASA released the latest images of Ceres (left), taken as Dawn approaches the asteroid. In just a few weeks, on March 6th 2015, Dawn will enter orbit around Ceres. Asteroids and comets are pieces of the debris left over from the formation of the solar system planets. NASA wants to understand Ceres’ formation, its material makeup, and why it didn’t grow any larger. This information will help distinguish between theories that describe how planets formed in our solar system. As has previously been discussed on Astrobites, long distance observations indicate the presence of water on the dwarf planet. Just like comets, asteroids may be responsible for delivering the Earth’s water supply, and the Dawn team hopes to improve upon these measurements. Dawn’s main science mission continues until July 2015, after which it will be shut off and remain in orbit around Ceres for a very long time. An artist’s illustration of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, which will pass by Pluto in July 2015. The spacecraft will not be able to maintain an orbit around the tiny dwarf planet, but will instead fly farther out into the Kuiper Belt. Image c/o: NASA/JPL NASA’s New Horizons Flies by Pluto into the Kuiper Belt: July 14 2015 Launched in 2006, NASA’s New Horizons has been navigating space for over 9 years, and has perhaps the most exciting itinerary of all the spacecrafts on this list. To save on fuel, New Horizons executed a gravity assist (or slingshot) maneuver around Jupiter in February 2007. Some beautiful photos of Jupiter resulted as an added benefit of this layover. New Horizons has been in frequent phases of hibernation since it’s encounter with Jupiter, and is now making its approach to Pluto: probably the most popular dwarf planet. On July 14th 2015, New Horizons will make its closest approach within 10,000 kilometers of Pluto. The spacecraft won’t be stopping at Pluto, either, but will continue into the Kuiper Belt to investigate objects astronomers can barely see from Earth. To learn more about New Horizons, and its path after Pluto, see this Astrobite. The Future of Solar System Science With Rosetta, Dawn, and New Horizons continuing to gather information, the future looks bright for humanity’s goal of understanding our solar system. Asteroids, comets, dwarf planets, and Kuiper Belt Objects hold many clues for how the planets — including our own — formed from the initial ingredients around the Sun. In the next decade, NASA hopes to complete a mission to capture an asteroid and bring it into orbit around the Moon. This would be a remarkable opportunity to study the remnants of the solar system’s formation. For the present, here is a timeline of the most important events coming in the future of space exploration: February 2015: Rosetta makes close approach to Comet 67P/C-G, resolving features as small as several inches. March 6 2015: Dawn enters orbit around Ceres Spring/Summer 2015: Rosetta’s lander Philae (hopefully) wakes up and takes new samples from the surface July 14 2015: New Horizons makes closest ever approach of Pluto, on its way into the Kuiper Belt July 2015: Rosetta scheduled to make pass through Comet’s outgassing jet July 2015: Scheduled end of Dawn science mission August 2015: Comet 67P/C-G closest approach of Sun: Rosetta observes comet activity and tail December 2015: Scheduled end of Rosetta science mission January 2019: New Horizons makes possible pass-by of Kuiper Belt Object 1110113Y About Ben Cook I'm a second year astronomy grad student at Harvard and currently study the merger and accretion histories of galaxies in simulations. I'm also interested in data science, and how machine learning can be used in Astronomy. I received my bachelor's degree from Princeton, where my senior thesis investigated the distribution of baryons in a large range of dark matter halos. Vesta: The Last Remaining Planetary Embryo Pluto’s Dusty Neighborhood Discovery of water ice in the shadows of Ceres Newer Horizons Beyond Pluto Tabata de Pontes on February 7, 2015 at 10:25 am It is amazing how many satellites we have out in the space and how much information they are sending to Earth! I did not it was possible to sustain a satellite solely with solar energy. However, if it is possible, why is it expensive to keep a satellite “alive” after it is already in the space? Sam on February 19, 2015 at 4:26 am If/when Philae wakes up, is it expected to be in good working order despite its misadventures? Ben Cook on February 19, 2015 at 9:43 am As far as I know, the Rosetta team is hoping Philae will wake up in functioning condition, perhaps with some deterioration of its battery capacity due to such long inactivity. It’s a good sign is that Philae was functional for a short period after it landed, before it lost power. As long as nothing catastrophic happened to it while it’s been asleep, I’d put money down that it should be just a little groggy come it’s thaw out! Erin Lotridge on February 19, 2015 at 5:34 am Dawn’s mission to Ceres sounds so exciting! Are the individuals in charge of the mission going to intentionally shut off Dawn at the end of the mission? Would there be any way to extend its lifespan to gather more data? As I understand, Dawn will indeed be shut down after its primary mission ends in July of this year. This will leave it in orbit around Ceres for likely a long time to come, although it won’t be recording or transmitting anything. As with most space missions, the decision to terminate it most likely comes down to funding and person-power restrictions. A project, when proposed, must always have a planned end date. With enough public support or particularly surprising discoveries, I’m sure NASA could grant an extension of the project past its primary mission end date. Most likely, however, the funding and personnel currently supporting Dawn will be moved into a new NASA project, which sometime soon will surely be generating just as interesting of results! Chris Magnani on February 19, 2015 at 11:33 am Hey Ben, there is constantly talk about the future of NASA’s manned missions. Do you think it is more feasible to go to Mars or an asteroid and which do you think would be more interesting? Do you know which will be getting the priority (I imagine only on would be picked). I would think that sending a mission to Mars will be more likely in the near future. It’s closer than most asteroids, and certainly more public-palatable (who wants to pay to send humans to an asteroid, unless its gonna kill us?) That said, with the lower surface gravity, it would likely be easier to land/return from an asteroid. NASA has also said it has a plan to send a mission to an asteroid, in order to pull one into orbit around the Moon. I’d love to see this happen, but am a little worried about whether it’s a project that the public will understand and be willing to fund. hwlin76 on February 26, 2015 at 11:32 am Really cool! I wonder what astrobiological implications will come out of these explorations. jimmycastano77 on March 26, 2015 at 3:34 am I wonder how the team hoping to look at Ceres data will be able to tell us about why it formed the way it did. What are things the craft is capable of measuring for Ceres? McKenna K. on April 2, 2015 at 10:37 am Since Ceres has a fairly significant gravitational pull relative to other asteroids, could it still be accreting matter and growing larger? Is there a possibility that it could one day, far in the future, reach planet status? Ben Cook on April 2, 2015 at 2:37 pm Unfortunately, Ceres is going to have to be happy with its status as a Dwarf Planet. While it is the largest gravitational force in the asteroid belt, there is just nowhere near enough matter around it for it to accrete. The real asteroid belt is nothing like in Star Wars: asteroids of any significant size are few and far between. Ceres itself makes up about 25% of the mass of the entire belt, so even if it accreted EVERY OTHER ASTEROID, it would still barely make it on the planet scale. Istraživanje Sunčevog sistema u 2015. | AD Orion - […] http://astrobites.org/2015/01/23/the-age-of-solar-system-exploration/ […] Move over Philae, we have a new lander in town | astrobites - […] and have even bounced on the duck-shaped comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. There have been many triumphs and failures during our attempt to explore… Llegar a Júpiter para visitar Europa | Astrobites en español - […] del cometa 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (que extrañamente tiene forma de pato). Hemos tenido muchos triunfos y también fallas durante nuestros intentos de explorar el… Leave a Reply to Erin Lotridge Cancel reply transits astronomical methods dark matter galaxy evolution observations stellar evolution binary stars protoplanetary disks star formation habitability accretion stars astrophysics black holes astronomy galaxies planetary science Kepler AGN spectroscopy statistics simulations solar system exoplanets radio astronomy planet formation cosmology AAS theory supernovae

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Finnish social security is good: schools and healthcare are free, and the unemployed receive a state benefit for living expenses. The aim is for everyone to have the opportunity to promote social well-being. In the opinion of a man from Afghanistan who has lived in Finland for a long time, some asylum-seekers have misunderstood this. “Income support for the unemployed is neither salary nor permanent. It is someone’s last resort, temporary and the equivalent of begging in the Islamic countries. Working people pay it as taxes; it’s the people’s money,” he compares. Part of Finnish policy is that society supports those in the weakest position. For example, the financial support received by the unemployed should be enough for the basic needs in life. The idea is to give people some income while looking for work. “Unemployment benefit is not enough for anything. The only way to survive in Finland on your own is to find a job for yourself, especially now, when many social benefits are being cut,” says a man from Somalia living in Finland. Surviving by working Living in Finland is more expensive than the European average. In 2017, Finland was eighth in a comparison of European price levels. “Clothing, travel, food and living, you need a great deal of money for everything,” says the man from Somalia. “If a family has two working adults, life is good. If there is only one person going to work, life can be financially difficult,” says the man from Afghanistan who has lived in Finland for years. A woman from Iraq who has lived in Finland for more than 20 years has noticed that some asylum-seekers have a mistaken idea of Finnish social security. According to her, some think that the state just gives people free money. “People are supposed to pay their living costs themselves, and only the most destitute are supported,” she explains. “In Finland taxation is high, and everyone – even the unemployed – pay tax from their income, thus contributing to the creation of social well-being.” Employment in Finland is supported in different ways, and being active oneself is particularly encouraged. In the opinion of many Finns, the will to work is a virtue, which is not dependent on nationality or cultural background. “Finnish people respect those who support themselves, but not those who live for a long time on social handouts,” says a man of Kurdish background. Employment requires the ability to adapt Finding a job may often take time, particularly for an immigrant, as a requirement is usually proficiency in the Finnish language. Employment in Finland is not easy, even if the job-seeker already has a profession. “In Finland, immigrants often have to study and supplement their expertise. Even so, it can still take a long time to find work, and you will not necessarily get a job corresponding to your own profession. This can be a big surprise for many,” says the man from Somalia who has lived in Finland for a long time. The man from Afghanistan has experienced difficulties in finding work, but he finally succeeded through his own persevering efforts. He says that some immigrants to Finland wrongly avoid work on the basis of culture. The man is a Muslim and notes that in Finland alcohol, which is forbidden in his religion, is a part of Finnish culture and everyday life, and thereby also of many jobs. “You can’t work if you just think that there they are selling forbidden alcohol and pork. So if the job is unacceptable to you, why do you then accept social benefits,” he asks and then says in justification: “Benefits in Finland are partly collected from taxes received from the pork and alcohol industries, so you shouldn’t accept such benefits.” family income work

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Bay Nature magazine ◦ October-December 2004 Aerial view of the South Bay salt ponds, looking north. The town of Alviso is on the lower left, along Alviso Slough. Guadalupe Slough is to the left, Coyote Creek and Mowry Slough to the right. The ponds south and east of Coyote Creek are included in the restoration process; the ponds to the north are being retained by Cargill. The differing colors of the ponds indicate different stages in the evaporation process. The red ponds along Mowry Slough have the highest level of salinity; the color is caused by the algae, microbes, and brine shrimp that thrive in these conditions. Photo by Saul Chaikin. A Tall Order by Glen Martin It lies at the heart of one of the country’s most densely populated regions like a great, if somewhat tarnished, sapphire: San Francisco Bay. For more than a hundred years it has endured siltation, dredging, draining, diking and pollution. More than 90 percent of this estuary’s rich marshlands have been lost, and water quality, fisheries, and wildlife have all suffered dire declines. But finally, the Bay stands poised to reclaim its ecological heritage; it is now the centerpiece of one of the most ambitious environmental restoration programs in the country. A coalition of government agencies, local communities, and environmentalists are marshaling their resources to turn 16,500 acres of salt evaporation ponds ringing the South and North Bay, until recently owned by the Cargill Corporation, back into wildlife habitat. When the project is completed—which may take decades and cost millions—it is likely the Bay will more closely resemble its original state than it has at any time in the past century. Thousands of acres of new tidal marsh will grace the shoreline, nurturing juvenile fish and shellfish, filtering pollutants from creeks and urban runoff, and sheltering endangered birds and mammals. “There is really nothing in the country comparable to this project,” says Denise Reed, a professor of geology and geophysics at the University of New Orleans who serves on numerous scientific advisory panels on wetland rehabilitation for the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific Coasts, including one for the Bay’s salt pond project. It’s not just that this particular estuarine project is so large, says Reed. A 16,000 acre restoration would be huge for any region, she notes, “but we also have to consider the urban context. This won’t simply restore critical ecological components—it will also give a great number of people a direct relationship with the process.” No other large urban area has a resource equivalent to the salt ponds, says Reed. “In New York, Jamaica Bay is the only significant project under way,” Reed says, “but it’s tremendously degraded, and only consists of a few hundred acres. Seattle lost huge amounts of wetlands around Puget Sound, but today only patchwork restorations are possible. Yet here, in San Francisco Bay, we can work with an entire landscape. It’s really quite thrilling.” It is the essential nature of south San Francisco Bay’s salt ponds that make it possible to even contemplate such a grandiose effort. This vast complex of evaporators—created by dredging and filling swaths of the Bay’s salt marsh, seasonal wetlands, creek corridors, and uplands—has been used for salt production for more than a century. The Cargill Corporation acquired them from Leslie Salt in 1978. In 2003, state and federal agencies—with assistance from several local private foundations—purchased 1,400 acres of these ponds in the North Bay and 15,100 acres in the South Bay for $100 million. The goal now is to transform the ponds into a landscape that incorporates diverse wetland types and habitats of concern, including ample salt marsh, of course. The dream of restoring a significant portion of the Bay’s tidal marsh was first articulated in 1993 by the Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Project, an ad hoc group of scientists, resource managers, and environmentalists. In 1998, the group presented its formal recommendations, including, among other things, the restoration of between 95,000 and 103,000 acres of tidal marsh (originally, the Bay supported 187,000). Ideally, the team opined, the new tidal wetlands would take the configuration of large chunks of marsh (2,000 acres or more), connected by corridors sufficiently large to allow the easy passage of wildlife. Now it’s showtime, and the stage—the South Bay salt pond complex—is being readied for the first performance. No one quite knows what will happen when the curtain goes up, but the excitement levels for players and observers alike are high. With much hoopla, top regional managers opened the screw gates to the Alviso pond system this July in a first step toward long-term public stewardship, allowing the tides to go both in and out of this once closed system and the ponds to stop making salt. Salt pond restoration has been addressed before in the Bay Area. In the North Bay, 10,000 acres of ponds acquired ten years ago continue to stutter toward the tides. Only a single pond, Pond 2A, has been restored to tidal marsh so far. On another pond, bureaucrats and environmentalists remain at odds over how to remove bittern—highly concentrated salt-production residues. As for the rest of the ponds, locals have signed off on tidal marsh restoration for 3,000 acres and infrastructure repair for another 1,700 acres, and construction should begin next year. Salt pond restoration has a more established track record in the South Bay, and in particular at the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. Founded in 1974 and administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Don Edwards was the country’s first urban national wildlife refuge. This 30,000-acre preserve, cheek-by-jowl with the ponds currently targeted for restoration, has grown by bits and pieces over the years; most of the land, not surprisingly, was obtained from Cargill. While Cargill has maintained salt production rights on many of these ponds, the refuge has restored a few to tidal marsh, a boon to the California clapper rail and the salt marsh harvest mouse, both listed species that have suffered precipitous declines due to tidal wetland destruction. Most notable among the restored tracts is LaRiviere Marsh, a 100-acre demonstration project near the refuge’s visitor center. The site was graded to a more natural topography and the levees breached. From that point, the Bay was left to do most of the work. Managers discovered a great deal about restoration from LaRiviere, says refuge chief Clyde Morris. And yet, much remains to be learned. And the first years of the surrounding salt pond restoration effort, he intimates, will be a groping toward enlightenment. “This isn’t going to be a matter of devising a full-blown strategy and then executing it all at once,” Morris says. “For the first few years, everything will be strictly pilot projects. We’re going to be monitoring the hell out of them, and applying the lessons we learn on an ongoing basis. Will it be challenging, even difficult? Yes. Can it be done? Yes.” Morris notes that Don Edwards Refuge must respond to a number of different imperatives and he is convinced the South Bay salt pond restoration effort will have to dance to the same multiuse tune. Given the way things are shaking out, he estimates the final configuration of the South Bay project will run to about two-thirds restored marsh to one-third managed ponds, with a wide range of sub-habitats incorporated in the edge zones. “We need the salt marshes, not only for our listed species, but also for their function as fish nurseries and pollutant filters,” he says. “On the other hand, ponds managed for wildlife—not salt—are essential to our shorebirds.” Shorebirds, in fact, constitute the main argument for resisting the temptation to convert all the ponds into tidal marsh. Research by ornithologists, including Sarah Warnock, a biologist for the Point Reyes Bird Observatory, indicates the ponds are not merely convenient habitat for shorebirds; they are absolutely essential. The ponds, says Warnock, provide critical foraging habitat and shelter for at least 20 species, but western sandpipers are particu-larly dependent on them. In spring, she observes, their numbers on the ponds can swell to 700,000, a significant percentage of the population on the Pacific Flyway, a critical migratory route. One of the compelling reasons to study western sandpipers is that they’re a keystone species, says Warnock; their numbers say a lot about shorebirds and their habitats in general. The ponds are of particular importance to shorebirds in the winter. During big storms, Warnock says, the birds are driven off their foraging grounds in more exposed locales. Back before the West Coast’s tidal areas were subjected to dredging, siltation, development, and other indignities, there were sufficient expanses of flats situated leeward of wind and weather to protect the bulk of the sandpiper population. Now, in California at least, the salt ponds are about all that’s left of this unique “storm shelter” habitat. Birds, wildlife, and fisheries stand to be the big beneficiaries of the restoration, of course, but there are other constituencies with stakes in the Baylands. And if the project is to succeed, say its supporters, their concerns must be addressed. Recreation is a case in point. “These restored lands will be an oasis in an urban landscape, a tremendous source of solace for many people,” says Morris. “So providing access is extremely important: We have to determine appropriate uses, and make sure the opportunities to pursue them exist, whether it’s bird-watching, bicycling, fishing, or duck hunting.” Flood control is also a hot-button issue for the South Bay wetland project. In the past, the ponds have provided low-lying communities like Alviso protection from inundation. “If you completely eradicate the flood control component, you have a no-starter for restoration,” Morris observes. “You simply don’t want to contribute to flooding in Alviso—that’s a basic reality.” But if some of the ponds are configured with flood control and marshes in mind, he says, they can be managed as both wildlife habitat and de facto bypasses, where flood waters and exceptionally high tides can sheet out rather than swamping houses, offices, and communities. There are other challenges to meet in restoring these ponds, among them exotic species. The Bay is hardly a pristine system. Hitchhiking opportunists from around the globe have displaced indigenous species. Oyster drills, Manila clams, and Asian clams have supplanted native mollusks. Mitten and green crabs are competing with hometown Dungeness and red rock crabs. In any restoration scenario, exotics constitute a potential wet blanket. Among Morris’s most significant concerns is the eastern red fox, a canid that is far more disposed than the smaller native gray fox to forage in wetland areas. When the red foxes come in, the rails disappear, he observes. More problematic than the fox, even, is Atlantic cordgrass—Spartina alterniflora—and its numerous hybrid forms. It differs from the native West Coast cordgrass, Spartina foliosa, in its exuberance. Western cordgrass more or less stays put, but Atlantic cordgrass is almost metastatic in its growth. Planted in San Francisco Bay in the mid-1970s as part of an early restoration project, it has the potential to turn the entire intertidal zone into an unruly and biologically impoverished greensward. “It grows so densely that it chokes off the little dendritic sloughs that characterize our native cordgrass and pickleweed marshes,” says Marc Holmes, the Bay restoration program director for The Bay Institute, based in Marin. “Clapper rails, particularly, need that slough environment; it’s their primary habitat.” Once Atlantic cordgrass gets established, warns Holmes, aggressive—indeed, virtual scorched earth—tactics are required to remove it. “We’re talking about significant spraying and excavation,” he says. “Half measures won’t work.” On the plus side, project planners are taking the spartina threat seriously indeed. A special program, the Invasive Spartina Project, has been funded to deal with it. Morris emphasizes that any control program must be considered open-ended: “Controlling exotics will be an ongoing process. Once they get into a system, it’s unlikely you’ll ever wipe them out completely.” Then there is the problem of mercury methylation. South Bay sediments are distressingly rich in mercury, in large part the result of a now-decommissioned cinnabar mine on the upper reaches of the Guadalupe River. Research has demonstrated that wetlands can augment the “methylation” of mercury. That’s because bacteria convert elemental mercury, which is generally inert, into methylmercury, a form that insinuates itself into living tissue with potentially catastrophic results. Microbe populations typically are higher in wetlands than open water, causing some concern that the restoration might increase the release of bioavailable mercury into the environment. Lynne Trulio, the lead scientist for the restoration project and the chairwoman of the environmental studies department at San Jose State University, says more research needs to be done on the methylation process and then integrated into the restoration plan. But she doesn’t expect mercury concerns to utterly derail wetland restoration around the Bay, a possibility that has occasionally been bruited about in the press. “Personally, I want to see an overall improvement in ecological functioning in the South Bay, and I think we’re heading in that direction,” Trulio says. “We know we don’t know enough about the restoration process; that’s why the first phase essentially will consist of pilot projects, intensive monitoring, and collecting data.” A key element to restoring marshlands is sediment. Many of the ponds have subsided deeply through their years of salt production, some up to 10 feet below natural marsh elevations. Turning those impoundments from lakes to marshes will require vast amounts of clean fill. Why? In the simplest terms, mud and silt are needed to fill some ponds, to bring their bottoms closer to natural marsh levels. Otherwise, they’ll simply stay deep bodies of water; plants won’t grow and the ponds will never become marshes. And it’s not clear if there’s enough mud to go around. Millions of cubic yards of the stuff are needed. “There have been conflicting predictions of the amount of sediment available to the system from both natural and artificial sources,” observes Michelle Orr, an engineer for the San Francisco hydrology firm of Philip Williams and Associates. Orr is charged with figuring out the best way to move water and sediments through the project area. She must figure out where to breach levees so restoration goals are achieved in the most efficient way possible. Some sediment will be available for artificially raising the levels of some of the shallower ponds, Orr says, but importing large quantities of sediment is prohibitively expensive. Most of the sediment for the project will have to come in on the tides through levee breaches, and researchers are now calculating just how much sediment they may get from this natural source. But even then, there is not enough to realize a complete tidal marsh restoration scenario. The ponds that are lowest are unlikely to become tidal marshes. Deep ponds they are, and deep ponds they’ll probably stay—inappropriate habitat for clapper rails or western sandpipers, but diving ducks like canvasback, redhead, and greater scaup will be pleased. Orr is working on a restoration scheme that will encourage the mud to migrate where it’s needed. “The restored ponds will become a new tidal sink for sediment,” she says, “but it won’t happen overnight. Time is an extremely important element in this process. For some of the subtidal areas, it will take years, decades even, to transform them from shallows and mudflats into vegetated tidal marsh. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As the restoration proceeds, we’ll be providing a succession of niche habitats that different species will be able to exploit.” One pilot project that should demonstrate this successional process is Eden Landing, also known as the Baumberg tract, an 832-acre property acquired from Cargill by the California Department of Fish and Game in 1995. Biologists began working on restoration plans immediately after acquisition, says Carl Wilcox, the agency’s habitat conservation manager for the Central Coast region. The site, Wilcox observes, is ideal for an initial project: While challenges exist (for one, the epicenter of the exotic spartina invasion lies next door), they aren’t overwhelming, and the payoff should be considerable. “Most of the ponds aren’t terribly subsided, so we aren’t too worried about sediment availability,” Wilcox says. “We’re going to monitor the whole project closely, compiling data on biological responses that can be used in the larger restoration process.” Research and experimentation are nothing if the results aren’t put to good use by the public powers that be. Diplomacy has been described as the art of the possible. Increasingly, it seems the same may be said of ecological restorations. People who become involved in such projects tend to have high ideals, and that’s a good thing. But sometimes—no, make that most times—those ideals may be pulling in tangential directions. A good restoration is the axiomatic win-win situation: Everybody gets something. At the same time, it has to be remembered that when everybody gets something, nobody gets everything. Still, in this particular project, many of the stakeholders are getting more than they ever thought possible. Achieving that reality has been quite a dance. “It’s all a matter of trying to balance opportunities and constraints,” observes Steve Ritchie. As the California Coastal Conservancy’s executive project manager for the South Bay salt pond restoration, Ritchie oversees the entire project. “In order for this to happen at all, we have to actively engage the public,” he says. “We have to solicit ideas and put them on maps. People with different points of view have different anxieties. We have to address them all.” Generally speaking, says Ritchie, “The dialogue has been civilized. We’re continuing to take pains to make sure people understand they will be heard, that their viewpoints will be incorporated to as great a degree as possible.” Within these constraints of basic public acceptability, he adds, it is essential that the restoration be driven by science, not narrow constituencies. Such an ambitious project, Ritchie emphasizes, amounts to a launch into the unknown. The target is clear: a healthier, cleaner, biologically richer Bay. But at this point, the trajectory parabola is uncertain. The only sure thing is that it will take a great deal of work, a ton of money, and a significant quantum of time to reach the destination. “As we change the landscape, we have to track the results of our actions so we can replicate desired effects and avoid undesired ones in the later stages,” Ritchie says. “We’re all going to learn as we go. And that means we’ll all be learning for many, many years.” Glen Martin Glen Martin, former environmental reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, writes on natural resource issues for various publications. His latest book, Game Changer: Animal Rights and the Fate of Africa’s Wildlife, was published by UC Press in March 2012. Climate Solutions Already Exist in Nature, a Reminder Q&A: Conservation Photographer Ian Shive on His New Film About the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Phytophthora: New Strains Breaking the Mold

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Florida Uber Driver’s Shooting Of Attacker Ruled Classic ‘Stand Your Ground’ Case Posted at 6:00 pm on August 30, 2018 by Tom Knighton Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law seems to be the example most likely to create outrage for some reason. From Trayvon Martin’s killing to the shooting in Clearwater, Fla., it seems every time the law gets mentioned it creates outrage in some way, shape, or form. However, a self-defense shooting on Tuesday has law enforcement calling it a classic “Stand Your Ground” case, and any outrage has been minimal this time around. After a heated text message exchange with his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Jason Boek followed an Uber he thought was driving her home and swerved in front of it on a dark stretch of road in central Florida early Tuesday morning, authorities say. A dash camera video from the Uber shows Boek, 34, jumping out of a pick-up truck and quickly walking to Uber driver Robert Westlake’s Hyundai Elantra. Holding what authorities said was a cell phone, Boek raised his hand and said: “You know I got a pistol? You want me to f****** shoot you?” Westlake, 38, is a licensed armed security guard who holds a concealed weapons permit and who had just completed training to be a police officer. He fired once, killing Boek early Tuesday, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said. Neither Westlake nor Boek’s family members could be reached for comment on Wednesday. The sheriff’s office says Westlake is cooperating with the investigation. The brief encounter was a “classic stand your ground case,” Sheriff Grady Judd said. Florida’s “stand your ground” law, perhaps the strongest in the country, grants immunity to the person acting in self-defense. The state has to prove that a shooter didn’t act in self-defense and is therefore not entitled to immunity. “This is a justifiable homicide all day long. You have the right protect yourself,” Judd said Wednesday, adding “this was the intent of the law.” There’s been remarkably little outrage over the shooting thus far. Why? Well, there are a number of potential reasons. One is that Westlake had a dashcam that showed precisely what happened and what Boek said when he got out of his truck. It makes it clear that the man told Westlake that he had a gun and was willing to shoot him and it looks like he had something in his right hand that he raised up after making the threat. The video: Another, however, is that Boek was white. In almost every case, the outrage has been because a white person shot a black person. The arguments against “Stand Your Ground” have had little to do with the law itself, but with what some perceive as the racial connotations of the law. Some opponents of the law have actually described it as basically legalizing the murder of black people. The thing is, Boek was white and decided to get in someone’s face threateningly, claimed to be armed, and got shot for it. Westlake appears to have stood his ground, and the law is protecting him, as it should. It’s not about race. It’s about good versus evil. By Boek threatening Westlake, he committed an evil act, and he was met by a good guy with a gun who ended it. Let’s be real, too. Boek was not a particularly good person. Boek’s criminal history includes previous arrests for aggravated battery, battery, burglary, marijuana possession, forgery, larceny, resisting arrest, and VOP[violation of probation]. He’s on felony probation for battery, which began in June 2016 and was scheduled to end in June 2021. His driver’s license was suspended in May 2018, and the truck he was driving does not belong to him – he borrowed it from a friend. Deputies obtained a search warrant for the truck Boek was driving and recovered a marijuana cigarette and a glass pipe containing meth residue. In other words, he was a lifetime hothead with a propensity for violence, and he decided to play Billy Bad*** at the wrong time and place. He got shot because of it. However, those who claim “Stand Your Ground” laws are somehow wrong should be clamoring over this one too, right? Unless their issue isn’t about the law, but about their own racial biases and the belief that a white person should never have the ability to defend themselves from a black person. Ever. Nah, it couldn’t be that, now could it? Westlake is cooperating with police, but it looks like there won’t be any charges filed against him. Nor should there be. This is a clear case of self-defense if ever I’ve seen one. Tags: Floridaracial biasSelf Defensestand your ground laws

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This article is about the country in Africa. For the spider genus, see Tanzania (spider). Coordinates: 6°18′25″S 34°51′14″E / 6.307°S 34.854°E / -6.307; 34.854 Jamhuri Ya Muungano wa Tanzania (Swahili) Motto: "Uhuru na Umoja" (Swahili) "Freedom and Unity" Anthem: Mungu ibariki Afrika God Bless Africa Location of Tanzania (dark blue) in Africa (light blue subregion=the African Union) Capital Dodoma English[1] Unitary presidential republic[2][3] • President John Pombe Magufuli • Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa • Speaker Job Ndugai • Chief Justice Mohamed Othman Independence from the United Kingdom • Tanganyika 9 December 1961 • Zanzibar and Pemba 10 December 1963 • Merger 26 April 1964 • Current constitution 25 April 1977 • Total 947,303 km2 (31st) 365,756[4] sq mi • Water (%) 6.4[4] • 2014 estimate 51,820,000 [5] (28th) • 2012 census 44,928,923[6] • Density 47.5/km2 • Per capita $960[7] low · 151st +255[note 1] a. Revised to $41.33 billion[10] Tanzania /ˌtænzəˈniːə/,[11] officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a large country in Eastern Africa within the African Great Lakes region. Parts of the country are in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south; and by the Indian Ocean to the east. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania. Tanzania's population of 51.82 million (2014)[12] is diverse, composed of several ethnic, linguistic and religious groups. Tanzania is a presidential constitutional republic, and since 1996, its official capital city has been Dodoma, where the President's Office, the National Assembly, and some government ministries are located.[13] Dar es Salaam, the former capital, retains most government offices and is the country's largest city, principal port, and leading commercial centre.[14][15][16] European colonialism began in mainland Tanzania during the late 19th century when Germany formed German East Africa, which gave way to British rule following World War I. The mainland was governed as Tanganyika, with the Zanzibar Archipelago remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction. Following their respective independence in 1961 and 1963, the two entities merged in April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania.[14] The name "Tanzania" was created as a clipped compound of the names of the two states that unified to create the country: Tanganyika and Zanzibar.[17] The name "Tanganyika" is derived from the Swahili words tanga ("sail") and nyika ("uninhabited plain", "wilderness"), creating the phrase "sail in the wilderness". It is sometimes understood as a reference to Lake Tanganyika.[18] The name of Zanzibar comes from "zengi", the name for a local people (said to mean "black"), and the Arabic word "barr", which means coast or shore.[19] Main articles: History of Tanzania and History of Zanzibar A 1.8 million year-old stone chopping tool discovered at Olduvai Gorge and currently on display at the British Museum The indigenous populations of eastern Africa are thought to be the click speaking Hadza and Sandawe hunter-gatherers of Tanzania.[20]:page 17 The first wave of migration was by Southern Cushitic speakers, who are ancestral to the Iraqw, Gorowa, and Burunge and who moved south from Ethiopia into Tanzania.[20]:page 17 Based on linguistic evidence, there may also have been two movements into Tanzania of Eastern Cushitic people at about 4,000 and 2,000 years ago, originating from north of Lake Turkana.[20]:pages 17–18 Archaeological evidence supports the conclusion that Southern Nilotes, including the Datoog, moved south from the present-day South Sudan / Ethiopia border region into central northern Tanzania between 2,900 and 2,400 years ago.[20]:page 18 These movements took place at approximately the same time as the settlement of the iron-making Mashariki Bantu from West Africa in the Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika areas. They brought with them the west African planting tradition and the primary staple of yams. They subsequently migrated out of these regions across the rest of Tanzania between 2,300 and 1,700 years ago.[20]:page 18[21] Eastern Nilotic peoples, including the Maasai, represent a more recent migration from present day South Sudan within the past 1,500 to 500 years.[20]:page 18[22] The people of Tanzania have been associated with the production of iron and steel. The Pare people were the main producers of highly demanded iron for peoples who occupied the mountain regions of northeastern Tanzania.[23] The Haya people on the western shores of Lake Victoria invented a type of high-heat blast furnace, which allowed them to forge carbon steel at temperatures exceeding 1,820 °C (3,310 °F) more than 1,500 years ago.[24] Travellers and merchants from the Persian Gulf and India have visited the east African coast since early in the first millennium A.D.[25] Islam was practised by some on the Swahili Coast as early as the eighth or ninth century A.D.[26] A 1572 depiction of the city of Kilwa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site In 1498, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama visited the Tanzanian coast. Later, in 1506, the Portuguese succeeded in controlling most of the Southeast African littoral. In 1699, the Portuguese were ousted from Zanzibar by Omani Arabs. Claiming the coastal strip, Omani Sultan Seyyid Said moved his capital to Zanzibar City in 1840. During this time, Zanzibar became the centre for the Arab slave trade.[27] Between 65% and 90% of the population of Arab-Swahili Zanzibar was enslaved.[28] One of the most infamous slave traders on the East African coast was Tippu Tip, who was himself the grandson of an enslaved African. The Nyamwezi slave traders operated under the leadership of Msiri and Mirambo.[29] According to Timothy Insoll, "Figures record the exporting of 718,000 slaves from the Swahili coast during the 19th century, and the retention of 769,000 on the coast."[30] In the late 19th century, Imperial Germany conquered the regions that are now Tanzania (minus Zanzibar) and incorporated them into German East Africa. The post–World War I accords and the League of Nations charter designated the area a British Mandate, except for the Kionga Triangle, a small area in the southeast that was incorporated into Portuguese East Africa (later Mozambique). During World War II, about 100,000 people from Tanganyika joined the Allied forces[31] and were among the 375,000 Africans who fought with those forces.[32] Tanganyikans fought in units of the King's African Rifles during the East African Campaign in Somalia and Abyssinia against the Italians, in Madagascar against the Vichy French during the Madagascar Campaign, and in Burma against the Japanese during the Burma Campaign.[32] Tanganyika was an important source of food during this war, and its export income increased greatly compared to the pre-war years of the Great Depression[31] Wartime demand, however, caused increased commodity prices and massive inflation within the colony.[33] In 1954, Julius Nyerere transformed an organisation into the politically oriented Tanganyika African National Union (TANU). TANU's main objective was to achieve national sovereignty for Tanganyika. A campaign to register new members was launched, and within a year TANU had become the leading political organisation in the country. Nyerere became Minister of British-administered Tanganyika in 1960 and continued as prime minister when Tanganyika became independent in 1961. Post-colonial British rule came to an end on 9 December 1961, but for the first year of independence, Tanganyika had a governor general who represented the British monarch.[34]:page 6 On 9 December 1962, Tanganyika became a democratic republic under an executive president.[34]:page 6 After the Zanzibar Revolution overthrew the Arab dynasty in neighbouring Zanzibar,[35] which had become independent in 1963, the archipelago merged with mainland Tanganyika on 26 April 1964.[36] On 29 October of the same year, the country was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania ("Tan" comes from Tanganyika and "Zan" from Zanzibar).[14] The union of the two hitherto separate regions was controversial among many Zanzibaris (even those sympathetic to the revolution) but was accepted by both the Nyerere government and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar owing to shared political values and goals. Arusha Declaration Monument In 1967, Nyerere's first presidency took a turn to the left after the Arusha Declaration, which codified a commitment to socialism as well-as Pan-Africanism. After the declaration, banks and many large industries were nationalised. Tanzania was also aligned with China, which from 1970 to 1975 financed and helped build the 1,860-kilometre-long (1,160 mi) TAZARA Railway from Dar es Salaam to Zambia.[37] Nonetheless, from the late 1970s, Tanzania's economy took a turn for the worse, in the context of an international economic crisis affecting both developed and developing economies. From the mid-1980s, the regime financed itself by borrowing from the International Monetary Fund and underwent some reforms. Since then, Tanzania's gross domestic product per capita has grown and poverty has been reduced, according to a report by the World Bank.[38] In 1992, the Constitution of Tanzania was amended to allow multiple political parties.[39] In Tanzania's first multi-party elections, held in 1995, the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi won 186 of the 232 elected seats in the National Assembly, and Benjamin Mkapa was elected as president.[40] Main articles: Geography of Tanzania and Zanzibar Archipelago An elephant passing by the snow-capped Mt. Kilimanjaro Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest inactive and intact volcanic caldera Tanzania map of Köppen climate classification At 947,303 square kilometres (365,756 sq mi),[4] Tanzania is the 13th largest country in Africa and the 31st largest in the world, ranked between the larger Egypt and smaller Nigeria.[41] It borders Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. Tanzania is located on the eastern coast of Africa and has an Indian Ocean coastline approximately 800 kilometres (500 mi) long.[42]:page 1245 It also incorporates several offshore islands, including Unguja (Zanzibar), Pemba, and Mafia.[42]:page 1245 The country is the site of Africa's highest and lowest points: Mount Kilimanjaro, at 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level, and the floor of Lake Tanganyika, at 352 metres (1,155 ft) below sea level, respectively.[42]:page 1245 Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the northeast, where Mount Kilimanjaro is located. Three of Africa's Great Lakes are partly within Tanzania. To the north and west lie Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, and Lake Tanganyika, the continent's deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish. To the southwest lies Lake Nyasa. Central Tanzania is a large plateau, with plains and arable land. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore. The Kalambo water falls in the southwestern region of Rukwa are the second highest uninterrupted fall in Africa and are located near the southeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika on the border with Zambia.[43] The Menai Bay Conservation Area is Zanzibar's largest marine protected area. Main article: Climate of Tanzania Climate varies greatly within Tanzania. In the highlands, temperatures range between 10 and 20 °C (50 and 68 °F) during cold and hot seasons respectively. The rest of the country has temperatures rarely falling lower than 20 °C (68 °F). The hottest period extends between November and February (25–31 °C or 77.0–87.8 °F) while the coldest period occurs between May and August (15–20 °C or 59–68 °F). Annual temperature is 20 °C (68.0 °F). The climate is cool in high mountainous regions. Tanzania has two major rainfall regimes: one is uni-modal (October–April) and the other is bi-modal (October–December and March–May).[44] The former is experienced in southern, central, and western parts of the country, and the latter is found in the north from Lake Victoria extending east to the coast.[44] The bi-modal regime is caused by the seasonal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.[44] Main article: Wildlife of Tanzania A tower of giraffes at Arusha National Park. The giraffe is the national animal. Approximately 38% of Tanzania's land area is set aside in protected areas for conservation.[45] Tanzania has 16 national parks,[46] plus a variety of game and forest reserves, including the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. In western Tanzania, Gombe Stream National Park is the site of Jane Goodall's ongoing study of chimpanzee behaviour, which started in 1960.[47][48] Tanzania is highly biodiverse and contains a wide variety of animal habitats.[49] On Tanzania's Serengeti plain, white-bearded wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus mearnsi) and other bovids participate in a large-scale annual migration. Tanzania is also home to about 130 amphibian and over 275 reptile species, many of them strictly endemic and included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red Lists of different countries.[50] Tanzania has developed a Biodiversity Action Plan to address species conservation. Main article: Politics of Tanzania Main article: Constitution of Tanzania Tanzania is a one party dominant state with the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party in power. From its formation until 1992, it was the only legally permitted party in the country. This changed on 1 July 1992, when amendments to the Constitution[51]:§ 3 and a number of laws permitting and regulating the formation and operations of more than one political party were enacted by the National Assembly. Elections for president and all National Assembly seats were last held in October 2010. The CCM holds approximately 75% of the seats in the assembly. In October 2015, Tanzania announced that John Pombe Magufuli won the presidential election, securing a two-thirds majority in parliament.[52] President John Magufuli Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa The President of Tanzania and the members of the National Assembly are elected concurrently by direct popular vote for five-year terms.[51]:§ 42(2) The vice-president is elected for a five-year term at the same time as the president and on the same ticket.[51]:§§ 47(2), 50(1) Neither the president nor the vice-president may be a member of the National Assembly.[51]:§ 66(2) The president appoints a prime minister, subject to confirmation by the assembly, to serve as the government's leader in the assembly.[51]:§§ 51(1)-(2), 52(2) The president selects his or her cabinet from assembly members.[51]:§ 55 All legislative power relating to mainland Tanzania and union matters is vested in the National Assembly,[51]:§ 64(1) which is unicameral and has a maximum of 357 members.[53] These include members elected to represent constituencies, the attorney general, five members elected by the Zanzibar house of representatives from among its own members, the special women's seats that constitute at least 30% of the seats that any party has in the assembly, the speaker of the assembly (if not otherwise a member of the assembly), and the persons (not more than ten) appointed by the president.[51]:§ 66(1) The Tanzania Electoral Commission demarcates the mainland into constituencies in the number determined by the commission with the consent of the president.[51]:§ 75 Tanzania's legal system is based on English common law.[54] Tanzania has a four-level judiciary.[54] The lowest level courts on the Tanzanian mainland are the Primary Courts.[54] In Zanzibar, the lowest level courts are the Kadhi's Courts for Islamic family matters and the Primary Courts for all other cases.[54] On the mainland, appeal is to either the District Courts or the Resident Magistrates Courts.[54] In Zanzibar, appeal is to the Kadhi's Appeal Courts for Islamic family matters and the Magistrates Courts for all other cases.[54] From there, appeal is to the High Court of Mainland Tanzania or Zanzibar.[54] No appeal regarding Islamic family matters can be made from the High Court of Zanzibar.[54][55]:§ 99(1) Otherwise, the final appeal is to the Court of Appeal of Tanzania.[54] The High Court of mainland Tanzania has three divisions – commercial, labour, and land[54] – and 15 geographic zones.[56] The High Court of Zanzibar has an industrial division, which hears only labour disputes.[57] Mainland and union judges are appointed by the Chief Justice of Tanzania, except for those of the Court of Appeal and the High Court, who are appointed by the president of Tanzania.[51]: §§ 109(1), 118(2)-(3) Tanzania is a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.[58] The semi-autonomous Zanzibar Archipelago The legislative authority in Zanzibar over all non-union matters is vested in the House of Representatives (per the Tanzania constitution)[51]:§ 106(3) or the Legislative Council (per the Zanzibar constitution). The Legislative Council has two parts: the President of Zanzibar and the House of Representatives.[51]:§ 107(1)-(2)[55]:§ 63(1) The President is Zanzibar's head of government and the chairman of the Revolutionary Council, in which the executive authority of Zanzibar is invested.[55]:§§ 5A(2), 26(1) Zanzibar has two vice-presidents, with the first being from the main opposition party in the house.[59][60] The second is from the party in power and is the leader of government business in the House.[60] The President and the members of the House of Representatives have five-year terms.[55]:§ 28(2) The President selects ministers from members of the House of Representatives,[55]:§ 42(2) with the ministers allocated according to the number of House seats won by political parties.[59] The Revolutionary Council consists of the president, both vice-presidents, all ministers, the attorney general of Zanzibar, and other house members deemed fit by the president.[59] The House of Representatives is composed of elected members, ten members appointed by the president, all the regional commissioners of Zanzibar, the attorney general, and appointed female members whose number must be equal to 30% of the elected members.[55]:§§ 55(3), 64, 67(1) The House determines the number of its elected members[55]:§ 120(2) with the Zanzibar Electoral Commission determining the boundaries of each election constituency.[55]:§ 120(1) In 2013, the House has a total of 81 members: fifty elected members, five regional commissioners, the attorney general, ten members appointed by the president, and fifteen appointed female members.[53] Administrative subdivisions Main articles: Regions of Tanzania, Districts of Tanzania, and Subdivisions of Tanzania Regions of Tanzania In 1972, local government on the mainland was abolished and replaced with direct rule from the central government. Local government, however, was reintroduced in the beginning of the 1980s, when the rural councils and rural authorities were re-established. Local government elections took place in 1983, and functioning councils started in 1984. In 1999, a Local Government Reform Programme was enacted by the National Assembly, setting "a comprehensive and ambitious agenda ... [covering] four areas: political decentralization, financial decentralization, administrative decentralization and changed central-local relations, with the mainland government having over-riding powers within the framework of the Constitution."[61] Tanzania is divided into thirty regions (mkoa), twenty-five on the mainland and five in Zanzibar (three on Unguja, two on Pemba).[62][63] 169 districts (wilaya), also known as local government authorities, have been created. Of the 169 districts, 34 are urban units, which are further classified as three city councils (Arusha, Mbeya, and Mwanza), nineteen municipal councils, and twelve town councils.[6] The urban units have an autonomous city, municipal, or town council and are subdivided into wards and mtaa. The non-urban units have an autonomous district council but are subdivided into village councils or township authorities (first level) and then into vitongoji.[61] The city of Dar es Salaam is unique because it has a city council whose areal jurisdiction overlaps three municipal councils. The mayor of the city council is elected by that council. The twenty-member city council is composed of eleven persons elected by the municipal councils, seven members of the National Assembly, and "Nominated members of parliament under 'Special Seats' for women". Each municipal council also has a mayor. "The City Council performs a coordinating role and attends to issues cutting across the three municipalities", including security and emergency services.[64][65] Main article: Foreign relations of Tanzania Tanzanian Embassy in West End, Washington, D.C., USA. Apart from its border dispute with Malawi, Tanzania had cordial relations with its neighbours in 2012.[66] Relations between Tanzania and Malawi have been tense because of a dispute over the countries' Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) border. An unsuccessful mediation regarding this issue took place in March 2014.[42]:page 1250[66][67] The two countries agreed in 2013 to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to resolve the dispute should mediation be unsuccessful.[68] Malawi, but not Tanzania, has accepted the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ.[69] Relations between Tanzania and Rwanda deteriorated in 2013 when Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said that if the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could negotiate with some of its enemies, Rwanda should be able to do the same.[70] Rwandan President Paul Kagame then expressed "contempt" for Kikwete's statement.[71] The tension was renewed in May 2014 when, in a speech to the Tanzanian National Assembly, Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Membe renewed his claim that Rwandans were causing instability in the DRC. Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo responded, "As for Tanzania's foreign minister whose anti-Rwanda rant in parliament I heard, he would benefit from a lesson in the history of the region."[72] Tanzania–China relations have strengthened in recent years as trade between the two countries and Chinese investment in Tanzanian infrastructure have increased rapidly.[42]:page 1250[73] Relations with the United States are warm, with President Barack Obama visiting Tanzania in 2013.[74][75] Tanzania's relations with other donor countries, including Japan and members of the European Union, are generally good, though donors are concerned about Tanzania's commitment to reducing government corruption.[42]:page 1250[66] Tanzania is a member of the East African Community (EAC), along with Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi.[76] According to the East African Common Market Protocol of 2010, the free trade and free movement of people is guaranteed, including the right to reside in another member country for purposes of employment.[42]:page 1250[77][78] This protocol, however, has not been implemented because of work permit and other bureaucratic, legal, and financial obstacles.[79] Tanzania is also a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).[80] The EAC, the SADC, and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa agreed in June 2011 to negotiate the creation of a Tripartite Free Trade Area spanning 26 African countries, with a goal to complete the first phase of negotiations within 36 months.[81] As of 31 October 2014, Tanzania was contributing 2,253 soldiers and other personnel to various United Nations peacekeeping operations.[82] The Tanzanian military is participating along with South African and Malawian militaries in the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (MONUSCO) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The United Nations Security Council authorised the force on 28 March 2013 to conduct targeted offensive operations to neutralise groups that threaten peace in the DRC.[83] Tanzania was also participating in peacekeeping missions in the Darfur Region of Sudan (UNAMID); Abyei, control of which is contested between South Sudan and Sudan (UNISFA); the Central African Republic (MINUSCA); Lebanon (UNIFIL); and South Sudan (UNMISS).[84] Tanzanian special forces during a training exercise Main article: Tanzania People's Defence Force The armed forces consists of the army, navy and air force. The current Chief of Defence Forces is General Davis Mwamunyange. The armed forces was engaged in the Uganda–Tanzania War, the Mozambican Civil War and most recently the 2008 invasion of Anjouan. Tanzania is also involved in the following United Nations peacekeeping missions: UNAMID (Sudan), UNIFIL (Lebanon) and Force Intervention Brigade (part of MONUSCO in DR Congo). Main articles: Economy of Tanzania and Poverty in Tanzania Bank of Tanzania Twin Towers Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. As of 2014, Tanzania's gross domestic product (GDP) was an estimated $43.8 billion,[85] or $86.4 billion on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis.[86] Tanzania is a middle-power country, with a per capita GDP of $1,813 (PPP),[86] which was 32% below the average of $2,673 for the 45 sub-Saharan African countries[87] and ranked 23rd among those countries.[88] From 2009 through 2013, Tanzania's per capita GDP (based on constant local currency) grew an average of 3.5% per year, higher than any other member of the East African Community (EAC) and exceeded by only nine countries in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.[89] Tanzania's largest trading partners in 2012 for its US $5.5 billion in exports were South Africa, Switzerland, and China.[90] Its imports totalled US $11.7 billion, with Switzerland, China, and the United Arab Emirates being the biggest partners.[90] Tanzania weathered the Great Recession, which began in late 2008 or early 2009, relatively well. Strong gold prices, bolstering the country's mining industry, and Tanzania's poor integration into global markets helped to insulate the country from the downturn.[42]:page 1250 Since the recession ended, the Tanzanian economy has expanded rapidly thanks to strong tourism, telecommunications, and banking sectors.[42]:page 1250 According to the United Nations Development Program, however, recent growth in the national economy has benefited only the "very few", leaving out the majority of the population.[91] Tanzania's 2013 Global Hunger Index was worse than any other country in the EAC except Burundi.[92]:page 15 The proportion of persons who were undernourished in 2010–12 was also worse than any other EAC country except Burundi.[92]:page 51 The level of poverty in Tanzania is very high.[93] Tanzania has made little progress towards reducing extreme hunger and malnutrition.[93][94] The 2010 Global Hunger Index ranks the situation as “alarming”.[93] Children in rural areas suffer substantially higher rates of malnutrition and chronic hunger, although urban-rural disparities have narrowed as regards both stunting and underweight.[93] Low rural sector productivity arises mainly from inadequate infrastructure investment; limited access to farm inputs, extension services and credit; limited technology as well as trade and marketing support; and heavy dependence on rain-fed agriculture and natural resources.[93] Approximately 68 percent of Tanzania's 44.9 million citizens live below the poverty line of $1.25 a day and 16 percent of children under 5 are malnourished.[94] The most prominent challenges Tanzania faces in poverty reduction are unsustainable harvesting of its natural resources, unchecked cultivation, climate change and water- source encroachment, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).[94] There are very few resources for Tanzanians in terms of credit services, infrastructure or availability to improved agricultural technologies, which further exacerbates hunger and poverty in the country according to the UNDP.[94] Tanzania ranks 159 out of 187 countries in poverty according to the United Nation’s Human Development Index (2014).[94] Main article: Agriculture in Tanzania Tea fields in Tukuyu The Tanzanian economy is heavily based on agriculture, which accounts for 24.5% of gross domestic product,[34]:page 37 provides 85% of exports,[14] and accounts for half of the employed workforce;[34]:page 56 The agricultural sector grew 4.3% in 2012, less than half of the Millennium Development Goal target of 10.8%.[95] 16.4% of the land is arable,[96] with 2.4% of the land planted with permanent crops.[97] Maize was the largest food crop on the Tanzania mainland in 2013 (5.17 million tonnes), followed by cassava (1.94 million tonnes), sweet potatoes (1.88 million tonnes), beans (1.64 million tonnes), bananas (1.31 million tonnes), rice (1.31 million tonnes), and millet (1.04 million tonnes).[34]:page 58 Sugar was the largest cash crop on the mainland in 2013 (296,679 tonnes), followed by cotton (241,198 tonnes), cashew nuts (126,000 tonnes), tobacco (86,877 tonnes), coffee (48,000 tonnes), sisal (37,368 tonnes), and tea (32,422 tonnes).[34]:page 58 Beef was the largest meat product on the mainland in 2013 (299,581 tonnes), followed by lamb/mutton (115,652 tonnes), chicken (87,408 tonnes), and pork (50,814 tonnes).[34]:page 60 According to the 2002 National Irrigation Master Plan, 29.4 million hectares in Tanzania are suitable for irrigation farming; however, only 310,745 hectares were actually being irrigated in June 2011 .[98] Industry and construction Main articles: Energy in Tanzania, Water supply and sanitation in Tanzania, and Natural resource and waste management in Tanzania See also: List of companies of Tanzania Williamson diamond mine Songo Songo Gas Plant Industry and construction is a major and growing component of the Tanzanian economy, contributing 22.2% of GDP in 2013.[34]:page 37 This component includes mining and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity and natural gas, water supply, and construction.[34]:page 37 Mining contributed 3.3% of GDP in 2013.[34]:page 33 The vast majority of the country's mineral export revenue comes from gold, accounting for 89% of the value of those exports in 2013.[34]:page 71 It also exports sizeable quantities of gemstones, including diamonds and tanzanite.[42]:page 1251 All of Tanzania's coal production, which totalled 106,000 short tons in 2012, is used domestically.[99] Only 15% of Tanzanians had access to electric power in 2011.[100] The government-owned Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) dominates the electric supply industry in Tanzania.[101] The country generated 6.013 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in 2013, a 4.2% increase over the 5.771 billion kWh generated in 2012.[102]:page 4 Generation increased by 63% between 2005 and 2012;[103][104] Almost 18% of the electricity generated in 2012 was lost because of theft and transmission and distribution problems.[103] The electrical supply varies, particularly when droughts disrupt hydropower electric generation; rolling blackouts are implemented as necessary.[42]:page 1251[101] The unreliability of the electrical supply has hindered the development of Tanzanian industry.[42]:page 1251 In 2013, 49.7% of Tanzania's electricity generation came from natural gas, 28.9% from hydroelectric sources, 20.4% from thermal sources, and 1.0% from outside the country.[102]:page 5 The government is building a 532 kilometres (331 mi) gas pipeline from Mnazi Bay to Dar es Salaam, with a scheduled completion in 2015.[105] This pipeline is expected to allow the country to double its electricity generation capacity to 3,000 megawatts by 2016.[106] The government's goal is to increase capacity to at least 10,000 megawatts by 2025.[107] Nyerere Bridge in Kigamboni, Dar es Salaam, is Tanzania's and East Africa's only suspension bridge According to PFC Energy, 25 to 30 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas resources have been discovered in Tanzania since 2010.[99] Bringing the total reserves to over 43 trillion cubic feet by the end of 2013,.[108] The value of natural gas actually produced in 2013 was US $52.2 million, a 42.7% increase over 2012.[34]:page 73 Commercial production of gas from the Songo Songo Island field in the Indian Ocean commenced in 2004, thirty years after it was discovered there.[109][110] Over 35 billion cubic feet of gas was produced from this field in 2013,[34]:page 72 with proven, probable, and possible reserves totalling 1.1 trillion cubic feet.[110] The gas is transported by pipeline to Dar es Salaam.[109] As of 27 August 2014, TANESCO owed the operator of this field, Orca Exploration Group Inc., US $50.4 million, down from US $63.8 million two months earlier.[111] A newer natural gas field in Mnazi Bay in 2013 produced about one-seventh of the amount produced near Songo Songo Island[34]:page 73 but has proven, probable, and possible reserves of 2.2 trillion cubic feet.[110] Virtually all of that gas is being used for electricity generation in Mtwara.[109] The Ruvuma and Nyuna regions of Tanzania have been explored mostly by the discovery company that holds 75% interest, Aminex (AEX), and has shown to hold in excess of 3.5 TCF of natural gas.A pipeline connecting offshore natural gas fields to Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam was completed at the end of April 2015, but technical setbacks will keep it from going online until November 2015.[112] Main article: Tourism in Tanzania The snowcapped Uhuru Peak Travel and tourism contributed 12.7% of Tanzania's gross domestic product and employed 11.0% of the country's labour force (1,189,300 jobs) in 2013.[113] The sector is growing rapidly, with overall receipts rising from US $1.74 billion in 2004 to US $4.48 billion in 2013,[113] and receipts from international tourists rising from US $1.255 billion in 2010 to US $1.880 billion in 2013.[114] In 2012, 1,043,000 tourists arrived at Tanzania's borders compared to 590,000 in 2005.[90] The vast majority of tourists visit Zanzibar or a "northern circuit" of Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, and Mount Kilimanjaro.[42]:page 1252 In 2013, the most visited national park was Serengeti (452,485 tourists), followed by Manyara (187,773) and Tarangire (165,949).[34]:page xx According to a 2013 published report, around 600,000 people visit the NCA annually, earning 56 billion Tanzanian shillings in 2012. The Bank of Tanzania is the central bank of Tanzania and is primarily responsible for maintaining price stability, with a subsidiary responsibility for issuing Tanzanian shilling notes and coins.[115] At the end of 2013, the total assets of the Tanzanian banking industry were 19.5 trillion Tanzanian shillings, a 15% increase over 2012.[116] Main article: Transport in Tanzania One of the main trunk roads Air Tanzania is the flag carrier Most transport in Tanzania is by road; road transport constitutes over 75% of the country's freight traffic and 80% of its passenger traffic.[42]:page 1252 The 86,500-kilometer road system is in generally poor condition.[42]:page 1252 Tanzania has two railway companies: TAZARA, which provides service between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Mposhi (in a copper-mining district in Zambia), and Tanzania Railways Limited, which connects Dar es Salaam with central and northern Tanzania.[42]:page 1252 Rail travel in Tanzania often entails slow journeys with frequent cancellations or delays; the railways also have a deficient safety record.[42]:page 1252 Tanzania has four international airports, along with over 100 small airports or landing strips; airport infrastructure tends to be in poor condition.[42]:page 1253 Airlines in Tanzania include Air Tanzania, Precision Air, Fastjet, Coastal Aviation, and ZanAir.[42]:page 1253 Several modern hydrofoil boats provide transportation across the Indian Ocean between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. Main article: Telecommunications in Tanzania The communications sector is the fastest growing sector in Tanzania, expanding 22.8% in 2013; however, the sector accounted for only 2.4% of gross domestic product that year.[102]:page 2 As of 2011, Tanzania had 56 mobile telephone subscribers per 100 inhabitants, a rate slightly above the sub-Saharan average.[42]:page 1253 Very few Tanzanians have fixed-line telephones.[42]:page 1253 Approximately 12% of Tanzanians used the internet as of 2011, though this number is rapidly growing.[42]:page 1253 The country has a fibre-optic cable network that recently replaced unreliable satellite service, but internet bandwidth remains very low.[42]:page 1253 Main article: Water supply and sanitation in Tanzania Water supply and sanitation in Tanzania is characterised by decreasing access to improved water sources in the 2000s (especially in urban areas), steady access to some form of sanitation (around 93% since the 1990s), intermittent water supply and generally low quality of service.[117] Many utilities are barely able to cover their operation and maintenance costs through revenues due to low tariffs and poor efficiency. There are significant regional differences and the best performing utilities are Arusha and Tanga.[118] The Government of Tanzania has embarked on a major sector reform process since 2002. An ambitious National Water Sector Development Strategy that promotes integrated water resources management and the development of urban and rural water supply was adopted in 2006. Decentralisation has meant that responsibility for water and sanitation service provision has shifted to local government authorities and is carried out by 20 urban utilities and about 100 district utilities, as well as by Community Owned Water Supply Organisations in rural areas.[117] These reforms have been backed by a significant increase of the budget starting in 2006, when the water sector was included among the priority sectors of the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty MKUKUTA. The Tanzanian water sector remains heavily dependent on external donors: 88% of the available funds are provided by external donor organisations.[119] Results have been mixed. For example, a report by GIZ notes that "despite heavy investments brought in by the World Bank and the European Union, (the utility serving Dar es Salaam) has remained one of the worst performing water entities in Tanzania."[120] Main article: Demographics of Tanzania The Hadza live as hunter-gatherers According to the 2012 census, the total population was 44,928,923.[6] The under 15 age group represented 44.1% of the population.[121] The population distribution in Tanzania is extremely uneven. Most people live on the northern border or the eastern coast, with much of the remainder of the country being sparsely populated.[42]:page 1252 Density varies from 12 per square kilometre (31/sq mi) in the Katavi Region to 3,133 per square kilometre (8,110/sq mi) in the Dar es Salaam Region.[6]:page 6 Approximately 70% of the population is rural, although this percentage has been declining since at least 1967.[122] Dar es Salaam (population 4,364,541[123]) is the largest city and commercial capital. Dodoma (population 410,956[123]), located in the centre of Tanzania, is the capital of the country and hosts the National Assembly. Largest cities or towns in Tanzania 2012 Census General Report, March 2013 Combined Final for Printing Mwanza 1 Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam 4,364,541 2 Mwanza Mwanza 706,543 3 Arusha Arusha 416,442 4 Dodoma Dodoma 410,956 5 Mbeya Mbeya 385,279 6 Morogoro Morogoro 315,866 7 Tanga Tanga 273,332 8 Kahama Shinyanga 242,208 9 Tabora Tabora 226,999 10 Zanzibar City Zanzibar West 223,033 The population consists of about 125 ethnic groups.[124] The Sukuma, Nyamwezi, Chagga, and Haya peoples have more than 1 million members each.[125]:page 4 Approximately 99% of Tanzanians are of African descent, with small numbers of Arab, European, and Asian descent.[124] The majority of Tanzanians, including the Sukuma and the Nyamwezi, are Bantu. The Nilotic peoples include the nomadic Maasai and Luo, both of which are found in greater numbers in neighbouring Kenya. The population also includes people of Arab, and Indian origin, and small European and Chinese communities.[126] Many also identify as Shirazis. Thousands of Arabs and Indians were massacred during the Zanzibar Revolution of 1964.[35] As of 1994, the Asian community numbered 50,000 on the mainland and 4,000 on Zanzibar. An estimated 70,000 Arabs and 10,000 Europeans lived in Tanzania.[127] Some albinos in Tanzania have been the victims of violence in recent years.[128][129][130][131] Attacks are often to hack off the limbs of albinos in the perverse superstitious belief that possessing the bones of albinos will bring wealth. The country has banned witch doctors to try to prevent the practice, but it has continued and albinos remain targets.[132] According to 2010 Tanzanian government statistics, the total fertility rate in Tanzania was 5.4 children born per woman, with 3.7 in urban mainland areas, 6.1 in rural mainland areas, and 5.1 in Zanzibar.[133]:page 55 For all women aged 45–49, 37.3% had given birth to eight or more children, and for currently married women in that age group, 45.0% had given birth to that many children.[133]:page 61 Religion in Tanzania (2014) Indigenous beliefs Source: CIA World Factbook[134] Gaddafi Mosque in the capital Dodoma is the second largest mosque in East Africa Azania Front Lutheran Church built by German missionaries in 1898 Main article: Religion in Tanzania Current statistics on religion are unavailable because religious surveys were eliminated from government census reports after 1967. Religious leaders and sociologists estimated in 2007 that Muslim and Christian communities are approximately equal in size, each accounting for 30 to 40% of the population, with the remainder consisting of practitioners of other faiths, indigenous religions, and people of "no religion".[135] According to estimates from 2014, 61.4% is Christian, 35.2% of the population is Muslim, 1.8% practice Traditional African religion, 1.4 are unaffiliated with any religion, and 0.2 consisting of other religions. In the mainland while more than 99% in Zanzibar are Muslim.[14] Of Muslims, 16% are Ahmadiyya, 20% are non-denominational Muslims, 40% are Sunni, 20% are Shia and 4% are Sufi.[136] The Christian population is mostly composed of Roman Catholics and Protestants. Among Protestants, the large number of Lutherans and Moravians points to the German past of the country, while the number of Anglicans point to the British history of Tanganyika. Pentecostals and Adventists are also present due to missionary activity. All of them have had some influence in varying degrees from the Walokole movement (East African Revival), which has also been fertile ground for the spread of charismatic and Pentecostal groups.[137] On the mainland, Muslim communities are concentrated in coastal areas; there are also some large Muslim majorities in inland urban areas and along the former caravan routes. A large majority of the Muslim population is Sunni. The Muslim population of Dar es Salaam, the largest and richest city in Tanzania, is mainly Sunni. There are also active communities of other religious groups, primarily on the mainland, such as Buddhists, Hindus, and Bahá'ís.[138] Main article: Languages of Tanzania A carved door with Arabic calligraphy in Zanzibar Over 100 different languages are spoken in Tanzania, making it the most linguistically diverse country in East Africa.[1] Among the languages spoken in Tanzania are all four of Africa's language families: Bantu, Cushitic, Nilotic, and Khoisan.[1] Swahili and English are Tanzania's official languages.[1] Swahili is used in parliamentary debate, in the lower courts, and as a medium of instruction in primary school; English is used in foreign trade, in diplomacy, in higher courts, and as a medium of instruction in secondary and higher education,[1] although the Tanzanian government plans to discontinue English as a language of instruction altogether.[139] In connection with his Ujamaa social policies, President Nyerere encouraged the use of Swahili as a means of unifying the country's many ethnic groups.[140] Approximately 10% of Tanzanians speak Swahili as a first language, and up to 90% speak it as a second language.[1] Most Tanzanians thus speak both Swahili and a local language; many educated Tanzanians are trilingual, also speaking English.[141][142][143] The widespread use and promotion of Swahili is contributing to the decline of smaller languages in the country.[1][144] Young children increasingly speak Swahili as a first language, particularly in urban areas.[145] Ethnic community languages (ECL, other than Kiswahili) are not allowed as language of instruction, neither are they taught as subject, though they might be used unofficially (illegally) in some cases in initial education. Television and radio programmes in ECL are prohibited, and it is nearly impossible to get a permission to publish a newspaper in ECL. There is no department of local or regional African Languages and Literatures at the University of Dar es Salaam.[146] The Sandawe people speak a language that may be related to the Khoe languages of Botswana and Namibia, while the language of the Hadzabe people, although it has similar click consonants, is arguably a language isolate.[147] The language of the Iraqw people is Cushitic.[148] Main article: Education in Tanzania Nkrumah Hall at the University of Dar es Salaam Based on 2012 data, the literacy rate in Tanzania for persons aged 15 and over is estimated to be 67.8%.[149] Education is compulsory until children reach age 15.[150] In 2010, 74.1% of children age 5 to 14 years were attending school.[150] The primary school completion rate was 80.8% in 2012.[150] Main article: Healthcare in Tanzania As of 2012, life expectancy at birth was 61 years.[151] The under-five mortality rate in 2012 was 54 per 1,000 live births.[151] The maternal mortality rate in 2013 was estimated at 410 per 100,000 live births.[151] Prematurity and malaria were tied in 2010 as the leading cause of death in children under 5 years old.[152] The other leading causes of death for these children were, in decreasing order, malaria, diarrhoea, HIV, and measles.[152] Malaria in Tanzania causes death and disease and has a "huge economic impact".[153]:page 13 There were approximately 11.5 million cases of clinical malaria in 2008.[153]:page 12 In 2007–08, malaria prevalence among children aged 6 months to 5 years was highest in the Kagera Region (41.1%) on the western shore of Lake Victoria and lowest in the Arusha Region (0.1%).[153]:page 12 According to the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey 2010, 15% of Tanzanian women have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM)[133]:page 295 and 72% of Tanzanian men have been circumcised.[133]:page 230 FGM is most common in the Manyara, Dodoma, Arusha, and Singida regions and nonexistent in Zanzibar.[133]:page 296 The prevalence of male circumcision was above 90% in the eastern (Dar es Salaam, Pwani, and Morogoro regions), northern (Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Arusha, and Manyara regions), and central zones (Dodoma and Singida regions) and below 50% only in the southern highlands zone (Mbeya, Iringa, and Rukwa regions).[133]:pages 6, 230 2012 data showed that 53% of the population used improved drinking water sources (defined as a source that "by nature of its construction and design, is likely to protect the source from outside contamination, in particular from faecal matter") and 12% used improved sanitation facilities (defined as facilities that "likely hygienically separates human excreta from human contact" but not including facilities shared with other households or open to public use).[154] Main article: HIV/AIDS in Tanzania The World Health Organization estimated in 2012 that the prevalence of HIV was 3.1%,[151] although the Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey 2011–12 found that, on average, 5.1% of those tested in the 15 to 49 age group were HIV-positive.[155] Anti-retroviral treatment coverage for people living with HIV was 37% in 2013, compared to 19% in 2011.[156] According to a 2013 report published by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS that compares 2012 with 2001 data, AIDS deaths have decreased 33%, new HIV infections have decreased 36%, and new HIV infections among children have decreased 67%.[157] Main article: Culture of Tanzania Main article: Music of Tanzania Judith Wambura (Lady Jaydee) is a popular Bongo Flava recording singer The music of Tanzania includes traditional African music, string-based taarab, and a distinctive hip hop known as bongo flava. Famous taarab singers include Abbasi Mzee, Culture Musical Club, Shakila of Black Star Musical Group. Internationally known traditional artists include Bi Kidude, Hukwe Zawose, Diamond Platnumz, Ally Kiba and Tatu Nane. Tanzania also has its own distinct African rumba music, termed muziki wa dansi ("dance music"); important artists include Simba Wanyika, Remmy Ongala, and Orchestra Makassy. Freddie Mercury, of the band Queen, was born in Tanzania. Main article: Tanzanian literature Tanzania's literary culture is primarily oral.[125]:page 68 Major oral literary forms include folktales, poems, riddles, proverbs, and songs.[125]:page 69 The greatest part of Tanzania's recorded oral literature is in Swahili, even though each of the country's languages has its own oral tradition.[125]:pages 68–9 The country's oral literature has been declining because of the breakdown of the multigenerational social structure, making transmission of oral literature more difficult, and because increasing modernisation has been accompanied by the devaluation of oral literature.[125]:page 69 Tanzania's written literary tradition is relatively undeveloped. Tanzania does not have a lifelong reading culture, and books are often expensive and hard to come by.[125]:page 75[158]:page 16 Most Tanzanian literature is in Swahili or English.[125]:page 75 Major figures in Tanzanian written literature include Shaaban Robert (considered the father of Swahili literature), Muhammed Saley Farsy, Faraji Katalambulla, Adam Shafi Adam, Muhammed Said Abdalla, Said Ahmed Mohammed Khamis, Mohamed Suleiman Mohamed, Euphrase Kezilahabi, Gabriel Ruhumbika, Ebrahim Hussein, May Materru Balisidya, Abdulrazak Gurnah, and Penina O. Mlama.[125]:pages 76–8 Painting and sculpture A Tingatinga painting Historically, there have been only limited opportunities for formal European art training in Tanzania, and many aspiring Tanzanian artists have left the country to pursue their vocation.[158]:papge 17 One of the most famous African artists – George Lilanga – was born in Tanzania. Two Tanzanian art styles have achieved international recognition.[158]:papge 17 The Tingatinga school of painting, founded by Edward Said Tingatinga, consists of brightly coloured enamel paintings on canvas, generally depicting people, animals, or daily life.[125]:page 113[158]:papge 17 After Tingatinga's death in 1972, other artists adopted and developed his style, with the genre now being the most important tourist-oriented style in East Africa.[125]:page 113[158]:papge 17 Makonde is both a tribe in Tanzania and Mozambique and a sculptural style. It is known for the high Ujamaas (Trees of Life) made of the hard and dark ebony tree. One of Tanzania's, and other parts of eastern Africa's, most common dishes is Ugali. It is usually composed of corn and is similar in consistency to a stiff paste or porridge, giving it its second name of corn meal porridge. Mixtures of cassava and millet flours are locally used for ugali. Rice and cooked green bananas are also important staples. Beef, goat meat, beans, yoghurt, and a wide range of fish and green leafy vegetables all add nutrients to the dishes. Main article: Sport in Tanzania Football is very popular throughout the country.[159] The most popular professional football clubs in Dar es Salaam are the Young Africans F.C. and Simba S.C.[160] The Tanzania Football Federation is the governing body for football in the country. Other popular sports include netball, boxing, volleyball, athletics, and rugby.[159][161] Tanzania competes in the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, the All-Africa Games, the Africa Cup of Nations, the CAF Champions League, the African Women's Championship in football, the CAF Confederation Cup, and the African Championships in Athletics. Among the popular sportsmen from Tanzania are Hasheem Thabeet, Mbwana Samatta and Filbert Bayi. Human rights in Tanzania Index of Tanzania-related articles LGBT rights in Tanzania Outline of Tanzania Zanzibari cuisine ↑ +007 from Kenya and Uganda. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ulrich Ammon; Norbert Dittmar; Klaus J. Mattheier (2006). Sociolinguistics: An International Handbook of the Science of Language and Society. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 1967–. ISBN 978-3-11-018418-1. ↑ David Lawrence (2009). Tanzania: The Land, Its People and Contemporary Life. Intercontinental Books. pp. 146–. ISBN 978-9987-9308-3-8. ↑ "About the United Republic of Tanzania". Permanent Representative of Tanzania to the United Nations. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2015. 1 2 3 "Basic Facts and Figures on Human Settlements, 2012", National Bureau of Statistics, Tanzania Ministry of Finance, 2013, page 1, accessed 10 November 2014 ↑ Tansania. worldbank.org 1 2 3 4 Population Distribution by Administrative Areas, 2012 Population and Housing Census, National Bureau of Statistics, United Republic of Tanzania, 2013 1 2 3 4 Tanzania. IMF.org ↑ "GINI Index". The World Bank. Retrieved 14 October 2014. ↑ "2015 Human Development Report" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015. ↑ "UPDATE 2-Tanzania's GDP expands by 32 pct after rebasing – officials". Reuters. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014. ↑ "Tanzania | Define Tanzania at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 19 February 2014. This approximates the Kiswahili pronunciation [tanzaˈni.a]. However, /tænˈzeɪniə/ is also heard in English. ↑ "World Bank Tanzania Country Page". World Bank. Retrieved 24 November 2015. ↑ Aloysius C. Mosha. "The planning of the new capital of Tanzania: Dodoma, an unfulfilled dream" (PDF). University of Botswana. Retrieved 13 March 2013. 1 2 3 4 5 Central Intelligence Agency. "Tanzania". The World Factbook. ↑ "The Tanzania National Website: Country Profile". Tanzania.go.tz. Archived from the original on 25 November 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2010. ↑ "Dar es Salaam Port". Tanzaniaports.com. Retrieved 19 February 2014. ↑ Harper, Douglas. "tanzania". Online Etymology Dictionary. ↑ John Knouse: A Political World Gazetteer: Africa website accessed 1 May 2007. ↑ Harper, Douglas. "zanzibar". Online Etymology Dictionary. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tishkoff, S. A.; Reed, F. A.; Friedlaender, F. R.; Ehret, C.; Ranciaro, A.; Froment, A.; Hirbo, J. B.; Awomoyi, A. A.; Bodo, J. -M.; Doumbo, O.; Ibrahim, M.; Juma, A. T.; Kotze, M. J.; Lema, G.; Moore, J. H.; Mortensen, H.; Nyambo, T. B.; Omar, S. A.; Powell, K.; Pretorius, G. S.; Smith, M. W.; Thera, M. 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Africa's Freedom Railway: How a Chinese Development Project Changed Lives and Livelihoods in Tanzania. Indiana University Press. p. 199. ISBN 0-253-35271-1. ↑ Anna Muganda (2004). "Tanzania's Economic Reforms – and Lessons Learned" (PDF). Retrieved 19 February 2014. ↑ "Tanzania 1992". princeton.edu. ↑ "Tanzania: 1995 National Assembly election results". eisa.org.za. ↑ "CIA – The World Factbook – Rank Order – Area". Cia.gov. Retrieved 16 October 2014. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Joseph Lake (2013) "Economy" in Africa South of the Sahara, edited by Europa Publications and Iain Frame, Routledge. ISBN 1857436598 ↑ "Kalambo Falls". Encyclopædia Britannica. 1 2 3 Zorita, Eduardo; Tilya, Faustine F. (12 February 2002). "Rainfall variability in Northern Tanzania in the March–May season (long rains) and its links to large-scale climate forcing" (PDF). Climate Research. Inter-Research Science Center. 20: 31–40. doi:10.3354/cr020031. Retrieved 16 October 2014. ↑ Laher, Ridwan; SingíOei, Korir (2014). Indigenous People in Africa.: Contestations, Empowerment and Group Rights. Africa Institute of South Africa. pp. 57–. ISBN 978-0-7983-0464-1. ↑ "Home". Tanzania National Parks. Retrieved 16 October 2014. ↑ "Gombe Stream National Park". Tanzania National Parks. Retrieved 16 October 2014. ↑ Laura Riley; William Riley (2005). Nature's Strongholds: The World's Great Wildlife Reserves. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-12219-9. ↑ S. N. Stuart; Martin Jenkins (1990). Biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa and Its Islands: Conservation, Management, and Sustainable Use. IUCN. pp. 204–. ISBN 978-2-8317-0021-2. ↑ Edoarado Razzetti and Charles Andekia Msuya (2002) "Introduction", Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Arusha National Park. Tanzania National Parks. p. 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania" (PDF). Judiciary of Tanzania. Retrieved 19 February 2014. ↑ "Tanzania's ruling party secures the presidency and a two-thirds majority in parliament". Quartz. Retrieved 2015-10-30. 1 2 "Tanzania: Government". Broad College of Business, Michigan State University. Retrieved 19 February 2014. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Christabel Manning and Seka Kasera. "UPDATE: Guide to Tanzanian Legal System and Legal Research". GlobaLex. Retrieved 16 October 2014. CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The Constitution of Zanzibar. zltb.go.tz. 2006. ↑ High Court Zones, High Court of Tanzania – Commercial Division, accessed 16 October 2014 ↑ "Welcome to High Court of Zanzibar". judiciaryzanzibar.go.tz. ↑ African States, State Parties to the Rome Statute, International Criminal Court, accessed 21 October 2014 1 2 3 "Zanzibar: Constitution". Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa. Retrieved 19 February 2014. 1 2 Markku Suksi (2011). Sub-State Governance through Territorial Autonomy: A Comparative Study in Constitutional Law of Powers, Procedures and Institutions. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 467–. ISBN 978-3-642-20048-9. 1 2 Local Government System in Tanzania, Aspects of Local Self-Government: Tanzania, North-South Local Government Co-operation Programme, The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, 31 July 2009, accessed 26 October 2014 ↑ Regions. tanzania.go.tz ↑ "Tanzania: State Gazettes New Regions, Districts". AllAfrica. 9 March 2012. ↑ "City Status". Dar Es Salaam City Council. Archived from the original on 22 November 2013. ↑ "Local Government (Urban Authorities) Act, 1982, amended 1999" (PDF). Parliamentary On-line Information System. 1999. 7A and 69A. Retrieved 19 February 2014. 1 2 3 Andreas Mehler; Henning Melber; Klaas van Walraven (2013). Africa Yearbook Volume 9: Politics, Economy and Society South of the Sahara in 2012. BRILL. pp. 410–. ISBN 978-90-04-25600-2. ↑ "Tanzania: After Two Days, No Agreement Over Lake Niassa". AllAfrica.com. 22 March 2014. ↑ "Malawi, Tanzania agree on ICJ over lake dispute | TVC NEWS". tvcnews.tv. ↑ "Declarations Recognizing the Jurisdiction of the Court as Compulsory | International Court of Justice". icj-cij.org. ↑ Peter Fabricius (27 May 2013). "Africa fights to free itself of malcontents". Independent Online. ↑ "Kagame speaks out on Kikwete's call for negotiations with FDLR rebels". theeastafrican.co.ke. ↑ "Kigali, Dar face off again over DRC conflict". theeastafrican.co.ke. 31 May 2014 ↑ "China's investment in Tanzania surges". The Citizen. Agence France-Presse. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014. ↑ "U.S. Relations With Tanzania". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 9 July 2014. ↑ Gabriella Schwarz; Jessica Yellin (1 July 2013). "Obama in Tanzania, sees Africa as next global economic success". CNN. ↑ "East African Community: One People One Destiny". East African Community. Retrieved 10 July 2014. ↑ "Annex on the Free Movement of Persons". East African Community. Retrieved 21 October 2014. ↑ "Annex on the Right of Residence". East African Community. Retrieved 21 October 2014. ↑ Marc Nkwame (2 October 2014) "Regional Meeting Pushes for Free Labour Movement". Daily News ↑ "Member States". Southern African Development Community. Retrieved 10 July 2014. ↑ "Declaration launching Tripartite FTA negotiations – English". comesa-eac-sadc-tripartite.org. ↑ Contributions by Country, United Nations Peacekeeping, 31 October 2014 ↑ "Tanzanian troops arrive in eastern DR Congo as part of UN intervention brigade". United Nations. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2014. ↑ UN Mission's Summary detailed by Country, United Nations Peacekeeping, 31 October 2014, p. 39 ↑ "Guarded optimism over GDP rebase". Daily News Tanzania. Retrieved 9 April 2015. > 1 2 "Tanzania". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 14 October 2014. ↑ "Report for Selected Country Groups and Subjects". imf.org. ↑ "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". imf.org. ↑ "GDP per capita growth (annual %)". World Bank. 1 2 3 United Republic of Tanzania, UNData, Statistics Division, United Nations, accessed 22 October 2014 ↑ "About Tanzania | UNDP in Tanzania". undp.org. 1 2 "2013 Global Hunger Index". International Food Policy Research Institute. October 2013 1 2 3 4 5 Tanzania UNDP 1 2 3 4 5 Tanzania ↑ "MKUKUTA Annual Implementation Report 2012/13", Tanzania Ministry of Finance, November 2013, page 11, accessed 1 November 2014 ↑ "Arable land (% of land area)". World Bank. ↑ "Permanent cropland (% of land area)". World Bank. ↑ "Irrigation will give us more food by 2015 – govt". 5 December 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2014. 1 2 Tanzania, Analysis Briefs, Energy Information Administration, United States Department of Energy, April 2014, accessed 23 October 2014 ↑ "Access to electricity (% of population)". World Bank. 1 2 "Electricity". ewura.go.tz. 9 March 2012 1 2 3 "Quarterly Economic Review and Budget Execution Report for Fiscal Year 2013/14: January–March 2014", Tanzania Ministry of Finance, May 2014, accessed 11 November 2014 1 2 "Tanzania: Electricity and Heat for 2012". iea.org. ↑ "Tanzania: Electricity and Heat for 2005". iea.org. ↑ ashery mkama. "DailyNews Online Edition". DailyNews Online Edition. ↑ "Tanzania: Govt Signs Gas Supply Deal to Double Power Generation". allAfrica.com. 17 September 2014 ↑ Electricity Supply Industry Reform Strategy and Roadmap 2014–2025, Tanzania Ministry of Energy and Minerals, 30 June 2014, page i, accessed 26 October 2014 ↑ "OIL and GAS EXPLORATION.pdf" (PDF). Retrieved 9 April 2015. 1 2 3 Emerging East Africa Energy, Analysis Briefs, Energy Information Administration, United States Department of Energy, May 2013, accessed 23 October 2014 1 2 3 "Natural Gas". ewura.go.tz. 9 March 2012 ↑ "2014 Q2 Report for the Quarter Ended June 30 2014 and 2013", Orca Exploration Group Inc., p. 3 ↑ "Tanzania gas pipe: finished but not in service". Retrieved 9 April 2015. 1 2 "World Travel and Tourism Council Data, 2013". Knoema. ↑ UNWTO Tourism Highlights: 2014 Edition, United Nations World Tourism Organization, page 11, accessed 17 November 2014 ↑ "About the Bank — Primary Objective and Function of the Bank". Bank of Tanzania. Retrieved 19 February 2014. ↑ Annual Report 2013. Directorate of Banking Supervision, Bank of Tanzania, p. 5 1 2 Ministry of Water and Irrigation Water Sector Status Report 2009 retrieved Feb 2010 ↑ Caroline van den Berg, Eileen Burke, Leonard Chacha and Flora Kessy, Public Expenditure Review of the Water Sector, September 2009 ↑ National Water Sector Development Strategy 2006 to 2015, retrieved 23 February 2010 ↑ GIZ:Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reforms in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia:Challenges and Lessons, 2008, pp. 8–9 ↑ "Tanzania in figures 2012" (PDF). National Bureau of Statistics, Tanzania. June 2013. p. 7. Retrieved 19 February 2014. ↑ Athuman Mtulya (26 September 2013) "Report reveals rapid rural -urban migration". thecitizen.co.tz. 1 2 2012 Census General Report. nbs.go.tz. March 2013 1 2 David Levinson (1998). Ethnic Groups Worldwide: A Ready Reference Handbook. Oryx Press. pp. 173–. ISBN 978-1-57356-019-1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kefa M. Otiso (2013). Culture and Customs of Tanzania. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-08708-0. ↑ "Tanzania orders Chinese out of Dar es Salaam market". BBC News. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2014. ↑ "Tanzania (08/09)". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 19 February 2014. ↑ "BBC NEWS | Africa | Living in fear: Tanzania's albinos". BBC. ↑ "BBC News – Tanzanian witch doctors arrested over albino killing". BBC News. ↑ "BBC News – UN's Navi Pillay condemns Tanzania attacks on albinos". BBC News. ↑ "Report: Scores of albinos in hiding after attacks". CNN. 29 November 2009 ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/10/09/tanzania-albino-teen-los-angeles-bones-sidner-dnt-nr.cnn 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey 2010, National Bureau of Statistics, Tanzania Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, April 2011 ↑ "The World Fact Book: Tanzania". Retrieved 26 January 2014. ↑ International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Tanzania. United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (14 September 2007). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. ↑ Pew Forum on Religious & Public life. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2013. ↑ Moritz Fischer (2011). "'The Spirit helps us in our weakness': Charismatization of Worldwide Christianity and the Quest for an Appropriate Pneumatology with Focus on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania". Journal of Pentecostal Theology. 20: 96–121. ↑ "U.S. Department of State". State.gov. 2008. ↑ "Tanzania Ditches English In Education Overhaul Plan". AFK Insider. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015. ↑ Joshua A. Fishman Distinguished University Research Professor of Social Sciences Yeshiva University (Emeritus) (2001). Handbook of Language & Ethnic Identity. Oxford University Press. pp. 361–. ISBN 978-0-19-976139-5. ↑ Quintin Winks (2011). Tanzania – Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture. Kuperard. pp. 145–. ISBN 978-1-85733-625-2. ↑ Colin Baker; Sylvia Prys Jones (1998). Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education. Multilingual Matters. pp. 367–. ISBN 978-1-85359-362-8. ↑ François Grosjean (1982). Life with Two Languages: An Introduction to Bilingualism. Harvard University Press. pp. 8–. ISBN 978-0-674-53092-8. ↑ Matthias Brenzinger (1992). Language Death: Factual and Theoretical Explorations with Special Reference to East Africa. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 86–. ISBN 978-3-11-013404-9. ↑ Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World. Elsevier. 2010. pp. 1026–. ISBN 978-0-08-087775-4. ↑ Henry R.T. Muzale; Josephat M. Rugemalira (June 2008). "Researching and Documenting the Languages of Tanzania" (PDF). Language Documentation and Conservation. 2 (1): 68–108. ↑ Roger Blench (2006). Archaeology, Language, and the African Past. Rowman Altamira. pp. 163–. ISBN 978-0-7591-1421-0. ↑ "Iraqw". Ethnologue. ↑ "Tanzania, United Republic of – Statistics". UNICEF. Retrieved 15 October 2014. 1 2 3 "2013 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor" (PDF). U.S. Department of Labor. 1 2 3 4 "United Republic of Tanzania: Health Profile" (PDF). World Health Organization. May 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014. 1 2 "World Health Statistics" (PDF). World Health Organization. 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2014. 1 2 3 "Focus on Mainland Tanzania", Roll Back Malaria Progress & Impact Series, The Roll Back Malaria Partnership, January 2012, accessed 19 October 2014 ↑ "Global Health Observatory Data Repository". who.int. ↑ Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey 2011–12, authorized by the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) and the Zanzibar Commission for AIDS; implemented by the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Government Statistician (Zanzibar); funded by the United States Agency for International Development, TACAIDS, and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, with support provided by ICF International; data collected 16 December 2011 to 24 May 2012; report published in Dar es Salaam in March 2013 ↑ "Antiretroviral therapy coverage (% of people living with HIV)". World Bank. ↑ "Global report: UNAIDS report on the global AIDS epidemic 2013" (PDF). Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS. 1 2 3 4 5 Tim Doling (1999) Tanzania Arts Directory. Visiting Arts 1 2 Wakabi Wairagala (2004). Tanzania. Gareth Stevens Pub. pp. 36–. ISBN 978-0-8368-3119-1. ↑ Annabel Skinner (2005). Tanzania & Zanzibar. New Holland Publishers. pp. 96–. ISBN 978-1-86011-216-4. ↑ Bev Pritchett (2007). Tanzania in Pictures. Twenty-First Century Books. pp. 53–. ISBN 978-0-8225-8571-8. Wikimedia Atlas of Tanzania Tanzania travel guide from Wikivoyage Tanzania at DMOZ Tanzania Corruption Profile from the Business Ani-Corruption Portal Burundi Uganda Democratic Republic of the Congo Indian Ocean Malawi Mozambique Tanzania articles Maji Maji Rebellion East African Campaign (World War I) British rule Sultanate of Zanzibar Zanzibar Revolution Arusha Declaration Ujamaa Uganda–Tanzania War Courts (High Court) Foreign relations (Diplomatic missions) Human rights (LGBT rights) Parliament (Speaker) Shilling (currency) List of Tanzanians Persecution of Albinos Telephone codes Unguja Articles related to Tanzania Kagera Njombe Rukwa Ruvuma Shinyanga Simiyu Mjini Magharibi Pemba North Pemba South Unguja North Unguja South Countries and territories of Africa Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) Pelagie Islands Plazas de soberanía Territories and Îles Éparses Southern Provinces (Western Sahara)1 1 Unclear sovereignty. Countries and regions in the Somali Plate Somali Region Countries and territories bordering the Indian Ocean Rodrigues (Mauritius) Zanzibar, Tanzania Chagos Archipelago - United Kingdom Christmas Island (Australia) Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia) Southern African Development Community (SADC) Levy Mwanawasa Kaire Mbuende Prega Ramsamy Tomaz Salomão Southern African Development Coordination Conference (forerunner) Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Common Monetary Area (CMA) Monrovia Group Tripartite Free Trade Area Members of the Commonwealth of Nations (Members) of Members St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Source: Commonwealth Secretariat - Member States Former German colonies and protectorates Wituland Kionga Triangle German South-West Africa German West Africa German Samoa German Kiautschou Unrecognised New Swabia (claimed by Nazi Germany) BNF: cb15238456g (data) This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. 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Archive for the ‘History’ Category. Earlier this year I was in Sofia for a conference, at the main university (Saint Kliment) which in the entrance hall had an exhibition about its history. There was this student poster and song from I think around 1900: I like the banner (what do you think?). It even has the correct Latin noun and verb plurals. Anyone know where to find a university today with that kind of students, that kind of slogan, that kind of attitude and that kind of grammar? Please send me the links. Category: Education, History | Comment Ten traits of exceptional innovators Imagine having had coffee, over the years, with each of Euclid, Galileo, Descartes, Marie Curie, Newton, Einstein, Lise Leitner, Planck and de Broglie. For a computer scientist, if we set aside the founding generation (the Turings and von Neumanns), the equivalent is possible. I have had the privilege of meeting and in some cases closely interacting with pioneer scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs, including Nobel, Fields and Turing winners, Silicon-Valley-type founders and such. It is only fair that I should share some of the traits I have observed in them. Clarification and disclaimer: This discussion is abstract and as a result probably boring because I am not citing anyone by name (apart from a few famous figures, most of whom are dead and none of whom I have met). It would be more concrete and lively if I buttressed my generalities by actual examples, of which I have many. The absence of any name-dropping is a matter of courtesy and respect for people who have interacted with me unguardedly as a colleague, not a journalist preparing a tell-all book. I could of course cite the names for positive anecdotes only, but that would bias the story (see point 4). So, sorry, no names (and I won’t relent even if you ask me privately — mumm like a fish). I am looking at truly exceptional people. They are drawn from a more general pool of brilliant, successful scientists and technologists, of which they form only a small subset. Many of their traits also apply to this more general community and to highly successful people in any profession. What interests me is the extra step from brilliant to exceptional. It would not be that difficult to identify fifty outstanding mathematics researchers in, say, 1900, and analyze their psychological traits. The question is: why are some of them Hilbert and Poincaré, and others not? Of course I do not even begin to answer that question. I only offer a few personal remarks. More generally, cargo cult does not work. Emulating every one of the traits listed below will not get you a Nobel prize. You will not turn into a great composer by eating lots of Tournedos Rossini. (Well, you might start looking like the aging Rossini.) This note presents some evidence; it does not present any conclusion, let alone advice. Any consequence is for you to draw, or not. The traits obviously do not universally characterize the population observed. Not all of the people exhibit all of the traits. On the other hand, my impression is that most exhibit most. 1 Idiosyncratic “Idiosyncratic” is a high-sounding synonym for “diverse,” used here to deflect the ridicule of starting a list of what is common to those people by stating that they are different from each other. The point is important, though, and reassuring. Those people come in all stripes, from the stuffy professor to the sandals-shorts-and-Hawaiian-shirt surfer. Their ethnic backgrounds vary. And (glad you asked) some are men and some are women. Consideration of many personality and lifestyle features yields no pattern at all. Some of the people observed are courteous, a delight to deal with, but there are a few jerks too. Some are voluble, some reserved. Some boastful, some modest. Some remain for their full life married to the same person, some have been divorced many times, some are single. Some become CEOs and university presidents, others prefer the quieter life of a pure researcher. Some covet honors, others are mostly driven by the pursuit of knowledge. Some wanted to become very rich and did, others care little about money. It is amazing to see how many traits appear irrelevant, perhaps reinforcing the value of those that do make a difference. 2 Lucky In trying to apply a cargo-cult-like recipe, this one would be the hardest to emulate. We all know that Fleming came across penicillin thanks to a petri dish left uncleaned on the window sill; we also know that luck favors only the well-prepared: someone other than Fleming would have grumbled at the dirtiness of the place and thrown the dish into the sink. But I am not just talking about that kind of luck. You have to be at the right place at the right time. Read the biographies, and you will see that almost always the person happened to study with a professor who just then was struggling with a new problem, or did an internship in a group that had just invented a novel technique, or heard about recent results before everyone else did. Part of what comes under “luck” is luck in obtaining the right education. Sure, there are a few autodidacts, but most of the top achievers studied in excellent institutions. Success comes from a combination of nature and nurture. The perfect environment, such as a thriving laboratory or world-class research university, is not enough; but neither is individual brilliance. In most cases it is their combination that produces the catalysis. Laugh again if you wish, but I do not just mean the obvious observation that those people were clever in what they did. In my experience they are extremely intelligent in other ways too. They often possess deep knowledge beyond their specialties and have interesting conversations. You approach them because of the fame they gained in one domain, and learn from them about topics far beyond it. 4 Human At first, the title of this section is another cause for ridicule: what did you expect, extraterrestrials? But “human” here means human in their foibles too. You might expect, if not an extraterrestrial, someone of the oracle-of-Delphi or wizard-on-a-mountain type, who after a half-hour of silence makes a single statement perfect in its concision and exactitude. Well, no. They are smart, but they say foolish things too. And wrong things. Not only do they say them, they even publish them. (Newton wasted his brilliance on alchemy. Voltaire — who was not a scientist but helped promote science, translating Newton and supporting the work of Madame du Châtelet — wasted his powerful wit to mock the nascent study of paleontology: so-called fossils are just shells left over by picnicking tourists! More recently, a very famous computer scientist wrote a very silly book — of which I once wrote, fearlessly, a very short and very disparaging review.) So what? It is the conclusion of the discussion that counts, not the meanderous path to it, or the occasional hapless excursion into a field where your wisdom fails you. Once you have succeeded, no one will care how many wrong comments you made in the process. It is fair to note that the people under consideration probably say fewer stupid things than most. (The Erich Kästner ditty from an earlier article applies.) But no human, reassuringly perhaps, is right 100% of the time. What does set them apart from many people, and takes us back to the previous trait (smart), is that even those who are otherwise vain have no qualms recognizing mistakes in their previous thinking. They accept the evidence and move on. 5 Diligent Of two people, one an excellent, top-ranked academic, the other a world-famous pioneer, who is the more likely to answer an email? In my experience, the latter. Beyond the folk vision of the disheveled, disorganized, absent-minded professor lies the reality of a lifetime of rigor and discipline. This should not be a surprise. There is inspiration, and there is perspiration. Think of it as the dual of the broken-windows theory, or of the judicial view that a defendant who lies in small things probably lies in big things: the other way around, if you do huge tasks well, you probably do small tasks well too. 6 Focused Along with diligence comes focus, carried over from big matters to small matters. It is the lesser minds that pretend to multiplex. Great scientists, in my experience, do not hack away at their laptops during talks, and they turn off their cellphones. They choose carefully what they do (they are deluged with requests and learn early to say no), but what they accept to do they do. Seriously, attentively, with focus. A fascinating spectacle is a world-famous guru sitting in the first row at a conference presentation by a beginning Ph.D. student, and taking detailed notes. Or visiting an industrial lab and quizzing a junior engineer about the details of the latest technology. For someone who in spite of the cargo cult risk is looking for one behavior to clone, this would be it. Study after study has shown that we only delude ourselves in thinking we can multiplex. Top performers understand this. In the seminar room, they are not the ones doing email. If they are there at all, then watch and listen. 7 Eloquent Top science and technology achievers are communicators. In writing, in speaking, often in both. This quality is independent from their personal behavior, which can cover the full range from shy to boisterous. It is the quality of being articulate. They know how to convey their results — and often do not mind crossing the line to self-advertising. It is not automatically the case that true value will out: even the most impressive advances need to be pushed to the world. The alternative is to become Gregor Mendel: he single-handedly discovered the laws of genetics, and was so busy observing the beans in his garden that no one heard about his work until some twenty years after his death. Most of us prefer to get the recognition earlier. (Mendel was a monk, so maybe he believed in an afterlife; yet again maybe he, like everyone else, might have enjoyed attracting interest in this world first.) In computer science it is not surprising that many of the names that stand out are of people who have written seminal books that are a pleasure to read. Many of them are outstanding teachers and speakers as well. Being an excellent communicator does not mean that you insist on talking. The great innovators are excellent listeners too. Some people keep talking about themselves. They exist in all human groups, but this particular trait is common among scientists, particularly junior scientists, who corner you and cannot stop telling you about their ideas and accomplishments. That phenomenon is understandable, and in part justified by an urge to avoid the Mendel syndrome. But in a conversation involving some less and some more recognized professionals it is often the most accomplished members of the group who talk least. They are eager to learn. They never forget that the greatest insighs can start with a casual observation from an improbable source. They know when to talk, and when to shut up and listen. Openness also means intellectual curiosity, willingness to have your intellectual certainties challenged, focus on the merit of a comment rather than the commenter’s social or academic status, and readiness to learn from disciplines other than your own. 9 Selfish People having achieved exceptional results were generally obsessed with the chase and the prey. They are as driven as an icebreaker ship in the Sea of Barents. They have to get through; the end justifies the means; anything in the way is collateral damage. So it is not surprising, in the case of academics, to hear colleagues from their institutions mumble that X never wanted to do his share, leaving it to others to sit in committees, teach C++ to biology majors and take their turn as department chair. There are notable exceptions, such as the computer architecture pioneer who became provost then president at Stanford before receiving the Turing Award. But you do not achieve breakthroughs by doing what everything else is doing. When the rest of the crowd is being sociable and chatty at the conference party long into the night, they go back to their hotel to be alert for tomorrow’s session. A famous if extreme case is Andrew Wiles, whom colleagues in the department considered a has-been, while he was doing the minimum necessary to avoid trouble while working secretly and obsessively to prove Fermat’s last theorem. This trait is interesting in light of the soothing discourse in vogue today. Nothing wrong with work-life balance, escaping the rat race, perhaps even changing your research topic every decade (apparently the rule in some research organizations). Sometimes a hands-off, zen-like attitude will succeed where too much obstination would get stuck. But let us not fool ourselves: the great innovators never let go of the target. 10. Generous Yes, selfishness can go with generosity. You obsess over your goals, but it does not mean you forget other people. Indeed, while there are a few solo artists in the group under observation, a striking feature of the majority is that in addition to their own achievements they led to the creation of entire communities, which often look up to them as gurus. (When I took the comprehensive exam at Stanford, the first question was what the middle initial “E.” of a famous professor stood for. It was a joke question, counting for maybe one point out of a hundred, helpfully meant to defuse students’ tension in preparation for the hard questions that followed. But what I remember is that every fellow student whom I asked afterwards knew the answer. Me too. Such was the personality cult.) The guru effect can lead to funny consequences, as with the famous computer scientist whose disciples you could spot right away in conferences by their sandals and beards (I do not remember how the women coped), carefully patterned after the master’s. The leader is often good at giving every member of that community flattering personal attention. In a retirement symposium for a famous professor, almost every person I talked too was proud of having developed a long-running, highly personal and of course unique relationship with the honoree. One prestigious computer scientist who died in the 80’s encouraged and supported countless young people in his country; 30 years later, you keep running into academics, engineers and managers who tell you that they owe their career to him. Some of this community-building can be self-serving and part of a personal strategy for success. There has to be more to it, however. It is not just that community-building will occur naturally as people discover the new ideas: since these ideas are often controversial at first, those who understood their value early band together to defend them and support their inventor. But there is something else as well in my observation: the creators’ sheer, disinterested generosity. These people are passionate in their quest for discovery and creation and genuinely want to help others. Driven and self-promoting they may be, but the very qualities that led to their achievements — insight, intellectual courage, ability to think beyond accepted ideas — are at the antipodes of pettiness and narrow-mindedness. A world leader cannot expect any significant personal gain from spotting and encouraging a promising undergraduate, telling a first-time conference presenter that her idea is great and worth pushing further, patiently explaining elementary issues to a beginning student, or responding to a unknown correspondent’s emails. And still, as I have observed many times, they do all of this and more, because they are in the business of advancing knowledge. These are some of the traits I have observed. Maybe there are more but, sorry, I have to go now. The pan is sizzling and I don’t like my tournedos too well-done. (Originally published on CACM blog.) Category: Education, Essay, General technology, History, Memoir, Personal | Comment I didn’t make it up… An article published here a few years ago, reproducing a note I wrote much earlier (1992), pointed out that conventional wisdom about the history of software engineering, cited in every textbook, is inaccurate: the term “software engineering” was in use before the famous 1968 Garmisch-Partenkichen conference. See that article for details. Recently a colleague wanted to cite my observation but could not find my source, a 1966 Communications of the ACM article using the term. Indeed that text is not currently part of the digitalized ACM archive (Digital Library). But I knew it was not a figment of my imagination or of a bad memory. The reference given in my note is indeed correct; with the help of the ETH library, I was able to get a scan of the original printed article. It is available here. The text is not a regular CACM article but a president’s letter, part of the magazine’s front matter, which the digital record does not always include. In this case historical interest suggests it should; I have asked the ACM to add it. In the meantime, you can read the scanned version for a nostalgic peek into what the profession found interesting half a century ago. Note (12 November 2018): The ACM Digital Library responded (in a matter of hours!) and added the letter to the digital archive. Category: Computer science, History, Software engineering | 1 Comment Apocalypse no! (Part 2) (Revised from an article originally published in the CACM blog. Part 2 of a two-part article.) Part 1 of this article (to be found here, please read it first) made fun of authors who claim that software engineering is a total failure — and, like everyone else, benefit from powerful software at every step of their daily lives. Catastrophism in talking about software has a long history. Software engineering started around 1966 [1] with the recognition of a “software crisis“. For many years it was customary to start any article on any software topic by a lament about the terrible situation of the field, leaving in your reader’s mind the implicit suggestion that the solution to the “crisis” lay in your article’s little language or tool. After the field had matured, this lugubrious style went out of fashion. In fact, it is hard to sustain: in a world where every device we use, every move we make and every service we receive is powered by software, it seems a bit silly to claim that in software development everyone is wrong and everything is broken. The apocalyptic mode has, however, made a comeback of late in the agile literature, which is fond in particular of citing the so-called “Chaos” reports. These reports, emanating from Standish, a consulting firm, purport to show that a large percentage of projects either do not produce anything or do not meet their objectives. It was fashionable to cite Standish (I even included a citation in a 2003 article), until the methodology and the results were thoroughly debunked starting in 2006 [2, 3, 4]. The Chaos findings are not replicated by other studies, and the data is not available to the public. Capers Jones, for one, publishes his sources and has much more credible results. Yet the Chaos results continue to be reverently cited as justification for agile processes, including, at length, in the most recent book by the creators of Scrum [5]. Not long ago, I raised the issue with a well-known software engineering author who was using the Standish findings in a talk. Wasn’t he aware of the shakiness of these results? His answer was that we don’t have anything better. It did not sound like the kind of justification we should use in a mature discipline. Either the results are sound, or we should not rely on them. Software engineering is hard enough and faces enough obstacles, so obvious to everyone in the industry and to every user of software products, that we do not need to conjure up imaginary scandals and paint a picture of general desolation and universal (except for us, that is) incompetence. Take Schwaber and Sutherland, in their introductory chapter: You have been ill served by the software industry for 40 years—not purposely, but inextricably. We want to restore the partnership. No less! Pretending that the whole field is a disaster and no one else as a clue may be a good way to attract attention (for a while), but it is infantile as well as dishonest. Such gross exaggerations discredit their authors, and beyond them, the ideas they promote, good ones included. As software engineers, we can in fact feel some pride when we look at the world around us and see how much our profession has contributed to it. Not just the profession as a whole, but, crucially, software engineering research: advances in programming methodology, software architecture, programming languages, specification techniques, software tools, user interfaces, formal modeling of software concepts, process management, empirical analysis and human aspects of computing have, step after step, belied the dismal picture that may have been painfully accurate in the early days. Yes, challenges and unsolved problems face us at every corner of software engineering. Yes, we are still at the beginning, and on many topics we do not even know how to proceed. Yes, there are lots of things to criticize in current practices (and I am not the least vocal of the critics, including in this blog). But we need a sense of measure. Software engineering has made tremendous progress over the last five decades; neither the magnitude of the remaining problems nor the urge to sell one’s products and services justifies slandering the rest of the discipline. [1] Not in 1968 with the NATO conference, as everyone seems to believe. See an earlier article in this blog. [2] Robert L. Glass: The Standish report: does it really describe a software crisis?, in Communications of the ACM, vol. 49, no. 8, pages 15-16, August 2006; see here. [3] J. Laurens Eveleens and Chris Verhoef: The Rise and Fall of the Chaos Report Figures, in IEEE Software, vol. 27, no. 1, Jan-Feb 2010, pages 30-36; see here. [4] S. Aidane, The “Chaos Report” Myth Busters, 26 March 2010, see here. [5] Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland: Software in 30 Days: How Agile Managers Beat the Odds, Delight Their Customers, And Leave Competitors In the Dust, Wiley, 2012. Category: General technology, History, Software engineering | 1 Comment Ershov lecture On April 11 I gave the “Ershov lecture” in Novosibirsk. I talked about concurrency; a video recording is available here. The lecture is given annually in memory of Andrey P. Ershov, one of the founding fathers of Russian computer science and originator of many important concepts such as partial evaluation. According to Wikipedia, Knuth considers Ershov to be the inventor of hashing. I was fortunate to make Ershov’s acquaintance in the late seventies and to meet him regularly afterwards. He invited me to his institute in Novosibirsk for a two-month stay where I learned a lot. He had a warm, caring personality, and set many young computer scientists in their tracks. His premature death in 1988 was a shock to all and his memory continues to be revered; it was gratifying to be able to give the lecture named in his honor. Category: History, Seminar, Software engineering | Comment Memories of a dark time A few years back my mother started writing her memoirs. She only completed a few chapters, hand-written, and I offered to type them up. There was not enough material to approach a publisher (my fault, for not pushing her to write more); the text has remained unpublished. I am making it available now: see here. It is in French; if there is enough interest I will translate it. (Although the text is not very long, it is well written so the translation should be done carefully.) For reference I have included below the entry about my mother in one of many books about the period. Here as a taste of the text is a translation of a short extract from chapter 5 (Grenoble, 1942, where her mission in the resistance network was to find safe havens for Jewish children): Along with hosting familes there were religious boarding schools, and I should pay homage to a young Mother Superior, whose name I unfortunately forgot, who accepted some of our little girls cordially and without any afterthoughts. From schools for boys, however, how many rejections we had to suffer! I also have to evoke that other Mother Superior, stern and dry, who after making me languish for several days while asking for the approval of her supervisors finally consented to see four or five little girls. I arrived with five of my charges, whom my neighbor had brought to me after their parents were arrested on that very morning. I can still see the high-ceilinged parlor, the crucifix on the wall, the freshly waxed and shining floor, the carefully polished furniture and a tiny figure with curly brown hair, all trembling: the eldest girl, who at the point of entering stepped back and burst into tears. “One does not enter crying the house of the Holy Virgin Mary”, pronounced the Mother Superior, who had me take my little flock back to Grenoble, without further concerning herself with its fate. And this note from the final chapter about the days of the Liberation of France, when under a false name she was working as a nurse for the Red Cross in the Limoges area: This time it was the collaborationists’ turn to flee. I almost became a victim in a tragicomic incident when once, doing my daily rounds, I had to show my papers to a young FFI [members of the internal resistance army], aged maybe eighteen, who claimed the papers were fakes. Indeed they were: I still had not been able to re-establish my true identity. I tried to explain that as a Jew I had had to live under a borrowed name. He answered that by now all the “collabos” claimed to be Jewish to escape the wrath of the people… To understand the note that follows it is necessary to know a bit about the history of the period: the Drancy camp, OSE (see the Wikipedia entry), the Garel network. For the 100-th anniversary of OSE a documentary film was produced, featuring my mother among the interviewees; see a short reference to the movie here. Biographical entry From: Organisation juive de combat — Résistance / Sauvetage (Jewish Combat Organization: Resistance and Rescue), France 1940-1945, under the direction of Jean Brauman, Georges Loinger and Frida Wattenberg, Éditions Autrement, Paris, 2002. Comments in brackets […] are by me (BM). Name: Meyer née Kahn, Madeleine Born 22 May 1914 in Paris Resistance networks: Garel Resistance period: from 1941 to the Liberation: Rivesaltes (Pyrénées-Orientales), Font-Romeu (Pyrénées-Orientales), Masgelier (Creuse), Lyons, Grenoble, Limoges Supervisors: Andrée Salomon, Georges Garel In July of 1942, Madeleine Kahn was sent by Andrée Salomon and Georges Garel to work at Rivesaltes [a horrendous “transit camp”, see here] as a social worker. She worked there for several weeks and helped improve the life of people interned there; she managed to extricate from the camp a number of children that she took to Perpignan and moved to several hosting places such as Font-Romeu and Le Masgelier. In Le Masgelier [a center that hosted Jewish children], she was assigned the mission of convoying to Marseilles, for emigration to the United States, Jewish children who were of foreign origin and hence in a particularly dangerous situation. [These were children from Jewish families that had fled Germany and Austria after Hitler’s accession to power and were particular sought by the Nazis.] The local authorities had put them up in the castle of Montgrand, already used as a hosting camp for elderly Austrian refugees. The Germans’ arrival into the Southern half of France [until 1942 they were only occupying the Northern half of the country] abruptly stopped the departures for the US, and the authorities changed the children’s status to prisoners, held in appalling conditions. Madeleine Kahn remained alone with the children. All escape attempts failed. They were only freed after a long time, and sent back in some cases to their families and in others to Le Masgelier. In November of 1942, Georges Garel and Andrée Salomon put Madeleine Kahn in charge of organizing the reception and hiding of children in the Isère area [the region around Grenoble], which by then was still part of the Italian-occupied zone. [Italian occupation was generally felt much lighter than the German one, in particular regarding persecution of Jews.] The mission was to find hosting families or religious institutions, catholic or protestant, and in advance of such placement to prepare the children to their new [false] identities and help separate them from their parents [when still alive and not deported]. It was also necessary to obtain the support of some authorities, such as Mme Merceron-Vicat from the child support administration and Sister Joséphine of Our Lady of Sion. After a while Madeleine was joined by Dr. Selinger and Herta Hauben, both of whom were eventually deported. Later on she collaborated with Fanny Loinger [another key name in the Jewish resistance], who for safety reasons took over in Isère and particularly in the Drôme. After the departure of the Italians [and their replacement by the Germans], the situation became extremely dangerous and she had constantly to move the children around. Warned that she was being tracked, Madeleine Kahn hurried to reclaim two babies that had been left in the La Tronche nursery. The director refused to give her Corinne, aged one, as earlier on three Germans had come for her, wanting to take her to Drancy [the collection point in France for the train convoys en route for Auschwitz], where her parents were being held. Upon seeing the child’s age, the Germans had left, announcing they would come back with a nurse. Instantly, Madeleine summons her friends in various [resistance] organizations and the process sets into motion: produce a fake requisition order in German with a fake seal stenciled from a war prisoner’s package; hire a taxi; make up a nurse’s uniform for Renée Schutz, German-born in Berlin as Ruth Schütz. Equipped with the requisition order, the false German nurse arrives at the nursery while Madeleine acts as a sentry to stop the Germans if needed. Corinne, the baby, is saved. [I became friends with her in the nineteen-seventies.] The duped Germans were enraged. From an employee of the nursery they obtained Madeleine’s address, but she had left. The landlady gave them the address of Simone, Madeleine’s sister. [Simone was not a member of the network but knew all about it.] Interrogated under torture, she gave nothing away. All attempts to free her failed. She was deported to Auschwitz from where [adopting along the way an 8-year-old girl whose parents had already been deported, who clung to her, causing her to be treated like mothers with children, i.e. gassed immediately] she never returned. Category: History, Personal, Politics, Software engineering | Comment

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Burt, NY Best Events Near You in Burt, New York Dragged Under Thursday, Feb 6, 2020 Stamps Bar Jackie June and Rory D’Lasnow Martha Reeves and Martha Reeves & The Vandellas Burt Top Searches The Cryptics Morning In May Bruce In the USA Friday, Feb 28, 2020 at 8:00pm Sunday, Mar 1, 2020 at 8:00pm Stassi Tuesday, Mar 3, 2020 at 8:00pm Tony Lewis and Tiffany Thursday, Mar 5, 2020 at 8:00pm Tuesday, Mar 10, 2020 Lady Windermere's Fan Friday, Mar 13, 2020 at 7:30pm Ellicott Creek Playhouse (Hed) P.E. Saturday, Mar 14, 2020 Saturday, Mar 14, 2020 at 7:30pm Sunday, Mar 15, 2020 at 3:00pm Neil Zaza and The Arbitrary Sunday, Mar 22, 2020 Veaux Albright-Knox Art Gallery Mission: The mission of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery is to enhance the understanding and appreciation of contemporary and modern art, principally ... Alden Skate Park Main Street and Church Street 1 Curtain Up Alley Alleyway Theatre is one of only a handful of companies nationwide dedicated to the development and production of new plays and musicals. During our... Featured Homes For Sale in Burt! Amherst Museum 3755 Tonawanda Creek Road Our Mission: Amherst Museum is an educational institution whose mission is to engage a diverse audience in the exploration of history and its influ... 701 Whirlpool Street Mission:The mission of the Aquarium of Niagara is to broaden the public's awareness of aquatic ecosystems through innovative and stimulating exhibi... Mission: Artpark & Company produces and presents excellence in the performing and visual arts and creates unique cultural experiences in a casu... Batavia Skate Park Evans Street Batavia, NY 2136 West Oakfield Road About Us:Beaver Island State Park is located at the south end of Grand Island in the upper Niagara River. The 950 acre park has a half-mile sandy b... Beaver Meadow Audubon Center 1610 Welch Road North Java, NY Beaver Meadow is a 324-acre nature preserve in North Java, NY. The preserve features its namesake beaver meadow with its associated ponds, glacial ... Becker Farms and Vizcarra Vineyards 3724 Quaker Road Gasport, NY Open: Year Round Becker Farms is a fifth generation family owned and operated farm. We offer u-pick fruits and vegetables, school tours and farm to... 1 Bills Dr. Founded in 1959, the Buffalo Bills are one of the most storied franchises in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills have won two American Fo... Buffalo Marathon 1020 Humboldt Parkway Mission Statement: Inspiring curiosity through exploration.Vision: The Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences aspires to create a better world by help... 300 Parkside Avenue The Buffalo Zoological Gardens is the third oldest institution of its kind in the United States. The Zoo's mission is to provide the general public... 2655 South Park Avenue Vision Statement:We are moving toward a future where the lives of people of all ages are enriched by living plants of all kinds, and they are commi... Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park One Naval Park Cove HISTORY The Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park is a 501(c) (3) corporation and was formed and incorporated as an educationa... Bullard Park East Avenue Bullard Park is a public park located on East Avenue (NY 31) in the Village of Albion. The park features the following: picnic areas, playgroun... Darien Lake 9993 Allegheny Road Darien Center, NY We're New York State's Coaster Capital, and Western New York's #1 Family Fun Destination! Eden Corn Festival Legion Drive In 1959, the Eden Chamber of Commerce discussed the idea of holding an annual festival to promote the town. The resulting Garden Festival was held ... 50 Allen Street Allentown's gallery walk, known as "First Fridays", has grown into one of the most popular monthly events in the city of Buffalo.

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This blog is a work in progress, just like me. If you are wandering, or have wandered....if you want to grow in faith, or are seeking to wander beyond the wilderness you're in right now....if you are in a valley of life or a mountain....I pray that, here, you will find encouragement, hope, support, and most of all be comforted by God's amazing love. Hi, I am Elizabeth. I am a wife, mother of four, daughter, sister, nurse, photographer and writer. And I am child of God. I love storms, reading and vintage finds. I love documenting life through photography and sharing what is in my heart through words. I can be found most days wearing ripped jeans, with a camera in hand, or sipping a cup of hot chocolate in the morning. I spent a long season not only wandering in the wilderness, but running from God. But He never gave up on me. He waited. And waited. And with open arms embraced and redeemed me as I stepped out of the wilderness and into the light of his beautiful promises. This blog is a part of that journey. It is a part of how God takes dreams we have lost and flames them into greater dreams. It is a part of how he takes broken things and uses it for good. It is part of the story that reflects how He continues to heal. ​Won't you join me on this journey? ​~ Elizabeth You can also join me on: Instagram @blue.jean.gypsy facebook @ BluejeangypsybyElizabethNejedlo ​twitter @ jean_gypsy Pinterest @ bluejeangypsy If you would like to subscribe to the Blue Jean Gypsy quarterly newsletter, place your email below! ​​ Blue Jean Gypsy PRIVACY POLICY Blue Jean Gypsy (the “Company”) is committed to protecting the privacy of its users. This Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) is designed to help you understand what information we gather, how we use it, what we do to protect it, and to assist you in making informed decisions when using our Service. 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Yerevan to get tough on illegal construction Sorry, you can't build there. By bne IntelliNews November 7, 2018 The authorities in the Armenian capital plan to clamp down on illegal construction and will not allow the legalisation of illegal developments after they are built. The city’s chief architect delivered a strong message at a press conference on November 6, stressing that no more historic buildings will be destroyed on his watch. "As long as I am the chief architect, no monument-building will be destroyed in Yerevan. Those developers who buy a certain plot of land where a monument is located will be required to fund the reconstruction of those buildings. This is not what has happened, but from now on it will definitely be,” Artur Meschian told journalists, according to a statement from the city council. Meschian referred specifically to the historic Afrikyan building in downtown Yerevan, a former meeting place for politicians, artists and other prominent Yerevan residents, that was torn down in 2014 despite public pressure to preserve it. He also stressed that there will be no more legalisations of illegal constructions, adding that: “I promise that we will be your partner and supporter, if everything is done legally.” The plans to preserve the city’s architecture were drawn up in agreement with Yerevan mayor Hayk Marutian and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, a former protest leader who took power after the velvet revolution of April and May this year. The council is now led by a pro-Pashinian alliance headed by actor and producer Marutian. Armenia looks to Iran to enable gas swap deal with Turkmenistan Armenia is negotiating a purchase of natural gas from Turkmenistan as part of a gas swap deal with Iran, Sputnik reported on December 18. Such a use of the swap system indicates that the Turkmen ... more Armenian PM hails “victory of justice and truth” as US Senate recognises Ottoman killings as “genocide” The US Senate on December 12 unanimously passed a resolution recognising the mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire a century ago as genocide. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian ... more Speculation mounts Erdogan will call off White House visit Speculation is mounting that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may call off a White House visit scheduled for next week. The reason given would probably be a protest against the recent ... more One year after ban, Telegram still accessible from Russia with growing audience

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Facebook Phone and Email Targeting – A Double Edged Sword? HomeFacebook Phone and Email Targeting – A Double Edged Sword? On the face of it, Facebook’s new targeted advertising for phone numbers and emails seems like it’s a pretty good initiative. The mechanism is pretty simple: your business has a list of telephone numbers provided by your customers for updates and communication. You provide that list to Facebook and ask that your ads are targeted towards those Facebook profiles that also use that phone number. You can also narrow down that targeting by age, gender, and so on. A special pixel in the advertisement can be used to track their activity, making it easier to assess the success of a campaign. The potential benefits are obvious. Not only is it a good way to attract your existing customers to your Facebook page, but it can be a less intrusive way to contact your customers with deals and advertisements. Let’s say you have a hair salon and you have a list of customers whose last appointment was two months ago. You can target a Facebook ad to their page that makes them aware of deals on touch-ups and color that are specifically relevant to them. As with all of Facebook’s targeted advertising, this is a further way in which advertisers can focus their advertising spending on past and existing customers, and customers are more likely to see ads that are relevant to them. However, jumping on this new bandwagon may not be the most business-savvy move. Facebook’s increasing penetration and ubiquitous presence in daily life has been raising privacy concerns for years. Yet another of those legally meaningless copyright notices is currently doing the rounds, being copied and pasted into users’ profiles. Facebook is already in the bottom 10% of trusted websites, according to the last SUPR-Q survey, and privacy concerns are clearly still something people worry about. When Business Insider reported on phone and email targeting, they gave it the sensational title “Remember When Facebook Wanted Your Phone Number? It’s Using It To Sell Ads” and waxed lyrical on the double-dealing of asking for a phone number for security that was then used to facilitate this service. It turns out that these phone numbers are not being used; rather it is those that you use elsewhere in your profile. While the article has been corrected, the same headline is being used. The phone numbers and emails being used for the campaigns are anonymized by hashing, so Facebook doesn’t get access to your customer details and you don’t get access to their user data either. However, this kind of advertising may be considered a step too far by your customer base. http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/30/facebook-ads-email-phone-numbers/ http://www.measuringusability.com/blog/social-trust.php http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-phone-number-security-being-sold-to-advertisers-2012-11#ixzz2CnUnyT8Y http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/11/26/facebook_copyright_notice_berner_convention_status_update_still_a_hoax.html

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A guide to new and upcoming Texas-related books The Texas literary scene is still raining books. The accompanying photo shows a few of the Texas-related tomes that are just out or on their way to bookstores soon. The list isn’t comprehensive but is based on copies I’ve received in the last few weeks. We’ll try to keep wrapping up new titles each month. From left, the books are: “The Eternal Party: Understanding My Dad, Larry Hagman, the TV Star America Loved to Hate,” by Kristina Hagman with Elizabeth Kaye. (Thomas Dunne Books, $26.99.) Hagman’s daughter writes about her family, including her grandmother, the Broadway star Mary “Peter Pan” Martin, and how she came to better understand her father in his final days in Dallas in late 2012. Hagman, of course, played the notorious J.R. Hagman on the classic TV show “Dallas.” But he was also known for his pot-smoking, LSD-taking and happy-go-lucky attitude – something that vanished as he begged for forgiveness from his daughter on his deathbed at a Dallas hospital. It also reveals an exchange of letters between Larry Hagman and his mother, and a terrible fight they had when Martin was living in Brazil in semi-retirement. The handwritten correspondence brought comfort to Hagman’s daughter, and it sheds a new light on a man who wasn’t hateful at all. The book’s release date is June 7. “Soraya,” by Anis Shivani. (Black Widows Press, $15.95). This collection of sonnets from Shivani, a Houston author and critic, is described as surrealist poetry. He’s a graduate of Harvard College, and his previous books include “Anatolia and Other Stories” (2009) and “The Fifth Lash and Other Stories” (2012), both of which were longlisted for the Frank O’Connor international short story award. “Soraya” is essentially a series of 100 sonnets about love. The book was published in April. “Hurt: The Inspiring, Untold Story of Trauma Care,” by Catherine Musemeche. (ForeEdge, $27.95). Musemeche, a pediatric surgeon and former professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical School, looks at the advances in trauma care, based on her experiences in centers in Chicago and Houston. The publisher describes the book as “a riveting account of the multifaceted history of injury and the story of how trauma care evolved to become the sophisticated, effective system that it is today.” The book will be published in early September. “News of the World,” by Paulette Jiles. (William Morrow, $22.99). The author, who lives on a ranch near San Antonio, will be touring extensively in Texas when this novel comes out in early October. It takes place just after the Civil War and deals with a former captain, Jefferson Kyle Kidd, who performs readings of newspapers in North Texas to a paying audience that’s hungry for news of the world. But things begin to change when he accepts a new job: Deliver a young orphan in Wichita Falls to relatives in San Antonio – a dangerous trip through unsettled territory. “T Bone Burnett: A Life in Pursuit,” by Lloyd Sachs. (University of Texas Press, $26.95). Although born in Missouri, Burnett grew up in Fort Worth, so Texas still claims him, despite his current residence in Nashville. So it’s appropriate that the University of Texas Press is publishing the first critical appreciation of Burnett’s contributions to American music. Sachs tracks Burnett’s early days with Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue; his collaboration with playwright Sam Shepard; his work with the Coen Brothers; his studio work with such artists as Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Los Lobos and Elvis Costello; and his musical compositions for such TV shows as “Nashville” and “True Detective.” This book should resonate with Austin readers and musicians, and it’s due in October. “How to Be a Texan,” by Andrea Valdez. (University of Texas Press, $21.95). Valdez is a native Houstonian who has worked for Texas Monthly since 2006, where she edits texasmonthly.com. She’s written a sly, lighthearted look at things you should do if you want to act and talk like a Texan. She offers tips on how to take a bluebonnet photo, how to learn the two-step and must-visit spots around the state. The book was published in May. “Prepare to Defend Yourself… How to Age Gracefully & Escape With Your Dignity,” by Matthew Minson. (Texas A&M University Press, $28.) Minson, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Texas A&M School of Public Health, tells us how to have fun after 50, even though our bodies are undergoing dramatic changes. A&M says the book “takes on health, finances, sex, diet, exercise, death, the law and what you can do to protect what matters most as you age.” The book was published in May. “Keeping Austin Weird,” by Red Wassenich, with illustrations by Penny Van Horn. (Schiffer Publishing, $24.99). Yep, Austin has a lot of weird stuff going on, and Wassenich offers his guide to such matters in this book that’s heavy on photos and illustrations. Chapters are devoted to weird places, weird people, weird art and other weird topics. In case you’re wondering, the weird people include Carl Hickerson, the perennial flower-seller and City Council candidate; Ginny Agnew and Nancy Toelle, who have sat on the shore of Lady Bird Lake off and on since 2010, holding a sign that offers free advice; Ben Sargent, the former American-Statesman cartoonist who operates a letterpress in a building next to his home; and American-Statesman columnist John Kelso, who specializes in weirdness, too. The book was published in April. “The Strange Career of William Ellis: The Texas Slave Who Became a Mexican Millionaire,” by Karl Jacoby. (W.W. Norton & Company, $27.95). Jacoby, a professor of history at Columbia University, tracks the life of William Ellis, who was born a slave on a Texas cotton plantation but eventually assumed a new identity as Mexican Guillermo Eliseo, who went on to own a luxury apartment building overlooking New York City’s Central Park. It’s a fascinating tell of who one man navigates racial codes and convinced many that he was Hispanic. The book will be available June 14. “Moscow Nights: The Van Cliburn Story – How One Man and His Piano Transformed the Cold War,” by Nigel Cliff. (Harper, $28.99). Most people in Texas are familiar with the story of Van Cliburn and his legendary trip to Moscow to compete in the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958. The Soviets didn’t want Cliburn to win the competition, of course, but the Texan captivated the nation, going on to become an ambassador of hope between the two superpowers. Cliff is a London-based writer, and his book will be available in September. “Before We Visit the Goddess,” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. (Simon & Schuster, $25). I’m currently working on a review of this novel by Houston author Divakaruni. She’s the McDavid professor of creative writing at the University of Houston, and she’s one of my favorite recent discoveries. “Before We Visit the Goddess” is full of different voices, going back and forth in time, with beautifully written chapters that could stand on their own as short stories but add layer upon layer of complication, wonder, humanity and empathy when joined together. The novel tracks the lives of three generations of Indian women, the oldest of whom, Sabitri, establishes a famous bakery back in India. Then there’s her daughter, the rebellious Bela, who runs away from home to marry a young man who’s living in California. And then there’s Bela’s daughter, Tara, a troubled soul who blames her mother for her parents’ divorce. Look for an expanded review in the American-Statesman this month. “The Terror Years: From al-Qaeda to the Islamic State,” by Lawrence Wright. (Alfred A. Knopf, $28.95). I’ve mentioned this book, which is slated for August publication, before. I’m about halfway through it, and it’s easily one of the most enlightening analyses of the current rise of terrorism in the Middle East. Wright, the Austin-based Pulitzer winner, originally wrote much of this book as articles in The New Yorker, but he updates those pieces with new developments and offers a trenchant look at one of the biggest threats of our age. Look for a review of the book in August in the American-Statesman. “Welcome to the Poisoned Chalice: The Destruction of Greece and the Future of Europe,” by James K. Galbraith. I’ve read most of this book, and it’s impressive in its understanding and revelations about the Greek fiscal crisis – and the problems with European unity. Galbraith holds the Lloyd M. Bentsen Chair in Government/Business Relations at the University of Texas, and he has been a key adviser to former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. Galbraith says the Greek situation is “economic policy as moral abomination.” The book will be available this month. “Indeh: The Story of the Apache Wars,” by Ethan Hawke and Greg Ruth. (Grand Central Publishing, $25). Austin native and noted actor Hawke teams up with illustrator Ruth to tell the story of Geronimo in this graphic novel. It’s set in 1872, amid the devastation of the Apache nation, and the young Geronimo, who’s known as Goyahkla. The book will be published June 7. “The Boys of Summer,” by Richard Cox. (Night Shade Books, $15.99). This novel from Oklahoma writer Cox is set in 1979, when a tornado devastates Wichita Falls and leaves scores dead. Among the survivors is 9-year-old Todd Willis. But for four years, he’s in a coma, and when he wakes, things are drastically changed. The novel then leaps 25 years into the future, when Willis is an adult and reflects on that life-changer summer. The book will be available in September. “A Cloud of Unusual Size and Shape,” by Matt Donovan. (Trinity University Press, $17.95). This book of essays from the co-chair of the creative writing and literature department at Santa Fe University of Art and Design, was published by San Antonio’s Trinity University Press. It’s not Texas-focused, however. Instead, much of the book reflects on Donovan’s thoughts about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., which buried Pompeii under 20 feet of ash. He then turns to other clouds – those that rose above Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Trinity says that “the redemptive power of beauty permeates this spectacular work, reminding us that darkness and light make an inextricable pattern in our lives. The book was published in April. “Terminated for Reasons of Taste,” by Chuck Eddy. (Duke University Press, $26.95). Eddy, an Austin-based music journalist, looks at the losers of rock ‘n’ roll, in part because he has issues with history being written by the winners. He includes much writing about winners, such as the Beastie Boys, Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen, but he also acknowledges his “appreciation of the lost, ignored and maligned,” and in doing so, he offers a multidimensional portrait of pop music. The book is scheduled to be published in September. “The Red River Bridge War: A Texas-Oklahoma Border Battle,” by Rusty Williams. (Texas A&M University Press, $29.95.) Williams, a longtime Texas journalist, delves into the two-week war between Texas and Oklahoma in the summer of 1931, when the states rallied to arms over an old toll bridge across the Red River. As Williams describes it, the incident featured “National Guardsmen with field artillery, Texas Rangers with itchy trigger fingers, angry mobs, Model T blockade runners, and even a Native American peace delegation.” The book was published in May. “The Turbulent Trail,” by Mike Thompson. (Five Star, $25.95). This novel from San Angelo writer Thompson focuses on a guy named Charlie Deegan, who was once an Army sharpshooter but has landed in Yuma Territorial Prison. He eventually escapes and becomes a cowboy in this historical western. The book was published in May. “Birds in Trouble,” by Lynn E. Barber. (Texas A&M University Press, $29.95.) This isn’t technically a Texas book, but since a state university published it – and since the issues raised span the nation – it seems appropriate to include. Barber, Alaska’s noted birder, decided to write this book after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, in an attempt to explain the plight of bird species that are declining each year. She focuses on habitats, and how changes to those natural areas have a huge impact on the survival of birds. The book includes lots of Barber illustrations of various species. “Birds in Trouble” was published in April. “Morgue: A Life in Death,” by Vincent Di Maio and Ron Franscell. (St. Martin’s Press, $26.99). Di Maio is the former chairman of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, and Franscell is a longtime reporter. And the two team up for this behind-the-scenes look at how evidence and pathology play a role on the witness stand. The book was published in May. Author: Charles Ealy Charles Ealy edits and writes about books and movies for the Ausstin American-Statesman. View all posts by Charles Ealy Author Charles EalyPosted on June 1, 2016 Categories Austin book news, Book events, Texas publishingTags texas books, Texas publishing, things to do Previous Previous post: Texas Teen Book Festival announces lineup Next Next post: Sharon G. Flake to be keynoter at Austin’s African American Book Festival

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Bryan J. Scrafford ← Joe Biden Speaks at HRC Gala in Ohio Video of Opening Statements in Commonwealth’s Attorney Debate → Ray Morrogh and Steve Descano Square Off in Commonwealth’s Attorney Debate Posted on June 4, 2019 by Bryan J. Scrafford With primary day for state and local offices here in Virginia coming up on June 11, one of the races that’s received a fair amount of attention is the Democratic primary for Commonwealth’s Attorney in Fairfax County. Voters will have to decide between incumbent Ray Morrogh, who was first elected to the position back in 2007 and has served as a prosecutor in Fairfax since the 1980’s, and his challenger, former federal prosecutor Steve Descano. The two of them squared off in the final debate of the primary last night in Vienna at a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters and the ACLU. The campaign has inspired discussion on a variety of important issues, but someone watching last night’s debate could essentially boil down the campaign to a simple sentiment unrelated to a specific policy. Essentially, Ray Morrogh believes Steve Descano is naive and inexperienced and therefore can’t be trusted to properly run the relatively large office effectively. Descano, on the other hand, believes Morrogh’s had twelve years to implement sound policies and promote progressive values but has failed to do so. Perhaps one of the most hotly contested topics of discussion during the debate was the issue of cash bail, which Descano even admitted he brings up at essentially every event he attends. Descano argued Morrogh has a history of insisting on cash bail for defendants and claims this is both bad for the accused and for the community at large. Not only does the community have to pay $225 a day to keep someone locked up, for example, but the accused might loss there job or face other negative consequences that will only lead to even more crime being committed. Independent studies have confirmed Descano has something to be worried about when it comes to cash bail. One study showed a defendant who is locked up for two to three days is 40% more likely to commit another crime than someone who’s held for less than twenty-four hours. And the number only goes up for those who stay in jail longer while awaiting trial. Other studies have also shown that the negative consequences of cash bail has a disproportionate impact on people of color. At one point in the debate, Morrogh responded to a question by saying he would indeed like to see Fairfax County do away with the cash bail system. In other words, he agrees with Descano that it’s not in the best interest of Fairfax residents to have the system in place — especially when private businesses are in the habit of making a large profit off of it. But he also used the issue as an opportunity to illustrate why he thinks Descano doesn’t have enough knowledge about Virginia’s criminal justice system to actually be an effective Commonwealth’s Attorney. Morrogh highlighted how in Fairfax County, he has directed his prosecutors not to actively ask for cash bail. When it comes down to how the court system is run in Virginia, however, statutes do sometimes limit discretion on the issue and it’s actually the magistrates who recommend a certain amount of bail. That amount is then reviewed and put in place by the judge even if the Commonwealth’s Attorney never asked for bail. He also pointed out how he’s frequently seen defendants end up asking for cash bail in lieu of supervised release because they don’t want to deal with requirements such as being drug tested. Morrogh claims Descano probably isn’t aware of this because “he hasn’t tried a case in our courthouse, so he doesn’t understand” how the process works. Another big theme for Descano during the debate was going after his opponent’s record on race related issues. At several different points in the forum, he focused in on how Morrogh had joined a GOP led lawsuit challenging Terry McAuliffe’s decision to restore voting rights to non-violent felons who had already served their time. His reaction was so strong in part because Morrogh supposedly said he never realized disenfranchising felons had its roots in Jim Crow and was designed to ensure large numbers of people of color couldn’t vote. Descano also went after Morrogh for not seeking data on how race relations were handled in Fairfax County. While Morrogh did promise during the debate to get the relevant data, his challenger was quick to point out that he’s already had years to gather the information but has failed to do so. “I’m not even in office yet and I’ve already talked to multiple organizations about getting the data,” Descano said. “You’re not going to be waiting for twelve years to get the data.” This is a prime example of an issue where Descano claims Morrogh says the right things publicly, but his inaction on the topic is simply unacceptable. Right from the opening statements, he launched into this type of argument while highlighting how Fairfax has only had two Commonwealth’s Attorneys since the 1960’s and the office hasn’t kept up with the changes the county’s seen in the last few decades. He “the status quo” is no longer acceptable and a new voice is needed to help lead reform efforts. Morrogh once again used this as an opportunity to illustrate how he believes Descano simply doesn’t understand the complexity of some issues. After pointing out that he’s actually to the left of his opponent on the restoration of voting rights (he only thinks they should be taken away if someone’s convicted of treason or terrorism), the Commonwealth’s Attorney pointed out that he joined the bipartisan group of 53 people challenging McAuliffe’s move because it also included allowing felons to petition for their right to purchase guns. He even highlighted how the brief he joined specifically stated they believed felons should still have their voting rights restored, just not their access to firearms. When it comes to race relations, there’s also be a national discussion about holding police officers accountable when they’re involved in violence against members of the community. Morrogh pointed out that while the vast majority of the officers serve Fairfax honorably, he has taken steps to hold some officers accountable. If an officer is found to have lied about a case, for example, he’s implemented processes to make sure future defendants know about the situation. Morrogh also highlighted how he’s unfortunately also had to prosecute a police officer for murder. This was a move he claims strained his relationship with leaders in the police union, but was the right decision and illustrates how he’s willing to move forward with holding people accountable for their actions. According to a Washington Post story about the officer’s indictment, it was the first time in the Fairfax County Police Department’s history an officer was charged with a crime related to an on duty shooting. With all that in mind, here are a few more quick hits about what happened during the forum: Morrogh says the only time he works with ICE is when he’s trying to get a visa for witnesses or victims of crimes. This is something that frequently comes up when he’s working to get victims of domestic violence to testify in court. Descano says he wouldn’t charge a felony for theft of items under $1,500. He claims he’s “not going to ruin someone’s life for stealing an iPhone.” Morrogh also says he supports raising the felony theft threshold and has been working with state legislators like Sen. Chap Peterson for years to help make this happen. Descano was so concerned about constantly tearing down Morrogh’s record that at one point he had to proclaim “I know this might surprise you, but I agree with everything you just said.” Interestingly, a lot of people have mentioned the two agree on a lot of issues. To that point, Ben Tribbett took to twitter during the forum to highlight how “everytime there has been a “yes or no” answer round in a debate in this race, there have been zero differences between Descano and Morrogh.” Morrogh used his closing statement to say he’s most proud of “busting the school to prison pipeline” and mentioned there’s only 20 people in juvenile detention. All in all, both candidates were well received by the approximately 100 people in attendance. The candidates received about the same amount of applause after their closing statements. That being said, Descano did come across as the more skilled politician as he was working the crowd both before and after the debate. Based on some of the reaction I heard from audience members, however, that might have been counteracted by his constant need to launch attacks during the debate instead of focusing in on what he would personally do to help improve Fairfax County. Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of the whole forum was how this was a race that doesn’t often receive a significant amount of attention. So the plain and simple fact that a forum was held during the primary shows the greater amount of attention prosecutors have been receiving recently. If nothing else, the public has been benefiting from an increased focus on the need for criminal justice reform in Northern Virginia. About Bryan J. Scrafford Bryan Scrafford grew up in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC and stayed in the region for both college and his professional life. An avid baseball and hockey fan, Bryan's also involved with several advocacy organizations fighting for economic justice, LGBT rights, and other issues. You can follow him on twitter at @bscrafford and Instagram at @bjscrafford View all posts by Bryan J. Scrafford → This entry was posted in Politics and tagged Commonwealth's Attorney, Criminal Justice, Fairfax County, Ray Morrogh, Steve Descano. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Responses to Ray Morrogh and Steve Descano Square Off in Commonwealth’s Attorney Debate Pingback: Video of Opening Statements in Commonwealth’s Attorney Debate | Bryan J. Scrafford Pingback: Steve Descano’s Campaign Is Largely Funded By George Soros | Bryan J. Scrafford Pingback: Trump Lawyer Running for Commonwealth Attorney in Fairfax | Bryan J. Scrafford This is a forum for discussion and comments are not only welcome but encouraged. With that being said, foul language, unsubstantiated personal attacks, and other "troll" type behavior will not be tolerated. If you have questions or comments about the blog, or just want to let me know of something I should be covering, you can always get in touch with me via email at bryan.scrafford@gmail.com Virginia Democrats Respond to Trump’s Iranian Airstrike Scott Surovell and Patrick Hope Introduce Legislation to Ban Conversion Therapy House Announces Articles of Impeachment I was Part of the Studio Audience for Nancy Pelosi’s Town Hall on CNN

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Science notes / Medicine, sociology Published Sun, Mar 27, 2011 Sex selection yields too many males Sex selection in parts of China and India will produce a 10 percent to 20 percent excess in males in the next 20 years, according to a new study. Many couples in China, India and South Korea prefer sons. This cultural pattern, combined with the use of ultrasound technology for sex selection over the past two decades, has produced the shift, said the authors of an analysis published in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association. In nature, about 105 males are born to every 100 females. However, that ratio has exceeded 130 to 100 in several Chinese provinces, and 125 to 100 in some areas of India. All of these countries have laws against sex-selective abortion, but the laws are rarely enforced. The trend is not without major social implications. Many more men will be unable to marry, said the authors of the study, from the University College London Centre for International Health and Development. Violence, crime and psychological problems are expected to rise because of the imbalance. "Nothing can realistically be done to reduce the current excess of young males, but much can be done to reduce sex selection now, which will benefit the next generation," they wrote. In China, a public campaign is already under way to promote gender equality and the advantages of having female children. China has also started to relax its one-child policy. -- Los Angeles Times Teen bullying tied to social status Scientists have confirmed an axiom of teenage life: Kids intent on climbing the social ladder at school are more likely to pick on their fellow students. The finding, reported in the American Sociological Review, suggests that efforts to combat bullying in schools should focus more closely on social hierarchies. "By and large, status increases aggression," said sociologist Robert Faris of the University of California-Davis, who led the study. He and a colleague studied relationships among 3,722 middle and high school students over an academic year and found that the teens' propensity toward aggression rose along with their social status. Aggressive behavior peaked when kids hit the 98th percentile for popularity, suggesting they were clawing their way to the top. However, those who were in the top 2 percent of a school's social hierarchy generally didn't harass their fellow students. At that point, they may have had little left to gain by being mean, Faris said. The researchers quantified this by administering surveys to eighth-, ninth- and 10th graders in 19 schools in North Carolina in fall 2004 and again in spring 2005. At the beginning of the school year, 40 percent of students had harassed another classmate; in the spring, 33 percent had done so. Higher social status -- defined as occupying the hub of a school's social network -- in the fall predicted higher rates of aggression in the spring.

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NFL comes to its senses and drops burdensome rule that hit loyal fans Goodbye, blackout. The hated NFL practice of blocking local broadcast of games with empty seats has been sidelined for 2015 and, if observers such as Rep. Brian Higgins have it right, it’s probably gone for good. The practice was, in a way, understandable. Team owners are in the business of selling tickets and they want to fill the seats before providing free access to TV viewers. But it’s more complicated than that. Team owners also benefit from television contracts, and television watchers are also taxpayers, whose labors help to fund the construction of stadiums. Those living room game-watchers are already part owners of the sports palaces where NFL teams play and have some claim on a right to watch the games they help to put on. The blackout’s time has passed. With Higgins, D-Buffalo, in the lead, Congress has been pressuring the NFL to end the practice by threatening to terminate the league’s antitrust exemption, which allowed for the blackouts. Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission added to the pressure last September with a unanimous vote to eliminate its own sports blackout rule. That rule gave the NFL cover as the only U.S. sports league to routinely block local fans from viewing its games on television. And while the NFL’s vote is for this year only, Higgins believes it’s the beginning of the end. Even team officials seem not to care very much. Buffalo Bills President Russ Brandon noted that tickets are being sold at a record-setting pace here, making any 2015 blackouts unlikely, anyway. And New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft observed that there were no blackouts at all in 2014. So, what would have been the point? Together, these factors make Higgins’ forecast appear to be on the money. Given the owners’ apparent indifference, Congress’ impatience and the FCC’s action, there appears to be no support whatsoever to maintain or revive the blackout. That has to be especially gratifying to Bills’ fans, who are some of the league’s most loyal, enduring and long-suffering. Win or lose, they fill the stadium almost every game, and if tickets have been less expensive here than in other cities, they are plenty pricey for an area that is only now starting to emerge from a 50-year economic tailspin. It’s time for the blackout to fade away, but Higgins and his supporters in Congress should make sure to monitor the league and be prepared to remind the owners why they don’t want the blackout anymore, just in case there is any backsliding after the 2015 season. It may not be the most pressing matter on the NFL’s agenda, but that’s all the more reason to treat it as the distraction that it is. Good riddance, blackout.

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Tag: Keystone State Pa. Gov. Wolf comes out in support of legalizing cannabis! cannabis legalization, cannabis regulation, Gov. Tom Wolf, Harrisburg, House Speaker Mike Turzai, Keystone State, legalization, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, marijuana legalization listening tour, PA, Pennsylvania, Republican leaders, Tax and Regulate Ask your state lawmakers to end marijuana prohibition in the Keystone State. Great news! Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf now supports legalizing cannabis for adults. Gov. Wolf’s announcement comes on the heels of Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s statewide listening tour to all 67 counties, where Fetterman found Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly support legalization. You can read the tour report here. Unfortunately, there’s also bad news: The Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Republican leaders derided Gov. Wolf’s support for legalization. But now is not time to despair. The public at large is rapidly evolving on marijuana legalization, and so are legislators. Take a few minutes to email your state lawmakers. Our free software and editable draft letters make it a quick, simple process to make your voice heard. Patients and their loved ones didn’t give up when House Speaker Mike Turzai (R) tried to slam the door shut on medical cannabis, and we can’t give up now because of his disdain for cannabis policy reform. If legislators don’t evolve by 2020, voters will have a chance to change who represents them in Harrisburg. Please raise your voice. Then, spread the word to other Pennsylvanians so that they, too, can help bring humane cannabis policies to the Keystone State. Penn. lt. governor's legalization listening tour kicks off today Feb 11, 2019 Kate Zawidzki Colorado, Erie, Gov. Tom Wolf, Harrisburg, Keystone State, legalization, lieutenant governor, listening tour, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Mechanicsburg, Newport, PA, Pennsylvania, Rep. Jake Wheatley, Tax and Regulate, Warren, Washington If you live in Pennsylvania, write your state lawmakers to ask them to support regulating — not prohibiting — cannabis for adults' use. In the past two months, the conversation about whether Pennsylvania should legalize and regulate marijuana for adults has picked up steam. In December, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) said the state should take a "serious and honest look" at legalization. Then, in January, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman announced a statewide listening tour on legalization that begins today in Harrisburg. The first stops on his tour are: Harrisburg, Dauphin County Tonight, Monday, February 11, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, 3301 N. Front Street Newport, Perry County Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 12, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Newport Public Library, 316 N. 4th Street Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County Wednesday, February 13, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. American Legion Post 109, 224 W. Main Street Saturday, February 16, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jefferson Educational Society, 3207 State Street Saturday, February 16, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Warren Public Library, Slater Room Stay tuned for more stops: The lieutenant governor plans to visit all 67 counties on his tour. You can also check out stops on his Facebook page. Before you attend, check out our background materials — such as the top 10 reasons to regulate cannabis and a snapshot of how things are going in Colorado and Washington six years into legalization. You can draw from our materials as you make the case for a more humane approach to cannabis. In other exciting news, Rep. Jake Wheatley (D) and 26 cosponsors introduced a bill to relegate cannabis prohibition to the dustbin of history. Change will not happen overnight, given the opposition of legislative leaders. But with time and effort, we can end prohibition in the Keystone State. So make your voice heard: Write your lawmakers in support of legalizing and regulating cannabis, and plan to speak out during the statewide listening tour. And don't forget to spread the word to other thoughtful Pennsylvanians. Penn. legalization and regulation bill has been introduced! Oct 02, 2018 Garret Overstreet Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, decriminalization, expungement, HB 2600, Keystone State, Lancaster City Council, legalization, PA, Pennsylvania, Rep. Jake Wheatley, Tax and Regulate Ask your legislators to end marijuana prohibition in Pennsylvania! The drum beat for sensible marijuana policy is picking up in Pennsylvania! Last Monday, Rep. Jake Wheatley introduced a bill that would legalize marijuana for adults 21 or older. This bill would also expunge the records of people who have been convicted of certain cannabis offenses. If you are a Pennsylvania resident, email your state legislators today urging them to support HB 2600! Ending marijuana prohibition would let adults make their own decisions about a substance that is safer than alcohol. Earlier this year, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale released a report estimating that legalization could generate more than $580 million in tax revenue for the state. In other exciting news, on Tuesday Lancaster City Council decriminalized simple possession and use of marijuana! Possession of marijuana or related paraphernalia will be now be classified as a summary offense – carrying a fine or community service – rather than a misdemeanor. Please spread the word so that together, we can end prohibition in the Keystone State. Medical Marijuana Sales Begin in Pennsylvania Act 16, dispensary, Keystone State, Medical Marijuana Advisory Board, PA, Pennsylvania, physician Today marks an historic day in the Keystone State. Less than two years after the governor signed Act 16 into law, six dispensaries have begun selling medical marijuana to patients and caregivers. Pennsylvania is expected to be one of the largest medical marijuana markets in the country, and those involved in implementation should be applauded for reaching this point ahead of schedule. To date, 10 dispensaries and 10 grower/processors have been approved to operate. Over the next few months, we expect up to 81 dispensary locations to open across the state. More than 17,000 patients have registered to participate in the medical marijuana program, with nearly 4,000 certified by a physician. As of this week, 708 physicians have registered with the department and 376 have competed the training to become certified practitioners. However, the implementation process is not yet complete. The Medical Marijuana Advisory Board is still working on its recommendations for changes to the program. This week, they met to discuss one of the most important issues — allowing patient access to medical cannabis flower. This is a vital expansion of the program that will improve patient access and lower costs. Only two states have attempted a medical program without flower, which led to disastrous results for patients. You can learn more about the importance of patient access to flower here. If you want to learn more about becoming a registered patient, visit the DOH website.

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