Obama picks cybersecurity coordinator
Howard Schmidt tapped as cybersecurity chief
By Ben Bain
The Obama adminstration announced today that Howard Schmidt is the president's choice to be his cybersecurity coordinator.
Since President Barack Obama announced the creation of the position in May, speculation has been rampant over whom the president would tap for the role. In the interim, some senior lawmakers and industry groups have expressed concern over the delay and urged the president to make the appointment quickly. Meanwhile, some observers have questioned whether the official will have enough power.
"Howard will have regular access to the president and serve as a key member of his National Security Staff," John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, said in a message posted today on the White House's blog. "He will also work closely with his economic team to ensure that our cybersecurity efforts keep the nation secure and prosperous."
The blog posting also includes a video message from Schmidt.
Schmidt has experience in senior computer security positions in the public and private sectors, a qualification that the trade association TechAmerica has said the coordinator should have.
In the past, Schmidt served as a top cybersecurity adviser in the Bush White House and worked with federal and local law enforcement and the Defense Department. Schmidt has also served as chief information security officer at eBay, chief security officer Microsoft, and most recently as president and CEO of the Information Security Forum, a nonprofit consortium of 300 corporations and public-sector groups.
The appointment of a cybersecurity coordinator is a cornerstone the approach Obama laid out in a speech May 29 about securing the country’s digital infrastructure. Obama said that the coordinator will lead a new White House cybersecurity office that will:
Orchestrate and integrate all cybersecurity policies for the government.
Work closely with the Office of Management and Budget.
Coordinate response in the event of major cyber incident or attack.
Ben Bain is a reporter for Federal Computer Week.


North Carolina's popular 'Wizard of Oz' theme park opening this summer for tours
By Lindsay Clein, FOX 46 Charlotte
BEECH MOUNTAIN, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) - Dorthy Gale's dream of going 'somewhere over the rainbow,' has become a reality and you can find that place 'way up high' in Beech Mountain, North Carolina.
Tickets are now on sale to experience the Land of Oz, a piece of North Carolina history dating back to the 1970s. The Wizard of Oz themed amusement park drops visitors right in the center of Oz.
Dorthy's house is decorated with antique furniture from the early 1900s. The experience takes patrons through the Gale's home, down the basement and through a tornado.
"It's an exact replica of the house we walked through, on a 15 degree tilt, everything is the same," said the park's artistic director, Sean Barrett.
[TICKET DETAILS]
Out the other side, visitors come face-to-face with the yellow brick road, the path to Oz.
"The second they hit the yellow brick road, it's a sensory overload because you don't expect that reaction from stepping on a yellow brick road," Barrett said. "I've seen grown men tear up as they're walking down. You don't expect to see it, so it's pretty cool."
The park opened in June 1970 and was fully operational for about a decade. A fire destroyed two of the emerald city buildings in 1975, but new management were able to get the park up and running. The Wizard of Oz themed amusement park shut down in 1980, but not for long.
In 1991, the theme park reopened to the public and event tickets have sold out almost every year.
This year, the Wizard of Oz film celebrates its 80th anniversary, so the park is doubling its openings. The Land of Oz opens Thursdays and Fridays in June and then again on July 5.
RELATED: "Land of Oz" theme park reopening for tours
Whether you're skipping down the road in ruby slippers or a pair of sneakers, you won't feel like you're in Carolina anymore.
"Where it is located it makes it seem it's out of this world to begin with and you're on the highest point on east coast below Vernon and Oz is that highest point."
The park opens up again for "Autumn at Oz", which is the park's biggest event.
So if you're in search of a brain, a heart, or maybe a little courage, look no further than the Land of Oz, where you just might find you had all those things all along. For more information and how you can purchase tickets, please click here.


Universities in the U.S. dominated the overall ranking of the top 1,000 schools, followed by China and the U.K.
Earning a degree abroad can be a smart move for students who want to boost their career prospects. Studying in another country enables students to learn about other languages and cultures, which can, in turn, improve their employability in certain fields, according to a recent report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
International students made up 5 percent of bachelor's students, 12 percent of master's students and 27 percent of doctoral students within the OECD's 35 member countries in 2014, the report found. Member countries include popular student destinations, such as Australia, the U.S., and the United Kingdom.
For prospective students interested in pursuing a degree outside their home country, U.S. News released the third edition of its annual Best Global Universities rankings today to allow comparisons of universities around the world.
The 2017 overall ranking features the top 1,000 universities, an increase from the 750 included in the previous edition. These universities are located in 65 countries, up from 57 last year.
The Best Global Universities rankings – based on data and metrics provided by Clarivate Analytics InCites – were calculated using factors that focus on a university's academic research performance and reputation. This is a different methodology than those used for the U.S. News Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools rankings.
Harvard University, the reigning No. 1 school, held on to the top spot. The Ivy League institution was followed by another Cambridge, Massachusetts, school, the No. 2-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University, which moved up a spot to take No. 3.
There was the additional movement among the top 20 schools. Princeton University jumped up five spots to take the No. 8 position and the University of California—San Diego moved from No. 19 to No. 15 in the 2017 edition. Meanwhile, the University of Toronto dropped five spots to No. 21.
One new school broke into the top 20. The University of California—San Francisco – a health science-focused university that only offers graduate degrees – took No. 16, jumping seven spots from the last edition of the rankings. There are now a total of six California-based schools among the top 20 institutions.
The U.S. boasted the greatest number of schools in the 2017 overall ranking. More than a fifth of the top 1,000 schools in the world - 210 - are located in the U.S. China and the U.K. have the next highest numbers of schools in the overall ranking, with 87 and 68, respectively.
In addition to the overall ranking, U.S News has again produced regional and country-specific rankings, as well as subject-focused rankings.
The regional rankings were determined by schools' performance in the overall ranking. The top-ranked schools in the five regions identified by U.S. News are the University of Cape Town in Africa, the University of Tokyo in Asia, the University of Melbourne in Australia/New Zealand, the University of Oxford in Europe and the Universidad de São Paulo in Latin America. These are the same universities that topped each of the regional rankings in the last edition.
U.S. News expanded the number of country-specific rankings this year from 32 to 38, with new lists for the Best Global Universities in Chile, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Poland, Russia, and Thailand.
The subject rankings, which use a separate methodology from the overall ranking, show how schools stack up against each other in key academic subject areas, such as engineering, computer science, and economics and business. These rankings are not of academic majors, departments or schools within universities like a business or medical school. The subject ranking methodology takes into account subject-specific research and reputation measures.
International bachelor's and master's students tend to pursue degrees in the social sciences and humanities, while international doctoral students are more concentrated in science, engineering or agriculture fields in OECD countries, according to a 2016 OECD report on the internationalization of graduate-level studies.
In the 2017 edition of the U.S. News subject rankings, between 200 to 400 schools are featured in each field. There are 52 universities from various countries ranked in 20 or more of the 22 Best Global Universities subject rankings, meaning they have research strengths in a broad array of fields.
U.S. schools came out on top in 19 of the 22 subject areas. The universities that ranked highest in the remaining fields were Tsinghua University in China, for engineering; Wageningen University and Research Center in the Netherlands, for agricultural sciences; and Oxford in the U.K., for arts and humanities.
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Just days after our arrival at Swan Lake, our 12 year old grandson, Bryce arrived from Washington state to spend two weeks with us. For him, the first stop of interest was somewhere to ride a roller coaster and so we visited Worlds of Fun, in north Kansas City. While there, Bryce road five major roller coasters as well as many other rides. Even grandma rode several rides with him and he did get grandpa to ride the largest wooden roller coaster which is the fifth largest wood roller coaster in the world. We had a great day and I am sure that it will be long remembered.
After a few days we also took him back to the KC area to spend a day at Science City as he is very much interested in that as well. Science City is one of the attractions now located in the old rail road depot that once served eight major rail lines and all of that part of the country. Today, there are no trains at all in the area, but it has become a major tourist attraction. Science City contains many different science based attractions and many of them are hands-on with activities to perform and things to ride or do. It also contains a planetarium and a science theater.
Both of these trips were enjoyed by all and are especially recommended for those who travel with children. Even we older kids managed to enjoy both, although I don't know that I would take the trip to Science City if I had no children along to enjoy it as there isn't that much for lone adults. The planetarium would be good and the science theater.
After two weeks with us, it was off to the KC airport and back home for Bryce to prepare for the coming school year. For grandparents, it was back to our more staid routines and to more sedate attractions. Next on our list of things which must be seen while in this area was Watkins Mill State Park. It is located near Lawson, Mo and is the grounds and mill of an early settler in the area. What makes this mill particularly interesting is the fact that all of the original equipment from the factory is still in place there and most would operate if there was someone to work the mill. It was powered by a steam engine and the engine would need major work to restore, but most other machines seem to be in working order. The house and grounds are also part of the park and it also still has the church and the school buildings which the Watkins family funded and donated the land for. The property was in the hands of descendants of Mr. Waltus Watkins for three generations and even once sold the mill was never stripped or salvaged. When discovered by purchasers at an auction in the 70's that the mill was still intact, they approached the owners of Allis Chalmers Tractor company, who the purchasers were employed by, and the factory was preserved and in time donated to the state.Today, the house has been restored and many of the furnshings have been returned.
The house and mill are not open except by tour but the fees are very reasonable at $2.50 each for seniors. The tours are lead by volunteer docents and they are well informed and very good at what they do. We were also able to visit with two of the park employees, one of whom was working in the mill in period clothing. This park is well off the beaten path but it is beautiful as well as interesting. The grounds are today heavily timbered, even though they were once mostly farm fields and there is a nice campground as well as several picnic areas and ample parking.
For those who are so inclined, there is a small gift shop and a fair sized museum. The park is about 1/2 hour drive from I-35 and not far north of Kansas City. Each tour takes about an hour or just a little bit more and they time they to make if very easy to move from one tour to the other. It is about a five minute walk between the two buildings. I think that anyone who takes the time will find this to be a very worthwhile stop.
Our next outing was to visit the boyhood homes of two of America's favorite sons who grew up in this part of Missouri. The first stop was in the small town of Laclede to spend some time at the home of John J (Black Jack) Pershing. General Pershing was the son of a local shopkeeper, turned farmer when times got tough. As a boy, Jack Pershing learned work hard but did not want to stay on the farm.
One of the more interesting things that we learned was how he got the nickname, Black Jack. Turns out that it had nothing to do with cards, but rather the fact that he made a name for himself while leading all black troops, both in the US and later in support of Theodore Roosevelt at the battle of San Jaun Hill. Newspapers picked up on what jealous older officers who he had bypassed in route to promotion called him, but even then it was not acceptable to publish his real nickname, Nigger Jack!
From there we traveled to the east about 30 miles to visit the place where Walt Disney grew up and to see the barn where he used to come to dream, as well as to visit the town which "Main Street" in Disneyland was modeled after. it was not difficult to see the connection. As a young boy, Walt Disney's family moved from Chicago to the town of Marceline, MO and he very quickly adopted the community as his home, which it continued to be for the rest of his life. Even today, the community has a festival in his honor, which began while Walt himself could still attend. He never forgot his roots and always told friends that there was no better place on earth for a boy to grow up.
We try and visit some new area each week and our next stop was the Amish/Mennonite/German Baptist community of Jamesport. The area does have some variation in living practice but most of the religious community are of the "Old Order" beliefs and live in that way. No area is completely segregated today and even Jamesport now has a United Methodist Church, although a very small one. Like all strictly religious, conservative communities, this is a very peaceful, friendly, and safe community. Unless there are outsiders in town, the most serious crime that takes place is usually related to proper parking of horse teams, versus automobiles. The horse and buggy is more common in the area than cars.
The Old Order Amish are the most strict in not participating in modern inventions, with no use of electricity in their homes, businesses or barns and all farming is done with horses. As far as I could tell, none of them own even a car or truck of any kind. Others of the community do use electric power in their barns but not in their homes, while some others will have tractors and modern equipment for farming, but use the horse and buggy only when attending church. The diversity makes for some very interesting contrasts in the community. All of them seem to get along very well and they also do business with each other.
Many of the local farmers, especially those not using tractors, have turned to growing produce and we saw a great deal of activity related to that business. Most of the businesses of the most conservative folks were not in town as all of them seem to much prefer to live on the farms.The most conservative of the residents do not even use electrical power in their stores. Stores have ceiling fans and other things which are powered by air-motors and the compressors for the air operate with power from a diesel engine. Even the refrigerated display cases are cooled by diesel power. For lights, these businesses have gas flames.
This community was a fascinating place to visit and we would highly recommend that you take time to visit.
One thing that any visitor to the Kansas City area should take time to see is the museum of the Steamboat Arabia.The steamboat was in business of transporting cargo and passengers up the Missouri River to supply the new towns and stores which sold supplies to the settlers of the west. Shortly after leaving Kansas City with a full load of cargo, she hit a snag and sunk very quickly, in 1856. After 132 years, she was located in a field buried in dirt and more than 1/2 mile from the modern river channel.
She went to the bottom in only a few minutes and so nothing was removed from her cargo, but she was in shallow enough water that she sat on the bottom with the upper deck above water and so not one passenger or crew member was lost. By morning the following day the rushing water had scoured the mud from under the bottom to a point that nothing showed above the water. When she was recovered, it was discovered that part of what happened also was that the upper decks and pilot house were washed off of the boat and carried down river.
When she was found by armature treasure treasure hunters in 1988, she still had nearly all of her cargo and it had been sealed in and buried with no oxygen and so nearly everything was still intact and recoverable. As a result the museum has the largest collection of goods from that time in history of any place in the world.The major part of the displays are from the cargo of the steamboat.
All told, this is a museum that can easily occupy two to four hours, depending upon one's interest in early Americana.


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Energy Recovery To Replace Isobarix Technology in Milestone Retrofit Opportunity in Middle East
SAN LEANDRO, Calif.—November 29, 2016 — Energy Recovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:ERII), the leader in pressure energy technology for industrial fluid flows, today announced that the company has been awarded another brownfield retrofit opportunity to install its industry leading PXTM Pressure ExchangerTM technology. The retrofit, located in the Middle East, marks the first time the Company will retrofit a plant using technology produced by Isobarix, which intended but failed to replicate the proprietary Pressure Exchanger solution. It is expected to ship in the 4th quarter of 2016.
The plant selected Energy Recovery to supply its Q-Series PX devices to replace the Isobarix technology, which has caused unacceptable levels of noise and vibration, as well as high maintenance costs. Energy Recovery’s PX devices will allow the plant to lower costs and enhance performance around noise, vibration, and safety.
Offering an industry-best return on investment, and designed to run with the highest efficiency and availability in the desalination industry, Energy Recovery will continue to seek out opportunities to retrofit small, medium and large-scale facilities around the globe.
Energy Recovery’s President and CEO Joel Gay stated, “This plant retrofit is a particularly seminal moment in the Company’s history and furthers our position of technology leadership within the global desalination market. A core tenant of our strategy in this segment is to target plants with inferior technology, demonstrate the superiority of our offerings, upgrade the plant and add to the portfolio of customers who are Pressure Exchanger loyalists. Isobarix’s technology operates under similar fluid physics principles as our flagship Pressure Exchanger but with decreased efficiency, reliability and performance. That we were able to unseat copycat and indeed inferior technology solidifies Energy Recovery’s pole position in the ongoing technology race within not only the global desalination market, but all core markets in which we arbitrage pressure energy and preserve pumping assets. In the past, we have believed that at least one Isobarix product infringes on certain of our intellectual property and this retrofit provides us with a further opportunity to investigate our belief and potentially discover other potential infringements. We will continue to aggressively execute against our long-term strategy with an increasing focus on protecting our intellectual property from those who would seek to otherwise usurp it.”
Energy Recovery (NASDAQ:ERII) recycles and converts wasted pressure energy into a usable asset and preserves pumps that are subject to hostile processing environments. With award winning technology, Energy Recovery simplifies complex industrial systems while improving productivity, profitability, and efficiency within the oil & gas, chemical processing, and water industries. Energy Recovery products save clients more than $1.7 billion (USD) annually. Headquartered in the Bay Area, Energy Recovery has offices in Houston, Ireland, Shanghai, and Dubai. Learn more at www.energyrecovery.com.
Certain matters discussed in this press release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including expectations regarding the amount and timing of the revenues associated with the referenced awards and the shipments of the devices, reductions in power consumption from the technology, expectations about future growth in the desalination industry, Energy Recovery’s market share, and Energy Recovery’s ability to deliver products containing its technologies, including in the relevant regions and for major products. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to us and on management’s beliefs, assumptions, estimates, or projections and are not guarantees of future events or results. Potential risks and uncertainties include our ability to achieve the milestones under the licensing agreement with a subsidiary of Schlumberger Limited and the risks discussed under “Risk Factors” in our Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 3, 2016 as well as other reports filed by us with the SEC from time to time. Because such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, our actual results may differ materially from the predictions in these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are made as of today, and we assume no obligation to update such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Brian Uhlmer
buhlmer@energyrecovery.com


History of St. Ann Parish
The sense of erecting a shrine to St. Ann in New Orleans originated with Fr. Hattais who preached Lenten sermons at St. Ann Parish in 1902. On August 13th of that year, a Confraternity of St. Ann of New Orleans was established. At that time, the shrine was on St. Philip Street but with the increasing number of devotees a new and larger site was secured in 1920 on Ursuline Avenue and North Johnson Street. A grand basilica in honor of St. Ann never materialized. St. Ann Parish in New Orleans was eventually closed and the church was turned over to St. Peter Claver Parish. The new shrine of St. Ann was relocated to Metairie. St. Ann Church & Shrine in Metairie was originally designated as St. Ambrose Parish, but in March 1973 by decree of Archbishop Philip M. Hannan, the name of the Parish was changed from St. Ambrose to St. Ann. The decree added that the Parish would also be designated as the National Shrine to St. Ann, thus the name St. Ann Church & Shrine.
The grotto-like structure in the center of the shrine behind the sanctuary includes the holy stairs whereby people ascend the steps on their knees while praying the Stations of the Cross. The Stations of the Cross are magnificently depicted in the stained glass window when you reach the top of the stairs. The window facing the north depicts St. Joachim and St. Ann. The main window depicts the Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These windows are a memorial to the Louisiana Oyster Industry, the fishermen and their families, who generously donated to the cost and installation of the stained glass windows. Upon reaching the top of the stairs you will stand face-to-face with a large wood-carved crucifix and also a statue of St. Ann, mother of the Mother of God. St. Ann and St. Joachim's feast day is celebrated by the Church on July 26th and is celebrated here at St. Ann Church & Shrine with a Novena. A guest priest celebrates Mass daily and preaches, hears confessions, and leads the people in the annual St. Ann Novena July 18th - July 26th. We also have a 3-day Lenten Mission.
The tradition of honoring St. Ann can be traced back to 1584. St. Ann [also known as Anne, Anna, from the Hebrew Channah, meaning "favor" or "grace"] of David's house and line, was the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandmother to Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. In the Middle East, veneration of St. Ann can be traced back to the fourth century. At the encouragement of the Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians and Carmelites and with the help of Pope Urban VI, and later with Pope Gregory XIII, a feast day honoring St. Ann became part of the universal calendar of the Church. Her feast day is shared with her husband, St. Joachim on July 26th.
As mother of the Mother of God and grandmother to Jesus Christ, St. Ann became the patron of married women, and for childless couples a special aid in obtaining children. Story has it that Joachim and Ann were without children until an angel appeared to them and told that they would conceive a child. They brought Mary up to be a worthy mother - the Mother of God.
St. Ann, you gave birth to Mary,
whose divine Son brought forth salvation to the world
by conquering death and restoring hope and life to all people.
Help us, we pray, to love as Jesus loved.
All are welcome to pray the Stations of the Cross on the Calvary steps in our National Shrine dedicated to St. Ann. Pray, light a candle, seek the intercession of the Mother of the Mother of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
St. Ann Parish Boundaries
St. Ann Stained Glass 32 Photos
90th Anniversary of St. Ann Shrine 16 Photos


Marshal of the Wielkopolska Region
Deputy Marshals
Treasurer of the Wielkopolska Region
Secretary of the Wielkopolska Region
The tasks of the Board of the region
start >> Deputy Marshals
WOJCIECH JANKOWIAK
Born in 1956. An alumnus of the Adam Mickiewicz University Faculty of Law and Administration in Poznań and of a post-graduate program of the Warsaw School of Economics.
In the years 1989–1990 Deputy Mayor of Poznań. Between 1990 and 1993 Deputy Head of the District Office in Poznań.
In the years 1993–1996 Director of the Department for the Reform of Public Administration at the Prime Minister's Office in Warsaw. From 1996 to 1998 Deputy Voivod of Poznań. A Member of the Board of the Wielkopolska Region during the first term of office and then between 2001 and 2003 the First Deputy Voivod of Wielkopolska.
Tied with the Self-Government of the Wielkopolska Region since its establishment. Between 2003 and 2006 Director of the Department for Regional Development of the Marshal Office of the Wielkopolska Region, in charge of advancing a comprehensive policy of socio-economic development of Wielkopolska. He then co-created the Strategy for the Development of the Wielkopolska Region, the system of EU funds absorption and the Wielkopolska Regional Operational Program for the years 2007–2014.
In the 2006 self-government elections elected to the Assembly of the Wielkopolska Region from the list of the Polish People's Party and appointed Deputy Marshal of the Wielkopolska Region. Ever since, he has successfully performed the function of Deputy Marshal of the Wielkopolska Region, re-elected in 2010 and 2014 to the Regional Assembly.
As Deputy Marshal, he is in charge of expanding the regional transportation infrastructure and of processes related to enterprise support and employment enhancing, e.g. through monitoring the situation on the labour market and attracting foreign investors. As Deputy Marshal he supervises the following departments of the Marshal Office of the Wielkopolska Region: Department of Transport, Department of Infrastructure, Department for the Implementation of the European Social Fund, the Chancellery of the Regional Assembly and Investor Supervision Office. He is also responsible for the operation of the Wielkopolska Region for Spatial Planning and the Wielkopolska Region Labour Office in Poznań.
Internationally, on behalf of the Union of Regions of the Republic of Poland, Deputy Marshal Wojciech Jankowiak represents our region in the Chamber of Regions, being the Chairman of the Polish Delegation to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CLRAE) in Strasbourg. He is moreover a member of the Peri-Urban Regions Platform Europe PURPLE, and since 2014 a Member of the Board – Vice Chairman of the Platform.
Apart from his experience in public administration he has ample expertise in the economy. Former Vice President of the Board of Poznań-Ławica Airport Spółka z o. o. and for many years a member of the Company's Supervisory Board. For two terms a member of the Supervisory Board of Polish Television in Warsaw. Former member of the Curators Council of the re-established Zakłady Kórnickie Foundation.
In the Polish People's Party he is a member of the General Council, Deputy Chairman of the Regional Board and President of the Poznań City Board. A founding member and incumbent President of the General Board of the Stanisław Mikołajczyk Society.
As of 2013 President of the Board of the Adam Mickiewicz University Alumni Association.
The President of the Republic of Poland conferred on him the Knight's Cross of the Order of Poland's Restitution.
KRZYSZTOF GRABOWSKI
Born on 9 September, 1973 in Kalisz. Graduated from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (faculty self-governmental and European administration). He also graduated from the prestigious 18th School for Leaders of the Civil Society, established and managed by Oxford's Professor Zbigniew Pełczyński. Krzysztof Grabowski completed, among others, the course for teaching credentials and for the candidates to Supervisory Boards.
In 1994 - 2010 he held the position of the Ceków-Kolonia Commune Councillor. His social involvement resulted, among others, in delivery of multiple investments: construction of the 'Orli Staw' Municipal Waste Treatment Plant handling waste from several dozens of Wielkopolska and Łódzkie Region communes. Sewage treatment plant and sewerage system were constructed on his initiative; the entire commune gained the water-pipe network, new commune and poviat roads. In addition the Kalisz-Turek regional road was renovated. Partnership agreement with the German Amtsberg commune in the area of education, culture and sport was concluded.
Before taking the position of the Member of the Regional Parliament of the 4th term , he worked as the spokesman of the Higher Vocational State School of President Stanisław Wojciechowski in Kalisz and the assistant of the Member of European Parliament, Andrzej Grzyb.
Krzysztof Grabowski has many years of experience as radio and TV broadcaster in Kalisz, including for RMF FM and 'Teleexpress'. He cooperated with the regional newspapers and magazines. Five-time nominee of the National Labour Inspectorate in Ostrów Wielkopolski and honored by the Chief Labour Inspector with the medal 'For merits to the labour protection'.
President of the Board of the Commune of the Polish Peasants' Party (PSL) in Ceków - Kolonia, Vice-President of the Poviat Board of the Polish Peasants' Party in Kalisz and Vice-President of the Regional Board of the Polish Peasants' Party in Wielkopolska. Vice-President of the Board of the Regional Division of the Voluntary Fire Brigade Association of the Republic of Poland since April 2012.
In the local self-government elections in 2010, elected for the Member of the Regional Parliament of the Wielkopolska Region from the list of the Polish Peasants' Party and appointed the Member of the Board of Region. In the local self-government elections in 2014 received 22 967 votes and was re-elected the Member of the Regional Parliament of the Wielkopolska Region. On 1 December, 2014 elected the Deputy Marshal of the Wielkopolska Region.


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First report in decades of a forgotten crop pathogen
Scientists, breeders, farmers and conservation groups must continue to work in close collaboration to prepare for the potential re-emergence of a forgotten crop pathogen, a new study advises today.
Work between groups has already started following the discovery of a single wheat plant infected with stem rust – the first confirmed case of the plant disease in the UK in over 60 years. Stem rust of wheat and barley has throughout history been associated with crop failure and famine, and has recently re-emerged in western Europe.
Following the discovery of a single infected wheat plant in Suffolk in 2013, Dr Diane Saunders and Dr Brande Wulff from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, led a global team of collaborators to carry out genetic tests that compared this strain to the dominant global populations of the pathogen.
Their results showed that the UK strain belongs to the Digalu race of the fungus, which was responsible for a devastating outbreak of stem rust in Ethiopia in 2013, and smaller outbreaks in Sweden, Denmark, and Germany in the same year.
Further investigations carried out by Dr Jane Thomas at NIAB in Cambridge, UK, found that over 80% of UK wheat varieties tested are susceptible to the UK strain of this pathogen. This indicates that if the strain became established in the UK, a large proportion of UK wheat could be at risk.
The research team warns that UK and European wheat and barley crops could be under threat from a perfect storm of conditions favourable to stem rust resurgence.
Dr Daniel Bebber at Exeter University, UK, showed that changes in climatic conditions over the past 25 years suggest increasingly conducive conditions for fungal pathogen growth and infection.
In addition to the lack of resistance in European wheat varieties, in recent years the alternate host of the pathogen, Barberry (Berberis vulgaris), has also been increasing in popularity. This hedgerow shrub plays a key role in the life cycle of several rust pathogens including wheat stem rust.
The Barberry shrub was largely removed across England up until the early part of the 20th century, as farmers noticed that cereal crops grown adjacent to Barberry bushes were at greater risk of stem rust. However, over the last twenty years or so Barberry shrubs have been planted in efforts to conserve the Barberry Carpet moth, an endangered species. Much of this planting is focussed on the relatively few areas where the moth is found, although other plantings have occurred elsewhere.
The next steps in this process, says Dr Saunders, is a larger study to map and sample Barberry across the UK working alongside conservation groups. “Replanting Barberry in woodlands, gardens and areas away from arable land would ensure we provide vital habitat for the endangered Barberry Carpet moth, whilst limiting its potential impact on enhancing rust pathogen diversity.”
The study “Potential for re-emergence of wheat stem rust in the United Kingdom” published today in Communications Biology urges: “the re-initiation of resistance breeding and a review of the mass plantation of common barberry to preclude re-planting near arable land and thereby limit the ability of the pathogen to rapidly overcome any introduced resistance and/or climatic constraints to safeguard European cereals from a large-scale re-emergence of wheat stem rust.”
Mark Parsons of Butterfly Conservation said “We are very concerned about the potential risk from the possible re-establishment of stem rust in this country and the impact it could have on agriculture and the environment. The Barberry Carpet moth is an endangered species restricted to just a handful of sites in this country, it being reliant on Common Barberry for survival. We are, therefore, pleased to be working closely with the John Innes Centre both to minimize the potential risk from cereal rust, but also to enhance the populations of the Barberry Carpet, and therefore increase its chances of survival in this country.”
The project was funded by an Industrial Partnership Award (BB/M025519/1) from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), a European Research Council Starting Grant awarded to Dr Diane Saunders (no. 715638), an institute development grant from the Earlham Institute, H2020 project EMPHASIS (no. 634179) awarded to NIAB, by the BBSRC Institute Strategic Programmes BB/J004553/1 and BB/P012574/1, the John Innes Foundation, and an African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) fellowship.
Barberry bush in close proximity to barley field – Credit Clare Lewis John Innes Centre
Stem rust infected plant
Multiple rust aecia on barberry
Stem rust lesions on wheat – Paul Fenwick, Limagrain UK Ltd
Associated Scientists
Dr Diane Saunders
Dr Brande Wulff
NIAB
Exeter University
Potential for re-emergence of wheat stem rust in the United Kingdom (2018) Communications Biology
Where does human intelligence come from?
Where does human intelligence come from and what advantage did it give to our ancestors? Professor Enrico Coen, provides a new theory
Professor Anne Osbourn elected as Fellow of the Royal Society
Professor Anne Osbourn has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in honour of her exceptional contribution to science
Two scientists named in global list of highly cited researchers
Two researchers at the John Innes Centre have been named in the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2019 List
John Innes Centre © 2020
Careers & Study
The John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK


Entries / Dolgorukov Family
Dolgorukov Family
Categories / Capital/Personalia
DOLGORUKOV (Dolgoruky), princely family, the Rurik Dinasty, important in the 15th century. Yakov Fedorovich Dolgorukov (1639-1720, St. Petersburg) was a statesman, associate of Peter the Great's, boyar (1697), General Plenipotential War Commissar (1711), and senator (1712). In 1717, he was appointed President of the Revision Collegium (which started functioning in 1719). He participated in the investigation of Tsarevich Alexey Petrovich (1718). He was famous for his justice and integrity, often presented the most hard-hitting facts to Peter the Great in person, and liked the saying: "The truth is the best servant of the Tsar". He was buried at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery (grave not preserved). Sergey Nikolaevich Dolgorukov (1770-1829) was an Infantry General (1816) and Commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress (1799-1801). Vasily Vasilievich Dolgorukov (1787, St. Petersburg - 1858) was an Ober-Stalmeister, Caretaker of the Court Horse Barn Bureau (1832-42), and leader of the St. Petersburg Province Nobility (1833-42). Vasily Andreevich Dolgorukov (1804-1868, St. Petersburg) was a statesman, General of Cavalry (1856), Adjutant General (1845), Chief-Chamberlain (1866), Deputy Minister of War (1848-53), Minister of War (1853-56, had directed the Ministry since 1852), member of the State Assembly (from 1853), Chief of Gendarmes and Chief of the Third Department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery (1856-66), and retired after D.V. Karakozov's assassination attempt on Emperor Alexander II. He was buried at the Lazarevskoe Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova (married Gracious Princess Yuryevskaya) (1849-1922), a Court favourite, the morganatic wife of Emperor Alexander II (from 1880), mostly lived abroad after his murder by members of the Narodnaya Volya (People’s Will). She owned 46 Angliiskaya Embankment / 47 Galernaya Street, and a palace at 3 Gagarinskaya Street, where she organized Alexander II's Memorial Cabinet.
References: Долгоруков П. В. Сказания о роде князей Долгоруковых. [2-е] изд., испр. и доп. СПб., 1842; Власьев Г. А. Потомство Рюрика: Материалы для составления родословий. СПб., 1907. Т. 1, ч. 3; Мельцин М. О. Государственная служба князей Долгоруковых в конце XVIII - начале XX века: некоторые аспекты // Проблемы социального и гуманитарного знания: Сб. науч. работ. СПб., 2000. Вып. 2. С. 115-170.
M. O. Meltsin.
Alexander II, Emperor
Alexey Petrovich, Tsesarevitch
Dolgorukov Sergey Nikolaevich, Prince
Dolgorukov Vasily Andreevich, Prince
Dolgorukov Vasily Vasilievich, Duke
Dolgorukov Yakov Fedorovich, Duke
Dolgorukova Ekaterina Mikhailovna, Duchess
Karakozov Dmitry Vladimirovich
Peter I, Emperor
the Dolgorukovs
Angliiskaya Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 46
Gagarinskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 3
Galernaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 47
St. Peter and Paul fortress
Lazarevskaya Burial Vault


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Abortion videos prompt calls for donations in Oklahoma
Updated: 12:33 PM CDT Jul 25, 2015
Recently released videos that show a Planned Parenthood official discussing the distribution of fetal body parts are being used by anti-abortion advocates in Oklahoma to seek political contributions and bolster support for legislation to further restrict abortion.Randy Brogdon, the newly elected chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, sent an email on Thursday soliciting donations to "help us to end abortion in Oklahoma." He also urged the governor to call a special session to outlaw abortion altogether and shut down Planned Parenthood, which operates four health clinics in the state."It is time for Republicans to stand for the principles we claim to have and stop the killing of the unborn," Brogdon wrote. "The majorities of Oklahomans will support this bold action, but it will take someone to lead the fight."The videos show Planned Parenthood officials meeting with people posing as buyers of fetal tissue. Federal law prohibits the commercial sale of fetal tissue, but allows not-for-profit donation of tissue if the women who underwent abortions give their consent. Planned Parenthood contends that the payments pertain to reimbursement for the costs of procuring the tissue - which is legal."The real agenda of these groups is to ban abortion and cut women off from care at Planned Parenthood," said Suzanna de Baca, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, which operates a clinic in Tulsa. "These insidious videos are just one more example of how low they will stoop."Gov. Mary Fallin didn't indicate any plans to call a special session, but referred to the videos as "sickening." She also suggested an outright ban on abortion wouldn't be likely."Clearly, I don't want Planned Parenthood to perform any abortions in Oklahoma, regardless of how those abortions are paid for," Fallin said in a statement. "However, as any pro-life activist will tell you, the biggest hurdle to protecting life in this country is the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Roe v Wade, which blocked states from passing total bans on abortion."Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. James Lankford, a Baptist minister and fierce abortion opponent, has introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate that would end all federal funding for Planned Parenthood unless the organization stops performing abortions."The recent videos uncovering Planned Parenthood's inhumane abortion practices have hit a nerve with many Americans," Lankford said, adding that the organization receives more than $500 million each year.Most of the services Planned Parenthood provides are not abortion-related, such as birth control, breast and cervical cancer screenings, and vasectomies for men, de Baca said."In addition, we are the preeminent provider of health and sexual health education programs that help lower the risk of sexually-transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies," de Baca said.Oklahoma legislators routinely pass some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country, although many have been overturned by the courts as unconstitutional.A bill passed last year that would require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital was temporarily blocked by the state Supreme Court while a district judge mulls evidence in that case. The plaintiff in that case, Dr. Larry Burns of Norman, who performs nearly half of the abortions in the state, maintains he will have to close his practice if the law goes into effect.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) —
Recently released videos that show a Planned Parenthood official discussing the distribution of fetal body parts are being used by anti-abortion advocates in Oklahoma to seek political contributions and bolster support for legislation to further restrict abortion.
Randy Brogdon, the newly elected chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, sent an email on Thursday soliciting donations to "help us to end abortion in Oklahoma." He also urged the governor to call a special session to outlaw abortion altogether and shut down Planned Parenthood, which operates four health clinics in the state.
"It is time for Republicans to stand for the principles we claim to have and stop the killing of the unborn," Brogdon wrote. "The majorities of Oklahomans will support this bold action, but it will take someone to lead the fight."
The videos show Planned Parenthood officials meeting with people posing as buyers of fetal tissue. Federal law prohibits the commercial sale of fetal tissue, but allows not-for-profit donation of tissue if the women who underwent abortions give their consent. Planned Parenthood contends that the payments pertain to reimbursement for the costs of procuring the tissue - which is legal.
"The real agenda of these groups is to ban abortion and cut women off from care at Planned Parenthood," said Suzanna de Baca, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, which operates a clinic in Tulsa. "These insidious videos are just one more example of how low they will stoop."
Gov. Mary Fallin didn't indicate any plans to call a special session, but referred to the videos as "sickening." She also suggested an outright ban on abortion wouldn't be likely.
"Clearly, I don't want Planned Parenthood to perform any abortions in Oklahoma, regardless of how those abortions are paid for," Fallin said in a statement. "However, as any pro-life activist will tell you, the biggest hurdle to protecting life in this country is the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Roe v Wade, which blocked states from passing total bans on abortion."
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. James Lankford, a Baptist minister and fierce abortion opponent, has introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate that would end all federal funding for Planned Parenthood unless the organization stops performing abortions.
"The recent videos uncovering Planned Parenthood's inhumane abortion practices have hit a nerve with many Americans," Lankford said, adding that the organization receives more than $500 million each year.
Most of the services Planned Parenthood provides are not abortion-related, such as birth control, breast and cervical cancer screenings, and vasectomies for men, de Baca said.
"In addition, we are the preeminent provider of health and sexual health education programs that help lower the risk of sexually-transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies," de Baca said.
Oklahoma legislators routinely pass some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country, although many have been overturned by the courts as unconstitutional.
A bill passed last year that would require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital was temporarily blocked by the state Supreme Court while a district judge mulls evidence in that case. The plaintiff in that case, Dr. Larry Burns of Norman, who performs nearly half of the abortions in the state, maintains he will have to close his practice if the law goes into effect.


WORLD OF ADVENTURE “ADVENTURE IS STILL EXTRAORDINARY. TO FIND IT, TRAVEL PREFERABLY OFF THE BEATEN TRACK, AND AWAY FROM THE PREDICTABLE” TIM SLESSOR, FIRST OVERLAND EXPEDITION MEMBER In September 1955, just over eight years after the launch of the first ever Land Rover, two Series I vehicles left Hyde Park Corner in London heading towards the Kent coast. It was the start of the now legendary 32,300-mile Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition, a veritable first that would change vehiclebased expeditions forever. Their destination was the port of Singapore in Malaya, the trade hub of south-east Asia and the farthest point from London on the Eurasian land mass. Six undergraduates from the two renowned British universities, fired up by the fact that no land-based expedition had ever made it beyond Calcutta, had started making their plans 12 months previously over a cup of coffee in a student residence hall. Former journalist and BBC documentary film maker 86-year-old Tim Slessor was one of them. An original member of the Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition and author of the best-selling book First Overland, he is an intense but immediately likeable man. His bright eyes and sprightly gait tell the tale of an individual who has spent a lifetime pushing boundaries. He is an original adventurer. The first of the 330,000 words he wrote in his expedition diary from the trip paraphrased legendary mountain climber and conqueror of Mount Everest Sir Edmund Hillary, “The main object of our Far Eastern Project is a jolly good adventure.” Intrigued by how an 86-year-old journalist defines adventure today, there is also the more fundamental question of whether there are any real adventures left? “We had Above: Series I Land Rover vehicles SNX 891 ’Oxford‘ and SNX 761 ‘Cambridge’ during the Far Eastern Expedition in 1955 Right: Tim Slessor back at the wheel of SNX 891 at Eastnor Castle after its recovery from St Helena and recent sympathetic renovation by Land Rover enthusiast Adam Bennett more opportunities than young people now,” Slessor says. “Today most of the possible first-time adventures have been done.” Some things do not change, however. “Adventure is still extraordinary, it is best done with friends and there has to be an element of risk. To find it, travel preferably off the beaten track, and away from the predictable.” THE ULTIMATE TEST The vehicles were fundamental to the project, a fact Land Rover immediately recognized along with the chance to generate some very useful public relations. As Slessor recalls, “We thought the Land Rover people were joking when they said you have an opportunity to test the vehicles to destruction.” A year earlier in 1954, undergraduates had ‘overlanded’ to Cape Town and back in two Land Rover vehicles. The lesson was obvious. “A tough four-wheel drive vehicle with lowratio gears was essential. We concluded that the Land Rover was the only car suitable. We needed two and they cost 0 each, but we had 0 between us.” The team needed financial support, and an aim of conducting irrigation fieldwork provided justification that the sponsors (of which there were 83, including Land Rover and the BBC) required. Expedition cameraman Antony Barrington-Brown (known as BB) spoke to a young (now Sir) David Attenborough, who had just joined the BBC but would later become the defining figure of the BBC’s world-renowned Natural History Unit. BB persuaded Attenborough to support the team with a camera and film, packing him on his PHOTOGRAPHY: ANTONY BARRINGTON-BROWN (4) 30
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HANNIE CAULDER (1971) blu-ray review
tags: Blu-ray, Burt Kennedy, Christopher Lee, David J. Fowlie, Diana Dors, Ernest Borgnine, film, Hannie Caulder, Jack Elam, Olive Films, Paco de Lucía, Raquel Welch, review, Robert Culp, Stephen Boyd, Strother Martin
written by: David Haft and Burt Kennedy (both as Z.X. Jones)
produced by: Patrick Curtis and Tony Tenser
directed by: Burt Kennedy
rated: unrated
U.S. release date: May 24, 1972
DVD/Blu-ray release date: November, 15, 2016
A couple of months back, Olive Films introduced a new series of DVD/Blu-ray released entitled “Olive Signature”, which, as they’ve announced, will feature “highlighted cult favorites, time-honored classics, and under-appreciated gems” that will include clean audio and video transfers, new cover art with new Special Features (something rare to Olive). You can say it’s their answer to Criterion releases. They started out with two classic westerns, “High Noon” and “Johnny Guitar” and now comes another western, “Hannie Caulder”, something of a cult classic from 1971. The movie is the kind that is appreciated long after its original U.S. release and has been discussed and examined by certain film scholars and aficionados (not to mention Quentin Tarantino) and definitely had an impact on many movies that came after it.
I’m coming at this movie for the first time. I’ve known about it, of course, but based on its marketing, it came across as some kind of exploitation film, possibly sexploitation considering where its star, Raquel Welch, was in her career at the time and how she was perceived. She delivers a good performance here, despite how she is shot and how her character is written, and is surrounded by a very talented group of dependable supporting actors. “Hannie Caulder” isn’t a typical western, it pays more homage to Spaghetti Westerns than it dos American Westerns, and is also very much a revenge film – or rather, a subgenre called the rape-revenge films, which became acknowledged in the 70s and 80s, but are still made today, just look at Paul Verhoeven’s latest “Elle”.
Set in Mexico, the movie opens on the bumbling and despicable Clemens brothers – Emmett (Ernest Borgnine), Frank (Jack Elam), and Rufus (Strother Martin) – riding into a run-down town with the intent of robbing a bank during siesta. They botch up the job and wind up brutally killing everyone inside and engage in a shoot-out with startled federales outside. As they escape, they stop off at a farm in a lone valley just north of the border with the intent of stealing fresh horses (the equivalent of the criminal ditching a recognizable car), but before they can do so they are approached by the owner, Jim Caulder, who basically asks them to move along. He’s answered with a fatal close-range shotgun to the gut and in no time the filthy trio are viciously raping the farmer’s wife, Hannie Caulder (Welch), setting her home on fire and leaving her for dead.
Still reeling from her ordeal and traumatized, she greets a horsebacked stranger with a Winchester, like a wounded animal ready to lash out. All he wants is to use her well for some water for himself and his horses and then to be on his way. She’s undeterred and cautious, but once she is effortlessly unarmed, Hannie learns the bespeckled and bearded man is a bounty hunter named Thomas Luther Price (Robert Culp) and sees the gunslinger as someone who can teach her how to shoot a gun and kill. He declines her request to repeatedly, but is eventually won over by her tenacity, but mostly by her motives. He’s been around enough evil men to add up what has happened to Hannie.
As the two begin a mentorship, they work their way to Mexico, where an English friend of Price’s and former Confederate gunsmith (a bearded Christopher Lee, in his only western role) resides along the Gulf shore with his Mexican wife (whom we never see) and their gaggle of children. Price asks Bailey to craft a customized gun for Hannie, while he trains her both physically and mentally in the art of gun-slinging – all of requires standard montage, which goes from Hannie doing some forearm workouts to Bailey literally piecing together her firearm (one can assume this process takes weeks, since a gun can’t be made from scratch in a matter of days). Price knows the cost of an individual’s first-kill and warns Hannie, “Win or lose, you’ll lose. You’ll not be the same person.” Hannie hopes she’s not, but Price nevertheless continues to ask her to walk away from this vendetta, knowing full-well what it can lead to.
“Hannie Caulder” is a British western filmed mostly in southern Spain (mostly Almeria and Andalucia) with a predominately American cast, produced by Tigon British Film Productions, a company known almost exclusively for their extremely low-budget exploitation horror films, up until this movie. It was released in Europe in 1971 and eventually made its way to the U.S. in May of 1972, but it was filmed in 1970.
“Hannie Caulder” is not a full-on feminist tale since the titular character is never really given the opportunity to exact revenge on her own. As she pursues her rapists, you can hear the helpful assistance of her mentor (like the way Obi-Wan Kenobi assisted Luke Skywalker destroy the Death Star in “Star Wars”), reminding her what to do and there’s also the physical assistance from a Man in Black-type character, listed as The Preacher (played by an uncredited Stephen Boyd, who had starred with Welch in 1967’s “Fantastic Voyage”), which communicates to viewers that, although this is the first western revolving around a female gunslinger, the screenwriter/filmmaker never intended for Hannie Caulder to be capable of dispensing justice on her own. That’s too bad, but I suppose it’s kind of expected for the time of its release. Audiences weren’t used to having a man-hater on-screen, regardless of our misogynist world (both on and off-screen) even if she is a victim of sexual assault and maybe that’s why we spend just about as much time following the Clemens brothers as we do watching Hannie on her path.
The movie was helmed by veteran western director Burt Kennedy, who had previously directed John Wayne and Kirk Douglas in 1967’s “The War Wagon” and James Garner in 1969’s “Support Your Local Sheriff!”. In his 2006 memoir Ernie and Me, actor Ernest Borgnine stated he considered Kennedy “one of the best directors of the genre”, yet this is somewhat of a departure from the light-hearted westerns he had directed – except for the fact that the endlessly bickering Clemens brothers add a Three Stooges-level comedy to the feature. That may strike some as odd. Here we follow a woman who’s been sexual assaulted and discarded, which is a tale with a lot of weight to it and then we have these three derelict brothers who have very little value on life and yet they supply the comic relief of the movie. It’s almost like two movies spliced into one and I found myself liking both stories primarily due to the actors involved.
Welch has never been an actress with a wide range and while she’s usually managed to take on strong roles, they have usually relied heavily on her status as a sex symbol. What do you remember from “One Million Years, B.C.” outside of that fur bikini? Or how about that patriotic ensemble she wore in “Myra Breckenridge”? It’s all to titillate and tantalize. She obviously knew that’s how she was being sold to audiences and used that to her advantage. Early on in this movie, she’s wearing short-shorts under a poncho, so all we see are her long naked legs. Then, once Price gives her money to buy new britches, she winds up having to bathe with them on in order to shrink them and, of course, this gives Kennedy’s cinematographer Edward Scaife (“The Dirty Dozen”) an opportunity to linger on her bareback and hind side. As if we need a reminder why Welch was cast.
But, the most uncomfortable use of objectification can be found during the rape scene. Although Welch is trying to fight the Clemens brothers off, the camera fixates on her hair that’s draped across the pillow on her bed while audible moans and screams can be heard. At no point does she seem disheveled – in fact, most of the time the focus is on the greasy and delighted faces of her rapists and then the camera sits outside her home as the assault continues. It’s still potent and unsettling, but it’s also mostly focused on the men.
In “Hannie Caulder” we’re not really given the chance to know much about Welch’s character – as soon as we meet her, she’s attacked and then next thing we know she hooks up with Culp’s bounty hunter in order to see her goal through. Surprisingly, it’s Culp who calmly and quietly walks away with the movie. He’s really great here and a welcome juxtaposition to the normal western characters we see in the genre. It’s clear he’s a skilled bounty hunter, but he also has a way of accurately sizing someone up during his first encounter. He was able to surmise that Hannie is “a terrible liar” and has the knowledge and experience to tell her that it’s not enough to be physically prepared to shoot to kill, but it’s important to understand how to judge body language and human nature.
Culp’s Price develops a genuine interest in Hannie’s welfare, not necessarily because he has a romantic interest in her, but just simply because he cares, which is why he tries to persuade her out of pursuing the Clemens brothers. Tarantino, who must’ve based Christoph Waltz’s character from “Django Unchained” on Culp’s role, had this to say about his performance, “He is so magnificent in that movie. I actually think there’s a bit of similarity between Sonny Chiba and Uma Thurman in “Kill Bill” and Raquel Welch and Robert Culp in “Hannie Caulder”.” I can see that. Culp’s co-star, Borgnine had this to say about the actor in his book, “The actor who really shines, though, is Bob Culp. This guy is one of the great national treasures,” he continues, “He’s convincing in everything because, like Gary Cooper, he’s on the great listening actors if all time. I wish I had half of what he’s got.” Watching this movie definitely made me want to bone up on more Culp.
It’s also a real treat to see Christopher Lee pop up in a role that’s usually something he’s not recognized for. His Bailey is a man living life on his own terms, where clientele seek him out along the Gulf shore (which is some of the most beautiful scenes in the movie) and it’s both bizarre and cool to see him working alongside Culp and Welch. Pay close attention to the guitarist on Bailey’s veranda, who is none other than Spanish guitarist, Paco de Lucía, in an uncredited appearance. There’s also a brief appearance by 50s British blonde bombshell Diana Dors, who appears as a bordello madam, which makes sense with this being a British production.
Kennedy wound up re-writing much of screenwriter David Haft’s (known for his TV work on “Steve Canyon”) screenplay, both of them writing under the pseudonym Z.X. Jones and while it’s unclear what he was altering, I’d wager it was to give the Clemens brothers more screen time. I suppose it’s easier to spend time with murderous inept criminals than it is a heroine who’s been repeatedly raped and dead-set on revenge. Nevertheless, “Hannie Caulder” remains an odd and unique, well-made western that should be seen primarily for its performances, especially Robert Culp’s.
It’s quite noticeable how odd the marketing of this movie is. The poster that accompanied the movie’s release pictured the beautiful Welch sitting front and center in a nice dress with her legs spread open, with Elam, Borgnine and Martin – her three rapists – standing around her as if a sibling portrait was being taken. It’s not indicative of the movie or what transpires in it, but it is another objectifying aspect of the movie. It’s one of many marketing decisions that rely heavily on sexual allure and familiar faces to promote “Hannie Caulder”, without indicating what the audience can expect. Anyone male-gazing at a half-naked promo pic of Welch will be sorely disappointed with what they’ll find in the movie.
a tantalizing photo used to promote “Hannie Caulder”, which had very little to do with the movie.
Olive Films previously released a DVD/Blu-ray release back in 2010 with no Special Features. With this being an Olive Signature release, there are some noteworthy Special Features here, which had me wishing Olive would do that with more of their releases.
There are two featurettes in the Special Features section – one is called “Exploitation or Redemption?” and finds American film scholar Ben Sher discussing the movie’s place and impact (if any) in the rape-revenge subgenre. The other is “Win or Lose: Tigon Pictures and the Making of “Hannie Caulder” with British film historian Sir Christopher Frayling. Both are good features, but Frayling’s is a bit more interesting as it touches on producers Patrick Curtis (who was married to Welch at the time and was instrumental in promoting her career, producing a number of movies she starred in) and Tony Tenser (who founded Tigon British Film Productions, which also produced Roman Polanski’s “Repulsion” and “Cul-de-Sac”) and their, at times, contentious working relationship with Kennedy. Frayling also details which movies had previously used the town set “Hannie Caulder” used and mentioned how popular Spain was for European filmmakers to shoot westerns.
Director Alex Cox (“Sid and Nancy” and “Repo Man”) provides audio commentary here and is quite thorough knowledgeable of the film’s history, as well as the locations and themes used in the movie, but there are several times where he’s essentially rolling his eyes at the movie. It seems both odd and new for a commentary, since one would think whoever is asked to do a commentary for a movie was either involved in making the movie or in the very least, is a fan of the movie. It’s a good commentary, but more informative than it is lively and engaging.
RATING: ***
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Spider Bites and Bee Stings: Symptoms and Treatments
By Elizabeth Palermo - Staff Writer 2017-06-03T01:49:00Z
Honeybees are in decline in Europe and North America.
(Image: © PDPhoto.org)
For anyone who spends time outdoors, bites and stings are almost inevitable. Mosquitos, ticks, ants, spiders, bees, wasps — all of these tiny creatures use their mouths or stingers to defend themselves or, in some cases, to grab a meal. But luckily for humans, bites and stings from insects and spiders are usually just uncomfortable, not medically significant.
However, some people are allergic to the venom of certain insects or spiders and can have severe, even life-threatening reactions to bites or stings. Additionally, certain insects and arachnids — like mosquitos and ticks — can transmit disease or cause infection through their bites.
In some cases, bites or stings can be painful. For example, bites from fire ants and stings from hornets, bees or wasps will likely get the attention of the victim. But some bites and stings are subtler, like those from mosquitoes, mites, fleas or ticks, which don't typically hurt. However, in some cases these painless bites can cause infection or disease, which may lead to more severe symptoms, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Ultimately, symptoms will depend on what kind of critter bit or stung you and how your immune system reacts to the venom (or other substances) released during the bite or sting, according to the NIH.
Most insect bites or stings generate only minor skin symptoms such as itching, pain or swelling around the site, as well as burning or tingling. Delayed effects, which can appear within hours or days of a sting or bite, include painful joints, swollen glands, hives or fever, according to the Mayo Clinic.
In the case of ticks, symptoms can be more severe if the bite results in an infection or the transmission of a disease, such as Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. According to the NIH, symptoms of such tick bites include:
Apnea and/or difficulty breathing
Severe pain at bite site
Swelling at bite site
Uncoordinated movement
While the bites of most spiders are not medically significant to humans and cause only mild, local skin reactions, more severe reactions can also occur. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), spider bite symptoms may include:
Raised welt with a pinpoint-sized dot in the center
Pain, itching or rash
Muscle pain or cramps
Profuse sweating
Chills and fever
Allergic reactions
In addition to the symptoms listed above, those who are allergic to particular insects or spiders may also experience a localized reaction when stung or bitten. Such a reaction may include swelling of the entire joint where the bite or sting occurred, according to Dr. Susan Schuval, chief of the pediatric allergy and immunology department at Stony Brook Children's Hospital in New York. In extreme cases, those allergic to certain insects or spiders can experience anaphylaxis — a severe, whole-body reaction to the chemical toxins present in an insect or spider's venom — Schuval told Live Science.
Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening reaction that requires emergency care, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Call 911 if reaction signs include:
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Facial or mouth swelling
Abdominal pain or nausea
Pale, moist skin that may appear blue
Confusion or disorientation
Weakness or dizziness
Fast, weak pulse
Types of insects and spiders that bite
Many common insects bite without provocation — or because they're hungry — including mosquitoes, fleas, mites, flies, bedbugs, fire ants or ticks. Others, such as wasps, bees and hornets, sting when they feel threatened.
Most spiders are not aggressive and will only bite a human if they are surprised or threatened. Such bites usually result in nothing more than a red spot and some itching or swelling, according to Rick Vetter, a retired research associate of entomology at the University of California, Riverside.
"Spiders have venom which is evolved for paralyzing prey; it's made for reducing activity or overcoming the neurophysiology of an insect. That's one reason why spider bites have very little effect on humans," Vetter told Live Science.
In fact, many spiders have fangs that are too small to pierce human skin. Only a few spiders in the United States have venom toxic enough — and fangs large enough — to cause a medically significant bite in humans. These include the brown recluse and black widow, whose bites can be dangerous to humans and even fatal in some cases.
Brown recluse spiders are usually found in Midwestern and Southern states, according to the CDC, and are also called violin spiders because of the characteristic violin- or fiddle-shaped marking on their heads. These spiders have six equal-sized eyes (in contrast to the typical eight) and are about an inch long.
Symptoms of a brown recluse spider bite include:
Deep blue or purple area around the bite, surrounded by white and red outer rings
Burning, itching, pain or redness that may develop within hours or days
Ulcer or blister that turns black
Black widow spiders are usually found in southern and western parts of the United States, though they live throughout North America. Small, black and button-shaped with a characteristic red hourglass marking on the abdomen, black widows release a toxin that can damage the central nervous system.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, symptoms of a black widow spider bite include:
Double fang marks at the site
Immediate pain, swelling, burning and redness
Headache and dizziness
Rash and itching
Cramping and rigidity in the chest, stomach, back and shoulders
Anxiety and restlessness
Eyelid swelling
Weakness or paralysis, particularly in the legs
Excess saliva or eye tearing
Most bites and stings require only minimal treatment. If a stinger is present, remove it by scraping a credit card or other straight-edged item across the stinger, according to the NIH. Use a pair of tweezers to remove a tick. If at all possible, you should try to safely recover the insect or spider that bit you, or at least try to identify it, according to Vetter. This will help healthcare professionals determine the best treatment option should you need medical attention.
All insect bites and stings should be washed with soap and water for several minutes. According to the Mayo Clinic, other treatments can include:
Applying ice to reduce pain and swelling and absorption of the venom for 15 – 20 minutes every one to two hours
Applying calamine lotion, hydrocortisone cream, or topical benzocaine for itching and swelling
Taking antihistamines containing diphenhydramine (found in the brand names Benadryl or Tylenol Severe Allergy) or chlorpheniramine maleate (in Chlor-Trimeton and Actifed).
Wiping the bite or sting area with alcohol or a cool damp cloth with water from a nearby river or spring while hiking or camping
In some cases, a large local reaction can affect the entire joint of the limb that was stung or bitten. In these cases, a doctor may prescribe histamine, as well as oral steroids, according to Schuval. Those with a systemic, or whole body, reaction to the venom of certain insects may undergo venom immunotherapy treatment, in which the patient receives a series of shots containing the venom of the insect (or insects) to which they are allergic. This treatment can reduce a person's risk of having a systemic reaction to insect venom from 60 percent to less than 10 percent, according to Schuval.
Antivenins are available to treat bites from many of the world's most venomous spiders. Suspected spider bites should receive prompt medical attention if they result in severe symptoms. If the wound from a suspected bite becomes inflamed or infected, you should also see a physician, as this may be indicative of a skin infection or other condition not caused by a spider or insect, according to Vetter.
For those who are aware of allergies to certain types of bites and stings, it would be advisable to carry an epinephrine. Matthew Lau, chief of the Department of Allergy and Immunology at Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, said a single-dose epinephrine injector should be used if symptoms such as trouble breathing, lightheadedness or hives occurs, and to take a second dose if one is available and symptoms don't improve within 10 to 15 minutes. Allergy shots could also be beneficial to those looking to reduce their allergic sensitivity of future bites and stings.
James Baker, an emergency medicine specialist from Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park, provided a few home remedies for spider bites, including making a baking soda paste (diluted 1:3 with water), applying table salt to a wet washcloth and applying to the bite area, applying activated charcoal diluted with water, or applying a starchy potato that has been grated or shredded directly on the bite wound. These home remedies have been tested and have appeared to be effective at drawing out toxins and providing antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Pain relievers such as ibuprofen can help reduce the pain and potentially slow full allergic response (anaphylaxis) in order to buy some time while waiting for a 911 response, according to Joshua Kugler, chair of the Emergency Services Department at South Nassau Communities Hospital.
Preventing insect bites
Those who are allergic to the venom of certain insects, like bees, should practice what Schuval called "bee avoidance measures." These include avoiding the nests of insects, not wearing perfume outdoors and leaving your yellow shirts in your closet, she said.
Because mosquitos and ticks in many parts of the world can carry diseases or cause infection, it's recommended that people spending a significant amount of time outdoors protect themselves against these insects. To limit your exposure to mosquito and tick bites, wear clothing that covers your arms and legs. If you are in an area where these insects are prevalent, use a bug spray containing 5 to 7 percent DEET, a chemical compound known to keep certain insects at bay, according to Jonathan Day, a professor of medical entomology at the University of Florida.
If you're concerned about using DEET on yourself or young children, products containing essential oils — known as botanicals — can also be used, Day told Live Science. However, DEET is still effective when sprayed on clothing instead of directly on the skin and should be used if you are spending a significant amount of time in active mosquito and tick habitats, he added.
Those who live in areas known for poisonous spiders should always be vigilant and avoid disturbing them, according to Baker. Preventive measures include carefully removing cobwebs and spider webs from dark places, such as garage corners, wood and rock piles, tires, old furniture and piles of old clothes and newspapers. Regularly cleaning living areas and keeping doors and windows closed helps prevent spiders from coming inside to areas that are easily accessible by children and pets. Spiders are also drawn to their food supply areas: where other insects live. Using insecticides or essential oils to kill or prevent insects in these areas can deter spiders from inhabiting there. Insecticides that contain active ingredients such as pyrethrin and allethrin can deter or kill spiders, but the spiders often will need to come into direct contact with the chemicals. Candles and electrical appliances designed to keep insects away may also help with spiders as these tools drive away the insects spiders prey upon. However, these tools, as well as DEET, do not work directly on spiders.
Baker said the best way to prevent spider bites is to avoid spiders, as they typically only bite when they feel threatened. He recommended that spiders be brushed off and not crushed if they do get on skin. Actual spider bites are rare and often attributed to other bug bites or skin infections.
Additional reporting by Rachel Ross, Live Science Contributor.
CDC: Venomous Spiders — types of spiders and how to protect yourself from getting bitten.
NIH: Tick bites — what to look for and how to remove a tick.
Mayo Clinic: First aid for insect bites and stings
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