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Alabama executes Muslim inmate Domineque Ray who asked for imam to be present Alabama proceeded with the lethal injection after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a stay of execution. Alabama executes Muslim inmate Domineque Ray who asked for imam to be present Alabama proceeded with the lethal injection after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a stay of execution. Check out this story on courier-journal.com: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/07/after-scotus-ruling-alabama-executes-domineque-ray-for-1995-murder/2810071002/ Melissa Brown, Montgomery Advertiser Published 1:20 a.m. ET Feb. 8, 2019 | Updated 6:36 a.m. ET Feb. 8, 2019 MONTGOMERY, Ala. —Alabama death row inmate Domineque Ray died by lethal injection Thursday evening with his imam present in an adjoining chamber. Prison officials recorded his time of death as 10:12 p.m. CT. Ray was executed after an 11th-hour ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a stay of execution pending a religious rights claim. Ray, a Muslim, had argued Alabama's practice of including a Christian prison chaplain in the execution chamber was in violation of the First Amendment. Ray sought to have his imam present in the death chamber at the time of his death. Imam Yusef Maisonet, Ray's spiritual adviser, witnessed Ray's execution from a chamber which held media and prison officials. Two lawyers accompanied Maisonet. When the curtain opened at 9:44 p.m., Ray lifted his head from the gurney, looking into the witness room. With his right hand in a fist, he extended a pointer finger. Maisonet appeared to mirror the gesture and murmured that it was an acknowledgement of the singular God of the Islamic faith. When asked if he had any final words, Ray gave a brief faith declaration in Arabic. Domineque Hakim Marcelle Ray, an Alabama death row inmate, is challenging the state on religious grounds after prison officials denied his Muslim spiritual advisor access to the execution chamber. (Photo: ADOC) At 9:48, Ray made a fist with his left hand, raising his head slightly to look at his arm. His left arm shook briefly, before his eyes closed a minute later. When the curtains to the witness chamber were drawn at 10:05 p.m., Ray's right pointer remained extended. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals had previously stayed the execution, writing that there was a possibility Alabama had "run afoul" of the religious freedom clause of the First Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to vacate the stay "because Ray waited until Jan. 28, 2019, to seek relief." Justices Elena Kagan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor dissented to the ruling. "Here, Ray has put forward a powerful claim that his religious rights will be violated at the moment the State puts him to death," Kagan wrote in her dissent. "The Eleventh Circuit wanted to hear that claim in full. Instead, this Court short-circuits that ordinary process — and itself rejects the claim with little briefing and no argument — just so the State can meet its preferred execution date." Ray was sentenced to death for the 1995 rape and fatal stabbing of 15-year-old Tiffany Harville of Selma. Months before his death penalty trial, he was sentenced to life for a 1994 slaying of two teen brothers. Ray was implicated in the crime after another man, Marcus Owden, confessed to his role in Harville's kidnapping. Owden testified in a 1999 trial that Ray cut Harville's throat. Owden is serving a life sentence without parole. The Supreme Court denied a second stay appeal on Thursday night, in which attorneys said Ray's original defense team wasn't informed that Owden suffered from schizophrenia and potential delusions at the time of his trial. “For 20 years, Domineque Ray has successfully eluded execution for the barbaric murder of a 15-year-old Selma girl,” said Attorney General Steve Marshall in a statement. “In 1995, Ray brutally deprived young Tiffany Harville of her life, repeatedly stabbing and raping her before leaving her body in a cotton field. A jury gave him a death sentence for this heinous crime. A year before, Ray had also taken the lives of two teenage brothers, Reinhard and Earnest Mabins. Tonight, Ray’s long-delayed appointment with justice is finally met.” A family member of Harville reached by phone Tuesday declined to comment. Prison officials said Thursday no one from the victim's family would witness the execution. Last week, Alabama prison officials argued in court that the prison chaplain is allowed in the execution chamber because he is a Department of Corrections employee trained in execution protocol. ADOC agreed to exclude the chaplain for Ray's execution. But after a Wednesday ruling that suggested the state's practice had "run afoul" of the religious freedom clause of the First Amendment, Alabama amended or altered its lethal injection protocol, according to court records, to exclude the prison chaplain. Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn said the department has not yet made changes to its official lethal injection protocol, though the Holman chaplain was not included in Ray's execution. Dunn said the department conducts an "after-action review" following every state execution and will consider changes then. Dunn said that execution protocol is a "product of ADOC policy," and it is within the purview of the department to make changes as it deems necessary. Follow Melissa Brown on Twitter: @itsmelissabrown Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/07/after-scotus-ruling-alabama-executes-domineque-ray-for-1995-murder/2810071002/

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Texas Looks to Fix Prison Overcrowding November 3, 2016 CAMERON LANGFORD HOUSTON (CN) — ­­With more inmates in custody than any other state, Texas is a bellwether for national criminal justice trends. Experts credit rehabilitation programs with reducing Texas’ prison population by 10,000 in recent years, and reforms percolating at the local level are expected to divert even more from the system. Texas has 109 state prisons that house around 147,000 inmates. To comply with a 4 percent budget-reduction request from Gov. Greg Abbott for fiscal years 2018 and 2019, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice plans to end its contract with a 450-bed private jail in Houston for parole violators, close it and move the inmates to a state jail in Houston that will be “repurposed as an intermediate-sanction facility,” according to TDCJ spokesman Jason Clark. The Texas Legislature authorized intermediate-sanction facilities to reduce prison overcrowding. Offenders facing parole and probation revocations take classes and receive counseling at these jails that address the root causes of their crimes. Clark said the prison system budget will be will be completed in May 2017 by the governor and Legislature, which meets from January to June in odd-numbered years, so state agency budgets are set for two-year periods. U.S. states’ spending on prisons varies widely. New York ranked No. 1 for fiscal year 2010, Oct. 1, 2009 to Sept. 30, 2010, spending an average of $60,076 per inmate; California’s average cost per inmate for the same time was $47,421, while Texas paid $21,390, according to a January 2012 report by the Vera Institute of Justice, the latest report on per-inmate spending by the organization. By comparison, the National Education Association reported in March 2015 that Texas schools were spending an average of $9,559 per student for the 2014-2015 school year, which put Texas in 38th place among the states and District of Columbia. The Texas prison system’s proposed budget for fiscal years 2018 and 2019 is $6.5 billion. That complies with the governor’s request, but every budget cycle the TDCJ sends a “Legislative Appropriation Request,” asking for extra funding for expenses it believes cannot be cut. “TDCJ will go through and cut items out of their budget so it comes in under that 4 percent. But then they’ll come in and say, ‘But these are exceptional items that we have to have in order to function, in addition to this budget we just submitted,'” according to Jennifer Erschabek, executive director of the Texas Inmate Families Association, an Austin nonprofit that meets with state officials and advocates for prisoner rights. The biggest chunk of money in TDCJ’s latest extra-funds request of $607 million is $247 million for “offender healthcare.” About 1 in 5 Texas inmates, 24,500, receive mental health treatment, Clark said. The funding wish list warns state lawmakers that without $607 million in extra money, the agency will have to lay off “nearly 2,000 TDCJ employees, primarily correctional officers, parole officers and unit-based staff.” For Lance Lowry, president of the Huntsville chapter of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the largest correctional officer union in the United States, such job cuts would increase understaffing that he blames for prisoners’ recent murders of two Texas correctional officers. “In Texas we have about 147,000 inmates locked up in TDCJ, with approximately 25,000 officers watching the 147,000 inmates, roughly giving us a staffing ratio of six inmates for every officer,” Lowry said in an interview. Ideally, Lowry said, Texas’s staffing level would be one correctional officer for every three inmates, on par with state prisons in New York. Lowry, 43, cited the comparatively poor pay and training that Texas prison guards receive for a high turnover rate. “Our staff doesn’t really stick around too long in the Texas prison system,” he said. “We have a turnover rate of officers of 26 percent every year.” Starting pay for Texas prison guards is around $30,000 and a veteran officer tops out around $40,000, compared to the $96,000 salary of a sergeant in the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Lowry said. Some correctional officers who have been promoted to lieutenant and manage 70 to 80 officers have self-demoted to get higher pay, because though they work more hours as lieutenants they don’t get overtime pay, Lowry said. Lowry said Texas prison officers get about 225 hours of training — around six weeks — which is not enough, as shown by the July 2015 death of Officer Timothy Davidson, who was beaten to death by an inmate at the prison in New Boston. “Officer Davidson was murdered in the presence of another officer, who unfortunately just froze up and watched, didn’t respond to assist him,” Lowry said. “She just watched him get beat down. The inmate took a door slot, which kind of resembles a little crowbar. The inmate took it away from him and beat him to death while the other officer froze up. So it’s important that we have experienced, well-trained officers.” Correctional officers in Germany get two years of training before they step into a prison, Lowry said. He said state officials eager to toss money at the Texas Department of Public Safety to beef up security at the Mexican border are missing the homegrown threat of Texas prison gangs. The state gave DPS $750 million in the agency’s last budget to station 250 troops at the border, and DPS is asking the state for another $300 million to add another 250 troops at the border and buy surveillance helicopters and airplanes. “We fail to acknowledge that there are criminal organizations north of the border that are running the drugs and narcotics, and criminal organizations in the United States, and it’s not your Mexican drug cartels,” Lowry said. “It’s your prison gangs. “Here in Texas, you talk to any law enforcement, they’ll tell you Mexican Mafia, Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, Aryan Circle, Texas Syndicate: These gangs are notorious for the drug trade here. “For example, if you’re in El Paso, you have the Barrio Azteca prison gang that runs the streets in El Paso. It’s not the Juarez drug cartel. It’s Barrio Azteca once you cross the river. They control that.” Lowry, who has worked for the Texas prison system for nearly two decades, said that gangs’ influence in the prisons has diminished somewhat due to gang-renouncement programs. “Before, an inmate couldn’t walk around, you know, if he was a member of the Texas Syndicate or the Mexican Mafia. It was death for him to walk down a prison hall and disassociate with those prison gangs. Now we see it all the time, and we can attribute that to the implementation of modern correctional practices.” Criminal justice experts in Harris County, home of Houston, the state’s most populous city, say that criminal justice reform and reduction in the prison population must flow from the local level. Wil Smith, 52, is a jobs coordinator for the Houston Community Re-entry Network Program, which provides job counseling and placement services for former prisoners. He said reforms will start with locally elected judges, and citizens needs to be aware of who their judges are. “Our judges are the ones that set the mandates and establish the judicial trends in our area that have a dramatic impact on what happens in our communities,” Smith said. “We need to know who our judges are. We need to know how they rule. We need to educate ourselves more. We need to be more cognizant of the fact in Harris County Jail about 75 percent of the inmates haven’t been sentenced yet. They are sitting there accumulating fines and so forth, but they haven’t been processed yet. So that’s a huge problem.” Harris County’s top law enforcement officer, District Attorney Devon Anderson, is working on reforms. She’s part of the Harris County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, made up of judges, public officials, law enforcement officers and prosecutors. With funding from two charitable foundations, the council is devising a data-driven tool to determine which county jail inmates should be released on bond before their cases are disposed. Dr. Marie VanNostrand is justice project manager for Luminosity Inc., a St. Petersburg, Fla. criminal justice consulting firm. She is working with Harris County officials to install a “new pretrial risk assessment,” in which anyone arrested on a misdemeanor or felony charge will be evaluated with a “public-safety assessment” and “decision-making framework,” without pretrial service staff having to interview them, she said at the criminal justice council’s Oct. 12 meeting. “It provides indicators to the court to help inform their release or detention decision,” VanNostrand said. “It provides one indicator of a risk of nonappearance in court, or FTA [failure to appear]. There’s another indicator of new criminal activity: What’s the risk this defendant will commit a new crime if they’re released pretrial, and for the first time there’s an indicator of an elevated risk of violence.” She said she expects the system will go live in March 2017. Harris County is also facing a potential court-ordered reform of its bail system. The county, its sheriff and its 16 misdemeanor court judges are defendants in a federal class action, accusing them of setting bail too high for detainees charged with petty crimes. Lead plaintiff Maranda Lynn ODonnell, a 22-year-old mother of a 4-year-old daughter, was arrested on May 18 on a charge of driving on a suspended license and booked into Harris County Jail. The jail in downtown Houston is the biggest in Texas and third biggest in the United States. “It books on average 120,000 individuals per year and 330 individuals per day,” the complaint states. ODonnell says in her May 19 lawsuit that she couldn’t afford the $2,500 bail set by Harris County’s schedule, which sets predetermined amounts based on the charges. She seeks class certification, declaratory judgment that Harris County’s bail policies violate inmates’ constitutional rights, and an injunction. To reduce overcrowding at the jail, Harris County’s Board of Felony District Judges, with the help of the Justice Management Institute, a Virginia-based organization that received a $1.9 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation in 2015 to help 10 local jurisdictions devise strategies to improve their criminal justice systems, launched a “Reintegration Docket” in October. The program’s goal is to offer sentencing options other than jail, and mental health treatment for nonviolent defendants facing felony charges for drug possession, theft, prostitution or substance abuse. “Why it’s so important is that it could really truly be a model for the rest of the nation,” Justice Management Institute program manager Leah Garabedian told the criminal justice council at its October meeting. “The goal of the [Harris County] Reintegration Court is to essentially funnel these focused cases, which is about 8,000 nonviolent, but felony cases, into a portal so that we are addressing them with specialized training, quick assessment, early intervention, peer navigators and community engagement.” ← Group Seeks Info on Immigrants & Crime Capacitor Conspiracy →

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Denying Housing Over Criminal Record May Be Discrimination, Feds Say By NPR The Department of Housing and Urban Development is making it easier for people with criminal records to find housing. In new guidance, released Monday, HUD tells landlords and home sellers that turning down tenants or buyers based on their criminal records may violate the Fair Housing Act. People with criminal records aren’t a protected class under the Fair Housing Act, and the guidance from HUD’s general counsel says that in some cases, turning down an individual tenant because of his or her record can be legally justified. But blanket policies of refusing to rent to anybody with a criminal record are de facto discrimination, the department says — because of the systemic disparities of the American criminal justice system. When A Criminal Past Closes Doors One in four Americans has a criminal record, as NPR’s Carrie Johnson has reported. Those records can include arrests that never led to convictions, as well as convictions for a wide range of crimes — from petty to serious — that may have happened decades ago. A record can make it hard to find a job — or a home. Many private landlords and public housing projects have policies against renting to people with criminal records. Take Melvin Lofton, who spoke with NPR’s Cheryl Corley. Lofton was convicted of burglary and theft when he was in his 20s; now he’s 51. He lives with his mom, and says it would be hard to find housing without that family connection. He remembers one time when he tried to rent a home in a trailer park. “I was at work and the guy called me and told me to come pick up my keys. So I was happy. I got a place to stay,” Lofton says. “So then … 45 to 50 minutes later he calls and says, ‘Is there something you’re not telling me?’ and I say, ‘No, what is there?’ And he says, ‘You didn’t tell me you had a background.’ “ Lofton had been out of prison for 20 years at the time, Cheryl reports. Seemingly Neutral Policies Can Be Discriminatory HUD’s new guidance warns that landlords could be breaking the law when they refuse to rent to people with criminal records — even if they have no intention to discriminate — because such a policy would likely have a disproportionate impact on African-American and Hispanic applicants. Housing Secretary Julian Castro puts it another way, NPR’s Corley reports: “When landlords refuse to rent to anyone who has an arrest record, they effectively bar the door to millions of folks of color for no good reason.” HUD notes that whether an individual landlord’s policy has a discriminatory impact will need to be determined on a case-by-case basis. But on a national level, HUD provided a list of statistics — direct from the Justice Department — demonstrating disproportionately high rates of arrest and incarceration based on race. They noted African-American men are imprisoned at a rate nearly six times that of white men, and Hispanic men at more than twice the rate of white men. All Criminal Records Aren’t Created Alike … That doesn’t mean landlords are completely barred from considering criminal records — but they’d have to prove that their policy legitimately serves to protect safety or property. Saying “criminals are poor tenants” doesn’t cut it, HUD says: “Bald assertions based on generalization or stereotype” aren’t sufficient. Barring people based just on arrest records is no good, HUD says, because arrests alone aren’t proof of guilt. And even if you only consider convictions, refusing to rent to all ex-cons — “no matter when the conviction occurred, what the underlying conduct entailed, or what the convicted person has done since then,” HUD writes — also isn’t defensible, since not all ex-cons will pose a risk to safety or property. Instead, HUD writes, landlords should have a policy that takes into consideration what the crime was and when it happened, as well as other factors, to reduce the discriminatory impact. (The only exception is if a conviction was for manufacturing or distributing drugs.) … And You Can’t Use Records As A Pretext For Discrimination HUD also warns landlords that if they do intend to discriminate, and use criminal records as a cover for their actions, they can be found in violation. For instance, landlords who reject black or Hispanic applicants ostensibly because of criminal records — but accept a white tenant with a similar criminal record — could be found guilty of violating the Fair Housing Act. That discrimination could happen even before a candidate applies, HUD writes: “Intentional discrimination may be proven based on evidence that, when responding to inquiries from prospective applicants, a property manager told a African-American individual that her criminal record would disqualify her from renting an apartment, but did not similarly discourage a White individual with a comparable criminal record from applying.” In both cases — whether the discrimination is accidental or intentional — each instance would have to be considered on a case-by-case basis. But “arbitrary and overbroad” policies, as well as any that are mere pretexts to conceal discrimination, aren’t protected. HUD officials told NPR’s Corley that the goal is to make landlords consider: Is their policy toward criminal records about keeping a community safe? Or is it about keeping somebody out of a home?

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City Approves $79M Purchase Of 26 New Underground Train Cars At DIA Growing passenger traffic at the Denver International Airport is prompting the Denver City Countil to add additional new cars to the underground tram system. Denver plans to add 26 new cars to the airport's underground train system, which connects the terminal to three concourses. The Denver Post reports the city council approved a nearly $79 million purchase contract Monday with Bombardier Transportation in order to keep up with the growing passenger traffic at the Denver International Airport. Love DIA?: How To Make Your Phone Sound Like The Terminal Train Airport officials say the new train cars will likely be delivered in 2020. The current 31-car fleet is expected to increase by 10 after 16 aging cars are replaced. The city signed a $162 million operations and maintenance contract with Bombardier in 2017 to keep the train system running. The airport began renovating the terminal and adding gates to concourses this year under an expansion project.

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No Danger To Columbine High School After Bomb Threat, Authorities Say A member of the Jefferson County, Colo., Sheriffs Department stands guard outside the main driveway to Columbine High School Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018, in Littleton, Colo. Students were kept inside the building as a large police response was summoned because a caller claimed to have placed explosive devices in the school and was hiding outside with a weapon. The call was determined to be false. Authorities say there is no threat to Columbine High School but students will be kept inside for the rest of the school day after someone called in a bomb threat against the school. A spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's office, Mike Taplin, said that a person called Thursday morning, claiming to have placed explosive devices in the school and to be hiding outside with a gun. Taplin says nothing to validate the threat was found at the school, where 12 students and a teacher were killed by two students in 1999. The sheriff's office says it is working to locate the caller. The threat drew a large police response but agencies began leaving shortly after midday. Students at 23 other schools nearby were also temporarily placed on lockout, meaning their doors were locked but classes continued normally, as the threat was investigated. Dozens of other threats were made across the country as well, and similarly appear to be a hoax. The New York City Police Department said the threats sent Thursday were meant to cause disruption and compel recipients into sending money and are not considered credible. Some of the emails had the subject line: "Think Twice." The Palm Beach County, Florida, sheriff's office and the Boise, Idaho, police said they had no reason to believe that threats made to locations in those areas were credible.

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Crewe Alexandra badge - Link to home FAQ, Help & Troubleshooting Lunt: "Numbers Have Helped Us" Kenny Lunt says that the management staff have never used injuries as an excuse this season, but he does believe that we would have enjoyed a far better season if we had not been missing some key players for large chunks of the campaign. Crewe have had to content being without James Jones, Ryan Wintle and George Ray for a large part of the season and Lunt says that it is no coincidence that performances have improved as competition for players has improved. Lunt told the club’s official website: “Of course, it helps when you have a virtually fit squad. We haven’t used injuries as an excuse but we have missed some big players like George Ray and James Jones for a large part of the season. They are not the only ones and if we had everyone fit at the start of the season then who knows what we much have achieved. “They are good players, big characters and are a big part of this football club. We have lost a lot of games late on and it makes a difference when you can put substitutes on with experience, who can help you see the game out. We were having to put inexperienced youngsters on in that situation and that has now changed. The assistant manager added: “If you had said early on in the season that we would have Chris Dagnall, Porter and Raynes on the bench now, you would have laughed. They were there for us in the early part of the season but the ones who are in now have earned the shirt. They deserve to be there.”

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Boonen aims for second Worlds title Eneco Tour and Vuelta a Espana as preparation for Ponferrada Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Tom Boonen at the team car (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) finished third (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Tom Boonen would like to win a second road world championship title next month in Ponferrada, Spain, admitting that the Worlds "keep me on the bike." Boonen goes two for two in Tour of Belgium No Tour de France for Tom Boonen Boonen fighting to overcome injury ahead of national championships Boonen begins Worlds build-up at Eneco Tour The Omega Pharma-QuickStep rider won the title in 2005 in Madrid. "I will have to be super but it's not impossible," he told Het Letste Nieuws. "However, I will not be top favorite. In 2005 in Madrid. I was not and I took it anyway." While he would like to go for the victory, he is also willing to "help guys like Greg Van Avermaet and Philippe Gilbert to go for the world title." He has already missed several Worlds in his career due to illnesses or injuries. "That hurt every time." Becoming world champion again is not his only career goal, though. "It would be nice, but unlike Fabian Cancellara, I already have one jersey. A fourth Tour of Flanders or a fifth Paris-Roubaix keeps me on the bike. Those are the reasons you do it." Meanwhile, he is riding the Eneco Tour and will take on the Vuelta a Espana, where he won two stages in 2008. The 33-year-old will look to be active in the sprints there, but realizes he will be pretty much on his own. "I was hoping for some guys to support me, but I think the team will aim fully for Rigoberto Uran in GC," he said. "I will have to see what I can do myself in the sprints. I will be there to put in the kilometers and build my condition, but I also hope for a stage win."

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Tags: Dogfish Head Brewery Delaware Business Leaders Hall of Fame names 2019 class May 1, 2019 0 Comment Junior Achievement of Delaware has announced the 2019 slate of Delaware Business Leaders Hall of Fame inductees. This year’s group will be honored on… Innovation is on tap for Dogfish Head In 1995, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery opened the first brewpub in Delaware. Located in downtown Rehoboth Beach, it was the smallest commercial brewery in… Hagley Museum & Library tells the story of innovation and invention In 1802, Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours founded a gunpowder mill on land known as Hagley. The DuPont Company would later develop such groundbreaking… Innovation Delaware Q&A: Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewery For 22 years, Dogfish Head Brewery has been producing craft beer and spirits — and, more recently, it has been offering dining and accommodation… Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery wins James Beard award Dogfish Head Brewery founder Sam Calagione has won the 2017 James Beard award for “Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional.” This is the Milton-based… Why Innovative Nonprofits are Embracing Inbound Marketing by Joe DiGiovanni- Website Over 1 million nonprofits in America are competing for shrinking grant dollars on a national and state level. Sustainability… more Doesn’t your nonprofit already have enough money? by John Wellons- Website When donors see nonprofit financial statements with large surpluses, they often respond to requests for support by saying something… more Employee wellness is serious business by Bob Carpenter- Today’s workers spend most of their time sitting behind desks. In the early 1960’s, almost half the jobs in private… more

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Falcone's Harbinger Group bonus surges from zero to $20 million Philip Falcone, the Harbinger Group Inc. chairman and chief executive officer who took no pay from the company for at... Falcone's Harbinger Group bonus surges from zero to $20 million Philip Falcone, the Harbinger Group Inc. chairman and chief executive officer who took no pay from the company for at... Check out this story on delawareonline.com: http://delonline.us/K8RpaZ Bloomberg News Published 9:53 p.m. ET Dec. 26, 2013 Philip Falcone(Photo: Bloomberg) Philip Falcone, the Harbinger Group Inc. chairman and chief executive officer who took no pay from the company for at least three years, is eligible for a corporate bonus of $20 million. The payout for the 2014 fiscal year is tied to corporate performance, according to a regulatory filing Thursday from New York-based Harbinger Group. Falcone also gets a base salary of $500,000 and an individual bonus of as much as $750,000, the company said. Harbinger "is also negotiating the terms and conditions of an employment agreement with Mr. Falcone and anticipates granting Mr. Falcone an initial equity award," according to the filing. Falcone, 51, is running publicly traded Harbinger Group after reaching a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that bars him from the hedge-fund industry. Harbinger Group has businesses including insurance, consumer goods and middle-market lending, and plans to acquire more companies, according to its website. Falcone received no salary or bonus from Harbinger Group from 2011 through the 2013 fiscal year, according to a filing this month. He got $50,000 for transportation in the 2013 fiscal year. Omar Asali, Harbinger Group's president, received $20.5 million in total compensation for the 12 months ended Sept. 30, according to the filing. That includes $10.1 million in stock awards and an $8 million cash bonus. Harbinger Group gained 1.6 percent to close at $11.81 Thursday. That compares with $8.57 on Aug. 28, the day before it filed for an initial public offering of its Fidelity & Guaranty Life insurer. Read or Share this story: http://delonline.us/K8RpaZ $32M apartments planned along Christina River Why did a Long Island biotech company move to Delaware? Michigan sues DuPont, 3M over 'forever' chemicals in water Build-a-Bear to start selling Baby Yoda DuPont to sell part of Chestnut Run campus Carney picks judge for Delaware's powerful business court

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State of the State: 10 takeaways from Andrew Cuomo's 2020 address The Democratic governor delivered his 10th State of the State on Wednesday, touching on everything from marijuana legalization to borrowing billions. State of the State: 10 takeaways from Andrew Cuomo's 2020 address The Democratic governor delivered his 10th State of the State on Wednesday, touching on everything from marijuana legalization to borrowing billions. Check out this story on DemocratandChronicle.com: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2020/01/08/state-of-the-state-state-10-takeaways-from-andrew-cuomo-address/2845514001/ Jon Campbell, New York State Team Published 5:24 p.m. ET Jan. 8, 2020 | Updated 7:49 a.m. ET Jan. 9, 2020 ALBANY – Gov. Andrew Cuomo laid out a progressive-leaning agenda for 2020 during his 10th State of the State address Wednesday, reiterating his support for legalizing recreational marijuana and vowing to borrow $3 billion to fund environmental upgrades across the state. The Democrat, who took office in 2011, mixed a series of policy proposals with elongated calls for unity in his agenda-setting speech, urging New Yorkers to come together in the face of turbulent political times and a recent string of anti-Semitic crimes in New York. "This growing fear and division is an American cancer that is spreading through this country's body politic," Cuomo said during a roughly 75-minute address. Here's a look at what Cuomo did — and didn't — say in his State of the State address and an accompanying 318-page written message, which touched on things he didn't get to in his speech. 1) Support for recreational marijuana New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivers his State of the State address at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, in Albany, N.Y. (Photo: Hans Pennink, AP) "Let's legalize adult-use marijuana," Cuomo said Wednesday. It was the second year in the row Cuomo called for legalization of the drug. But he didn't offer up anything new from a policy perspective, instead reiterating his support for legislation he offered last year. That proposal, of course, didn't become law, with some Democratic lawmakers upset that it didn't flag marijuana revenue for communities of color that had been adversely impacted by the state's previously strict drug laws. Cuomo's office anticipates legal recreational marijuana would generate $300 million a year in revenue for the state when the program is fully up and running. The governor wants to put the money toward a variety of programs, including regulation costs, data gathering, boosting traffic-safety measures, substance-abuse programs and a small-business development fund. One item was new: A SUNY Global Cannabis Center for Science, Research and Education. More: NY marijuana: What to know about Cuomo’s 2020 plan to legalize pot, study cannabis 2) Borrowing $3B to pay for environmental projects Cuomo wants to ask New York voters for their permission to borrow $3 billion to pay for a variety of environmental projects across the state. In his speech, Cuomo for the first time laid out his vision for a "Restore Mother Nature" bond act, which would let the state sell bonds to pay for various infrastructure-based initiatives to bolster the state's land, water and air. If approved by lawmakers, voters would have to approve the bond act at the polls in November. Specifically, Cuomo wants to use the money to restore habitats for fish and wildlife, fight invasive species, protect against flooding, boost fish production at fisheries and double the state's artificial reef in the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound. "I am proposing an ambitious bond act — the Restore Mother Nature Bond Act — to be on the ballot this November to fund natural restoration and resiliency programs all across the state. More: NY's plastic bag ban: When does it take effect? 3) Making elected officials' tax returns public New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo arrives for his State of the State address at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, in Albany, N.Y. (Photo: Hans Pennink, AP) If you hold state office — or even some local offices — Cuomo wants to force you to make your income tax returns public. The very last proposal in the governor's 318-page written message is the "Nothing to Hide Act," a bill that would require the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, all state commissioners and all 213 state lawmakers to publicly release their returns. On top of the state offices, any other elected official in New York who makes more than $100,000 annually would also be required to participate. It doesn't appear that Cuomo's proposal would apply to federal officials, including the president and congressional members, though we won't know for sure until he releases his proposal in full. The full text was not immediately made available Wednesday; That's likely to come later this month when he proposes a state budget. "Let New Yorkers know who is paying their officials and who their representatives actually work for, because you can't serve two masters," Cuomo said. More: Cuomo claims no 'inappropriate conversation' in JCOPE whistleblower case 4) No mention of bail reform Cuomo made no mention of one of the state's most-talked about issues of the moment: Cash bail reform. The state's new law limiting judges' ability to hold people on cash bail while they await trial took effect Jan. 1, Police and prosecutors have been unrelenting in their criticism of the measure, which eliminated cash bail for misdemeanors and some felony charges. Cuomo himself suggested Monday that he would be open to some tweaks, saying the state has to deal with some of the "consequences" of the new law. But he didn't get any more specific in his agenda-setting address Wednesday, angering Republicans. "I was very concerned and disappointed in the governor's State of the State," said state Sen. Joseph Robach, R-Greece, Monroe County. "Even with the outcry from law enforcement, district attorneys, everybody else, there was no addressing the very dangerous public policy practice they've done with bail." On Wednesday, two Democratic presidential candidates — U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — called on New York to keep the bail reform law on the books. "Cash bail is an unreasonably punitive and financially burdensome system that disproportionately victimizes Black and Brown communities," Warren tweeted. More: Cash bail in New York: Democrats to consider changes. Here's what they might do 5) A small-business tax cut Cuomo proposed cutting the franchise tax for small corporate taxpayers from 6.5% to 4%, a proposal that would cut taxes for an estimated 36,000 small businesses across the state. The governor also proposed boosting a tax credit for sole proprietors or small farmers with less than $250,000 in net business or farm income. The state chapter of the National Federation of Business cheered the proposal, saying it would "create homegrown economic expansion from Lake Erie to Long Island." What's less clear: How Cuomo would pay for it. We'll likely learn more later this month. More: New York in 2020: Seven political storylines to follow 6) How is he going to pay for it? In New York, governors have traditionally given two major addresses each January. The first is the State of the State, where they lay out their agenda for the coming year. The second, in mid-January, is the budget address, where they lay out how they'll pay for it. Cuomo didn't offer many clues on how he intends to finance much of his agenda, particularly with the state also having to close a $6 billion budget gap caused primarily by rising Medicaid costs. Cuomo's small-business tax-cut proposal, meanwhile, would lead to an additional drop in revenue that would have to be filled. The date of Cuomo's budget address has not yet been set. More: New York faces its largest budget crisis in a decade. This is the reason why. 7) Fighting back against hate crimes Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg of Congregation Netzach Yisroel, speaks before New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivers his State of the State address at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, in Albany, N.Y. (Photo: Hans Pennink, AP) Cuomo spent large portions of his address speaking out against a string of anti-Semitic attacks in New York, most notably the Dec. 28 attack during a Hanukkah celebration at Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg's home in the Rockland County hamlet of Monsey. The governor first proposed late last year a new crime that would allow hate crimes to be punishable by life in prison without parole if they result in mass casualties. On Wednesday, Cuomo suggested schools should be required to teach more about cultural tolerance, and he vowed to increase funding for State Police's hate crimes task force. Rottenberg delivered a blessing before Cuomo's speech, saying he will never forget the "terror" of the attack but praising the congregants for soon continuing their Hanukkah celebration. "What happened to you and your community is intolerable," Cuomo said to Rottenberg. "We will not stand for it and we will defend you.” More: Gov. Andrew Cuomo: Treat mass-casualty hate crimes as domestic terrorism 8) Cell service for all Ever driven along a major roadway in New York and lost your cell service? In his State of the State message, Cuomo vowed to put an end to it. The governor proposed naming a state cellular coverage director who will be tasked with bringing cell service to the estimated 1,950 miles of major roadways lacking it in New York, as well as major tourism sites with sparse coverage. To do that, Cuomo wants to streamline parts of the permitting process for cellular projects. More: Can you hear me? How Cuomo wants to improve cell service and address 'dead zones' across NY 9) Education funding New York will be limited in how much additional aid it will be able to give to schools in the coming fiscal year because of the state's budget gap. But Cuomo vowed to continue to try to close the funding gap between poor and rich schools, saying New York already distributes 70% of its funding to the neediest districts. School groups want about $2 billion more in school aid in the coming budget. Last year, they got about $1 billion more, but may have to do with less than that for the coming year. Additionally, Cuomo said he would seek additional state aid to expand pre-kindergarten programs -- which have been expanded mainly in New York City. More: Free SUNY tuition: Here's what the new income limit might be to get it 10) Not many surprises In recent years, Cuomo has taken much of the suspense out of his State of the State, deliberately releasing dozens of proposals in the days and weeks prior in order to elongate the amount of media coverage each one receives. It was especially true this year, when Cuomo's office rolled out 34 separate proposals — some old, some new — before he uttered a single word in his speech. Among the previously released agenda items: A $300 million plan to revamp the Erie Canal, a ban on pricing women's products higher than similar men's products, a plan to preserve 4,000 acres of open space in the Hudson Valley and a measure legalizing gestational surrogacy. More: Andrew Cuomo's State of the State: 5 things to watch for in Wednesday's speech More: Assemblyman Brian Kolb's state-owned SUV was damaged in crash. Here's who'll pay for repairs Jon Campbell covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network New York. He can be reached at JCAMPBELL1@gannett.com and followed on Twitter: @JonCampbellGAN. Read or Share this story: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2020/01/08/state-of-the-state-state-10-takeaways-from-andrew-cuomo-address/2845514001/ Assemblyman Brian Kolb after alleged DWI: 'My wife was driving. You know how women drive' Burst of lake effect snow hits Monroe County Who was Julie Baker and what was her relationship with man accused of killing her? Free SUNY tuition: Here's what the new income limit might be to get it Kolb's state-owned SUV was damaged in crash. Here's who'll pay for repairs Jan. 8, 2020, 12:08 p.m.

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China continues to use ozone depleting CFC-11 in violation of Montreal Protocol Between 40 and 60 per cent of total global CFC-11 emissions originate from Eastern China, reveals study. This is no good news for the ozone layer which is on the road to recovery By Kiran Pandey Last Updated: Thursday 23 May 2019 China has been illegally emitting Trichlorofluoromethane or CFC-11 — the banned ozone-depleting chemical — according to the research published in the journal Nature this week. CFC-11 was phased out under the 1987 Montreal Protocol. Despite being the signatory to the Montreal Protocol, and agreeing to phase out production of CFC-11 in 2010, China continued to emit the polluting gas. A study released in May 2018 found that emissions of CFC-11 were on the rise since 2013. In fact, the emissions increased by 25 per cent since 2012. Between 2008 and 2012, eastern China emitted an average of about 6,400 metric tonnes of CFC-11 per year. That number increased to about 13,400 metric tonnes per year from 2014 to 2017. Since 2013, about 7,000 more metric tonnes of the banned CFC-11 has been emitted each year from eastern China. This increase was traced to China’s Shandong and Hebei provinces — which account for at least 40 to 60 per cent of the global increase last year. “It is vital that we find out which activities and industries are responsible for the new emissions. If the emissions are due to the manufacture and use of products such as foams, it’s possible that we’ve seen only a small part of the total amount of CFC-11 that was recently produced,” said lead author, Matt Rigby, from the University of Bristol. China has the world’s largest polyurethane foam market, accounting for about 40 per cent of the world’s consumption. According to UK-based non-profit, Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), the Chinese foam manufacturers have been using CFC-11 illegally to save on the higher cost of alternatives, such as hydrochloro-fluorocarbons like HCFC-141b, which is to be phased out in China by 2026. The hole in the ozone is on the path to recovery according to the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO's) assessment; and reduction in the atmospheric concentration of CFC-11 has made the second-largest contribution to the decline in the total atmospheric concentration of ozone-depleting chlorine since the 1990s. But this gas still contributes one-quarter of all chlorine reaching the stratosphere, and a timely recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer depends on a sustained decline in CFC-11 concentrations. Continued success of the Montreal Protocol in protecting stratospheric ozone depends on continued compliance and China must adhere to it. CFC Ozone Depleting … Ozone-depleting gases Ozone Agreement Ozone Hole Montreal Protocol ozone-depleting … Environment India Chloroform emissions may slow down Ozone layer recovery It’s banned and depletes ozone layer, still China uses it NASA’s satellite observations provide first direct evidence of ozone hole recovery Is China worsening the developing world's environmental crisis? China announces major cuts in industrial production of ozone depleting substances

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Eldorado, Iowa (Signed Copy) About This Copy First Edition?: Inscribed?: Limited signed copies available from our event with Amy on September 9th. Primary Author: Weldon, Amy Bowen Press The year is 1875, and a young physician's wife, Sarah Archer, is settling into a new life on the Iowa frontier, expecting her first child. A survivor of the Civil War, she wrestles with troubling memories of her childhood on her family's Alabama plantation. As Sarah struggles amid anger, love, and the inherited lies of "ladyhood," she realizes that her greatest struggle is within herself. Revolving around the mysterious disappearance of Seth, the enslaved boy Sarah loved, Eldorado, Iowa braids scenes of Sarah's childhood on the plantation before and during the war with her present life on the Midwestern frontier, the accidents of small-town life, and the daily textures of marriage, domesticity, and grace. Exploring the ties of love, anger, silence, and misunderstanding, Eldorado, Iowa explores how we grow through, and beyond, what we think we know of our pasts in order to discover our true homes, our true lives, and our true paths into the future. AMY WELDON (PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) is professor of English at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. She is the author of The Hands-On Life: How to Wake Yourself Up and Save the World and The Writer's Eye: Observation and Inspiration for Creative Writers.

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Impress employers with membership of the CII, the world's largest professional body for risk and financial services If you're about to start a degree or you're part-way through one, you should already be thinking about work placements. If you're about to embark on the final year of study then you'll need to think very carefully about your next steps. Shortly, employers will advertise their graduate schemes and placements for 2013 (in fact, Marsh are taking applications now - click here for more information), but there's something you can do to give your application an extra edge. The CII is the world's largest professional body for insurance, risk and financial services and has over 105, 000 members in more than 150 different countries. There is a low-cost level of CII membership for students at UK universities - Discover membership. For just £35.00 a year (less than a pint a month) you can access the CII's Knowledge Services website - an online library that provides unrivalled access to insurance and financial services publications and documents. It's an excellent research tool, especially when applying for that all-important job. As a Discover member you'll also gain access to the exclusive Discover Risk LinkedIn group. The group provides you with an opportunity to build your network of employers and make yourself known amongst sector professionals. Perhaps most importantly, Discover membership gives you the chance to meet local professionals at networking events. Your membership plugs you in to one of 60 local institutes around the UK, meaning that you are never far from a specialist who could open the door to a successful career. Click here to see the CII's list of local institutes. Become a Discover member and show potential employers that you're serious about a career in the sector. For information about how to apply click here.

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Halloween BeginningsOctober 23, 2014 Halloween Beginnings Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their New Year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the New Year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. To commemorate the event, Druids (Celtic priests) built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins. By 43 A.D., the Roman Empire had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. On May 13, 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome in honor of all Christian martyrs, and the Catholic feast of All Martyrs Day was established in the Western church. Pope Gregory III (731–741) later expanded the festival to include all saints as well as all martyrs, and moved the observance from May 13 to November 1. All Souls Day was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels and devils. The All Saints Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas and the night before it, the traditional night of Samhain in the Celtic religion, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Halloween Comes to [North] America Celebration of Halloween was extremely limited in colonial New England because of the rigid Protestant belief systems there. Halloween was much more common in Maryland and the southern colonies. As the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups as well as the American Indians meshed, a distinctly American version of Halloween began to emerge. The first celebrations included "play parties," public events held to celebrate the harvest, where neighbors would share stories of the dead, tell each other's fortunes, dance and sing. Colonial Halloween festivities also featured the telling of ghost stories and mischief-making of all kinds. By the middle of the nineteenth century, annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country. In the second half of the nineteenth century, America was flooded with new immigrants. These new immigrants, especially the millions of Irish fleeing Ireland's potato famine of 1846, helped to popularize the celebration of Halloween nationally. Taking from Irish and English traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a practice that eventually became today's "trick-or-treat" tradition. One quarter of all the candy sold annually in the U.S. is purchased for Halloween. Today, Americans spend an estimated $6 billion annually on Halloween, making it the country's second largest commercial holiday. http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween

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Hilton Head Golf Island Announces Summer Family Golf Clinics, Camps and Foot Golf Buffalo Brand Invigoration Group (HILTON HEAD, S.C.) – Hilton Head Golf Island (HHGI) – the International Association of Golf Tour Operators’ North American “Golf Destination of the Year” for 2016 – announces a slate of exciting and enjoyable family golf promotions for the summer. The Heritage Golf Group is taking multi-generational golf to the next level at Port Royal and Shipyard Golf Clubs. Both offer “Family Golf” daily from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. featuring free rental clubs, nine holes ($30 adult, $15 junior), junior tees and a family-friendly pace of play. Kids eat free following rounds at Shipyard, while free ice cream is available for juniors at Port Royal. For reservations and more information, call 843-681-1750. For family-focused game improvement, Shipyard and Port Royal host daily “Family Golf Clinics” at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Cost is $15 (juniors) and $20 (adults) and includes complimentary junior clubs (age 4 and up) and professional instruction. Full and half-day camps are also available for $199 and $99, respectively. For more information, call 843-686-3355. Unique to the island, Port Royal is also rolling out “Family Foot Golf,” a golf-soccer hybrid in which each hole is assigned a “par” and players tee off using a soccer ball, strategically kicking it until they make it in the 21-inch cup. Available Thursday through Sunday starting at 3 p.m., nine-hole rates are $13 (adult), $11 (junior). Cart rental is $10 and balls are available for $3 (or bring your own). For reservations and more information, call 843-681-1766. At Palmetto Dunes Resort, the Palmetto Dunes Golf Academy features lessons and clinics for all ages and skill levels. “Little Swingers” is offered Monday through Wednesday from 5:15 p.m. – 6 p.m. for $25 (ages 3–7) at the Robert Trent Jones Course. The “Junior Morning and Afternoon Clinic” occurs Monday through Thursday at 4 p.m. for $25 (ages 6–18) at the Robert Trent Jones Course and focuses on different aspects of the game every class. For reservations and more information, call 843-785-1138. With its Escape Vacation Package, The Sea Pines Resort treats juniors age 12 and under to complimentary golf on Heron Point by Pete Dye with each paid adult round. Additionally, junior golfers age 17 and under receive 50% off regular rates. “Hilton Head Island is one of the greatest family destinations in the U.S.,” says Cary Corbitt, President of the Lowcountry Golf Course Owners Association and Vice President of Sports and Operations at The Sea Pines Resort. “Our courses, clubs and resorts are committed to growing the game through programming and promotions that make golf enjoyable and affordable.” Boasting outstanding courses, exceptional value, pleasant weather and direct flights from major cities, Hilton Head Island is one of the world’s premier golf destinations. In addition to the IAGTO honor, Hilton Head Island has received accolades this year from Golfweek, Golf Advisor and the South Carolina Golf Course Rating Panel. Getting to the “Golf Island” is easier than ever from East Coast and Midwest population centers. JetBlue Airways operates non-stop flights from Boston and New York City to Savannah / Hilton Head International Airport (SAV). Allegiant Air also flies non-stop into Savannah / Hilton Head from Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and other cities. Fourteen other locales offer non-stop service to SAV including Chicago, Detroit, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. For additional information about rates, restrictions and other package inclusions, or to receive a quote: www.hiltonheadgolfisland.org, 800-523-3373. About Hilton Head Golf Island Hilton Head Golf Island features more than 30 member courses on Hilton Head and Fripp Islands, as well as Bluffton, Beaufort and Jasper counties. Golf enthusiasts can enjoy Hilton Head’s Southern hospitality and world-class public and private designs sculpted by vaunted architects Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus and Robert Trent Jones. Its territory encompasses many of the great golf courses and resorts of North America and is ranked top 10 in seven categories by Golf Digest including “Best Buddies Trip Destination,” “Best Accommodations,” “Best Couples Trip,” “Best Courses,” “Best Food and Drink,” “Best Weather” and “Best Value.” Hilton Head Island also was named the International Association of Golf Tour Operators’ Golf Destination of the Year for North America for 2016. Home to the world-renowned Sea Pines Resort, the PGA TOUR makes its only South Carolina stop each April at Harbour Town Golf Links for the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. The Lowcountry Golf Course Owners Association, in conjunction with the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Visitor and Conventions Bureau and Chamber of Commerce, launched Hilton Head Golf Island to support the island’s thriving golf market through promotion of golf rounds and packages. GolfNews BBIG HiltonHead GolfCourses

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News Social Justice & Activism A Call to Community:Why We Cannot Wait for the Next Troy Davis Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele & Dr. Khalilah L. Brown-Dean September 21st marks the one year anniversary of the execution of Troy Anthony Davis by the State of Georgia. Davis’s execution came after nearly twenty years of efforts to commute his sentence and secure a new trial. In the years since Davis’s initial conviction numerous eye witnesses recanted their stories and alleged that they had been coerced by detectives to identify him as the shooter. Davis and his family had long maintained his innocence. But after three stays of execution and a U.S. Supreme Court intervention, noted figures like Bishop Desmond Tutu, Pope Benedict XVI, and former President Jimmy Carter joined the rallying cry for a new trial. Bolstered by social media over 1 million people signed petitions for clemency while many more made #TOOMUCHDOUBT a top trending topic for 2011. Silent vigils erupted into spontaneous marches on the White House and state capitols across the U.S. as everyday people conveyed their outrage over the possibility that an innocent man may have been put to death. The now iconic “I Am Troy Davis” image seemed to be permanently etched in our collective memory. Yet one year after Davis’s death, we are faced with a question first posed by the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1967: Where Do We Go From Here? The public’s response to Troy Davis’s plight reflects a persistent and troubling pattern among communities of color: intense organizing in response to overt instances of racial injustice with little attention to building a community-based infrastructure that charts more preventive strategies. Perhaps the “on to the next one” approach is a consequence of “racial fatigue” but the need to move from moment to movement remains. Troy Davis’s execution exists within the context of broader racial disparities in the criminal justice system. African Americans make up approximately 12% of the total U.S. population but comprise over 50% of the 3,189 death row inmates in the U.S. Numerous scientific studies have documented the tremendous racial, class, and gender bias embedded in deciding who is most likely to receive a death sentence. More importantly, the application of the death penalty in the US privileges the lives of certain victims over others. Since 1977 the homicide rate for Black and White victims has been nearly equal. Yet in that same period, 80% of inmates executed in the United States have been convicted of murdering a white victim. The millions of taxpayer dollars spent on death penalty cases could be better spent on providing restitution, counseling, support, and violence prevention programs for victims and their families. In light of the overwhelming evidence of this bias the time has come for our communities to engage in sustained, grassroots organizing surrounding abolition and the broader quest for racial justice. Where is our power? The political impotence felt the night of Troy Davis’ execution can still be felt today. Many of us remember vividly watching the news and waiting to hear of possible intervention from the US Supreme court and being overwhelmed with relief when the temporary stay was announced. That moment of relief soon turned to shock, sadness and for some, fury. Furious with the state of Georgia, with its parole board, with the many appellate courts, but mostly we were furious with our lack of collective power to save the life of Troy Davis. James Donald of the Georgia State Parole board was key in the final decision to proceed with the execution of Troy Davis. James Donald, the entire parole board, and other individuals empowered with the ability to halt the execution continue on with business as usual without any significant political punishment from those of us who passionately demanded clemency. Our ability to impact this case was reduced to appealing to the conscious of a people who have normalized state sanctioned killings. Collectively, we are not in a position to politically reward or punish. One year ago, millions of people worldwide called on America to question the execution of Troy Davis and the use of capital punishment. Millions of people were forced face the horrible reality of capital punishment as we attempted to make sense of a senseless and cruel institution. Yet as of September 21, 2012, 11 people across the United States are scheduled to be put to death at the hands of state governments. What can you do? In the summer of 2012, members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated passed an international resolution calling for an end to the death penalty in the United States. This resolution marks what can very well be a shift in the consciousness and behavior of Black institutions in America. The Sorority made a very powerful statement by drafting and passing this resolution. They affirmed the value of sustained efforts to affirm social justice and human rights. Imagine if the entire Divine 9 passed similar resolutions. Imagine if religious and educational institutions did the same. We can all write our Congressional representatives and voice our disapproval with the Federal government’s use of capital punishment. Currently, there are 58 people sitting on federal death row. More than half (26) of those awaiting death in federal jurisdiction are Black. We have a responsibility to hold our elected representatives accountable. The recent efforts to secure repeal in Connecticut were noble and successful. We can do the same in the coming months in Maryland and later in Delaware and New Hampshire. State by state, we must contribute to the efforts reduce the number of states that currently have the death penalty, work to reduce the numbers of people being sentenced to death in heavy use states, and just as important have conversations with our family, friends and neighbors about the ineffectiveness of the death penalty and our responsibility to end it soon. There are a committed group of people who are prepared to come to your school, place of worship, community center, barber shop, etc to further inform, educate and assist local efforts to become involved in the movements for repeal. Let us honor the memory of Troy Davis by ensuring the end of capital punishment in this country and committing ourselves to doing the work necessary to save lives. “…I ask to my family and friends that you all continue to pray, that you all continue to forgive. Continue to fight this fight.” – Troy Davis September 21, 2011. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund – http://www.naacpldf.org/death-row-usa National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty – http://www.ncadp.org/ Death Penalty Information Center – http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/home In this article:bishop desmond tutu, capital punishment, death penalty, jimmy carter, pope benedict xvi, social media, troy davis Stop the Mess! How to Avoid Social Media Drama in Love [INTERVIEW] Dyana Williams: Godmother of Black Music Month Beyoncé & JAY-Z Banning Social Media From Pre-Oscar Party Uganda to Enact Social Media Tax to Curb Gossip

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Cheltenham Festival 2017: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Facts Leave a Comment / The Festival, The Festival Racing / By Sarah Elsley The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle is run over three miles and was added to The Festival in 2005. Initially sponsored by Brit Insurance, the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle was backed by Albert Bartlett for the first time in 2008, coinciding with its upgrade to Grade One status and carries prize money of £120,000. The most runners to go to post was 23 in 2011, while the smallest has been 13 in 2013. The current safety limit is 20 runners. MOST SUCCESSFUL OWNER JP McManus (Wichita Lineman in 2007 and At Fishers Cross in 2013) and Gigginstown House Stud (Weapons Amnesty in 2009 and Very Wood in 2014) with two wins each. MOST SUCCESSFUL TRAINER Jonjo O’Neill has recorded two victories with Black Jack Ketchum (2006) and Wichita Lineman (2007). MOST SUCCESSFUL JOCKEY AP McCoy with three wins – Black Jack Ketchum (2006), Wichita Lineman (2007) and At Fishers Cross (2013). A mare has yet to win the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. Black Jack Ketchum was sent off the even-money favourite in 2006 and duly justified his position in the market with an impressive nine-length success, while Berties Dream (2010) and Very Wood (2014) have both scored at odds of 33/1. Four of the 11 favourites have obliged. The oldest horses to win the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle are Black Jack Ketchum (2006), Nenuphar Collonges (2008), Berties Dream (2010) and Martello Tower (2015), who were all aged seven. Moulin Riche was four when triumphant in 2005, making him the youngest winner. The overall breakdown by age is as follows: 4yo – 1 victory 6yo – 5 victories RECORD TIME The quickest winning time stands at 5m 38.30s, set by Black Jack Ketchum in 2006. OVERSEAS-TRAINED WINNERS IRELAND (4): Weapon’s Amnesty (2009), Berties Dream (2010), Very Wood (2014) and Martello Tower (2015). FRANCE (1): Moulin Riche (2005). The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle has proved to be a good pointer to the RSA Chase in recent years. Bobs Worth and Weapon’s Amnesty, who captured the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle in 2011 and 2009 respectively, went on to win the RSA Chase the following season. In 2013, Bobs Worth became the first winner of the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle to subsequently capture the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup. RETURN TO THE GUIDE TO THE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL >>> CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL 2020: New name for G1 novices'… CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL 2020: Paisley Park tops entries… Newbury's Challow Hurdle meeting offers Cheltenham Clues Can Buveur D'Air score hat-trick in Fighting Fifth…

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Hyman An American writer and illustrator, Miles Hyman created his first book for Futuropolis at the end of the '80s. His illustrations were published both in France and in the United States by Gallimard, Actes Sud, Denöel Graphic, and Le Seuil as well as by Simon & Schuster, Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Chronicle Books. He also drew for several newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe and the New Yorker Magazine. His work has been exhibited in New York, Brussels, Geneva and Paris. Taking his inspiration from the work of 20th-century American realists, European symbolists as well as from noir movies and popular art, he soon gravitated towards literary adaptations and started partnerships with several authors, such as Philippe Djian, Tonino Benacquista and Marc Villard. He also adapted novels by John Dos Passos, Joseph Conrad and James Ellroy. With the publication of "Nuit de Fureur" (Casterman 2008, written by Matz), he expanded his activities as a graphic novel author, developing a unique narrative style for the genre. His next book was "Le Dahlia Noir," the second in the Rivages/Casterman/Noir collection, adapted by Matz and David Fincher. It soon became a best-seller in a collection well-known for putting together prestigious illustrators and the best thriller authors from all over the world. The French publishing house Glénat then put out "Miles Hyman/Drawings" (2015), including over 200 examples of his work, accompanied by text written by Jean-Luc Fromental, François Guérif, Jerome Charyn, Marc Villard and Etienne Robial. His latest publications are: "La Loterie" by Shirley Jackson, to come out simultaneously in both France and the United Stages (Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Gallimard), and "Le Coup de Prague" (Dupuis 2017; "The Czech Coup," Europe Comics 2018) with Fromental, and a book about the city of Rome in Louis Vuitton's prestigious Travel Books collection (2017). His series : The Czech Coup The Czech Coup

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Bill # Bill Description S.2925 Cosponsored — A bill to provide consumer protections for students. 11/21/19 S.2931 Cosponsored — A bill to establish a process for obtaining a Federal certificate of rehabilitation, and for other purposes. 11/21/19 S.2951 Cosponsored — A bill to facilitate the development of affordable housing, and for other purposes. 11/21/19 S.2933 Cosponsored — A bill to amend the Commodity Exchange Act to require a review of current exemptions granted to foreign entities in response to an attempt by a foreign authority to exercise direct supervisory authority over a domestic derivatives clearing organization. 11/21/19 S.2922 Sponsored — A bill to permit Amtrak to bring civil actions in Federal district court to enforce the right set forth in section 24308(c) of title 49, United States Code, which gives intercity and commuter rail passenger transportation preference over freight transportation in using a rail line, junction, or crossing. 11/20/19 S.2896 Sponsored — A bill to establish the Pullman National Historical Park in the State of Illinois as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes. 11/19/19 S.2865 Sponsored — A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit smoking on the premises of any facility of the Veterans Health Administration, and for other purposes. 11/14/19 S.2855 Cosponsored — A bill to require the Secretary to conduct a study and issue a report on the affordability of insulin. 11/14/19 S.2870 Sponsored — A bill to limit the use of solitary confinement and other forms of restrictive housing in immigration detention, and for other purposes. 11/14/19 S.2850 Cosponsored — A bill to focus limited Federal resources on the most serious offenders. 11/13/19 S.2843 Cosponsored — A bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, and for other purposes. 11/13/19 S.2817 Cosponsored — A bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an annual reference price for insulin products for purposes of Federal health programs, and for other purposes. 11/07/19 S.2797 Cosponsored — A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to parole into the United States certain relatives of current and former members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes. 11/06/19 S.2788 Cosponsored — A bill to amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to transfer certain funds to the 1974 United Mine Workers of America Pension Plan, and for other purposes. 11/06/19 S.2755 Cosponsored — A bill to require a report on the plan to secure the enduring defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. 10/31/19 S.2743 Cosponsored — A bill to establish the China Censorship Monitor and Action Group, and for other purposes. 10/30/19 S.2753 Cosponsored — A bill to amend title XVI of the Social Security Act to update eligibility for the supplemental security income program, and for other purposes. 10/30/19 S.2746 Cosponsored — A bill to require the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to provide information on suicide rates in law enforcement, and for other purposes. 10/30/19 S.2721 Sponsored — A bill to reduce violence and health disparities by addressing social determinants of health, enhancing health care recruitment, and improving the delivery of quality, coordinated care services, and for other purposes. 10/28/19 S.2704 Cosponsored — A bill to amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish the Rural Innovation and Partnership Administration and to amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to establish the Rural Future Partnership Fund to invest in the rural areas of the United States to achieve their preferred future while maximizing their contribution to the well-being of the United States, and for other purposes. 10/24/19 Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Showing page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 of 59 Filter Legislation Select Session Select Session By Congress 116 115 114 113 Sponsored Sponsored By Sponsorship Sponsored Cosponsored Search Congress.gov

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+1(876) 337-8817 Round-the-clock WhatsApp Messaging (24/7) Hours: 7 days a week, 24hrs a day CADJMDUSD 1 2 3 4 5 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Marmol & Sun Marmol and Son Sauvage Eau De Toilette Spray By Christian Dior Eternity Intense Eau De Toilette Spray By Calvin Klein Paul Smith Eau De Parfum Spray By Paul Smith L'eau D'issey (issey Miyake) Eau De Toilette Spray By Issey Miyake E-Mart Ja info@emartja.com © 2013-2020 EMart Ja. All Rights Reserved.

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▭ ▭ ▭ ▭ About EMU › Administration › Rector's Office › Rector's Consultants › Rector's Consultants (Enabled, in the call 2012, by the competent national commissions to be ASSOCIATED PROFESSOR in FOUR academic fields: Modern History, Contemporary History, Near East Cultures and History of International Relations; Enabled, in the call 2016, by the competent national commissions to be ASSOCIATED PROFESSOR and FULL PROFESSOR in History of International Relations and to be ASSOCIATED PROFESSOR in Contemporary History). ESSENTIAL CURRICULUM AND PUBLICATIONS Born in Rome in 1963. Summer scholarships to study in Turkey for the years 1985 and 1988. Degree in Arts, 1986. Scholarship for PhD from 1990 to 1993. PhD, 1994 (thesis on “Italy and the Turkish Question 1919-1923: public opinion and foreign policy”). Winner of post-doctoral scholarship, 1997. From 2005 to 2008 Visiting Professor of Contemporary Turkish History for the Specialised Degree in Mediterranean Civilisations and Societies, “Gabriele D’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy. From 2005 to 2009 Senior lecturer of Italian language in the Department of Didactic of Foreign Languages (Faculty of Sciences of Education) of Yildiz Technical University - Istanbul; In 2010 and 2011 Senior lecturer of “Political Developments and Social Movements in the World and in Turkey in 20th Century” and “European Union and Enlargement Process” (both taught in Turkish language) in the Department of Humanities and Social Studies Martin R. Baeyens Active painter, graphic artist and designer.°04-04-1943. 1968 graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Ghent recent new name: School of Arts - University Ghent Belgium. 1968-2008 Was professor and Chairman of the Design department of the School of Arts - University Ghent Belgium. He released a long list of sole exhibitions (127) in Belgium and other countries, he participated in (1078) group exhibitions worldwide and was awarded for (159) international contests and exhibitions. In the ex-libris and the graphic world he takes an important and special place. He realized until today, (855) ex-libris from which most of them are in silk screen and CGD. Nature is at the centre of his art work. He seeks for a balance between technology and nature and uses therefore electronic circuit print plates. In his free graphic he is also specialised in silk screen. He prints his works himself, a technique in which he is a perfectionist. For 40 years he was professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (School, of Arts University College Ghent) As visiting lecturer he was active at the Frans Masereel Centre for Graphic in Belgium, the Texas Tech University in Lubbock USA and in several university’s in China, Turkey and North Cyprus. For Erasmus (educational exchange project) he was invited to the academies of Barcelona, Lisbon, Krakow, Limerick and Dalian.

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2016 Predictions: How Did I Do? Written by Christian DeHaemer Last year, I made four predictions. Here is what I wrote for number one. #1. FANGs Will Die The one thing I know about the markets is that when an investing trend gets a popular moniker, its days are numbered. Think BRICs and Dogs of the Dow. Crowded trades should be avoided. Last year, the best-performing large-cap stocks were Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google. These have been dubbed the FANGs, and without them, the market would have been in the red. According to Yahoo, Amazon has a P/E of 982. According to my wife, it no longer has the lowest prices or the best selection, nor is it the only place with free two-day shipping. Also, as we live in Maryland, and Amazon just built a warehouse in Baltimore, I will no longer save the state sales tax of 6%. Furthermore, Jeff Bezos, the famed CEO, is more interested in space and owning the Washington Post these days than running Amazon. The stock also tends to sell off after Christmas. I was correct — sort of. The FANGs sold off into the new year and only came back after the recent Trump rally. The S&P 500 is up 12.84% year-to-date. The FANGs would have netted about 10%. #2. Driverless Car Stocks Will Soar Ford just signed a deal with Google for driverless cars. Every car company on earth is going for autonomous autos. They will be here by 2017. The companies that make the parts, sensors, and software to put these on the road will benefit. My pick for this was Flextronics (FLEX). It has done well, and judging by this uptrend, it should do well next year: #3. Student Bubble Will Pop When something can't go on, it won't. Student debt is at $1.3 trillion and climbing. Student enrollment in higher education is already falling. Tuition price hikes have been halted at some universities. The crisis will peak in 2016. According to the latest enrollment statistics, even though more people are getting high school diplomas, fewer are going to college — in fact, 812,069 fewer than in 2010. Nationally, student debt is at $1.3 trillion and expected to nearly double to $2.4 trillion by 2025. With the Fed hiking rates and colleges hiking tuition, the trend in ever-increasing student debt is clear. My pick on how to profit from student debt was SLM Corp. (formerly Sallie Mae). As you can see, it ended the year very well. I advised my Crisis and Opportunity readers to take profits during the rally. We will pick it up again on the sell-off below $10. The Best Free Investment You'll Ever Make Our analysts have traveled the world over, dedicated to finding the best and most profitable investments in the global energy markets. All you have to do to join our Energy and Capital investment community is sign up for the daily newsletter below. You'll also get our free report, Fundamental Analysis: The Basics of Smart Investing #4. Iran Will Be the Best-Performing Market (I was wrong on this one) Iran is a country with 80 million people and the world's oldest civilization... It also has the world's third-largest oil reserves (with 30 million barrels of oil floating in tankers ready to hit the market) and a young, well-educated, and Western-looking population. The average wage is less than in Vietnam. And what gets my juices flowing: Tehran also has the most undervalued stock market on earth. The average price-to-earnings ratio is 5.5, and the average dividend yield is 15.8%. The total market value of the 337 companies listed is just $90 billion. Imagine what happens when the economic sanctions are lifted in the first half of 2016. Hedge funds are already flocking to Tehran. After an initial surge, Iran sold off and then ended the year flat. The best performing markets were Brazil and Peru, up about 70% through September. Emerging markets as a whole outperformed with a gain of 16% — their best performance since 2010. Three Most Undervalued Markets Looking forward at global markets, the most undervalued in terms of price/earnings ratios are Russia with an 8, China with a 7, and Greece with a 6.4. These three countries are also trading below book value. The three most overvalued countries are in North America. In conclusion, I got three out of four predictions correct — not bad. I still like Iran for next year, as it remains the world's most undervalued stock exchange. That said, it might be time to add Russia and China to your list of potential 2017 investments. I’ll give you my full list of predictions next Monday. Christian DeHaemer @TheDailyHammer on Twitter Since 1995, Christian DeHaemer has specialized in frontier market opportunities. He has traveled extensively and invested in places as varied as Cuba, Mongolia, and Kenya. Chris believes the best way to make money is to get there first with the most. Christian is the founder of Bull and Bust Report and an editor at Energy and Capital. For more on Christian, see his editor's page. The Banks Are At It Again Energy & Capital editor Christian DeHaemer tells you what to buy when all hell breaks loose and the Fed/big bank cabal goes fish white, belly-up. The Secret Behind 6 Blue-Collar Millionaires Energy and Capital editor Charles Mizrahi reveals the investment secret that six blue-collar workers used to amass a small fortune without having to play Wall Street's rigged game. TLT is Dynamite Charts, charts, and charts. Christian DeHaemer tells you what the heck just happened. He covers Bitcoin, TVIX, GLD, and rhodium.

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The purpose of the England Squash Masters website (the “Site”) is to provide you with information about England Squash Masters and the services it provides and the sports of squash in England. By accessing any of the pages on the Site you agree to comply with these Terms & Conditions. If you do not agree with these Terms & Conditions, do not make any use of the Site and leave it immediately. 1.1 This Site is owned and operated by England Squash Masters, whose address is c/o Nick Sheppard (Secretary). References to “we”, “us” and “our” should be construed as references to England Squash Masters. 1.2 We have taken care in the preparation of the Site. 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Two unknown actors join ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ By: Kieran Freemantle | Movie News | July 7, 2014 The eagerly anticipated Star Wars: Episode VII has started filming and two new actors have joined cast. The official Star Wars website made the announcement yesterday that unknowns Pip Andersen and Crystal Clarke are going to be a part of the beloved series. Andersen and Clarke were both cast through the open audiences that were held in the US and the UK last year. Andersen is a British actor and a parkour expert who has appeared in the Spider-man Commercial for Sony which you can watch here. Clarke is an American actress who was studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow; she has performed in theater and she is set to be in The Moon and The Sun with Pierce Brosnan and William Hurt. Star Wars: Episode VII already boasts an impressive cast, including Adam Driver, John Boyega, Andy Serkis, newcomer Daisy Ridley and the original cast. J.J. Abrams is directing and principal photography will start on May 16 in Abu Dhabi before moving to Pinewood Studios in England. Star Wars: Episode VII will be released on December 18 2015. Kieran Freemantle

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The Stories of Jane Gardam Guest Post by Roger Moore: Notes from Vanderbilt in Spring - "While Gardam’s stories chronicle life in a particularly confusing moment in British history, her stories confront a range of universal themes and subjects." Date: Apr 7 2015 Roger Moore, Associate Dean and Senior Lecturer in English at Vanderbilt, has mixed feelings about Vanderbilt in spring. “The campus is of course at its most beautiful right now, so I am enjoying my walks to and from work. There’s definitely some restlessness in the air, and lots of anxiety. I’m always torn at this time of year between relief that the semester is drawing to its close and melancholy over the many good students who are heading out to the next stage of their lives after graduation.” Roger has himself recently reached an important milestone, having submitted his final manuscript of Jane Austen and the Reformation (to be published later this year). He’s happy to have it off his plate for the time being and is delighted to be reading something other than Jane Austen. Right now, he’s deep into Moll Flanders for the first time in 15 years and says, “I am really struck by how her struggles are not that different from those of many women today.” Next up: Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant. An Anglophile (can you tell?), Roger keeps up with goings-on across the Pond. Today, he reflects on British culture and The Stories of Jane Gardam. From Roger: It is commonplace these days to observe that the British are undergoing a deep, enduring crisis of identity. For hundreds of years, the story goes, they were sustained and united by the Empire, the Church of England, and the monarchy. With the Empire gone, and the Church increasingly irrelevant to the lives of most Britons – the United Kingdom is usually characterized as “post-Christian”- the monarchy is the only remaining institution around which the people can rally. Even the monarchy, however, is on slippery ground: headed by an 88-year old monarch, this venerable institution faces deep challenges, as Mike Bartlett’s recent critically-acclaimed play King Charles III implies. How do ordinary British subjects react to the changes? How will they pick up the pieces and “carry on,” something they are famous for doing so calmly? What stresses, compromises, and possibilities arise in the uncertain space between the demise of one culture and the emergence of another? These questions are of great interest to historians and social scientists, but they have also occupied Jane Gardam throughout her career, and they animate The Stories of Jane Gardam, an anthology of her short fiction published between 1977 and 2007. Best known as the author of the Old Filth trilogy of novels, Gardam has always had an affection for short stories, and these are among her finest. In them, she explores the lives of ordinary, middle-class Britons who must figure out how to function in a rapidly changing world. In some ways these stories resemble the late works of Barbara Pym, which sensitively explore the cultural changes in 1970s England, but they go beyond Pym’s in their cosmopolitanism. Gardam’s characters are often Raj orphans or former Imperial diplomats or civil servants, people whose lives were marked by international travel and contact with foreign cultures. Her stories move between Britain and its former colonies, and her characters often refer to the certainties of their lives in Imperial service, to the comforting institutions and rituals established over centuries of colonial rule. They frequently hold on to relics of the past, like the ladies in “The Tribute,” who refer to the “brasses and elephants’ feet” they collected on their travels with diplomat husbands. One character notes that they all possess them, but they “can’t bear” them and don’t know what to do with things that seem so out of place in their attenuated, colorless circumstances back in London. Not surprisingly, there are lots of ghosts in these stories. The characters have ghostly memories of the past – old Ingoldby in “The Easter Lilies” remembers “the eccentric pink-faced English roaring about” in Malta during his service there, the decayed gentleladies in “The Tribute” search for a way to memorialize the nanny who raised their children, and the Partridges in “Rode By All With Pride” are aware that their household help is nothing like the staff of “five indoor servants” that had been employed in their Wimbledon townhouse before 1939. But actual ghosts take center stage in stories like “A Spot of Gothic,” where the main character encounters a mysterious woman beckoning to her along the road in the dark of night, and “The Sidmouth Letters,” where Jane Austen’s mysterious seaside love affair plays a significant role in the life of a contemporary woman. In “Soul Mates,” Francis and Pat, while on holiday, meet another married couple, Jocelyn and Evelyn, who are eerily similar to them. Both of the wives had married civil servants straight out of Oxford and Cambridge, and their experiences and interests match exactly. The foursome hit it off so well that Jocelyn and Evelyn invite their new friends back to their house to spend the night. Francis and Pat gradually realize that their friends may not be real, and the story ends on a distinctly unsettling note. Evelyn’s comment to Pat, “I thought there was nobody left like us,” is telling and might apply to any number of people in these stories. Gardam’s characters find fewer and fewer who resemble them, and Francis and Pat are themselves revenants of a sort, emblematic of an entire group of people who have been rendered useless and redundant in post-imperial, post-Christian Britain. While Gardam’s stories chronicle life in a particularly confusing moment in British history, her stories confront a range of universal themes and subjects. In “Lunch with Ruth Sykes,” we learn of the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter; in “The First Adam” and “The Pig Boy,” we discover the great stress that long-distance marriages can undergo. “Rode By All with Pride” is a heartbreaking story of two parents who must deal with disappointment when the carefully laid plans for their only daughter’s acceptance at Oxford go awry. Gardam sensitively, sympathetically portrays every parent’s desire to provide the best for their children. During this season of college admissions decisions, this story will have special resonance for many. Although Gardam writes about the difficulties of living in a time of wrenching change, she avoids pessimism. Her characters show remarkable resilience, and her tone is hopeful. The longstanding antipathy between Feathers and Veneering (two characters readers will recognize from Gardam’s novels), for instance, which began in Hong Kong and continued in their retirement in England, softens during an unexpected Christmas lunch in “Old Filth.” In “The Easter Lilies,” an old woman’s bequest saves the beloved church that had previously been scheduled to close. Early in the story, Miss White writes to a former pupil about the importance of churches: “It is not a beautiful building but it stands tall in blocks of identical suburban streets, all so dull, all so tasteful, all with the same expensive curtain linings to the windows and the same flicker of the television screen, all silent of life otherwise as one walks the dog late at night, that it stands out as something different and serious and I truly believe that temples of worship are needed as I said when we spent the delightful day driving to the golden temples of Hagar Qum.” The temples of Hagar Qum are megalithic structures on the island of Malta. Gardam’s allusion to them places the decline of traditional British culture into a larger historical perspective and surely indicates her recognition that, while societies may come and go, important human values and aspirations endure. Although in ruins, the Maltese temples testify to the ancient, ineradicable desire to explain the mysteries of human existence. Gardam also shares this desire. That she writes of the survival of Miss White’s church – appropriately named All Saints – in an age when so many British churches stand empty or have been converted to secular uses, demonstrates her confidence that something of the historic fundamentals of British identity will remain intact, despite the challenges of the last fifty years.

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Pietro Cavallini Pietro Cavallini (1259 – c. 1330) was an Italian painter and mosaic designer working during the late Middle Ages. Little is known about his biography, though it is known he was from Rome, since he signed pictor romanus.His first notable work were the fresco cycles for the Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura, with stories from the New and Old Testament (1277–1285). They were destroyed by the fire of 1823.His Last Judgment in the Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere in Rome, painted c. 1293 and considered Cavallini's masterwork, demonstrates an artistic style known as Roman naturalism. This naturalism influenced the work of artists working in other Italian cities such as Florence and Siena.In the Sienese school, the influence of classical Roman forms combined with the Byzantine artistic heritage of the region and with northern Gothic influences to form a naturalized painting style that was one of the origins of International Gothic.In Florence, the influence of classical Roman forms combined with the Byzantine artistic heritage of the region to spark an interest in volumetric, naturalistic paintings and statuary. This work is in stark contrast to the comparatively flat and ornamented Gothic, International Gothic, and Byzantine styles.This naturalism is also evident in the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi in Assisi, built in the early years of the 13th century in honor of the newly canonized St. Francis. As the shrine was commissioned by the Roman church, its interior is painted in the Roman tradition. The identities of the artists at work in this church are for the most part not known but at least one team of artists came from Rome. Owing to the similarity of the work in San Francesco to that of Florentine artist Giotto, he was traditionally credited with some of the frescoes, although most scholars no longer believe he was involved.Giotto's work in the Arena Chapel (also known as the Scrovegni Chapel) at Padua strongly shows the influence of stylized Roman naturalism in a newly individualized style which would come to characterize the work of Florentine Renaissance artists.From 1308 Cavallini worked in Naples at the court of King Charles II of Anjou, notably in the churches of San Domenico Maggiore (1308) and Santa Maria Donnaregina (1317), together with his fellow Roman Filippo Rusuti. He returned to Rome before 1325, beginning the external decoration of the Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura in 1321, with a series of Byzantine-style mosaics.Cavallini's pupils included Giovanni di Bartolommeo. Items by Pietro Cavallini Pietro Cavallini. Scènes uit het leven van Maria; Aanbidding van de koningen | Pietro Cavallini KU Leuven. Glasdia’s kunstgeschiedenis. Université de Louvain, tussen 1839 en 1939; Fotograaf onbekendToegevoegde informatie op dia; Stroming/Stijl: Byzantijnse kunstCreatie/Bouw: 1291Techniek/Materiaal: MozaïekHuidige locatie: Italia, Roma, Santa Maria in Trastevere;... Pietro Cavallini. Laatste oordeel; Detail: Heiligen | Pietro Cavallini KU Leuven. Glasdia’s kunstgeschiedenis. Université de Louvain, tussen 1839 en 1939; Fotograaf onbekendToegevoegde informatie op dia; Stroming/Stijl: Byzantijnse kunstCreatie/Bouw: 1295-1300Techniek/Materiaal: FrescoHuidige locatie: Italia, Roma, Santa Cecilia in Trastevere;... Pietro Cavallini. Scènes uit het leven van Maria; Dood van Maria | Pietro Cavallini Pietro Cavallini. Laatste oordeel; Detail: Hoofd Christus | Pietro Cavallini Pietro Cavallini. Laatste oordeel | Pietro Cavallini

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Home / Federal Crime Laws / What is Uniform Code of Military Justice? What is Uniform Code of Military Justice? By Geoffrey Nathan, Esq. The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is a federal code of laws that was enacted by the US Congress to define the military justice system. It also lists criminal offenses according to military law. According to the federal statute, the President of the United States, who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, must write rules and regulations that implement military law. The president writes the rules and regulations via an executive order called the Manual for Courts-Martial or MCM. MCM provides the details for rules and regulations for military court martials and provides maximum punishments for all military offenses listed in the UCMJ. About Military Court Martials Military court martials are the most serious sanctions under the UCMJ. A court martial conviction is the same thing as a federal conviction and may result in jail time (with hard labor) or a punitive discharge, which can be a dishonorable discharge. The convicted also can receive fines and a rank reduction. There are three levels of military court martials: Which court martial a member of the military receives depends upon how severe the offense is. About Summary Court Martials These are fairly rare in modern times. Only enlisted personnel can be tried via summary court martial. This type is similar to a nonjudicial punishment or Article 15 proceeding. It can however result in a conviction at the federal level. A commissioned officer presides over summary court martials, and usually has a pay grade of O-3 or higher. There is no jury. Other than in the Air Force, there is not a requirement to provide the accused with counsel, although a lawyer is normally allowed. The maximum punishment in a summary court martial is: Confinement for 30 days Forfeiture of ⅔ pay for 30 days Reduction to lowest pay grade – E-1. About Special Court Martials A special court martial may be brought against all personnel charged with any offense under the UCMJ. Special court martials are reserved in most cases for medium grade offenses. Special court martials have a military judge, prosecuting and defense attorneys and a jury of a minimum of three members of the military. If the accused is enlisted personnel, he may demand that ⅓ of the jury be enlisted. The accused also may ask that the jury be dismissed and to be tried by the judge. Maximum punishment in a special court martial is: 12 months confinement Forfeiture of ⅔ pay for one year Reduction to lowest pay grade – E-1 Bad conduct discharge from the military About General Court Martials A general court martial is the most severe of the three types and is reserved for crimes such as robbery, murder and rape. Anyone in the military can be charged under a general court martial. A general court martial features a military judge, the accused, prosecuting and defense lawyers and a jury of at least five members. As with a special court martial, if the accused is enlisted personnel, he can request that ⅓ of the jury is enlisted. He also can dismiss the jury and be tried by the judge if he wishes. For special and general court martials, the accused may be represented by a civilian lawyer at his own expense. A general court martial may impose any sentence allowed under the UCMJ, including death. About Article 15 Nonjudicial Punishments Nonjudicial punishments are the most common proceeding under the UCMJ. If someone in the military commits an offense under the UCMJ, the commanding officer can offer proceedings under Article 15, which is referred to as nonjudicial punishment. Nonjudicial punishment is referred to as ‘mast’ in the Navy and Coast Guard, and ‘office hours’ in the Marine Corps. Article 15 is similar to a summary court martial. The only difference is that the commanding officer is judge and jury, and what happens does not result in a criminal record. Except at sea on ship, military members do not have to accept an Article 15 proceeding; he can demand trial by court martial. Most military experts warn that unless you know you are innocent and can prove it, it is unwise to turn down Article 15. If you are found guilty under a court martial, the punishments are much worse. Under Article 15, you have a number of rights: To be told of your right to remain silent, per Article 31 of the UCMJ. Be accompanied by an attorney or another party to speak for you. YOu do not have to have a military attorney to go with you to an Article 15 hearing, and one will not be made available to you. Be told of the evidence related to your alleged offense. Be allowed to look over all evidence that your commanding officer is relying upon. To present a defense orally or in writing. Have witnesses come to the proceeding if they are available. Have the proceeding open to the public unless there is cause for it to be closed. About Geoffrey Nathan, Esq. Geoffrey G Nathan is a top federal crimes lawyer and Chief Editor of FederalCharges.com. He is a licensed attorney in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since 1988, admitted to practice in both Federal and State courts. If you have questions about your federal case he can help by calling 877.472.5775. View all posts by Geoffrey Nathan, Esq. → Federal Crime Laws What to Do Under Federal Investigation Indicted by Grand Jury? 10 Things You Need to Know What is the Process of a Grand Jury Subpoena?

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Vicki K. Anderson Gary M. Ferman U.S. State Web Sites Investor Visas E-1/E-2 Treaty Traders/Treaty Investors The EB-5 Employment Creation Immigrant Investor Visa Family-Based Green Cards Immediate Relatives and Preference Petitions Fiancé/Fiancée Visas: K-1 Nonimmigrant Work Visas L-1-Intracompany Transferees H-1B, Specialty Workers O-1, Aliens of Extraordinary Ability R-1, Religious Workers E-3, Australian Professional Workers J-1, Exchange Visitors TN, NAFTA Professional Workers C-1/D, Crewmembers, Transit Student & Visitor Visas F-1, Academic Students M-1, Vocational Students Reinstatement to Student Status Visitors Visas B-1 & B-2 Visa Waiver Countries Employment-Based Immigrant Visas EB-1, Priority Workers EB-2, Professionals With Advanced Degrees, People With Exceptional Abilities EB-3, Skilled Workers, Professionals & Others EB-4, Special Immigrants Waivers of Inadmissibility I-9 Compliance and E-Verify Employer No-Match Letters Employer Sanctions Completion & Retention of I-9 Form Services for U.S. Permanent Residents Naturalization/Citizenship Returning Resident Application Renunciation of U.S. Citizenship Taking Your Business to America Individuals of Extraordinary Ability or Achievement - O Foreign nationals who have extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics, which has been demonstrated by sustained national or international acclaim, can apply for an O-1 visa. It is also available to those in motion pictures and television who can demonstrate a record of extraordinary achievement. Most fields of creative endeavor are included in this category, such as chefs, carpenters and lecturers. The individual must be coming to work in his or her field of ability. To qualify, the applicant must meet very high standards. If applying as an O-1 of extraordinary ability in the arts, sciences, education, business, or athletics, the individual must submit documentation showing his or her sustained national or international acclaim. If applying as an O-1 of extraordinary ability in the motion picture or television industry, the individual must submit documentation showing that he or she is recognized as having a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement. In order to obtain an O-1 visa, a petition must first be filed by an agent or prospective U.S. employer on behalf of the foreign national. The foreign national cannot self-petition. Once the O-1 petition by an agent or prospective U.S. employer has been approved, the foreign national can apply for an O 1 visa. The initial grant of O-1 classification cannot exceed three years. Thereafter, one-year extensions are possible, and there is no limit to the number of extensions which can be granted. Foreign Nationals Assisting O-1 Visa Holders The O-2 visa is for a person who is accompanying and assisting an O-1 visa holder in a specific athletic or artistic event or in the motion picture or television industry. However, O-2 visas are not available to those who accompany or assist O-1 visa holders in education, science, or business. Dependents of O-1/O-2 Visa Holders: O-3 This visa allows for the dependents of an O-1 or O-2 visa holder to reside in the United States for the duration of the visa which was granted to their O-1 or O-2 principal. O-3 visa holders are not entitled to work in the U.S. How to Apply for an O-1 Visa: (a) Applicants in sciences, education, business or athletics wishing to obtain an O-1 visa must demonstrate they are one of the small percentage who have risen to the top of their field of endeavor. The applicant must either demonstrate distinction by the receipt of a major internationally recognized award (i.e., the Nobel Prize) or by providing documentary evidence in at least three of the following: receipt of national or international prizes or awards for excellence; membership in associations, which require outstanding achievements of their members, in the field for which classification is sought; published material about the applicant; participation as a judge of the work of others in the same or allied field original contributions of significance in the field; authorship of scholarly articles; employment in a critical or essential capacity in an organization with a distinguished reputation; applicant has commanded or will command a high salary. In addition, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will require a consultation with an appropriate U.S. peer group to obtain its opinion as to the applicant's achievements in the field, a description of the job duties to be performed and whether the position requires a person of extraordinary achievement. A peer group is an organization comprised of practitioners of the applicant's occupation. In most cases, the peer group will be a labor union. If a union has a collective bargaining agreement in the field, that is the appropriate union with which to consult. Otherwise, a union with expertise in the field is the appropriate union. If there is no such labor union, the consultation requirement is waived. (b) An applicant wishing to obtain an O-1 visa in the arts must prove that he or she is recognized as being prominent in his or her field of endeavor. The applicant must either demonstrate distinction by being a nominee or a recipient of a significant national or international award or prize or by providing documentary evidence in at least three of the following: performed or will perform services as a lead or starring participant in productions or events which have a distinguished reputation; achieved or will achieve national or international recognition for achievements; performed or will perform in a lead, starring or critical role for organizations and establishments which have a distinguished reputation; record of major commercial or critically acclaimed successes; In addition, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will require a consultation with an appropriate U.S. peer group to obtain its opinion as to the applicant's achievements in the field, a description of the job duties to be performed and whether the position requires a person of extraordinary achievement. A peer group is an organization comprised of practitioners of the applicant's occupation. In some cases, the peer group will be a labor union. If a union has a collective bargaining agreement in the field, that is the appropriate union with which to consult. Otherwise, a union with expertise in the field is the appropriate union. If there is no such labor union, the consultation requirement is waived. However, it is still recommended that a consultation letter from a professional association be submitted with the O-1 petition. (c)Applicants wishing to obtain an O-1 visa in the television or motion picture industries must demonstrate that they have attained a very high level of accomplishment in their industry evidenced by a degree of skill and recognition significantly above that ordinarily encountered. The applicant must either demonstrate distinction by being a nominee or a recipient of a significant national or international award or prize or by providing documentary evidence in at least three of the following: achieved national or international recognition for achievements; received significant recognition for achievements from organizations, critics, government agencies or other recognized experts in the field in which the applicant is engaged; and In addition, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will require a consultation with an appropriate U.S. peer group, which is an organization comprised of practitioners of the applicant's occupation, to obtain its opinion as to your achievements in the field, and whether the position offered requires a person of extraordinary achievement. In the television and motion picture industries, there must be a consultation with both the appropriate labor union and management organization. At Ferman Law, we review with our clients the feasibility of the petition and subsequent visa application as well as the documentation required. We undergo the requisite consultation with the appropriate peer group or labor union. We prepare the governmental forms and advise on the possible use of premium processing. Upon approval of the petition, we schedule the visa interview at the U.S. Embassy and prepare our client for that interview. We can also prepare any visa applications for our client's dependents. American Emigration U.S. Business Law Canadian Immigration 7389 Byrons Way Naples, FL 34113-3169 UK phone numbers: Minnesota Office: Ferman Law, PLLC 201 West Burnsville Parkway E-mail Map & Directions Visit our U.S. Web site Please enter a valid phone. You may use 0-9, spaces and the ( ) - + characters. Ferman Law represents clients from across the United Kingdom and throughout the world, including residents of Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Reading, Shannon, Sheffield, York, Hertfordshire, Essex, Cheshire, Buckinghamshire, home counties, and throughout England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Wales, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. © 2020 by Ferman Law, PLLC. All rights reserved. Disclaimer | Site Map

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Kendall back for 5th season with the Baysox EOA Staff | February 28, 2015, 01:38 PM | 0 Comments Gary Kendall The Bowie Baysox and the Baltimore Orioles have announced the Baysox coaching staff for the 2015 season. Baltimore native Gary Kendall returns for his fifth season as manager and is joined by a pair of new faces on the coaching staff in Pitching Coach Alan Mills and Field Coach Keith Bodie. Kendall, the longest-tenured and winningest manager in franchise history, returns for a fifth season with the team as he begins his 16th season in the Orioles organization. In four seasons at the Baysox helm, Kendall has a 296-271 record and he led the team to the playoffs in 2012. Prior to joining the Baysox, Kendall spent three seasons managing the Short Season Aberdeen IronBirds. Kendall began his coaching career with the Orioles as the Field Coach for the Rookie-level Bluefield Orioles (2000-2001) and the IronBirds (2002-2003) before making his managerial debut with Bluefield in 2004. After that season he spent three years as the manager for the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds (2005-2007). Kendall graduated from Sparrows Point High School in Baltimore and played at the Community College of Baltimore and Atlantic Christian College. Mills joins the Baysox for his first season as Pitching Coach after spending last season in the same position with the Delmarva Shorebirds. The Florida native is in his fifth season as a professional pitching coach and fourth in the Orioles organization. Mills spent the 2008 season as a coach in the Detroit Tigers organization before joining the Orioles in 2012 and coaching two seasons with the Aberdeen IronBirds. Drafted by the California Angels in 1986, Mills appeared in 474 Major League games over 12 seasons including 346 games with the Orioles and three postseason appearances (1996 ALCS, 1997 ALDS and ALCS). Mills spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons as Head Baseball Coach at his alma mater, Kathleen High School in Lakeland, Florida. After 16 seasons with the Houston Astros organization, including the last three as Manager of Double-A Corpus Christi, Bodie joins the Orioles organization for his first year as the Baysox Field Coach. Bodie returned to the managerial ranks in 2012 with Corpus Christi after spending the 2010-11 seasons as Triple-A Oklahoma City’s hitting coach, and served as the hitting coach for both Corpus Christi (2009) and Class-A Salem (2007-08). He has served in various roles in professional baseball for five different organizations (Houston, San Francisco, Seattle, Kansas City, Washington) since he began his coaching career in 1983 with Class-A Auburn. The former player spent parts of 10 seasons in the Minor Leagues in the Mets (1974-79) and Astros (1980-82, 1985) organizations, playing in 869 games as an outfielder and third baseman. He was drafted by the Mets in the third round of the 1974 June draft out of South Shore High School in Brooklyn, NY. Rounding out the Baysox coaching staff is Athletic Trainer Pat Wesley and Strength Coach Pat Armstrong. Wesley joins the Baysox after spending the past seven seasons in the same position with the Frederick Keys. In his 12th full season as an athletic trainer in the Orioles organization, Wesley also previously worked with the Bluefield Orioles (2004-2005), Aberdeen IronBirds (2006) and Delmarva Shorebirds (2007-08). Armstrong is back for his fourth season with the Baysox after previously serving the same role with the Delmarva Shorebirds (2011) and Bluefield Orioles (2010). Baysox Baseball – We’ll Knock Your ‘Sox Off. The Baysox open the 2015 season, their 23rd as the class Double-A Affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, on the road April 9 and play their home opener Thursday, April 16 against the Erie SeaWolves. To keep up with Baysox news during the offseason, visit baysox.com. [do action=”blackwall-hitch”/] Wondering where the comments are? We encourage you to use the share buttons below and start the conversation on your own! Tags: Babe Ruth, Baltimore Orioles, Bowie Baysox, Frederick Keys, Maryland, Minor League Baseball, Murder, New York Yankees, Plea, Sex and the law Category: LIFE IN THE AREA, Local News, NEWS, Sports About the Author - EOA Staff Eye On Annapolis is a community based site focusing strictly on Anne Arundel County. These staff postings are general news postings made by our team of bloggers throughout the day and are not attributed to any one particular staff person. « Echosmith celebrates double platinum status at 930 Club Tricorns and Tennis Shoes for Maryland Day, a free tour by Watermark » Google Ad Skyscraper EOA-MM-160×600-v2 South River Golf Tall Courage Community ad 300×300 BV-Digital-JAN2020-300×350 ARC300x400-Earlene Annap Rest Week AMM Winter Lecture 2020 Zachary’s AAMC-DENIMDIAMONDS2020-WebBanner-300×250-Animated Annapolis Film Festival TVPP_NavySports_FootballAd_101019_300x300 KB Free delivery CBT Check Off Tax Form Maryland Hall KB True Value SpousesCleaning Houses Irish Rest Company Liquified Creative Rams Head Evolve May 2019 EOA merisign-ad ARC300x400-Michelle submitevent Schooner Woodwind 1 KB Arborcoat Freebie AnnapolisMakerspace300x309 SSB_EON_Mobile-Banking_300x300 ARC300x400-Tony Covington ALsina DMV Weather 2020 Crime Map MHEC Smart Save Mhecsquare Visit Annapolis

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Re: You live in never never land (none / 1) Do spanish courts have negotiated plea bargains? I had the impression that it was an anglo thing. Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se by A swedish kind of death on Wed Mar 18th, 2009 at 06:44:47 AM EST They don't. It appears face-offs are not an Anglo thing, either. Is this going to become another Inquisitorial vs. Adversarial justice system debate? And is the ICTY run on an inquisitorial or an adversarial system? Although international tribunals intended to try crimes against humanity, such as the Nuremberg Trials and the International Criminal Court, have generally used a version of the adversarial system, they have also incorporated some key features of the inquisitorial system, such as the use of professional judges, and in the case of the International Criminal Court, the use of a screening pre-trial chamber. Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Mar 18th, 2009 at 06:51:07 AM EST Migeru: And is the ICTY run on an inquisitorial or an adversarial system? I checked the statute. ICTY - TPIY :: Statute of the Tribunal Updated Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia: September 2008 (PDF format) It's a long pdf and my result is simply that I do not know, I think I lack the legal background to sniff out the key sentences. It would appear that the court has had some room to decide its own procedures, which might mean some mix considering the mix of judges.

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Florence Ford comes to the position from a pool of 30 applicants from around the... Hanover Borough Council appointed a new interim borough manager in an 8-1 vote Wednesday. Florence Ford was selected... Florence Ford comes to the position from a pool of 30 applicants from around the... Hanover Borough Council appointed a new interim borough manager in an 8-1 vote Wednesday. Florence Ford was selected... Check out this story on eveningsun.com: https://www.eveningsun.com/story/news/2015/08/26/hanover-appoints-interim-manager/72114086/ Hanover Published 11:18 p.m. ET Aug. 26, 2015 Hanover Borough Council appointed a new interim borough manager in an 8-1 vote Wednesday. Florence Ford was selected from a pool of 30 applicants, seven of whom were interviewed, from around the country, council member James Roth said. She will begin Oct. 1, Roth said. The post was vacated by Barb Krebs in July. Krebs, who has been working part-time for the borough, was approved as the new borough manager for Conewago Township on July 20. One council member, Henry McLin, voted against the motion after asking his peers if the position was advertized long enough to have garnered an adequate pool of candidates. "The time of the application period was very short, it was only a couple of weeks," he said. "It wasn't advertized widely within the community and it was advertized before the borough council was even informed of it." The appointment would also come too close to a new council elect taking over in January, McLin said. Several council members said that the borough had already gone too long without a manager. Ford, along with the candidates who were interviewed, was notified that the position was offered on an interim basis, Roth said. She was also made aware that the current borough council only had the authority to keep her on until January, when the new council could re-open the manager search, he said. Ford, who was not present at the meeting, comes to the borough with experience working for Cumberland Township and Gettysburg Borough. Borough officials have offered Ford a starting salary of $85,000, Roth said, adding that the matter is still being discussed. Read or Share this story: https://www.eveningsun.com/story/news/2015/08/26/hanover-appoints-interim-manager/72114086/

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Verstappen and Gasly hit the track at Zandvoort Gasly Ahead of the return of his home Grand Prix in 2020, Max Verstappen and Red Bull team mate Pierre Gasly took a pair of RB7s for a spin around the iconic Zandvoort circuit at the weekend and gave the fans a taste of what to expect next season… Zandvoort hasn’t hosted a Grand Prix since 1985, when McLaren’s Niki Lauda was victorious, but it has staged a plethora of racing series and events since, including the Jumbo Racedagen, which Verstappen has attended for the last four years. READ MORE: Dutch Grand Prix: What you need to know about F1’s spectacular new beachside race Verstappen and Gasly pulled off a trio of runs on Saturday and repeated the feat the following day in double-championship-winning RB7s, darting between the dunes on high-speed runs and lighting up the rears with an impressive display of burnouts and donuts, in front of packed grandstands. “It’s the fourth edition of the Jumbo Racedagen and it has been crazy here,” said Verstappen. “We’ve been growing together over the years and it’s amazing to see so many Dutch fans coming to this event. It’s very special that you are so close to your fans here. “At a race weekend we’re very restricted in what we can do, so this is definitely a great event for the fans. The track itself is very challenging and there are not many run-off areas. It’s amazing that the track will come back on the F1 calendar next year and you will see a lot of orange in the dunes.” Gasly added: “I didn’t really know what to expect before I came here this weekend and I’m really impressed with the number of people here to support us and it’s really cool to drive an F1 car on this track. “I came to Zandvoort in 2012 with Formula Renault 2.0, but it is like a completely different track when you take an F1 car here. It’s super narrow with really high-speed corners and you need big balls to go fast around this track. It’s going to be challenging to race here but really exciting.” The Dutch Grand Prix will return at Zandvoort next season after agreeing a multi-year deal. Leclerc aiming to match ‘strong’ Vettel race performance in 2020 WATCH: Top 10 F1 Cooldown Room Moments Renault set date for 2020 season launch event Norris ‘confident’ McLaren can make another step in 2020

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Filmsite's Filmsite's Film Reviews: This site has lengthy analytical reviews written by author/reviewer Tim Dirks for many of the best movies ever made throughout the history of cinema. The Greatest Films selected do not include foreign films or non-English language films for purposes of specialization and focus. No negative judgment on foreign films is intended. Reviews include a prominent movie poster, historical background for the film, a summary or synopsis of the film, excerpted dialogue, and critical commentary in order to appreciate the film more fully. There are many other shorter reviews of films in other sections of the site, not listed here, for example, in Greatest Plot Twists and Spoilers. Various visitors have commented upon the reviews -- "By far the best site on the Internet to receive thorough film analyzation," or "a wonderfully in-depth and detailed place not only interesting to browse through, but, being a teacher of media/film, academically worthwhile." Here are the major sections of the site's film reviews: Filmsite's Film Reviews ALL Film Reviews (alphabetical index by film title) The films that are marked with a yellow star are the films that "The Greatest Films" site has selected as the "The 100 Greatest Films" 300 Greatest Films Reviews - By Decade This list of film reviews, ordered chronologically by decade, includes films that have been selected as the 100 Greatest Films - they are marked with a yellow star - and other supplemental lists of great films that have been written up, including Another 100 Greatest Films (101-200 Greatest Films) and Third 100 Greatest Films (201-300 Greatest Films). In this list are the site's Most Popular Film Reviews viewed by visitors on this site, in descending order of popularity. (alphabetical index by film title) Ace in the Hole (1951) Adam's Rib (1949) Airplane! 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Ghost Protocol (2011) Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) The More the Merrier (1943) Morning Glory (1933) The Mummy Returns (2001) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) Murder, My Sweet (1944) My Man Godfrey (1936) (Wes Craven's) New Nightmare (1994) Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941) Night After Night (1932) A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) The Night of the Hunter (1955) Ninotchka (1939) North By Northwest (1959) Now, Voyager (1942) Of Human Bondage (1934) Only Angels Have Wings (1939) Out Of The Past (1947) The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) The Palm Beach Story (1942) Patriot Games (1992) The Perils of Pauline (1914) Pinocchio (1940) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) A Place in the Sun (1951) Play It Again, Sam (1972) Play Misty for Me (1971) The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) The Public Enemy (1931) Pygmalion (1938) Quantum of Solace, 007 (2008) Queen Christina (1933) The Quiet Man (1952) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Red Dragon (2002) Red Dust (1932) Red River (1948) The Red Shoes (1948) Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) The Roaring Twenties (1939) Rocky II (1979) Rocky V (1990) Rocky Balboa (2006) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) Roman Holiday (1953) Romeo and Juliet (1968) Rose Marie (1936) Rosemary's Baby (1968) Safety Last (1923) Sayonara (1957) Scarface: The Shame of the Nation (1932) The Scarlet Empress (1934) The Scorpion King (2002) The Searchers (1956) Shane (1953) She Done Him Wrong (1933) Shrek II (2004) Shrek the Third (2007) Shrek Forever After (2010) Since You Went Away (1944) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937) Sons of the Desert (1933) Splendor in the Grass (1961) Stage Door (1937) Stagecoach (1939) Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Star Trek Generations (1994) Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) Star Trek Nemesis (2002) Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) Star Trek Beyond (2016) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017) Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) Strangers on a Train (1951) A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) Sullivan's Travels (1941) The Sum of All Fears (2002) Sunset Boulevard (1950) Superman II (1980) Superman III (1983) Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) Superman Returns (2006) Survival of the Dead (2009) Sweet Smell of Success (1957) Swing Time (1936) The Talk of the Town (1942) Tarzan and His Mate (1934) Tarzan The Ape Man (1932) The Ten Commandments (1956) Terminator Salvation (2009) The Thief of Bagdad (1924) The Thin Man (1934) The Thing (From Another World) (1951) The Third Man (1949) To Be or Not to Be (1942) To Catch a Thief (1955) To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Tootsie (1982) Top Hat (1935) Touch Of Evil (1958) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) Unfaithfully Yours (1948) The Virginian (1929) Le Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon) (1902 French) Way Down East (1920) Way Out West (1937) When Harry Met Sally...(1989) White Heat (1949) The Wild Bunch (1969) The Wild One (1953) The Wind (1928) The Wolverine (2013) Written on the Wind (1956) Wuthering Heights (1939) X-Men (2000) X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) Young Frankenstein (1974)

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Home » Interviews » You are reading » Terry Hooper: Keeper of the Black Tower by Phil Latter on November 22, 2005 Terry Hooper: Keeper of the Black Tower2017-05-22T08:02:14-07:00 - Interviews Terry Hooper has been writing, drawing, and self-publishing comic books in England for several decades, now. He has been extremely prolific, creating his own characters, and putting them out himself, a one-man show. Some of his self-published comics titles have run over 50 or 60 separate issues, with no end in site. Also, Mr. Hooper has published some very popular titles which have interviewed, and which continue to interview, British comic book artists and writers from older as well as newer, and quite well-known British comics titles. He also chronicles the obscure and forgotten past of Britain’s rich and diverse comic book publishing history over numerous decades, right back to the earliest of them. Lest we forget. Terry has, for decades, worked very hard at ‘filling in the blanks’, documenting therich, lavish history of British comic books, in numerous interviews and articles in his various publications. Additionally, he has written some quite interesting American comic book publications. He’s very talented in quite a number of areas, as you will see as you read on, right here! Shall we get started? First Comics News: Terry, I’d like to start by asking, where were you born, where did you go to school, what was it like growing up, what were your interests at that time, (comics, TV, movies, etc), how old were you when you first discovered comics, and what made you notice them and get some? Terry Hooper: Phil, I was born in the Saint Michael’s Maternity Hospital, Bristol, on the 6th of June, 1957. My mother said I looked like an orange with a black tuft of hair! I grew up in the St Werburgh’s area of Bristol which had a park. I went to school at the St Werburghs Infant School then to Mina Road Junior school before moving and attending Greenway Secondary Modern Boys School, in Southmead,from 1968-1974. Billy The Cat -one of Hooper’s favourite comic strips. I took Science, Biology, Mathematics, and I got A grades in Art, History, English Language, English Literature and Geography. While at the Greenway School, I created the school-sanctioned magazine Starkers: The Magazine That Tells The Naked Truth, in 1972, and which was supposed to be distributed and sold at other schools but it was banned because of the title. I wouldn’t compromise so “ta-ta”. Like most kids of my generation, I began reading comics at the age of 5 years. Comics that I enjoyed ranged from Bimbo, Beezer, Topper, Lion and so many others. When my family moved to Germany, my reading, naturally, had to change and I began reading comics from companies such as Carlsen, Disney and Germany’s biggest publisher of European comics, Bastei. Obviously, reading comics led to my trying to draw them, and this in turn led to helping other pupils years later in after-school classes to learn to draw. Starkers, of course, came later. 1st: Like The Man In The Yellow Hat’s Curious George, I’d additionally like to know: what was the first comic book you recall getting or reading? I want to make you feel comfortable during the interview with endless questions, so that you’ll feel right at home at ‘The Spanish Inquisition.’ Which reminds me: can I call you ‘Monty’? We’ll make it a regular flying circus. another Hooper favourite -Billy The Whizz! When did your family move to Germany, and what part of Germany did your family move to? You are originally from Bristol, England -why did your family move to Germany? Was it for your parents’ work-related reasons? I believe that in the past you have described yourself as being part German? Was your mom or dad German to begin with? Also, when did you return to England as a family, and why? Growing up in the 1960s in England, and playing in that park, which I mentioned earlier, in St. Werburgh’s, there were still plenty of bomb sites from where the German planes had bombed in World War Two, right where we played. We wandered about and knew Bristol’s alleys and back streets as well as rivers well before we reached the age of ten! Metropol Cinema was the main place to go where we went to watch The movie The Ten Commandments, Robinson Crusoe Of Mars, in addition to television’s Batman and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. series. For TV, well, we had those U.N.C.L.E. guys – The Man From U.N.C.L.E, and later The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. , starring Stephanie Powers; To Catch A Thief, Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, The Saint, Dr Who, Adam Adamant and later Doom Watch, Rat Catchers, Tarot, Tomorrow People and so on. Oh, the Boris Karloff horror TV series – there was one with a scarecrow that scared the bejabers out of me! 1st: Boris Karloff? I take it, then, you’re not referring to Walt Disney’s The Scarecrow Of Romney Marsh, which starred The Prisoner’s Patrick McGoohan. As for Robinson Crusoe On Mars: I haven’t seen it, but I have heard about it. Wasn’t that a Dick Van Dyke comedy? Terry: No. This was a modern horror tale. Robinson Crusoe on Mars did not star the great Dick Van Dyke, but rather, Batman’s Adam West….a big eared chimp as well as aquatic…sausages! Great fun! 1st: What a title: ‘Robinson Crusoe On Mars.’ It sounds absolutely insane. Like you said, great fun! The title, ‘Robinson Crusoe On Mars‘, reminds me of another old movie I’d give my left arm to see: Santa Claus Versus The Martians. It sounds like it’d be a real hoot! Or Billy The Kid Versus Dracula. Billy The Kid versus Dracula, that one I saw as a kid, but I barely remember it. I understand there were two versions with different titles. I’ve never seen the other version. By the way, I just checked on the internet. Dick Van Dyke was in a 1966 Disney movie called Lt. Robinson Crusoe USN. That was the one I was thinking about… Terry: Of course, as I got older, I watched late night Saturday horror double-bills. I was an insomniac and a manic depressive by age eleven. I lived with my grandparents and my grand dad, Bill, who used to buy me British comics such as Robin, Bimbo, Play Time and later a mixture of Fleetway and D.C. Thomson titles. Of course, playing with modeling clay (Plastacine) and soldiers was an additional past-time. 1st: for me, aside from lots of comic books, it was the Marx’ toy company’s Johnny West and General George Armstrong Custer dolls (real men knew who they were back then and didn’t feel the need to over-compensate by calling them ‘action figures’.) Smile. I also had the fuzzy-bearded later 1970’s versions of G.I.Joe (the mod versions as I called them) and the like. Speaking of which, what was with that useless left hand on all of those vintage G.I. Joe dolls, where this so-called crack soldier couldn’t even hold a gun, with the fingers of his hand turned (molded) in? I never did figure out which brand of turpentine the Hasbro Toy Company people were drinking when they came up with that brilliant idea! EG: “I’m a soldier. I can’t hold a rifle (that takes two hands), but I’m gonna butt you to death with my head. That’s what the helmet is for.” Terry: There was a short-lived British made Action Man called Tommy Gunn -I got him and the first black version. The colour thing never bothered me because of where I grew up. 1st: I grew up with black people, too. People were, and are, people, of course. You just reminded me of something, Terry. I was out with a black girlfriend of mine about eight years ago in a pub, locally. We were talking about the accomplishments of blacks in history. She broached the topic with me. A Caucasian white 17 or 18 year old girl with lots of earrings through her face leaned over, butting into our conversation, and said, “You know, saying ‘blacks’ these days is blatantly racist. You should say ‘African Canadians’ instead. I know you mean well, but….” 1st: So then my black lady friend Shalese, who I was with at the time, said, “Oh really?” to this blonde young girl. “How long have you been black?” Shalese then went on a tirade about whites who seek their best to butt into others’ conversations with their political correctness “fascist nonsense.” You know. Trying to ‘police’ the way people talk and express themselves. So much for a free society and freedom of speech and expression. Which struck me as extremely funny to me at the time. The narrow-mindedness of it all. Eighteen year old girls (and guys) who are brainwashed at an early age by this stuff, thinking they are open-minded and progressive by telling other people who are older and thus wiser, people who are in their thirties and forties…..how to talk ‘properly’ in ‘polite society.’ This is how we are raising our children these days. Eighteen year olds who probably still live at home, they haven’t really ‘lived’ yet, but they nonetheless think they have the answers to everything, and that they are more worldly and intelligent and open-minded than the rest of us who are more than twice their age, with more than twice their life’s experiences. My former Chinese roommate Dave Wong, who is also a comics collector, was a lot like Shalese, too. Speaking out against PC restrictions put on the way people express themselves. Dave Wong kept me laughing. He’s a hilarious guy. I think his ideas rubbed off on Chalese somewhat, as we would all hang out when she came over. Despite the fact that he is somewhat of an introvert. I was actually content, what I describe above. They both like to make speeches, and I must say, I’m with them in their points of view. You can call me a Liberal. Freedom of speech is a pet peeve of mine. 1st: Terry, where did you go to school, what kind of work did you do, how did you get started drawing, and what did you draw? And, how old were you then? Terry: Initially, Mina Road Junior school, that was up to 11 years of age. I then had to move with my parents to another part of Bristol and ended up in the Greenway Secondary Modern Boy School until age 15. I drew all the time as a kid but my parents threw most of those illustrations out. 1st: Gee, that’s encouraging….It didn’t stop you, though. You kept going and going and going. The Everready battery company is going to sue. Help! Here comes that big pink bunny rabbit with those drums. Run for your life! Terry: On leaving education in 1974, I went to work for H. Tanner & Son, a small printing firm based in Southmead. When I moved to Manston, Kent, in 1977, I began working as a paste-up assistant to Philips Printers. This involved designing and then laying out and pasting up newsletters, commercial flyers, and so on. From 1980-1984, I worked for Bennings Printers and Stationers, Keynsham, where I put together publications as well as advertising material until the company ceased trading in 1984. 1st: You mean they went out of business? Terry: Yes. During 1977, I also began writing articles on astronomy, meteorological phenomenon, space exploration and other general subjects — something I have continued up until this date in the UK and Europe as well as in the United States. In the UK, the main market has been the County Magazine trade. 1st: This is very interesting. As I said, you’re full of surprises. Not that it matters, of course, but, was this paying work? Terry: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I read and investigated everything; my German family called me “The Professor” because of this. 1st: I know you’ve been drawing consistently, from a very early age. What types of paper materials did you use early on, to draw on, and with what sort of pens? Terry: My grandmother, Rose, got blank paged receipt books, etc, from work and I drew strips which combined British and American comic heroes together. Making the heroes out of modeling clay was fun, too! 1st: Heh, heh. That’s interesting. I did stuff like that as a kid, also. I didn’t make action figures out of plasticine, but I did take those 1980’s Super Powers DC Comics action figures, having bought lots of duplicates, and I then made some duplicates of ones I already owned, into lots of OTHER characters, including all of the Silver Age Charlton comics’ Charlton super heroes, the JSA, and so on. I still have them all. Unfortunately, I ‘outgrew’ that hobby of transforming them into other characters, eventually. I was quite good at it. I’m delighted to know you didn’t stop modeling your own versions of characters with your hands. What were some of these team ups you drew as a kid which you described above, in particular? Meaning, what characters were in them? Terry: Captain America, Batman, Superman, Green Arrow, Thor, Goliath (Marvel), Iron Man, Hulk, and British characters Billy the Cat, Captain Hurricane, Billy The Whizz, and so on. Fun for me! The (Marvel comics) original Captain Marvel in the mid to late 1960’s was another favourite, in his old white and green cossie. 1st: I remember that, as a young teenager, I drew a handmade comic book, wherein, I had the Marvel Kree Captain Marvel, in his red and blue outfit, meet the Silver Age 1960’s M.F. Enterprises’ alien robot Captain Marvel, who he found in a cave in suspended animation (like Captain America), only in the desert, sort of like the Silver Age Hulk’s old cave hideout. The Marvel Comics’ Captain Marvel then revived this alien robot. Of course, the M.F. Enterprises’ Captain Marvel, once awake, assumed this Kree Johnny-Come-Lately was trying to cop his best gig, so there was this multi-page obligatory fight scene. Hey, how original is that? I tell you, an instant classic! I wish I still had it. I’d bust a gut laughing, now! How old were you when you started drawing your early comics, and what year was this? What comics, characters and/-or artists were your inspirations? EG: British, American, foreign? Was it hard to get American comics? What were your favourite British comics? Terry: How old was I? Perhaps eight? Yeah….1965? It was perhaps hard to get American comics. I never knew they existed, then. We had British comics that reprinted, in black and white, Marvel strips in parts. Fantastic and Terrific were my favourite British comics titles. There was a truly unique look and feel to these comics….and the smell of newsprint of those British comics in the 1980s… I learned that most kids sniffed the ink print. It brings back great memories. Artists were mainly anonymous; not signed. 1st: I know exactly what you mean about the musty smell of old comics, old paper. It’s true: particular odours from vintage periodicals can indeed bring back warm memories. It’s like, in your mind, it takes you back to an earlier time. Oh wait, I just said that. LOL. Terry: Between 1984-1994, I worked as a writer/artist/editor/agent in comics as well as comics journalism for MU Press, Blue Comet Press, Fantagraphic Books, Eros Comics, (both of which are American), Dorne, Fleetway, IPC and others in the United States, UK and Europe. During this period I also produced large numbers of single panel gag cartoons for agencies in Germany such as Boiselle-Lohmann and Baaske Agency — these going to magazines and publications around Europe. And then, of course, Phil, from 1984-2004, I was also self-publishing comics as well as publications on a wide variety of subjects under my own (British) Black Tower Comics Group banner. Additionally, I have produced packages of work for India, Hong Kong and China. I’ve also been working as an industry advisor for smaller companies in countries such as India and Canada. 1st: If you don’t mind, my being a Canadian myself, I’d like to enquire, in detail, more about this advising: what it entailed, and what companies were involved. Including, of course, the companies for which you advised in Canada. Terry: Basically, I’d be contacted by companies or people who wanted to publish comics or who were already doing so. I can’t tell you names of companies because that’s confidentiaI as part of the deal. Better recent examples are from India and China where, if they can get their act together, they will be the next big thing after Japanese manga. A couple of companies from each country (unbeknownst to one another and I was staying quiet because a lot of businesses are very secretive about new projects and if they know you don’t gossip or blab..more work!), asked me what the potential market was, how could titles be developed to fit that market, a whole bunch of questions and I drew up a document for each which I’m told they are happy with. Curiously, I’m still waiting for the mention of money! In Canada, there was someone called John Brayton in 1987 who wanted to publish comics, but he never got any further than that. I think he got into music. ILLO;Folks, here is one of many Lee Falk’s The Phantom pages that Terry Hooper drew some years ago, in an attempt to land a job drawing that feature professionally. If you ask me, he really has the knack for it! Most companies don’t like rumours that they are consulting foreigners about their business -it can be a big problem business-wise. I’ve been compiling a British Comics Industry Over-view since 1992 and at book fairs people talk to each other. Do you think maybe I should ask for a wad of cash up front? 1st: Sounds like a plan. I’m your new agent, by the way. I get 60%. I’m in a generous mood today. Smile. Terry: I am regarded to be a British comics historian, having met and interviewed many of the creators who worked for comics here in England, and I also traced the history of British publishers in my publications. As a talent spotter, I helped various creators break into the comic industry such as John Royle, Jon Haward, Duncan Fegredo, and Art Wetherell, to name some. Lee Davis, as an introduction to an interview of myself in Imagineers magazine, noted that I was “…a near legendary figure in the British comics industry.” I was very flattered. However, I’d sooner have a lot of money…no, seriously! 1st: Well, no one can put food on the table nor pay the rent based on ‘they love me.’ Terry: That’s true. In the U.S. magazine Amazing Heroes, Hal Hargit described me as “….the hardest-working man in comics!” Gerd Hamer, in a German comics magazine, described me as “…the father of European super heroes…” 1st: That’s high praise, Terry. When do you find time to sleep?” Terry: Sleep? I used to work twenty hours a day, 365 days a year, no Christmas, et cetera. I’d get artists or other comics people passing through Bristol who’d call in at one, two or three A.M. They all knew I was an insomniac. Of course, that later caught up with me after twenty years; pot after pot of coffee, not eating properly. Hey, I coulda been a drinker or smoker! 1st: Instead, you’re a comic book addict, like me. Smile. We should both be in a comics ‘twelve steps program.’ “Hi, I’m Phil and this is Terry.” We’d hang our heads down low and continue, in shame: “…and we’re Comicaholics…” Terry: Apart from writing and drawing comics, I have, since 1986, been promoting European comics in the UK, both in my publications and on my various websites. My interests in this area include Russian, Chinese, Czech, Hungarian, German, Finnish, Belgian, Australian, New Zealand, and, naturally, British and American comic books. 1st: Hey, you left out Canada. Although, I’m actually kidding. Because, folks, I know for a fact, having yakked with Terry Hooper for a couple of years, now, daily, by emails, that Terry is a big fan of Canadian comic books. He promotes them on not just one, but TWO different websites, which he created, some time ago, on the web, devoted to Canadian comics. He’s quite a fan of the Golden Age 1940’s ‘Canadian Whites’ comics, books, and Captain Canuck, to name just a few. As it says elsewhere in the interview, folks, not only is Terry Hooper a writer, an artist, a publisher, a British comics historian, etc,etc,etc…..he is also a historian of history. Awhile ago, he told me that the hood of the Silver Age ‘Nemesis’ superhero was based on hoods from the medieval age. I found that hard to believe. Well, he proved me wrong! Look at this scan! Terry and I trade large parcels of British and Canadian (U.S. as well) — comic books by mail, regularly. Not only that, Terry has been working on a self-created tongue in cheek revival of the 1940’s Golden Age ‘Canadian Whites’ superheroes, intended as a comics mini series, which he wrote and drew himself. It is entitled ‘Canada Must Die!’ Terry: “Tongue in cheek”? Did you think it was funny? I’ve just been reworking pages but there’s nothing meant to be “tongue-in-cheek” about it -they destroyed the JLA and Blue Beetle last time that phrase was used. Actually, look at what they did with that GLA title -or the New Defenders. Gods forbid I do that! 1st: Sorry. What I was actually referring to was the title name itself, ‘Canada Must Die.’ I just meant, Terry Hooper is not out to destroy Canada. Uh….you’re not, are you? Here’s some art scans, attached, folks, of Terry’s character studies for the 1940’s Canadian superheroes The Dreamer, and The Penguin, the second of which I should point out is NO relation to The Batman’s nemesis of the same name! Both of these characters were Canadian-created superheroes in the Golden Age of 1940’s World War Two era comics, also known as ‘The Canadian Whites’! Terry Hooper drew these as characters studies while doing his all-new ‘Canada Must Die’ comics mini-series, resurrecting these 1940’s Canadian superheroes, in brand-new comics stories! Terry Hooper has also created innumerable examples of his own created comics characters, just like many other comics fans have, including myself. The difference with Terry, though, is that he has published numerous comic books, self-published, over decades, with his own characters! Here’s an illustration of just some of them. Terry: When I lived in Germany, I read comics from Bastei and the Disney stuff, but Bastei comics were drawn by French, Spanish, Italian and even Belgian artists. These were reprints in the German language. 1st: I remember you mentioning that, awhile ago. You are part German, right? What can you tell me about that? And, do you speak fluent German? I know you moved to Germany at one point from England, but, were you born in England originally, or Germany? And if the former, how is it that you are part German? Terry: I’ve not been back to Germany in 24 years, my German is stale. Uh, I was born in Bristol. 1st: Like the lyric from Elton John’s Made In England CD from the CD of the same name, “I was made in England, like a Ford Cortina…” Smile. Terry: I later learned that a lot of Italian and Spanish artists, as well as South American artists, worked on British strips -hence my odd mix of British/-European and U.S. art style. 1st: Your style works just fine for me. As someone I have been chatting with for a couple of years now, on the internet, I am of course aware that, for decades now, you have been writing, drawing and self-publishing your own periodicals: comic books, interview type magazines or fanzines (including COMIC BITS, which I just love, very high quality stuff), and ongoing comic book titles including Adventure, and Black Tower Presents. Adventure, for example, has had many more than fifty issues written, illustrated, and self-published by you, for example. That’s pretty prolific, I would say, for a self-publisher! I should also take a moment to inform our readers that your self-published comic books and other publications, of which you’ve kindly sent me many, come under the title heading of Black Tower Comics. The black tower art logo of which, interestingly enough, Defiant Comics later used for their OWN line of comics, without your permission, after asking you for a copy of the design at a British comic book convention numerous years ago, for the stated reason that they ‘liked the design. Hey, can I have a copy of that?” Meaning, they later stole/-plagiarized your design, which is something you’ve proven to me. You’ve told me this interesting story in the past. Would you be willing to share it with our readers? I cannot remember when Defiant Comics was set up but it must have been around 1992 or 1993. 1st: I have some of their comics, the earliest of which, first issues, including Dark Domain # 1, are dated inside as being from 1993. Terry: Certainly some British comic mags referred to the fact that Defiant had adopted a logo very much like my own Black Tower logo graphic-except they added a little namby-pamby window in it! By that time I’d already used the Black Tower as a letter head and as a publishing icon for…ten years or more! Long before Defiant Comics came into existence under Jim Shooter. My Black Tower Comics with Black Tower cover logo graphic, depicting that black tower, dated from the 1970’s to the present! I know I met Jim Shooter at a UKCAC (UK Comic Art Convention) in London and gave him lots of my stuff, at his request, as well as story ideas. He stated that he was quite interested with my Black Tower design on the masthead covers of my self-published small press British comics, and he asked me for copies. At the time I was flattered to be asked, and I thought no more of it. One night in…1994 or a little earlier, it was around 11:45pm, when the phone rang, and my brother called out to me that someone “legal” wanted a word. I took the phone and said: “Hello. Terry Hooper speaking.” And this man, an American, on a crackly line spoke. “Mr. Hooper, I am _______________ (I don’t remember his name), and I am from the Defiant Comics Legal Department in The United States. I am calling to tell you that you are infringing on our black tower logo and copyright and you must desist immediately or face the consequences”. It was a thick New York accent. I asked what he was talking about? “That goddamn logo of yours. You are ripping us off, our reputation and possibly misleading comic buyers into thinking you are part of Defiant Comics.” I said, “I’m sorry but I’ve been using that logo since the 1970’s, and I’ve been using it on my publications, self-created and self-published since 1983/ 84–” Him: “Cut the bullshit! You continue, you’ll get your ass sued!” This was a little bit of a shock and I reacted in kind by repeating what I’d said with a few expletives and stating that BEFORE Defiant was even an idea, I had handed Jim Shooter my own self-published British material, including that illustration Black Tower art/-logo at HIS request, since he sounded like a pro who also sounded like a fan, in front of several respected comic industry creators. And thus, if Defiant Comics wanted to sue me, well, “Go a-F******** head and sue me *********!”. He said that I had not heard the last of this. Well, I phoned Defiant’s phone number in the U.S.A. and I spoke to people there, who told me I should not use my own logo, which had been in published existence long before Defiant Comics was even an idea. Long before they used MY logo, having ripped ME off! I repeated the history and I told them to tell Mr. Shooter I await his pleasure in court! Nothing more came of it. Because they KNEW they had plagiarized my logo. But this legal rep was from Defiant and he had tried to bully me over the phone. Now I have Scharf-Hooper-Case family blood – you DO NOT threaten us and expect a meek response. In fact, he seemed taken aback at my language!! That was it. A few mags PRINTED this story because at that time I had a phone call recorder and this cut in when the phone rang and so the whole conversation was recorded! The mag editors heard the whole thing. I would have expected the offer of money to stop using my OWN logo or whatever. 1st: Defiant Comics’ War Dancer # 1 is an extremely disgusting comic book. In the final pages of this premiere issue, this weird character, War Dancers, kills this little girl’s dog by blasting the pet, with a force blast from his hand. The dog blows apart in every direction; you can see bits of teeth, separated jaw, bone, stomach contents and fecal matter. The little girl, understandably upset, says, in tears, “You’re not a good guy at all!” War Dancer replies, “I am the dancer”, then does the very same thing to her, and this scene is drawn in an even more disgusting manner, by Alan Weiss. Who wrote this gem of a comic book? Alan Weiss….and Jim Shooter. Note: Dark Domain # 1 is dated inside as October 1993. Whereas, War Dancer # 1 is dated inside as February 1994. Numbers don’t lie. 1st: Terry, you’re a gentleman and I know that you don’t like to think the worst of people. But think about it. You gave your designs to Jim Shooter at his request, who asked for them. Meaning you were flattered that he liked the design. Obviously, you did not mean that he nor anyone else could publish your design on their own comic books. And, this all happened at a British Comics convention in front of witnesses including industry pros. You had the whole thing on tape, when his crony (or him posing as his legal crony) phoned you in an attempt to scare you out of NOT using your OWN published company logo design, which Jim Shooter himself got a copy of from you, previously, in person. Jim Shooter OWNED Defiant Comics. In the first issue of Defiant Comics’ Dark Domain, a comic book which bears the Black Tower ripped-off-from-you cover corner design, Jim Shooter, ironically wrote an inside editorial that an unrelated court case was over, the subject of which was that Marvel had sued Defiant Comics on another matter. The edititorial about this IN Defiant’s b>Dark Domain # 1 comic book covered the fact that the Marvel versus Defiant court case was over, but that a ruling decision had not yet been made. Terry: Yes, I’ve seen the Defiant LOGO but none of the comics. Remember, I live in the United Kingdom, not in North America. I think that they were perhaps counting on the fact that, likely I would never, ever see a Defiant Comic book, nor even hear about it. You’d think they would have at least offered me some money, having stolen my already-published-several-times design. I guess they just thought I was small potatoes, no threat to them. What could I do? It was because this suddenly appeared {Defiant} and the logo similarities that people thought I was involved there. Today, I’d sue them for every penny and have them withdraw the logo but back then I was kinda…..nice. Worry about someone suing me? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…..no. Sue me for what -a postage stamp?? 1st: Right. You can’t sue someone who has no money. And you would have won in court. They knew you could legally prove that they stole/-plagiarized your design. 1st: I spoke to Shooter in…1991? I think they started publishing around 1992-93? In 1991 or so, I showed him all the art samples from the people I represented including my Previews comic and Black Tower stuff -all with the Black Tower logo on cover and edit page. He took Previews there and then (a 60+ pages comic.) Of course, I think I was being nice to him but you are quite right that he was THE big boss there at Defiant Comics. I guess Shooter must have thought it was pretty cool. I have no idea who the phone man was; it was long ago and who knows where he might be now? 1st: When did Defiant start? I say, 1993 or not much earlier. You had them beat, time wise, by several years. And, we’re going to prove it. Terry: It’s time the truth came out. But after all these years who cares? Not me. 1st: Also, about Jim Shooter: you said that Jim Shooter himself asked you for those printed Black Tower graphics logos at the British Comics Con all those years ago. WHICH year would this have been? The point is, if it was Jim Shooter who asked you for it and you gave him a copy (not knowing he’d rip you off), does it not then sound reasonable that it was HE who gave it to Defiant, telling them to copy it? Jim Shooter owned and ran the company, and he got the design in his hand, from you, in person. Hooper:Well,I have no idea what was going on behind the scenes. Someone may have just seen the logo and thought it might work. For all I know Shooter was being polite when he asked for samples and may just have put them in a box when he got back to the US. Although I never liked the Defiant attitude and threats I have absolutely no proof that Shooter was behind anything. He’s always portrayed as a villain so people jump to conclusions. If I had proof I’d have written to him. Latter:When you started self-publishing, decades ago, what titles did you publish, how large or small were your print runs, fanzines, magazines, and other titles, and where did you advertise them for sale? EG: publications, etc. In other words, how did you get the word out that you were in business and looking for readers and/-or subscribers? Where in the world did you ship them to? How many people on average would be reading each issue? Terry: Well, the Hooper Coat of Arms has a black tower on one version and I had this flat, mini chess piece like that also, and it looked cool. So, from the 1970’s on, I used this on paper, etc. In 1983, I put together lots of strips and published Black Tower Adventure and Black Tower Presents in 1984. 1st: I have some of each which you’ve sent me over the past couple of years. I enjoyed reading them. I have some of the earliest issues, including Black Tower Presents # 2, which has that Black Tower logo. Preceding Defiant Comics, with that incredibly very similar logo, by several years. How many issues did each of those two Hooper Black Tower Comics Group titles run? What was their frequency? Are they still going? Terry: My comics interview magazine Comic Bits is due to re-appear in May,2006 in a new format. There is also its internet counter-part at http://comicbitsonline.4t.com The comics? Well, there will be much more coming out in 2006 with a new look. I advertised through the first small press news, reviews, interviews and PREVIEWS mag in the UK which I set up with Paul Brown and Jerry Holliday, titled ZINE ZONE. We had a ZZ mail order and comic mart stall and we really pushed the UK small press into the shops and so on. My PREVIEWS mag in the UK bears no relation what-so-ever to the American PREVIEWS monthly comics order catalogue. Having done a survey, we know ZZ was read by about 200 people -some copies were read by 3 to 5 people and passed around. By 1990, I was running the whole thing, writing, editing, paste-ups and printing. I also worked for MU Press, in Seattle as a British reporter and distributor/agent. 1st: That’s interesting. I didn’t know. What can you tell me about MU Press? What does MU stand for? You didn’t live in Seattle, right? You mailed your stuff to them? What kind of articles did you write for them and what type of a publication was this? Was it a newspaper, or? Terry: MU Press I think was Miscellanie Unlimited Press? They produced Donna Barr’s Desert Peach comics and compilation books, a series called Rhaj, oh dear lords I’ll have to send you references. I interviewed Edd Vick the publisher, for Zine Zone International; he publishes under AEON now -check out Previews. I wrote a column for their newspaper Comix FX under “Tel’s From The Crypt” and I acted as a promoter/ UK agent for MU and other independent publishers in the 1986-94 period….though none of them paid me as they were supposed to. Know why I dumped the job?? Bill Black’s AC Comics was a joy to promote. I love their stuff! I was promoting AC, Chrome Tiger, Mu and others and I was in touch with Donna Barr and Roberta Gregory as well as creators in Europe and Canada. Zine Zone was going out to Hong Kong, China, Russia, the then Czechoslovakia, Poland, Finland, Germany, France, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Bahrain and the US so the title changed to ZINE ZONE INTERNATIONAL. 1st: You were working for Zine Zone, not publishing it yourself, I take it? Is ZZ still going? When did ZZ start? Terry: I put together -typed, photocopied and pasted up artwork, photocopied and published Zine Zone International. 1st: How many different titles did you publish, how many issues of each, etc? Can you name some more of the titles? Terry: I believe Adventure is at # 60. I published a new talent comic, Previews in the 1980’s, and creators like Art Wetherell, Matt D’Israeli Brooker, Duncan Fegredo, John Royle and even Jon Haward appeared in that and went on to pro work. Jenette Kahn at DC liked this comic I put out. DC Comics hired a lot of creators from Previews. Tom DeFalco praised it and some editors told me they kept the copies in their desk drawers. 1st: Interesting. How many issue numbers did Previews run? Terry: Previews ran four issues. And it was actually called by two comic mags, “One of the most successful – if not THE most successful United Kingdom New Talent comics. series.” Outside of comics, I have worked with companies such as Yorkshire Television and HTV to create ideas and programmes for TV, such as the Channel 4 “Carry On” film weekend in 1999. I have also been featured in documentaries; TV/ Radio news programmes in my capacity as a veteran naturalist and police consultant. I’ve consulted with them on wildlife. I am also a historian specialing in Pre-Roman and Roman Britain, Celts and rediscovered ‘lost’ history. There is a whole idea in people’s minds that Colombus discovered America and that the only people before him were the Vikings. In fact, late Romans ended up in Arizona. This has been proven scientifically. Celts and even the Irish were going to America before Colombus, and traders from Bristol made their fortunes on that same route long before Colombus got there. Ask yourself, why would a painting of a Roman feast contain an image of a pineapple, which is a New World fruit? There are tons of this information that academics laughed at but now, they have to take seriously. “Forgotten History”. 1st: Interesting. About the documentarires, do you mean you have been featured IN those domentaries? Or that you yourself filmed those documentaries, wrote or consulted on them? Terry: I’ve been filmed for two or three BBC TV programmes and one independent film mainly as an expert on large cats and exotic animals in the UK countryside. For others, I put together ideas usually with a company (when there was more than one!) -believe me, the idea of copyright and one TV executive I worked with told me: “They rejected the project. In a year, they’ll have made it and if we say anything, they’ll say they simply came up with the idea”….and he was right! I’m putting together research for some now but can’t talk about that or someone will steal the idea!!” 1st: Hmm. What is that saying, something like humans will sink down to the lowest common denominator, stealing from others, and taking the credit for themselves. Hey—Defiant Comics! Terry, what did the police consult you on? Or, what were you a Police Consultant on? Terry: Police have sightings, photographs, plaster casts of tracks, livestock deaths where its suspected a large cat, like a puma or panther –(panther being a black leopard), and they get in touch with me. I’m a Police Consultant but no fast cars, loose women or mystery murders in mansions! On both wildlife and history I have published numerous papers between 1979-2004. 1st: Terry, you never cease to surprise me. Wow. How did that make you feel, that you gave these guys their start (comics pros.) ? And, what topics did you write some of these papers on? Terry: I was quite happy. A lot of these people are now “big shots” but there are one or two who publicly acknowledge me as “the man who gave me my break in comics” such as Jon Haward who draws Marvel UK stuff like Spider-Man and underground star Mark Stafford. I thought I sent you Mark’s comic the same time as Deadman & Hyde, etc. I have a mail from you on this…? 1st: Yes, you did send me the British comic book Deadman & Hyde # 1 and # 2. They were quite good! Terry: Some of the titles I have published over the years are : Hanley’s Garage, Windows, Adventure, BT Presents, Previews, Turkish Locomotive, Dervish Ropey and the Maximin Sword, Walter Wicks, various one-offs, more recently Classic British Westerns, Classic British Action, Classic British Funnies, Chung Ling Soo and the Jade Dragon King, Liz & Jen….oh boy,that’s all I can think of! Maximin was drawn by the wonderful John Erasmus. 1st: I liked in particular Liz & Jen, a comics story you did about two lesbians. I am not kidding nor trying to pun, when I tell you it was a touching story. Well-done and with an important message. I wish more people could see it. It’s quite good. When did that one come out? Terry: Liz & Jen….I wrote and drew it and about a year later someone said “have you seen that new comic –Love And Rockets? Since you did this, Terry, you’ll love that”…when did Love And Rockets come out….1985? I actually got a great deal of mail at one time over that strip – including from women who read it and decided there was no shame in “Coming Out”. One woman and her girlfriend told me they cried over it. Was it that bad?! 1st: No Terry. The problem with it was, it was that good. Smile. There was another, later American lesbian comic book short-lived series, also called Liz & Beth. This one was a porn comics title. I have # 1. Hey, how that version got into my home, I uh, have no idea….I think it came after yours. The titles Hanley’s Garage and Turkish Locomotive kind of grab me. What were those about? Terry: John Erasmus drew a load of strips and we published them under his own created comic title –Turkish Locomotive. Just seemed cool at the time! Hanley’s Garage only saw one issue as the creator couldn’t be bothered after writing/ drawing the first part. Today there are quite a few American artists that I think are great. Gene Colan, Alex Toth, John Byrne (he really brought me back to a point where I got enthusiastic about comics again),Tong Wong, and lots of European creators. And, I have to add to the list and give a special mention to Los Bros Hernandez. I fell in love with Jaime’s work and I still think he is one of the most under-rated artists in comics! I’d give my right arm to work with him, or all three brothers, for that matter! 1st: good choices. I grew up with reading Gene Colan and Alex Toth comics artwork in the Silver Age, although it wasn’t of course called The Silver Age,back then. You know you’re not a spring chicken anymore, when you (me)reminisce, and it then suddenly dawns on you that you grew up in an era that now has a TITLE. You know: “The Silver Age”. Like The Mezazoic Age, The Precambrian Age. This is where I, finally, come to the irrescapable conclusion that I’m a dinosaur, any way you slice it! Smile. John Byrne, of course, came later, from Canada. I still have a lot of his early stuff, including CPL (Contemporary Pictorial Literature), a 1970’s Charlton Comics fanzine done by many of Charlton’s later talent, Byrne’s Wheelie And The Chopper Bunch, Space: 1999, Rog: 2000 backups in E-man, and of course, Doomsday + One. Pre-Marvel stuff, for him. John Byrne was then, and is still, incredibly prolific. Terry Hooper also wrote (not drew) the adult content Two Hot Girls On A Hot Summer Night mini series, for the U.S. company Eros Company, which has been reprinted frequently, all over the world. How that came about: Years ago, Terry contacted them to see if they could use his comics talents. Well, they could, but they only published smut comics, so Terry, never one to resist a challenge, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and got to it! I’ve read some of them, including # 1, and they’re actually quite funny! And yes, well-done. Terry, this is as good a time to mention, that you also have numerous websites of your own devoted to comic books of many countries, including England, Canada, India and New Zealand and Australia. You work hard to spread the word and educate people concerning comic books written, illustrated and published by numerous comics the world over! I don’t want to make you blush, but I’m been a rabid comics reader, collector and enthusiast for over three decades, and I nonetheless don’t know a single other soul who does this, in terms of websites devoted to comic books from foreign countries, to the extent that you do. In my opinion, you are quite unique in this regard! And then of course, you have your very own Black Tower Comics website, for your own self-published, written and drawn small press comics. How about sharing with our readers the many URL website links for all of these links? Terry: Sure. Happy to. I don’t scan and post whole comic books to my sites, by the way, just covers, for info purposes. As well as some graphics, and a lot of text information. Background and historical information on them. I get a lot of compliments on my comics sites! Here is a list of some of them, their internet locations. To readers of this interview, simply click on them one at a time: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/americanmysterymen http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chinesecomics http://groups.yahoo.com/group/britcomics http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eurocomics http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alanclasscomics I should point out here, that I had the very first Alan Class website, which is provable from the dates of the earliest posts to that group. Now, there are more Alan Class sites from others. 1st: You mean, there are more? GASP. Smile. That’s amazing. You’ve certainly got lots of drive and ambition, also known as ‘get up and go!’ Thank you so much for talking to us today, Terry. I know you don’t like interviews but it’s been a real pleasure, and exquisitely interesting, my friend! https://www.firstcomicsnews.com/first-comics-news-interview-with-terry-hooper/https://www.firstcomicsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Black-Tower-Comics-Books-600x257.pnghttps://www.firstcomicsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Black-Tower-Comics-Books-150x64.png 2017-05-22T08:02:14-07:00 Phil LatterInterviews Terry Hooper has been writing, drawing, and self-publishing comic books in England for several decades, now. He has been extremely prolific, creating his own characters, and putting them out himself, a one-man show. Some of his self-published comics titles have run over 50 or 60 separate issues, with no... Phil LatterPhil.Latter@firstcomicsnews.comAuthorPhil Latter is a Canadian Comic Book Historian, and is the First Comics News Canadian Bureau Chief. He has collected, read & enjoyed comic books, collecting prolifically, his entire life. He collects comic books, vintage Pulp magazines, original comic book art, vinyl record albums, (including Power Records, and Zorro items. He's collected vintage comic books & new comics, for over 40 years. He says, "Comics keep me young at heart!" Phil's personal comics collection features over 85,000 comic books, (not a typo), mostly U.S. and Canadian comics. But, further, comic books & related memorandum from all over the world, dating from the early 1920's, right up to the present. Phil Latter is recognized as being one of the foremost world authorities on Johnston McCulley's Zorro. He is an artist & published writer, and he collects anything and everything to do with the Zorro character. His well-known Pulp magazine website for this character is at Yahoo Groups: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/johnstonmcculleyzorro/info To join us on this popular group, membership at this busy website, is free! Phil has been published in Roy Thomas' 'Alter Ego' magazine, and (in prose fiction, reviews, articles, & his artwork), in numerous issues of the Canadian English language (from Quebec) Batman fanzine, 'The Midnight Conference.' Additionally, he has conducted numerous interviews of comics pros, columns and articles, on the websites, Silver Bullet Comic Books.com, Comic Bulletin.com, and at First Comics News.com. And also in these additional fanzines: 'The Maine Comics Club Newsletter', & in numerous issues of both 'The Dragon Lady Dispatch' (from Toronto's 'Dragon Lady Comics Shop'), and in many issues of the fanzine, Gene Kehoe's "It's A Fanzine." Born in the village of Herring Cove, right on the Atlantic Ocean, Phil currently lives in The Halifax Regional Municipality, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, with his four felines: Jasper, Ivy, Oscar, and...Zorro-!First Comics News About Phil Latter Phil Latter is a Canadian Comic Book Historian, and is the First Comics News Canadian Bureau Chief. He has collected, read & enjoyed comic books, collecting prolifically, his entire life. He collects comic books, vintage Pulp magazines, original comic book art, vinyl record albums, (including Power Records, and Zorro items. He's collected vintage comic books & new comics, for over 40 years. He says, "Comics keep me young at heart!" Phil's personal comics collection features over 85,000 comic books, (not a typo), mostly U.S. and Canadian comics. But, further, comic books & related memorandum from all over the world, dating from the early 1920's, right up to the present. Phil Latter is recognized as being one of the foremost world authorities on Johnston McCulley's Zorro. He is an artist & published writer, and he collects anything and everything to do with the Zorro character. His well-known Pulp magazine website for this character is at Yahoo Groups: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/johnstonmcculleyzorro/info To join us on this popular group, membership at this busy website, is free! Phil has been published in Roy Thomas' 'Alter Ego' magazine, and (in prose fiction, reviews, articles, & his artwork), in numerous issues of the Canadian English language (from Quebec) Batman fanzine, 'The Midnight Conference.' Additionally, he has conducted numerous interviews of comics pros, columns and articles, on the websites, Silver Bullet Comic Books.com, Comic Bulletin.com, and at First Comics News.com. And also in these additional fanzines: 'The Maine Comics Club Newsletter', & in numerous issues of both 'The Dragon Lady Dispatch' (from Toronto's 'Dragon Lady Comics Shop'), and in many issues of the fanzine, Gene Kehoe's "It's A Fanzine." Born in the village of Herring Cove, right on the Atlantic Ocean, Phil currently lives in The Halifax Regional Municipality, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, with his four felines: Jasper, Ivy, Oscar, and...Zorro-! View all posts by Phil Latter » AFTER DARK VAPOURS a conversation with bestselling horror author Brad Dunne

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Berlinale 2019: 'Varda by Agnès' is an Inspiring Chat with a Storyteller "If we opened people up, we'd find landscapes." Agnès Varda is a genuine master. She is unquestionably of the greatest filmmakers, storytellers, and artists to ever live - there's really no debating this. It may have taken decades for everyone to catch up with and learn about her (and discover her work), but now we all know the truth, and gosh darnity she's still making more films (even at age 90). Varda by Agnès is a new documentary made by Agnès Varda looking back at her entire life as a filmmaker and artist. It's a beautiful examination of the inspiration and explanations behind some of her work (in cinema & in art) she created throughout her life. She has an immaculate understanding of cinema, and shares some of her insights here (but not all of them, of course) and it's an utter joy to watch her talk for nearly two hours. Varda is the best. Varda by Agnès is somewhat of a spiritual sequel to Faces, Places (or Visages, Villages), the documentary film Agnès made with JR a few years ago that received endless acclaim (and an Oscar nomination). Inspired by her work on that film, this documentary has a light-hearted, joyful, amusing vibe to it, but doesn't involve JR at all. It's all Agnès, and it's all about her work and her life and her creativity. It features clips and scenes from many of her past films, as well as footage of her at various talks and presentations in the last few years. She spends the entire time talking about envisioning, making, and sharing art - mainly cinema - and exactly what it was that inspired her to make each film and the decisions she made along the way. Much like fellow filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, I love listening to Agnès talk - about anything. But especially about cinema. What makes this film particularly inspiring is how comfortably and how openly she talks about everything that drives her as a creative person. Throughout her entire life, she has done whatever she wants to do. She makes films, and tells stories, and lives her life the way she wants and does so effortlessly. This film doesn't get into her early years nor does it waste any time trying to explain how she does this, because she doesn't much like talking about herself as much as she enjoys talking about her experiences - all the people she has met, and how they have influenced and inspired her. And she expresses herself so clearly, describing exactly what it takes to be inspired, and exactly how she took this person and created a film about them. She cuts all this together in a way that makes this documentary drift along so smoothly, without much of any downtime. I'm sure some cinephiles might complain about Varda by Agnès because it's not an intensely meticulous or deeply introspective look at her as a filmmaker. Sure, it's all fairly surface-level discussion and it's not the most in-depth analysis or anything, but I don't mind. She's just wonderful. And that kind of analysis is meant for books and museums anyway. Much of the footage in this is bits and pieces of easy-digestible talks she has given in person cut together into an exuberant two hour presentation. Agnès Varda is true master filmmaker & storyteller, who expresses her love for people so perfectly through her work. She is remarkably attuned to the technicalities of cinema, and the power of the moving image, and has proven this with her body of work - allowing us a chance to understand her process through some basic explanations in this doc. Honestly, it's utterly delightful and endlessly inspiring to listen to her talk about cinema and to tell stories about her life, and the many great people who left an unforgettable impression on her. In return, she has graciously shared their stories and their humanity with all of us - through cinema, by creating art. Varda by Agnès is a sublime, sincere look back at all that he has accomplished and created. It seems to be an attempt to encapsulate her life's work and provide a guide for those that wish to follow in her footsteps as artists, teaching us through her enduring wisdom how to find genuine inspiration, and how to create great works of art with the ever-important goal of sharing it with everyone. All hail the effervescent Agnès Varda, who has solidified her everlasting legacy in cinema and will always be remembered for all her humility and ingenuity. Alex's Berlinale 2019 Rating: 9 out of 10 Follow Alex on Twitter - @firstshowing Find more posts: Berlinale, Documentaries, Review

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Family of killed repairman may seek workers' compensation benefit On behalf of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Workers' Compensation on Thursday, February 11, 2016. An elevator repairman was killed in a work-related accident recently. The fatal accident occurred on a recent Tuesday in Guttenberg, Hudson County. When loved ones in New Jersey are killed in work-related accidents, their loved ones and or dependents likely qualify for workers' compensation death benefits. The worker, a 44-year-old man, was in the process of performing routine monthly maintenance in a high-rise condo building. For reasons that are currently unclear, the man somehow became entangled between the elevator car's top portion and the elevator's door before he was dragged upward. The worker was pronounced dead a little after 8 a.m. at the scene of the accident. The investigation into this fatality is currently being conducted by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office. The worker was employed by a company called Slade Elevator, according to OSHA. The cause of this accident is not yet currently known, a representative of the company said. The workers' compensation program in the state of New Jersey provides workers' compensation death benefits to individuals who are related to the decedent -- for example, a spouse, child, parent or sibling -- and who were also financially dependent on that individual. The benefit is mainly to compensate dependent family members for financial support that is lost due to the death of the loved one. This compensation is also typically used to help lessen some of the end-of-life expenses that are typically incurred by a decedent's family, including medical bills and burial costs. It may be helpful to consult an experienced workers' compensation attorney to assist with this process. Source: abc7ny.com, "Repairman killed in elevator accident at Guttenberg, New Jersey, high-rise", Feb. 2, 2016 Tags: Workers' Compensation Related Posts: Psychological factors can contribute to nurses' injuries, Wearable tech for workers faces cost and privacy concerns, Bill proposes OSHA standards for workplace violence, Carbon monoxide poisoning in the workplace Back Injuries (3) How to avoid a workers’ compensation denial Loss of public support has meant less red-light cameras Reducing ergonomic injuries in warehouses with new wearable tech Is soft-tissue damage a serious car accident injury? © 2020 by Fishman & Fishman, LLC. All rights reserved. Disclaimer

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Choir I, II, III, IV (Varsity Chorale/BellaVoce Varsity Choir/Concert Mixed Choir/Treble Choir) Choir Resources (including Activity Calendar) Travis Choir Auditions Men's Fest Info THS CHOIR STUDENT INFO FORM Master's Degree in Education (M.Ed.) Bachelor's Degree in Music Education (BME) National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) Timothy Kilgore Timothy Kilgore is the Choral Music Director at Travis High School. Upon graduating with a master's degree from Concordia University (M.Ed.) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in music education (BME), endorsed in vocal and instrumental instruction, he has been in Texas as a choral music teacher for 27 years, 24 of which have been in the Fort Bend Independent School District. Moreover, he is a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT). Specializing in piano as well as vocal performance, choirs under his direction consistently earn Division I ratings as well as Sweepstakes Awards at UIL contests and music festivals across the state of Texas and the U.S. as well. Mr. Kilgore is proud to be on the faculty of Travis High School. Period 1: Concert Treble Choir Period 2: Concert Mixed Choir Period 3: BellaVoce Varsity Womens Choir Period 4: Travis Varsity Chorale Period 5: Vertical Alignment Teacher Tutorial Schedule Choir--Tues & Thursdays 2:50 PM to 4:00 PM (also as scheduled on calendar) Fort Bend ISD Fine Arts Calendar

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Prep Sports Roundup: Brush, Sterling in running… SportsLocal Sports Prep Sports Roundup: Brush, Sterling in running for 3A Cheer title The Brush High School cheer team got the crowd fired up before the start of the Brush Secondary Campus dedication ceremony Friday, Nov. 22. (Jenni Grubbs/The Fort Morgan Times) By Kerry Sherman | Special from ColoradoPreps.com PUBLISHED: December 2, 2019 at 2:20 pm | UPDATED: December 2, 2019 at 7:52 pm Last week, Sterling’s Brock Burkholder was mistakenly identified as Burkhalter. We apologize for the error. On Saturday, Burkholder and his Tiger teammates made school history by beating Delta 27-19 in the Class 2A football championship game, bringing home the first ever football title for Sterling. As has been the case throughout the season, the defense rose to the occasion on the biggest stage. Trailing 10-0, the Tigers got on the board on a 58-yard TD pass from Brock Shalla to Peyton Rose. Drew Book then made one of the plays that helped him earn MVP honors, deflecting a pass, picking it off, and returning it for a TD that gave Sterling a 14-10 lead in the second quarter. That score held up until the early moments of the fourth, when a bad snap gave Delta 2 free points. The Panthers followed that up with a touchdown to take a 19-14 lead. Sterling responded with a drive that Shalla capped off with a rushing touchdown, putting the Tigers back on top, 20-19. As Delta drove for a potential winning score, the Sterling defense made one of its biggest plays of the year. A fumbled pitch on the option put the ball on the turf, and Rose scooped it up and returned it for the game-clinching score. On the final offensive possession of the contest for the Panthers, Sterling’s defense swarmed the QB and got the ball back with a sack on fourth down. The title win came in only the second championship game appearance for Sterling, and added to the Class 3A crown won by the volleyball program earlier in the year. Saturday also provided more reason for Sterling fans to celebrate, as one of their former volleyball standouts, Kyndall Feather, a sophomore defensive specialist for the University of Northern Colorado, helped lead the Bears to their fifth Big Sky title. Feather had 16 digs in the five-set victory. The Bears will open the NCAA Tournament at Hawaii on Friday. Sedgwick County made football history on Saturday, winning its fifth straight 8-man championship, downing Fowler 44-8 on the road. The Cougars became the first 8-man program in state history to claim the title five consecutive years, tying them for the second all-time longest run with Valor Christian. The record is six straight, owned by Limon. The Cougars marched the ball downfield on their opening drive, eating up a lot of clock while covering 80 yards in 18 plays. Beau Parker, voted the game’s MVP, finished the drive with the first of his three rushing touchdowns on the day. Fowler tied it in the second quarter after Luke Bitter capped off their own time-consuming drive. His 29-yard run ended what had been an eight play, 89 yard drive. It was the first score allowed by Sedgwick County since Oct. 11. Sedgwick County would regain the lead in the final minute of the first half on a TD pass from Jared Ehmke to Terrance Heath. Up 14-8 at the break, the Cougars would put the ball in the hands of Parker early and often in the second half. He toted the rock eight straight plays to open the third, gaining every yard on a 70-yard scoring drive. A blocked punt put the Cougars right back in business, and Parker ended that drive, and Fowler’s title hopes, with a 20-yard touchdown. Parker would finish with 242 yards on 40 carries. Bitter went over the 100-yard mark on the ground for the Grizzlies, but they were held to under 200 total yards of offense in the contest. Limon celebrated its 100th season of football by earning its 19th title (18 outright, one shared), beating rival Strasburg 26-13. The Badgers also beat Strasburg in the Class 1A title game last year, but fell to the Indians early in this season. Kory Tacha scored three touchdowns for the Badgers, one on a 74-yard pass from Trey Hines, to earn MVP honors. Cheyenne Wells has won four state titles and twice finished runner-up this decade in Class 2A Cheer, and the Tigers will be in action just after 10 am on Friday at the state spirit meet. Joining them in that competition will be Yuma, Limon, Hoehne, Wiley, and Stratton/Liberty. Lamar, Brush, and Sterling will be vying for the title in 3A Cheer, while Trinidad and La Junta are part of the 2A/3A Co-Ed field. Friday will also see the preliminaries of the new Game Day division, and the area will be represented by Rye, Holyoke, and Swink. Poms get started on Saturday morning, and Limon, which has five second place finishes this decade (2011-15), will be in the 2A field once again. Jazz and Hip Hop are also on the slate for early Saturday, but no area programs are involved. All finals begin just before 6 p.m. on Saturday, with all action over the weekend taking place at the Denver Coliseum. The winter sports season gets underway this week, and the preseason rankings for basketball were released by CHSAANow.com. Sterling finds itself No. 6 in Class 3A boys, receiving one first place vote, while La Junta is in the “others receiving votes,” garnering a single mention. Two-time defending Class 2A champion Yuma leads that field in the initial vote, collecting 10 of 13 first place tallies. Limon is No. 3, with one first place vote, with Fowler (No. 4), Holly (No. 8), and Wray (No. 9) all in the top 10. Holyoke, Sedgwick County, Byers, Rye, Swink, and Burlington all received votes. Kit Carson leads the local boys programs in the 1A poll, coming in at No. 2, right behind defending champion De Beque. The Wildcats earned a pair of first place votes. Merino, which got one vote as the top team, comes in fifth, followed by Haxtun (No. 6), Briggsdale (No. 7), and Walsh (No. 9). Ten more area programs received votes in the preseason, including Fleming, Kim/Branson, Prairie, Cheraw, Flagler/Hi-Plains, Genoa-Hugo, Peetz, South Baca, Cheyenne Wells and Stratton/Liberty. No local teams made the initial top 10 in Class 3A girls, but Lamar appears in the “others receiving votes” category, garnering two votes as the Savages begin their first campaign under new head coach Brian Dunning. Limon leads a loaded 2A poll, collecting eight of 12 first place votes. Wray (No. 3) received one first place vote, and No. 4 Yuma took three. The Indians have won the last two state titles, three of the last four, and have played for the crown six of the last seven seasons. Swink (No. 7) and Holyoke (No. 8) round out the local teams in the top 10, while Rye, Rocky Ford and Sedgwick County all received mention. With three consecutive state 1A titles, and 77 straight wins, it comes as little shock that even with major losses to graduation, Kit Carson enters the season ranked No. 1 in the classification, grabbing seven of 13 first place votes. Briggsdale (No. 2) and Fleming (No. 3) combined to earn five first place votes. South Baca (No. 4), Genoa-Hugo (No. 5), Springfield (No. 7), Merino (No. 8) and Haxtun (No. 9) all begin the season poised to wrest the crown away from the Wildcats. Lone Star, Kim/Branson, Wiley, McClave, Cheraw and Idalia all merited votes to begin the season. Kerry Sherman Practice priority for CU Buffs basketball: Recovering edge on the glass Prep Girls Basketball: Brush gets road win Friday against Sterling, 72-45 Prep Girls Basketball: Fort Morgan beats Frederick, 53-36

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Soon to be centenarian couple, Oaklanders share longevity secrets OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - An Oakland woman will be marking a milestone on Christmas Day when she celebrates her 100th birthday. Her husband turned 103 just last month. Ruth and Henry Fung shared with KTVU their secret to longevity and a lasting relationship. Emanating from this corner home in Oakland's Lake Merritt neighborhood is music from another era-- during the youthful years of the couple. "I don't have any hobbies. I don't know what to do with myself," says Ruth. But she's doing plenty. Ruth enjoys listening to music from Pandora and plays Candy Crush on her iPad and emails with an exuberance that belies her age-- 99 years old. "Give me your hand...let me hold your hands. We like to hold hands," says Ruth. She says romance and patience are key to a successful marriage--76 years and counting. Husband Henry turned 103 last month. We asked Henry what he likes to do with Ruth. "Just sit down there ...talking…that's it," says Henry. It sounds simple, but it works. Henry is a man of few words, but he has what it takes to make Ruth happy. "He's very sweet and gentle and loving," says Ruth with a smile. She says they met in their twenties in Los Angeles and were married in 1940. They raised their family in this same Oakland home for 67 years. "Thank the Lord for his blessing, for giving us six children: 3 boys, 3 girls. Who could ask for more," says Ruth. To raise their family, Henry worked as a waiter, then a chef. Ruth was a stay-at-home mom and later an elementary school cafeteria worker. "Not much…simple life we live," says Ruth. She attributes her longevity and great health to not drinking or smoking. Henry is a former smoker. An interest they share is playing slot machines. In their decades in Oakland, they've seen a lot of change. "Every day you pick up the paper; the killings so depressing. But then, that's life. Things that happen...happens," says Ruth. She says she's never had any trouble except for a burglary at her home a few years ago. Still, she says life in Oakland has been good. "I still thank the Lord for all that we have...my loving family...my loving children and friends," says Ruth. The Fungs consider their 7 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren to be an abundance of blessings. Both husband and wife are in good health. They're looking forward to seeing their family for the holidays.

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Super Bowl News Problems: Giants hold players-only meeting after skid hits 4 AP Oct 28, 2019 at 4:51p ET EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — When the second half of the season opens with a players-only meeting, there is a problem. Welcome to the New York Giants‘ locker room. Pat Shurmur’s team is riding a four-game losing streak after Sunday’s 31-26 setback in Detroit and the players met Monday to discuss ways to right things after a 2-6 start. “We got to do some soul-searching inside our building as a team and just figure out what it is and be part of the solution and not the problem,” Saquon Barkley said after the game. Neither Alec Ogletree nor rookie quarterback Daniel Jones would discuss what was said in the meeting. “We’ve always been together,” Ogletree said Monday. “It’s only us that go out there on the field and play together, so it’s just a matter of making sure everybody is still communicating, still on the same page, and trying to fix the problems.” The problems are glaring in a season that had a little hope after Jones replaced Eli Manning and led the Giants to back-to-back wins, evening their record at 2-2. The hope is now diminished and the second half of the schedule is tougher. Dallas (4-3) visits for a Monday night matchup before the Jets (1-6) host a rivalry game the following weekend. After a bye week, the Giants are at Chicago (3-4), home against Green Bay (7-1) and at Philadelphia (4-4). The season finishes with games at home against winless Miami, at Washington (1-7) and home against Philadelphia. Shurmur, who posted a 5-11 record in his first season as coach, had no problem with the players-only meeting. He says everyone is disappointed. “We need to keep working, we have to be very intentional with how we do things, which we have been, but we have to find ways to get better at everything we do so that shows up on game day and we make more plays,” Shurmur said. The most pressing issue for the team is being ready to play from the start. New York has been outscored 38-0 in the first quarter during its losing streak. Shurmur said the Giants have been finding ways to overcome the early deficits and get back into the game, but they are still not winning. “But you’re right, because what happens is you have to get away from some of the things that you had planned to do when the game was in the balance. You never want to do that,” he said. The Giants also don’t want to keep losing. “I think we certainly came to work ready to fix things today, and I think we’ll take that approach the whole week preparing to play Dallas,” said Jones, who was 28 of 41 for 322 yards and four touchdowns. The Giants don’t give up. In their current skid, they have gone within a touchdown in the fourth quarter in three of the four games. They just haven’t made the plays. WHAT NEEDS HELP There is no consistency. Every week something different goes wrong, be it penalties or turnovers. Last week against Arizona, the offensive line allowed eight sacks. Jones was sacked three times this week, with two coming late. A week after giving up 156 yards rushing against the Cardinals, the Lions were limited to 59. However, Matthew Stafford was 25 of 32 for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Darius Slayton. While losing WR Sterling Shepard to a concussion for a couple of weeks is not good, that has given Slayton the chance to play more. He had catches of 22 and 28 yards against the Lions and both went for touchdowns. Golden Tate continues to lead the wideouts, making eight catches for 85 yards. Defensive coordinator James Bettcher. He has led the defense for 24 games since taking over last year. The unit is not close to being on the same page. The confusion in the secondary is a major concern. There are too many wide open receivers. The Lions had five passes of 20 yards or more, including touchdowns of 49 and 41 yards. New York has given up 13 pass plays of 30 or more yards this season. They allowed 19 last season. Shepard is still in the concussion protocol. There were no injuries in the Lions game. 19 — The Giants had 19 turnovers last season. They have 19 this year — in eight games. The team again fell behind by two touchdowns early and rallied to make it close before losing. That has to stop if the Giants are going to win. They must also fit recently acquired DL Leonard Williams into the mix.

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Designed by John Haviland and opened on October 25, 1829, Eastern State is considered to be the world's first true penitentiary. Eastern State's revolutionary system of incarceration, dubbed the "Pennsylvania system" orseparate system, encouraged separate confinement (the warden was legally required to visit every inmate every day, and the overseers were mandated to see each inmate three times a day) as a form of rehabilitation. The Pennsylvania System was opposed contemporaneously by the Auburn system (also known as the New York system), which held that prisoners should be forced to work together in silence, and could be subjected to physical punishment (Sing Sing prison was an example of the Auburn system). Although the Auburn system was favored in the United States, Eastern State's radial floor plan and system of solitary confinement was the model for over 300 prisons worldwide. Originally, inmates were housed in cells that could only be accessed by entering through a small exercise yard attached to the back of the prison; only a small portal, just large enough to pass meals, opened onto the cell blocks. This design proved impractical, and in the middle of construction, cells were constructed that allowed prisoners to enter and leave the cell blocks through metal doors that were covered by a heavy wooden door to filter out noise. The halls were designed to have the feel of a church. Some believe that the doors were small so prisoners would have a harder time getting out, minimizing an attack on a security guard. Others have explained the small doors forced the prisoners to bow while entering their cell. This design is related to penance and ties to the religious inspiration of the prison. The cells were made of concrete with a single glass skylight, representing the "Eye of God", suggesting to the prisoners that God was always watching them Outside the cell was an individual area for exercise, enclosed by high walls so prisoners could not communicate. Exercise time for each prisoner was synchronized so no two prisoners next to each other would be out at the same time. Prisoners were allowed to garden and even keep pets in their exercise yards. When a prisoner left his cell, an accompanying guard would wrap a hood over his head to prevent him from being recognized by other prisoners. Cell accommodations were advanced for their time, including a faucet with running water over a flush toilet, as well as curved pipes along part of one wall which served as central heating during the winter months where hot water would be run through the pipes to keep the cells reasonably heated. Toilets were remotely flushed twice a week by the guards of the cellblock. One of the two story cell blocks in Eastern State Penitentiary The original design of the building was for seven one-story cell blocks, but by the time cell block three was completed, the prison was already over capacity. All subsequent cell blocks had two floors. Toward the end, cell blocks 14 and 15 were hastily built due to overcrowding. They were built and designed by prisoners. Cell block 15 was for the worst behaved prisoners, and the guards were gated off from there entirely. Inmates were punished with the "individual-treatment system." At the time this form of punishment was thought to be most effective. They would be separated from others.[8] In 1924, Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot allegedly sentenced Pep "The Cat-Murdering Dog" (an actual dog) to a life sentence at Eastern State. Pep allegedly murdered the governor’s wife’s cherished cat. Prison records reflect that Pep was assigned an inmate number (no. C2559), which is seen in his mug shot. However, the reason for Pep’s incarceration remains a subject of some debate. A contemporary newspaper article reported that the governor donated his own dog to the prison to increase inmate morale.[1] On April 3, 1945, a major escape was carried out by twelve inmates (including the infamous Willie Sutton), who over the course of a year managed to dig an undiscovered 97-foot (30 m) tunnel under the prison wall. During renovations in the 1930s an additional 30 incomplete inmate-dug tunnels were discovered. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.[4][9] The prison was closed in 1971. Many prisoners and guards were transferred to Graterford Prison, about 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Eastern State. The City of Philadelphia purchased the property with the intention of redeveloping it. The site had several proposals, including a mall and a luxury apartment complex surrounded by the old prison walls During the abandoned era (from closing until the late 80s) a "forest" grew in the cell blocks and outside within the walls. The prison also became home to many stray cats. In 1988, the Eastern State Penitentiary Task Force successfully petitioned Mayor Wilson Goode to halt redevelopment. In 1994, Eastern State opened to the public for historic tours. End of the solitary confinement system[edit] A typical cell in restored condition. The solitary confinement system eventually collapsed due to overcrowding problems. By 1913, Eastern State officially abandoned the solitary system and operated as a congregate prison until it closed in 1970 (Eastern State was briefly used to house city inmates in 1971 after a riot at Holmesburg Prison). Al Capone's cell.The remains of the barber shop. The prison was one of the largest public-works projects of the early republic, and was a tourist destination in the 19th century. Notable visitors included Charles Dickens and Alexis de Tocqueville while notable inmates included Willie Sutton and Al Capone in 1929. Visitors spoke with prisoners in their cells, proving that inmates were not isolated, though the prisoners themselves were not allowed to have any visits with family or friends during their stay. Most of the early prisoners were petty criminals incarcerated for various robbery and theft charges (muggers, pickpockets, purse-snatchers, burglars, etc.) and the first-time offenders often served two years. The Penitentiary was intended not simply to punish, but to move the criminal toward spiritual reflection and change. While some have argued that the Pennsylvania System was Quaker-inspired, there is little evidence to support this; the organization that promoted Eastern State's creation, the Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons (today's Pennsylvania Prison Society) was less than half Quaker, and was led for nearly fifty years by Philadelphia's Anglican bishop, William White. Proponents of the system believed strongly that the criminals, exposed, in silence, to thoughts of their behavior and the ugliness of their crimes, would become genuinely penitent. In reality, the guards and councilors of the facility designed a variety of physical and psychological torture regimens for various infractions, including dousing prisoners in freezing water outside during winter months, chaining their tongues to their wrists in a fashion such that struggling against the chains could cause the tongue to tear, strapping prisoners into chairs with tight leather restraints for days on end, and putting the worst behaved prisoners into a pit called "The Hole", an underground cellblock dug under cellblock 14 where they would have no light, no human contact, and little food for as long as two weeks. Architectural significance[edit] Eastern State Penitentiary's radial plan served as the model for hundreds of later prisons. When the Eastern State Penitentiary, or Cherry Hill as it was known at the time, was erected in 1829 in Francisville (the idea of this new prison was created in a meeting held at Benjamin Franklin's house in 1787) it was the largest and most expensive public structure in the country.[10] Its architectural significance first arose in 1821, when British architect John Haviland was chosen to design the building. Haviland found most of his inspiration for his plan for the penitentiary from prisons and asylums built beginning in the 1780s in England and Ireland.[10] He gave the prison a neo-Gothic look to install fear into those who thought of committing a crime.[11] These complexes consist of cell wings radiating in a semi or full circle array from a center tower whence the prison could be kept under constant surveillance. The design for the penitentiary which Haviland devised became known as the hub-and-spoke plan which consisted of an octagonal center connected by corridors to seven radiating single-story cell blocks, each containing two ranges of large single cells—8 x 12 feet x 10 feet high- with hot water heating, a water tap, toilet, and individual exercise yards the same width as the cell.[10] There were rectangular openings in the cell wall through which food and work materials could be passed to the prisoner, as well as peepholes for guards to observe prisoners without being seen. To minimize the opportunities for communication between inmates Haviland designed a basic flush toilet for each cell with individual pipes leading to a central sewer which he hoped would prevent the sending of messages between adjacent cells.[10] Despite his efforts, prisoners were still able to communicate with each other and the flushing system had to be redesigned several times. Haviland remarked that he chose the design to promote "watching, convenience, economy, and ventilation".[12] Once construction of the prison was completed in 1836, it could house 450 prisoners.[13] John Haviland completed the architecture of the Eastern state penitentiary in 1836. Each cell was lit only by a single lighting source from either skylights or windows, which was considered the “Window of God” or “Eye of God”. The church viewed imprisonment, usually in isolation, as an instrument that would modify sinful or disruptive behavior. The time spent in prison would help inmates reflect on their crimes committed, giving them the mission for redemption. eastern+state+1+383.JPG

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Siemens Mobility reveals plans for research and innovation centre Posted: 10 January 2020 | Global Railway Review | No comments yet A planning application has been submitted on behalf of Siemens for the new research, development and innovation centre in Goole, East Yorkshire. Copyright: Siemens Siemens Mobility has revealed plans for a UK rail industry-leading research hub, set to open in Goole, East Yorkshire. Wykeland Group, a leading Yorkshire property developer, submitted the planning application to East Riding of Yorkshire Council on behalf of Siemens. Managing Director of Rolling Stock and Customer Services at Siemens Mobility Ltd, Sambit Banerjee, said: “We have been working closely and collaboratively with partners to bring these exciting proposals forward. As well as accommodating support teams for our new rail manufacturing facilities, this building and other related facilities will offer significant benefits to partners from industry and academia.” The £6 million centre, proposed to be be built at the Goole 36 enterprise zone site, will be the first phase of an innovation cluster known as the Rail Accelerator and Innovation Solutions Hub for Enterprise (RaisE). It is aimed at accelerating the adoption of technology within the rail industry, a persistent issue for the industry, and will complement a £200 million rail manufacturing facility currently being developed by Siemens at a neighbouring site. Banerjee continued: “This is the first phase of development of a cluster of facilities focused on innovation and research and development that will create a high-tech centre of excellence for the UK rail industry. The objectives of RaisE are consistent with our ambitions to establish a world-class rail village at Goole, combining manufacturing facilities with digital-led innovation to drive technological advances across the rail network and industry.” With a key focus on providing research and development support, RaisE will offer a high-quality facility for start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), predominantly linked to rail industry supply chains and include spaces for collaboration, possibly on a cross-sector basis. Digitalisation, Technology & Software, Training & Development East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Siemens Mobility, Wykeland Group Sambit Banerjee Automatic train pilot experiment successfully completed by NS ČD’s modern underfloor wheel lathe brings many benefits By Miroslav Kupec - České dráhy (ČD) A Q&A with: Christian Chavanel, Director – Rail System Department, UIC An interview with Florian Auer, Director of Technology & Innovation, Plasser & Theurer

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Mainland pays less attention to Taiwan election By Yang Sheng Source:Global Times Published: 2020/1/10 18:53:40 Han Kuo-Yu (center), "presidential candidate" for Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party, is greeted by the supporters while visiting Chingan temple on the campaign trail in Keelung on Tuesday, ahead of the Sunday "presidential" and parliamentary elections. Photo: AFP Taiwan's regional elections will be held on Saturday, but compared to previous elections, the Chinese mainland society showed less attention to it. On Friday, a day ahead of the elections, the topic "Taiwan 2020 election" received 5.63 million views on the mainland's Twitter-like social media network Sina Weibo. Compared to the "how bad the forest fire in Australia is," which got more than 690 million views on Sina Weibo, and "US, Canada, UK all claim Iran shot down airliner" that received 130 million, the Taiwan elections is not a hot topic at all, even though Taiwan is an internal Chinese affair rather than news in other countries. Song Luzheng, a research fellow and expert on Taiwan studies at the China Institute of Fudan University in Shanghai, said this means "due to the overwhelming power advantage, the mainland is able to unilaterally push forward the reunification process and cross-Taiwan Straits exchanges regardless of which party and politician rule the island in next four years." "So no matter who gets elected, from the mainland's perspective, the policy toward Taiwan won't be impacted much," he noted. Many Western media and most Taiwan local media confidently predicted the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will win, and the current leader Tsai Ing-wen will get re-elected. Song told the Global Times that the Brexit referendum and the 2016 US presidential election had shown that most polls were wrong, and now Taiwan island's election may have some similarities. Some Taiwan media also predict that the election will "make Beijing the biggest loser," saying the Hong Kong turmoil has damaged the image of the "one country, two systems" and "the fear toward reunification among the Taiwan youth will increase the DPP's advantage." However, in the mainland, more and more people, especially those on social media, also "support the DPP" but for a very different reason. These people believe that the DPP could actually speed up the process of reunification since its separatist stance might one day cause a military solution by the mainland, and they are disappointed by the KMT which prefers to maintain "the status quo" to ask for economic benefits from the mainland but makes no concrete effort to push for reunification. Before the reunification, "we'd like to see the DPP push so-called 'Taiwan-independence' as much as they can and destroy the KMT, which is an obstacle for the mainland to decide on military-based reunification. If the DPP can finish this job, that would be good," said a researcher who holds this thinking, at a Beijing-based institute on international security studies, though this way of thinking is not the mainland's official stance and the mainland government always stresses peaceful reunification is the best option. Posted in: HK/MACAO/TAIWAN,CHINA FOCUS

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Turning A Corner? Anthony Kim finally had something to celebrate in a disappointing 2009 season: a record-setting opening round at Congressional Thomas Bonk Golf Digest Digital, Writer-at-Large Mitchell Layton/Getty Images Anthony Kim's ample potential was on display again in defense of his title at Congressional. BETHESDA, Md. -- Anthony Kim said he was hungry. Five minutes later, he mentioned it again. So not long after his course-record 62 Thursday to take a two-shot lead in the first round of the AT&T National, Kim hopped into the middle seat of a cart and held on as it zoomed down a cart path. He was making a bee-line toward the players' dining room at Congressional Country Club. As it turns out, Kim is doing everything in a hurry these days, including how quickly he gets the ball into the hole. After a brief detour, Kim looks like he may once again be on the fast track to superstardom, and at the very same place he announced his arrival into the Big Time a year ago. No one has ever gone as low in a tournament at Congressional as Kim did on opening day, which must be interpreted as a good sign for someone who has been consistently inconsistent so far this year. At least Kim has something fresh in his memory files now. "My goals are to win major golf tournaments and be prepared to play in those," said Kim, who is ranked 15 in the world. "Right now I'm going about it the right way." The right way for Kim has been to get himself into shape. At 24, Kim has finally shed some of the boyish pudginess left over from his younger days. He hasn't done it alone, but with the help of Darby Rich, his physical trainer. Rich, the strength and conditioning coach for the University of Oklahoma basketball team, is a former college basketball player, a tri-captain on the Alabama basketball team along with Latrell Sprewell and Robert Horry. It's Rich who gets the credit for turning the Sooners' Blake Griffin into the physical presence that led to his choice as the No. 1 draft pick in the NBA. Kim, who went to Oklahoma, is Rich's new project and it seems like a good fit. If there has been a knock on Kim, it's that he doesn't work hard enough. But the new trim Kim can change all that, which means someone is going to have to find a new topic on which to critique Kim. It was on this same Congressional layout where Kim probably established himself in his breakout season a year ago. He won by two shots, following up his victory at Quail Hollow and sending a message that he was a major-caliber player who thrived on demanding courses. Later on, he reached another level, thrashing Sergio Garcia in the Ryder Cup singles and moving up to No. 6 in the rankings. But it didn't last for Kim. He opened 2009 with a tie for second at Kapalua, but withdrew from the Hope with a shoulder injury. Since then, Kim's results have been largely disappointing, except for the occasional flashes of brilliance he's been known to produce. That would include the 11 birdies he made in his second-round 65 at the Masters. His tie for 20th that week had been his best result in a stroke play event since Kapalua -- until his recent tie for 16th at the U.S. Open and tie for 11th at Hartford. There's one more plus. Kim sounds as if he's reaching a new maturity. When asked about the greatest thing that's happened to him this year, Kim said: "I made it to my 24th birthday." On Thursday, he made it around the course in no time at all. He hit 17 of 18 greens, 10 of 14 fairways and needed just 27 putts for his 8-under 62, his career low on the PGA Tour. And that's after starting with five straight pars. There are plenty who are expecting big things from Kim -- including Tiger Woods, who mentioned Kim's name first Tuesday when asked about his strongest challengers among the younger players. Kim said he's healthy again, that a thumb injury that affected how he gripped the club is much improved, and so is his attitude. It hasn't been that way all year, Kim admitted, due to his struggles on the course so far. "It's still hard," he said. "Just because I shot 62 doesn't take away that bitter taste in my mouth when I'm not contending for tournaments. "It's awful when you come out here and finish 20th and 30th and 50th. I mean I've been lucky to finish 50th a couple times this year. I'm finally getting to the point where I feel like I'm going to be able to win every time I tee it up. It's not going to take anything crazy, it's just going to take solid golf." He sounded optimistic. He sounded enthusiastic. He sounded hungry. The Australian Open should be cancelled - Golf Digest

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INN - Inspirational News Network Now On Comcast XFINITY X1 Archives » INN - Inspirational News Network Now On Comcast XFINITY X1 ATLANTA, GA/Philadelphia, PA – (March 28, 2019 – Global News Update) – Inspirational News Network (INN) – Stories That Inspire, is now available on the powerful and omnipresent Comcasts Xfinity X1 on-demand video/tv platform. INN – Inspirational News Network features news, business, health, finance, entertainment and sports-related content focused on three consistent themes: (1) Inspiration; (2) Motivation; and (3) Success. INN/Inspirational News Network features (24/7) a broad mix of original and existing programming designed to appeal to the diverse universe of 40 million+ American citizens (13% of the US population), with annual purchasing power of over $2 trillion in products and services, who actively invest in and seek out products, services, news and information that focuses on success, motivation and inspiration Stories That Inspire. Xfinity X1 customers can watch INN – Inspirational News Network 24/7 by saying Inspirational News Network into their X1 voice remote or by finding it within the networks section of Xfinity on Demand. INN/Inspirational News Network on Xfinitiy X1 on-demand. About INN (Inspirational News Network): INN (Inspirational News Network) is exclusively distributed by XFinity X1, a division of Comcast. For more information and to see a sample of content offered by INN, available only on Comcast XFINITY 1, please visit: http://www.InspirationalNewsNetwork.com . About Comcast: Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nations largest video, high-speed internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the XFINITY brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the XFINITY brand. NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts. Visit http://www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

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Placement on table Steamboat Round The steamboat is a round of beef that is roasted whole and is usually carved on a serving line. Roasted meats have been a standard in many cultures throughout history. In the Mariana Islands, however, the main dietary source for protein came from fish, turtles, birds, bats and other animal species native to the archipelago. It is not until the arrival of the Spanish in the 17th century that cattle, pigs and deer, and perhaps chicken, were introduced to the Chamorro people. The Chamorros consumed meat primarily on special occasions only, preparing most of their beef in stews or soups, called kådo, but they also roasted or baked meat in an oven or over a grill. They were probably also familiar with a variety of beef dishes enjoyed by the Spanish. During Spanish times, feral cattle roamed the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota until the Germans colonized the islands and claimed the cattle as government property. The Germans attempted, but were unable, to establish a commercial cattle industry in these northern islands. Indeed, most cattle raised by Chamorros in Guam and the northern Marianas prior to World War II were utilized for draft purposes, milking or riding. Many of these animals, however, were slaughtered to feed both American and Japanese military and civilians during and after the war. As with the Germans, attempts to mix local cattle with other breeds imported by the US Navy and later, the US Agricultural Station, had mixed results. Brahma cattle, more easily adaptable to the island’s warm weather and resistant to ticks, proved some success as meat and draft animals, though they did not produce much milk. After World War II, imported beef and tins of meat became more readily available. The American families living on Guam prior to World War II probably introduced the most popular way of preparing roast beef today, with a simple rub of salt and pepper and roasting in an oven. Chamorro men who were enlisted in US Navy as mess attendants (cooks) may have also possibly brought these recipes of meat preparation home. The emergence after World War II of indoor kitchens with gas or electric ovens that could handle the roasting of large portions of meat, allowed for roast beef, hams and turkeys to eventually become more prominent features of the fiesta or holiday table. The steamboat round, however, is still reserved for the most special of celebrations, and a separate carving station at a large wedding reception or banquet for the steamboat is a common sight. The steamboat is a round of beef that is roasted whole and is usually carved on a serving line. Because of the expense and elegant presentation of a steamboat round, this roast beef is considered a luxury or a prestige item that is served on the most special of occasions, such as wedding receptions, banquets and buffets. The steamboat round of beef should not to be confused with the Asian steamboat or hotpot (stock pot). The steamboat is derived from the cut of beef referred to as the round, which is at the rump or rear leg of the animal. A classic steamboat would consist of the whole roasted leg, including the top round, bottom round, eye of round, the knuckle and the rump still connected together. These cuts represent the muscles that surround the femur (or thigh/shank) bone. The steamboat can be presented with the shank bone-in, or boneless. The steamboat round usually is placed separate from the other food items of the fiesta table, in its own “carving station.” A chef carves the steamboat for each diner, who may request a particular portion based on cooked stages, from rare to well-done. A roasted pig, ham and turkey may be found nearby as these luxury meats would be grouped together. By Dominica Tolentino

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Automotive History Collection Is Worth a Look by John A. Bluth // Seven years before Ransom E. Olds built his first cars in Detroit , the Detroit Public Library ( DPL ) bought its first book focused on the automobile. The 1896 purchase of John Henry Knight’s Notes on Motor Carriages: With Hints for Purchasers of and Users was the foundation upon which today’s vast collection of automotivematerial is built. Ever since that first purchase, the DPL has aggressively added auto-related material to the collection. By 1944, nearly 50 years after the collection began, the size and scope of the automotive collection dictated its assignment to a special room within the main branch of the DPL. Nine years later, the collection’s continued growth in materials, importance and usage earned it the status of a special division within the DPL . More than 50 years ago, in recognition of the unique stature of the DPL ’s automotive collection, the library was designated as the major center for automotive materials. Under a concept known as the “Farmington Plan,” the nation’s great research libraries were allocated special subject responsibilities to avoid duplication of efforts and expense. Today, the National Automotive History Collection ( NAHC ) is housed in the newly refurbished Skillman Branch Library in downtown Detroit . The Skillman is a beautifully restored art deco building built in 1932 during the depths of the nation’s economic depression. The NAHC occupies the library’s entire second floor and has large storage areas in the climate-controlled basement and third floor. The NAHC ’s public reading room and open shelves are on the second floor and are accessible by stairs or elevator. The NAHC has more than 600,000 items of automotive history, including thousands of books, photographs, sales catalogs, shop repair manuals, magazines, biographical files and the personal and business papers of auto industrialists. A recent addition to the collection is the papers of William Knudsen and his son Semon (Bunkie) Knudsen. Both played important roles in General Motors and the Ford Motor Company. Describing the ongoing nature of the acquisition of books, papers and other materials Mark Partick, coordinator for Special Collections, recently said, “We try to acquire every book of automotive significance.” Now in its third century of acquisition, the NAHC is a major source for auto enthusiasts, writers and historians. Over the years, the NAHC collection has proven to be a particularly valuable asset to individual owners of older cars looking for technical data and histories about their vehicles. These materials are also widely used by professional restorers in their efforts to produce historically correct, prize-winning 100-point cars. The knowledgeable staff is very helpful in suggesting and accessing on-site reference material, and they’re available to respond to requests from all over the world. Black and white photocopies of text and photos can be made on site and photograph reproductions can be arranged. For more information, contact the NAHC Skillman Library at 313-628-2851 or nahc@detroit.lib.mi.us. Summer hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Car Profiles Larger than life: Pontiac through the eyes of ‘Fitz’ This Week in Automotive History: Mar 10-Mar 16 The Collector and the Car: Selden's toys got bigger and bigger

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Child Custody and Support Laws. How recent changes affect you! By Gabrielle S. Davis of Gabrielle S. Davis, P.C. posted in Child Custody on Sunday, July 23, 2017. The Illinois Legislature recently passed significant changes in Child Custody and Child Support Laws that affect anyone with children going through a divorce or custody battle despite the long standing state budget standoff that just ended. Instead of asking who has child custody, we now ask who has parental responsibility? We must decide who will make decisions for the kids on education, religion, non-emergency medical matters and extra-curricular activities. In the majority of cases, parents can still agree to share decision making in these areas. In other circumstances, it might be more appropriate for one parent to be consulted but the decision making should still rest on the other parent or in extreme cases for there to be no consultation at all. When one parent is a substance abuser, for example, that may have to be the case. In child custody cases, a crucial issue remains. Who will the kids live with the majority of the time or will the parents split parenting time 50/50 or have a schedule that is close to 50/50? Under the new child support law which is called "Income Shares" if a parent is with the kids more than 146 nights a year, that parent is entitled to a reduction in child support based on the percentage of time he or she is with the kids. In child support cases, Illinois no longer simply takes a percentage of the income of the parent who does not reside with the kids. Now like 39 other states, child support is calculated taking to account the income of the other parent even if the kids are with that parent the majority of the time. If that other parent is with the kids more than 146 nights a year, not only is child support reduced based on the residential parent's income, it is further reduced based on the percentage of overnights. The new child support law only applies to cases where there has been no final child support order entered prior to July 1, 2017. Because these laws are more complex, if you are going through a divorce or custody battle, it is advisable to consult an attorney. The Law Firm of Gabrielle S. Davis, PC can assist you in this process. Tags: Child Custody and Support Related Posts: New Child Custody Bill Proposed for Equal Parenting Time, Child Custody and Motherhood on the Run in Illinois, Alcohol Abuse in Child Custody Cases, Florida Custody Law Mandating a 50/50 Split Vetoed

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Ready At Dawn Readies A History Lesson In Fun by Ben Reeves on Feb 18, 2014 at 06:30 AM Developer: Ready at Dawn Studios Release: February 20, 2015 Rating: Mature Science fiction authors often play around with history in ways that would make a college professor cry. Case in point, Ready at Dawn’s upcoming action shooter The Order: 1886. While the game is firmly set within the Victorian era, the developer has cleverly woven real historical details together with Arthurian legends and technological achievements that did not exist until decades after the year in which the game takes place. We recently detailed The Order’s development in our November cover story, but during a recent Sony press event, got a follow up look at the game in action. Our demo begins as the knights of The Order investigate a disturbance within the Whitechapel district. Ready at Dawn’s depiction of Whitechapel is deeply rooted in the grimy, smoke-filled slums of London’s eastern district. However, the knights enter a version of the city where floating dirigibles hang solemnly in the sky and elevated trains add new texture to London’s Victorian skyline. The knights that have been battling a race of half-breed monsters for centuries, and this unholy war has pushed human technology to evolve faster than normal. Our demo centers around a seasoned knight that has taken the mantle of Sir Galahad – one of the most capable knights of the round table. Using a monocular, Galahad surveys Whitechapel from the roof of a building. He glimpses a flash of lightning coming from one alley of the district. A group of locals have started to rebel against the city’s social elite. The Knights are tasked with putting down this uprising, so after calling for backup over a wireless radio, Galahad and his rookie companion Lafayette, head towards the sound of gunfire. The Order: 1886 has a unique visual style, but this is due to the game’s cinematic camera as much as it is Ready at Dawn’s gorgeous graphics. The camera moves in tight around the characters as they climb over the ruble of an abandoned house, and even simulates the movements of a handy-cam that follows Galahad as he runs and jumps from the roof of one building into the second story of a tenement with a caved-in ceiling. The two knights creep up behind the rebels and open fire, quickly mowing through a row of distracted insurgents. As Galahad presses his attack, he jumps over a balcony and onto a small wooden structure, but the wood gives way under his feet, and the knight collapse on top of one of the rebel leaders. This initiates a stylish quick time event where Galahad fights to gain hold of a knife that he eventually uses to silence his opponent. Unlike traditional quick time events, however, these sequences are full of branching paths. If players miss a button prompt they won’t fail the sequence immediately. Instead, the action will explore a different path than that of a player who hits all the prompts correctly. After this timed button sequence, Galahad’s backup arrives. Unfortunately, the knights have made a startling discovery. The group finds a stash of The Order’s specially designed weapons inside a rebel stronghold. This is particularly odd since The Order isn’t aware of any recent weapon cache losses. How are the rebels getting their hands on these high-tech munitions? Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until Sony is ready to show off more of The Order to find out who’s supplying the rebels with these weapons, because our brief demo came to an abrupt close. We would have liked to have gotten a longer look at this third person shooter's traditional firefights, but The Order is easily one of the best looking games we’ve seen in a while. History buffs might cry over this depiction of Victorian England, but the only reason we want to tear up is because we still don’t know when we’ll be able to get our hands on this exciting project. For more on The Order: 1886 check out our breakdown of the Knights of The Order. Benjamin Reeves is a writer, journalist, and geek sponge. For the last 12 years he has worked as an editor for Game Informer Magazine. He has a passion for video games, comic books, and pizza.

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Donate to a Memorial Abby (Funk) Robke In November 2014, Abby Robke was diagnosed with stage 2-3 Anaplastic Astrocytoma brain cancer at the age of 26. Determined not to give up, she made the most of every moment until she was called to heaven on December 11, 2018 at age 30. Abby Elizabeth Funk was born on March 4, 1988. She played varsity basketball and graduated from Mascoutah Community High School in 2006 ("We Got Jug, 0-6!"), going on to earn her degree in radiology from Kaskaskia College in 2008. On April 13, 2013 she married the love of her life Adam Robke, who was by her side for every moment of her illness. She will be deeply missed by her beloved older brother and younger sister, Aaron and Mollie Funk. She was the daughter of Phyllis Mahlandt and Larry Funk. She loved her family and friends, dogs, boating, wine and country music. As one of her favorites, Tim McGraw, said, "We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we all take a little bit of each other everywhere." Donate to memorial To update information for this profile, please email us at admin@headforthecure.org.

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Help around the home with extra peace of mind The benefits of choosing a family-run business Unlike many other home care providers, Helping Hands is a family run business that is small enough to care, but big enough to cope. The company was founded in the late 1980s by Mary Lee. Fast-forward 30 years, and Mary’s sons – Tim and Ben Lee – are still involved with Helping Hands Home Care and continuing their mother’s good work. Helping Hands has grown from strength to strength, now providing much-needed home support for thousands of families throughout England and Wales. Today, we cover the full range of home care services, from companionship, home help and personal care right through to nursing care for complex needs. We are also proud to be the only care company recognised in the UK’s Best Places to Work 2018, in the Top 20 UK Companies with the best workplace culture and leadership, and incredibly honoured to have the award for 32nd best CEO in the UK for our former CEO and now Chariman, Tim Lee, with a 92% approval rating (from Glassdoor and independent employee reviews). About Mary’s background Mary’s profession as a teacher of children with learning disabilities brought her into contact with many social services departments around the Midlands. Mary began to realise that local authorities were seeking partnerships with outside agencies to provide quality care for people in their own home. With this in mind Mary formed Helping Hands in 1989. Mary’s eldest son Tim, an undergraduate at Cardiff University, would help the family business by visiting customers and answering phone enquiries when he returned home between term times. His younger brother Ben, still at school at the time, would assist the payroll of Mary’s growing collection of carers, while revising for his GCSEs and A-Levels. Mary's story, founding Helping Hands Tim and Ben – taking the business forward Mary left the business in 2007 after 18 years for her well earned retirement. Tim is now Chairman and has presided over a period of growth for the organisation, which now employs over 3,500 carers around England and Wales. Despite the success of the business, the central philosophy of Helping Hands is the same today as it always has been – a desire to provide the best care possible to people in a way which promotes independence, ensures dignity and aids emotional well-being. This will always be the Helping Hands way. Meet our senior managers Tim recognised as a UK top 50 CEO In June 2018, Tim won the Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award as the 32nd highest rated CEO in the UK. For the second year running, former CEO Tim – now Chairman – received an impressive 92% approval rating based on anonymous and voluntary reviews shared by Helping Hands’ employees. More than 700,000 UK companies were reviewed in all with an average approval rating of 67%. “My family’s original vision and values still underpin everything that we strive so hard to achieve,” Tim shared, “therefore focussing on our people and listening to and understanding their concerns has to be my top priority.” Other people are interested in... We’re here seven days a week to talk through your home care needs and find the best option for you. Call 03300376958 or request a callback and we will call you. Industry-endorsed home care What makes our carers and support workers so special What our customers say about our home care Compliance Guidelines A CQC regulated service “Quality Care....” My father has been a client of Helping Hands for almost Three years. “Excellent care tailored to the individual” My siblings and I were very pleased with the care provided by Helping Hands both as an organisation and in terms of the carers who looked after our parent. “Care twice a day for my parents.” Helping Hands came to the rescue when two other care companies had withdrawn in succession, from providing support to enable my parents to remain living in their home. Helping Hands Home Care > About us > Why choose Helping Hands? > A family business

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Home Online First Current Issue Past Issues FIND ISSUES > ARTICLE & MULTIMEDIA > Most Accessed Articles Clinical Epidemiology Workshop Series FOR AUTHORS > ABOUT THIS JOURNAL > INFORMATION FOR > FIND ISSUES ARTICLE & MULTIMEDIA Online First Articles Latest CME Articles Hong Kong Med J 2015 Oct;21(5):411–6 | Epub 28 Aug 2015 DOI: 10.12809/hkmj154542 © Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Corticosteroid adulteration in proprietary Chinese medicines: a recurring problem YK Chong, MB, BS; CK Ching, FRCPA, FHKAM (Pathology); SW Ng, MPhil; Tony WL Mak, FRCPath, FHKAM (Pathology) Hospital Authority Toxicology Reference Laboratory, Princess Margaret Hospital, Laichikok, Hong Kong Corresponding author: Dr Tony WL Mak (makwl@ha.org.hk) Full paper in PDF Objectives: To investigate adulteration of proprietary Chinese medicines with corticosteroids in Hong Kong. Design: Case series with cross-sectional analysis. Setting: A tertiary clinical toxicology laboratory in Hong Kong. Patients: All patients using proprietary Chinese medicines adulterated with corticosteroids and referred to the authors’ centre from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012. Main outcome measures: Patients’ demographic data, clinical presentation, medical history, drug history, laboratory investigations, and analytical findings of the proprietary Chinese medicines were analysed. Results: The records of 61 patients who consumed corticosteroid-adulterated proprietary Chinese medicines were reviewed. The most common corticosteroid implicated was dexamethasone. Co-adulterants such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and histamine H1-receptor antagonists were detected in the proprietary Chinese medicine specimens. Among the patients, seven (11.5%) required intensive care, two (3.3%) died within 30 days of presentation, and 38 (62.3%) had one or more complications that were potentially attributable to exogenous corticosteroids. Of 22 (36.1%) patients who had provocative adrenal function testing performed, 17 (77.3% of those tested) had adrenal insufficiency. Conclusion: The present case series is the largest series of patients taking proprietary Chinese medicines adulterated with corticosteroids. Patients taking these illicit products are at risk of severe adverse effects, including potentially fatal complications. Adrenal insufficiency was very common in this series of patients. Assessment of adrenal function in these patients, however, has been inadequate and routine rather than discretionary testing of adrenal function is indicated in this group of patients. The continuing emergence of proprietary Chinese medicines adulterated with western medication indicates a persistent threat to public health. New knowledge added by this study Adulteration of proprietary Chinese medicines (pCMs) with corticosteroids is a significant yet underrecognised phenomenon. Co-adulteration with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and histamine H1-receptor antagonists is often seen. Adrenal insufficiency is a common complication in patients who have consumed pCMs adulterated with corticosteroids. Implications for clinical practice or policy Adrenal function testing is essential for patients suspected to have taken corticosteroid-adulterated pCMs. Public health education on the danger of taking pCMs of dubious sources and implementation of effective regulatory measures are important to address the problem of corticosteroid-adulterated pCMs. [Abstract in Chinese] Proprietary Chinese medicines (pCMs) are products claimed to be made of Chinese medicines and formulated in a finished dosage form. As with traditional Chinese medicine, pCMs are generally regarded by the public as benign and non-toxic, as compared with western medications. Undeclared corticosteroids, among other adulterants, have been reported to be added to pCMs, Ayurvedic medicine, and homeopathic medicine.1 2 3 4 5 There are multiple incentives for adding corticosteroids: they have powerful analgesic and anti-inflammatory actions, making these proprietary products effective against various allergic, autoimmune, dermatological, and musculoskeletal pain disorders. From 2008 to 2012, the Hospital Authority Toxicology Reference Laboratory, the only tertiary referral centre for clinical toxicological analysis in Hong Kong, confirmed 61 cases of corticosteroid-adulterated pCMs. We report these cases to highlight the severity and danger of using such adulterated medications. From 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012, all cases referred to the Hospital Authority Toxicology Reference Laboratory that involved the use of pCMs, which were subsequently found to contain corticosteroids, were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical data were obtained by reviewing the laboratory database as well as the patients’ electronic and, where necessary, paper health records. Demographic data, clinical presentation, medical history, drug history, laboratory investigations, radiological investigations, and analytical findings of the pCMs were reviewed. For the evaluation of adrenocortical function, due to the heterogeneity of patient population and the nature of the retrospective case series for the present study, both low-dose short synacthen test (LDSST) and short synacthen test (SST) have been used for the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency. We adopted a cutoff of 550 nmol/L, which has been traditionally used for SST, and previously validated in the local population for LDSST.6 The presumed causal relationship between the clinical features or complications or both of the patients and the adulterants was evaluated based on the temporal sequence, the known adverse effects of the detected drugs, and the presence of underlying diseases. The presence of corticosteroids was analysed qualitatively by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with a linear ion trap instrument. The presence of other co-adulterants was analysed qualitatively by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection. Confirmations by LC-MS/MS or gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were performed as required. This study was approved by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority Kowloon West Cluster Research Ethics Committee (approval number KW/EX-13-121). The Committee exempted the study group from obtaining patient consent because the presented data were anonymised, and the risk of identification was low. A total of 61 patients involving the use of 61 corticosteroid-adulterated pCMs were referred to the Hospital Authority Toxicology Reference Laboratory in Hong Kong. There were 30 men and 31 women, with an age range of 1 to 91 years (median, 65 years). Seven (11.5%) patients were younger than 18 years. The usage duration ranged from 3 days to 10 years, with a median of 4 months. Most (n=47, 77.0%) patients obtained the corticosteroid-adulterated pCMs over-the-counter and 13 (21.3%) obtained the steroid-adulterated pCMs from Chinese medicine practitioners. The source for one case remained unknown. Among the 47 patients who obtained their pCMs over-the-counter, 38 (80.9%) obtained the pCMs in the Mainland China, seven (14.9%) obtained the pCMs in Hong Kong, and the remaining two patients (each accounting for 2.1%) obtained the pCMs from Taiwan and Malaysia. For patients who obtained their pCMs from Chinese medicine practitioners (n=13), the practitioners were located in Hong Kong in nine (69.2%), Mainland China in two (15.4%), and Macau in two (15.4%) cases. The three most common indications for the use of pCMs were musculoskeletal pain (n=36; 59.0%), skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis (n=13; 21.3%), and airway problems such as asthma, bronchiectasis, and chronic obstructive airway disease (n=8; 13.1%). The indications for all seven (11.5%) paediatric patients were for skin disorders. Dexamethasone, present in 29 (47.5%) pCMs, and prednisone, present in 21 (34.4%) pCMs, were the most common corticosteroid adulterants among the pCMs submitted for analysis. Details of the corticosteroid adulteration are listed in Table 1. Table 1. Corticosteroids used to adulterate the proprietary Chinese medicines (pCMs) taken by patients in this study (n=61) Other than steroids, co-adulterants were also detected in 53 (86.9%) pCMs. The most common co-adulterants were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs; present in 33 [54.1%] pCMs) and histamine H1-receptor antagonists (present in 20 [32.8%] pCMs). The co-adulterants are listed in Table 2. Table 2. Co-adulterants in the proprietary Chinese medicines taken by patients in this study (n=61) Overall, 38 (62.3%) patients had one or more complications that were either attributable or potentially attributable to the use of exogenous corticosteroids: 18 (29.5%) were documented to have clinical Cushing’s syndrome; eight (13.1%) had endoscopic-proven gastritis or peptic ulcer disease, of whom six (9.8%) were proven to be Helicobacter pylori–negative; five (8.2%) had sepsis at presentation; three (4.9%) had hepatitis B exacerbation; and two (3.3%) had tuberculosis. Other clinical presentations included hepatitis C reactivation, transient diabetes that resolved after discontinuation of corticosteroids, and cataract occurring in a paediatric patient. Overall, 22 (36.1%) patients had adrenal function testing performed, and among them 17 (77.3%) had biochemically confirmed adrenal insufficiency. For the subgroup in whom Cushing’s syndrome was not identified (n=43; 70.5%), LDSST/SST were performed in 11 (25.6%), and among those, seven (63.6%) had biochemically confirmed adrenal insufficiency. Seven (11.5%) patients in this series required intensive care, and two (3.3%) died within 1 month of initial presentation. Among the patients who had consumed pCMs adulterated with corticosteroids and required intensive care unit admission, the clinical presentations of two patients may have been related to the use of corticosteroids, which are described below. The patient was a 67-year-old man who had a history of psoriasis, diabetes, hypertension, and chronic renal impairment. He presented in 2012 with fever, decreased urine output, and gastro-intestinal upset. He reported a 2-month history of using a pCM for psoriasis, and his skin condition dramatically improved. He was in shock on admission, with acute renal failure and respiratory distress. He was admitted to the intensive care unit where he stayed for 7 days. He required inotropic support and mechanical ventilation. Computed tomography revealed a large lung abscess and blood culture showed Pseudomonas species. During his hospitalisation, SST was performed, and the results were adequate (cortisol level of 944 nmol/L at 30 minutes after synacthen injection). In the pCM submitted for analysis, prednisone acetate was detected, among other herbal markers. His condition improved with drainage of the abscess and prolonged intravenous antibiotics, including cefoperazone and sulbactam (1 g and later 2 g every 12 hours intravenously [IV] for 39 days) as well as imipenem and cilastatin (500 mg every 8 hours IV for 51 days). He was discharged after a long rehabilitation programme, 3 months after the initial admission. The patient was a 61-year-old man. He presented in 2009 with a history of asthma, and was a chronic smoker. He initially presented with low back pain after slipping and falling. He, however, was noted to have bilateral apical opacities on chest radiograph, and was found to have smear-positive, open pulmonary tuberculosis. He was put on piperacillin (4 g every 6 hours IV), augmentin (1.2 g every 8 hours IV), clarithromycin (500 mg twice a day orally), isoniazid (300 mg daily orally), rifampicin (450 mg daily orally), and ethambutol (700 mg daily orally) initially while he was intubated, ventilated, and admitted to intensive care unit for respiratory failure. During his initial improvement in the intensive care unit, he reported the use of a kind of herbal powder, which he took to alleviate his airway condition. In the herbal powder, opium alkaloids (morphine, codeine), oxytetracycline, diazepam, clenbuterol, and prednisone were detected, among other herbal markers. His condition later deteriorated and he went into respiratory failure and required intubation. Subsequently, he died of ventilator-associated Escherichia coli pneumonia. In this patient, adrenal function testing with LDSST/SST was not performed. Corticosteroids are notorious for causing side-effects such as Cushing’s syndrome, adrenal insufficiency, cataracts, peptic ulcer disease, osteoporosis, and decreased immune response, particularly when used for a protracted period of time in high doses. The latest Endocrine Society guidelines on the diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome has also stressed obtaining a thorough history to exclude excessive exogenous glucocorticoid exposure leading to iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome.7 The continuing emergence of corticosteroid-adulterated pCMs indicates that iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome is a persistent problem with public health implications. The incentive behind adulteration of pCMs is easily understandable. Most of the pCMs involved suggest that they are useful for the treatment of pain, skin problems, or respiratory ailments. Steroids, notwithstanding their many adverse effects, are effective therapy for pain, inflammatory disorders, allergic skin problems, and respiratory disorders such as asthma and chronic obstructive airway disease. Although the side-effects of corticosteroids have been extensively described over the past century, many of these effects are multifactorial in their pathophysiology, and the effect of corticosteroids is difficult to quantitate in isolation. For example, Cushing’s syndrome and adrenal insufficiency as adverse drug reactions associated with the use of corticosteroid-adulterated pCMs are less likely to be disputed, for example H pylori–negative peptic ulcer disease can be due to stress, alcoholism, use of NSAIDs, and other concomitant illnesses. Despite the presence of confounding factors, the adverse effects of corticosteroid use are suspected in many of the patients who use corticosteroid-containing pCMs: for example, the deep-seated infection in patient 1 and open tuberculosis in patient 2 could well be a result of immunosuppression due to the use of corticosteroids. For the paediatric patient with cataract on presentation, given that the patient had no other clinical features to suggest a metabolic or exogenous cause for the cataract, it is more likely that the presence of the cataract was due to the use of corticosteroids. The authors considered all cases of Cushing’s syndrome, adrenal insufficiency, and cataract occurring in paediatric patients to be attributable to the use of exogenous steroids. The prevalence of these conditions in this case series and other conditions that are potentially attributable to the use of exogenous corticosteroids are listed in Table 3. Table 3. Complications attributable to exogenous corticosteroids in the proprietary Chinese medicines (pCMs) taken by patients in this study (n=61) The presence of co-adulterants in steroid-adulterated pCMs appears to be the rule rather than the exception. It cannot be overstressed that co-adulterants present in pCMs are equally dangerous, even when compared with corticosteroids, for example, the presence of multiple NSAIDs together with steroids puts patients at high risk for complications (such as acute kidney injury and peptic ulcer disease), and opiates (such as codeine and morphine) present in pCMs indicated for respiratory conditions puts patients, who most likely have asthma or chronic obstructive airway disease, at high risk for respiratory depression and carbon dioxide narcosis. While effective at ameliorating symptoms, these drugs delay the clinical presentation and hence the opportunity to treat the disease at an early stage. Many therapeutically irrelevant medications were also found in the pCMs. Examples include histamine H1-receptor antagonists found in adulterated pCMs that are intended to treat bone pain, and the presence of tadalafil (a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction) found in an adulterated pCM that is supposed to treat diabetes. It is difficult to comprehend the reason behind the addition of such co-adulterants, although contamination due to poor pharmaceutical manufacturing practice is likely a contributing factor, if not the sole reason. For the diagnosis of exogenous corticosteroid intake, maintaining a high index of suspicion is of utmost importance. The classical feature of Cushing’s syndrome was present in less than 30% of patients in this series. This indicates that a large proportion of cases would likely be missed if biochemical testing was only performed following demonstration of classical features of exogenous steroid intake. This experience indicates that it is often worthwhile testing patients who improve dramatically with the use of pCMs from dubious sources, especially when the treatment claims to be effective for treating pain, airway diseases, and childhood eczema. In these cases, a detailed drug history, and laboratory analysis of suspicious pCMs can help to confirm the diagnosis. The management of these patients starts with termination of exposure to the adulterated pCMs, and treatment of the complications that have already occurred. It is prudent to provide corticosteroid replacement therapy pending dynamic function test for adrenal function. For patients with underlying inflammatory or autoimmune disorders such as gouty arthritis, psoriasis, and eczema, abrupt discontinuation of corticosteroid medications may trigger an exacerbation of disease. In these groups of patients, slow, gradual tapering should be considered. A worrying observation in the present series is the occurrence of adrenal insufficiency, as well as the lack of investigations thereof. Patients who were exposed to pCMs adulterated with corticosteroids were clearly at risk of adrenal insufficiency due to suppression of adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion and the resultant adrenocortical atrophy. In this series, LDSST/SST was only performed in 36.1% of the patients, and in those patients in whom the tests were performed, 77.3% were inadequate. It is clear that, among the patients who were not tested, some were likely to have undiagnosed adrenal insufficiency. As undiagnosed adrenal insufficiency carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality, the authors believe that LDSST should be performed on all patients who have significant exposure to pCMs adulterated with corticosteroids, even if they have no signs of Cushing’s syndrome. While spot cortisol obtained in the morning is diagnostic if it is <100 nmol/L or >420 nmol/L as verified locally by Choi et al,6 we recommend LDSST as the test for adrenal function; LDSST (1 µg) is preferred over the standard (250 µg) SST because studies indicate that LDSST may be more sensitive in detecting partial adrenal insufficiency.8 9 The authors further recommend that a sensitive cutoff of 550 nmol/L at 30 minutes be used for the purpose of diagnosing adrenal insufficiency in this group of patients. Our recommendation for use of provocative adrenal testing and a sensitive cutoff level is based on the high probability of adrenal insufficiency in this group of patients. Prevention is always better than cure, and this is especially true for public health issues. While analytical and clinical toxicologists are well aware of the situation, it is important to bring this matter to the other stakeholders in society, namely, policy-makers, frontline clinicians, and the general public, with communication tailored to the recipients. For the general public, a simple rule can be taught: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is; and this is especially so for pCMs that claim to treat certain conditions in which western-drug adulteration is common, for example, weight reduction and diabetes, as previously reported by our unit,10 11 and pain, respiratory conditions, and skin problems, as reported in the present study. It is prudent to consider brands and retailers that are trustworthy and, in case of doubt, patients should seek opinion from their primary care doctors. For frontline clinicians, we wish to bring to their attention that this adulteration issue is common, recurring, and worthy of consideration, and that patients who have a history of using such corticosteroid-adulterated pCMs should have their adrenal function tested. It is also important that iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome subsequent to the use of corticosteroids that are from a source of adulteration be reported to the relevant authorities. It is the opinion of the authors that liberal, but careful, reporting would contribute to better understanding of this problem, further the prosecution of those behind steroid-adulteration of pCMs, and help to ameliorate this public health problem. As for legislation and policies, consideration of fraudulent prescription contrary to the expectation of patients, who would expect traditional Chinese medicine rather than the inappropriate use of corticosteroids seen in many of these cases, by the legislators, judiciary, and relevant councils and constituents, rather than focusing on the possession and unlawful sale of the relevant compounds, would be a great deterrent to these illicit practices. The present case series is the largest series of patients using pCMs adulterated with corticosteroids. The continuing emergence of pCMs adulterated with western medications indicates a persistent threat to public health. It is thus important that the risk be communicated not only to the medical profession, but also to the public, and effective regulatory measures to combat these illicit pCMs should be in place. 1. Ahmed S, Riaz M. Quantitation of cortico-steroids as common adulterants in local drugs by HPLC. Chromatographia 1991;31:67-70. Crossref 2. Hon KL, Leung TF, Yau HC, Chan T. Paradoxical use of oral and topical steroids in steroid-phobic patients resorting to traditional Chinese medicines. World J Pediatr 2012;8:263-7. Crossref 3. Ku Y, Wen K, Ho L, Chang YS. Solid-phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatographic determination of steroids adulterated in traditional Chinese medicines. J Food Drug Anal 1999;7:123-30. 4. Morice A. Adulteration of homoeopathic remedies. Lancet 1987;329:635. Crossref 5. Savaliya AA, Prasad B, Raijada DK, Singh S. Detection and characterization of synthetic steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in Indian ayurvedic/herbal products using LC-MS/TOF. Drug Test Anal 2009;1:372-81. Crossref 6. Choi CH, Tiu SC, Shek CC, Choi KL, Chan FK, Kong PS. Use of the low-dose corticotropin stimulation test for the diagnosis of secondary adrenocortical insufficiency. Hong Kong Med J 2002;8:427-34. 7. Nieman LK, Biller BM, Findling JW, et al. The diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome: an Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2008;93:1526-40. Crossref 8. Broide J, Soferman R, Kivity S, et al. Low-dose adrenocorticotropin test reveals impaired adrenal function in patients taking inhaled corticosteroids. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1995;80:1243-6. Crossref 9. Streeten DH, Anderson GH Jr, Bonaventura MM. The potential for serious consequences from misinterpreting normal responses to the rapid adrenocorticotropin test. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1996;81:285-90. Crossref 10. Ching CK, Lam YH, Chan AY, Mak TW. Adulteration of herbal antidiabetic products with undeclared pharmaceuticals: a case series in Hong Kong. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2012;73:795-800. Crossref 11. Tang MH, Chen SP, Ng SW, Chan AY, Mak TW. Case series on a diversity of illicit weight-reducing agents: from the well known to the unexpected. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2011;71:250-3. Crossref Copyright © 2020 Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. 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Help us continue to fight human rights abuses. Please give now to support our work Video & Photos August 20, 2012 10:05AM EDT The Pussy Riot trial is a turning point for how we view Russia Published in The Independent Tanya Lokshina Associate Director, Europe and Central Asia Division TanyaLokshina Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, who were charged with hate-motivated hooliganism and taken into custody on March 2012. Samutsevich was released in October 2012. © 2012 AP Images As I write this piece, the three women who form the punk band Pussy Riot have been found guilty of “hooliganism” by a Moscow Court. They have each been sentenced to two years in prison. My colleague has somehow managed to get into the courtroom, and has been sending updates every few minutes. More than 1,000 people gathered outside the building in Moscow to hear the verdict and they're not leaving. The verdict comes amid a broader crackdown on civil society after Putin's election to another presidential term. In June and July, Russia's parliament adopted a raft of laws putting new restrictions on certain NGOs that receive foreign funding, on public demonstrations, and on the internet. After a winter of unprecedented, peaceful opposition protests, demonstrators whom the authorities claim were involved in a scuffle with police in May were arrested and charged with crimes that appear disproportionate to their alleged actions. Twenty-two-year-old Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, 23, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, who have already spent close to half-a-year in pre-trial custody after their now world famous anti-Putin stunt at Christ the Saviour Church in Moscow, are known all over the world as Pussy Riot. Indeed, they look like college students, as they smile at their supporters from the defendants' cage in the stuffy court room. Students exhausted by lack of sleep and physical strain as they face the punitive state machinery. Since 30 July, they've spent more than 10 hours a day in that cage, brought to court in the early morning, having invariably missed prison breakfast, and returned to their cells after midnight. They lost their case, but it seems they won more than that, as their trial has become a turning point for how Putin's Russia is being viewed. In the 20 years that the Human Rights Watch office has been operating in Russia, we have never seen such an intense campaign around a particular case. The media outcry, the staggering level of public interest, the list of celebrities speaking up in support of the three women in Russia and the West have been truly unprecedented. Throughout Mr. Putin's time on the world political stage, Russian and international human rights groups have flagged the growing loss of independence of the judicial system and the dramatic curtailing of freedom of expression in the country. It seems the Pussy Riot case has helped crystalise these two issues for the international community. Now is the time for Russia's international interlocutors to make it clear to the Moscow government that the present state of affairs is intolerable for a country that claims to respect its international human rights obligations. If three young women dared challenge the Kremlin, Western democratic states can certainly afford to do likewise. Your tax deductible gift can help stop human rights violations and save lives around the world. Europe/Central Asia August 17, 2012 News Release Russia: Band Members’ Conviction a Blow to Free Expression January 20, 2020 Dispatches Britain Cannot Turn Its Back on Lone Children Now Russia: Escalating Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses Arrests, Prison, Harassment for Peaceful Religious Practice Greece: Unaccompanied Children at Risk Arriving Alone in Island Camp, They Face Insecurity, Neglect August 7, 2019 News Release South Africa: Decriminalise Sex Work January 20, 2020 News Release Qatar: End of Abusive Exit Permits for Most Migrant Workers India Failing on Kashmiri Human Rights August 7, 2019 Report Why Sex Work Should be Decriminalised in South Africa June 21, 2017 Report “Just Let Us Be” Get updates on human rights issues from around the globe. Join our movement today.

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The best outdoor art in East Anglia Words by Harriet Cooper It’s the Art Eat Festival in Ipswich on 21 and 22 September, a celebration of creativity, art and street food along the Ipswich Waterfront. During the weekend, three large art murals will be created, as well as a sizeable urban textile installation. To mark the occasion, we unearth where else you can appreciate outdoor art across the network, from sculpture parks to Banksy murals. The artwork: the ArcelorMittal Orbit Designed by artist Sir Anish Kapoor and engineer Cecil Balmond, the ArcelorMittal Orbit in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is the UK’s largest sculpture, constructed from enough steel to make 265 double-decker buses. Take the lift to the viewing platforms for 20-mile views across the London skyline, before whizzing down in the world’s tallest and longest slide. While you're there... There’s something for everyone at the Olympic Park, which was originally built for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. After exploring the parkland with its tranquil waterways, pretty fountains and wetlands teeming with wildlife, kids will love the adventure playgrounds and the giant climbing walls. Nearest station: Stratford The artwork: Question Mark At Ipswich Waterfront, you’ll come across Question Mark. The sizeable art work – made by London-based artists Langlands & Bell – consists of two parts: a four-metre high black-and-white granite and steel sculpture and an LED light display, designed to link the north and south sites of the University Campus Suffolk. While you’re there… Ipswich is a town rich in heritage and culture, so there’s plenty to do. The waterfront buzzes with restaurants, cafés and bars and it’s also where you can jump aboard the Orwell Lady, which takes you along the River Orwell to the bustling ports of Felixstowe and Harwich. Nearest station: Ipswich The artwork: The Suffolk Trinity This depicts three animals: a Suffolk Punch, a heavy horse developed for farm work in the 16th-century; a Red Poll bull; and a Suffolk ram – all of them rare breeds which originated in the county. The life-sized sculpture, created by artist Harriet Mead, stands proudly at the entrance to the Trinity Park showground on the eastern edge of Ipswich. Set in 350 acres of parkland, Trinity Park encompasses a huge array of outdoor and indoor events though the highlight has to be the annual Suffolk Show; held on 27 and 28 May next year, it showcases the best of Suffolk’s food, farming and agricultural heritage. The artwork: East London street art East London – Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, Hoxton and Hackney in particular – is packed with some of the best street art in the world, from graffiti art and murals to cool stickers, painted shutters and offbeat sculptures. Join a street art tour and uncover works by Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Ben Eine and ROA, to name a few. You’ll never be short of things to do in Shoreditch. Visit the heavenly-scented Columbia Flower Market, while Brick Lane is a foodie’s haven with everything from bagels to curries to be tasted. The district is also home to some of the coolest cafés, restaurants and clubs in town. Nearest station: London Liverpool Street The artwork: The Sculpture Park The Sculpture Park – which stretches across the University of East Anglia campus in Norwich – consists of 350 acres of parkland packed with fauna and flora. But the highlight is undoubtedly the sculptures which dot the landscape. Download the map and seek out works by everyone from Henry Moore and Antony Gormley to Lynn Chadwick and Elisabeth Frink. Norwich seamlessly blends the past with the present. While it’s the most complete medieval city in the UK, complete with a stunning Norman cathedral, the city also has a flourishing arts scene, superb shopping (don’t miss the Lanes) - and lively nightlife. Nearest station: Norwich The artwork: The Drums to the Fore and Aft The Drums to the Fore and Aft (known locally as the Drummer Boy) was moved last year from Woodbridge’s Melton Hill to a new home outside the Shire Hall on Market Hill. The newly-renovated bronze statue, by Arnold 8th Earl of Albemarle, was inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s story of a disastrous battle of the second Anglo-Afghan War. Woodbridge is a vibrant market town, which sits on the banks of the River Deben and on the edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Head for the bustling quayside for a coffee, before visiting the working Tide Mill and strolling along the river. Nearest station: Woodbridge The artwork: The Henry Moore Studios and Gardens This site near Much Hadham, is where Henry Moore, arguably one of the most significant artists of the 20th-century, created some of his greatest works. Explore the 70 acres of grounds, which are dotted with his world-famous sculptures, take a tour of the Moore family home and the beautiful gardens created by Henry’s wife Irina, and the artist’s studio. With its thatched cottages and local pub, Much Hadham is the quintessential English village. The Forge Museum features a local history gallery, Elizabethan wall paintings and exhibits about blacksmithing in mythology, art and literature. Nearest station: Bishop’s Stortford; the 351 bus from Bishop’s Stortford stops in Much Hadham and it’s a 1.5mile walk to Perry Green The artwork: Fulcrum Fulcrum by American sculptor Richard Serra, just outside Liverpool Street station, is a freestanding 55-foot sculpture that towers over Broadgate Circle. Consisting of five pieces of steel, the minimalist masterpiece has been called one of London’s “design icons” by Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum. Liverpool Street is the gateway to London and all the capital city has to offer. Seeing as you’re in East London, why not potter around Old Spitalfields Market with its plethora of stalls, before taking the super-speedy lift up 110 Bishopsgate Tower – the third tallest skyscraper in the UK – for a meal at Duck and Waffle. The artwork: Captain Mainwaring Sitting on a bench in the middle of Thetford, you’ll find a life-size bronze statue of Captain Mainwaring from Dad’s Army. Many scenes from the beloved BBC sitcom, about the Home Guard during World War II, were filmed in the town and there is also a museum dedicated to the television series. Thetford Forest – a short stroll from the train station – is the UK’s largest man-made lowland forest, with over 18,000 hectares to explore. Kids will love swinging through the treetops at Go Ape. Nearest station: Thetford Want to discover great outdoor art? Book our Advance tickets for the cheapest fares Discover Hub Get ideas and inspiration for places to go, things to see and essential experiences to enjoy across the network

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Tags : Anthem for Doomed Youth, Craiglockhart, Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen Born on 18th March 1893 in Plas Wilmot near Oswestry in Shropshire, Wilfred Owen would eventually become one of the most famous war poets in the English language. His poetry is now most certainly the most widely read and studied within this genre and forms the introduction to the First World War for many individuals. Wilfred was the oldest of four children, a sister Mary and two brothers, Colin and Harold, all born to Tom Owen and his wife Susan. Until Wilfred was four, the family lived in reasonable comfort in a house belonging to his maternal grandfather, Edward Shaw, a former mayor of the town. However, upon Shaw’s death, it was discovered that he was virtually bankrupt, so the Owens moved to smaller lodgings in Birkenhead, where Wilfred attended the Birkenhead Institute, developing into an earnest and slightly arrogant young man. Throughout his childhood, Owen was greatly influenced by his mother Susan, who firmly believed that her eldest child would one day restore the family fortune. In 1907 the family moved to Shrewsbury, when Tom Owen was appointed Assistant Superintendent of the Joint Railways. The family’s living conditions improved and Wilfred now attended the Shrewsbury Technical School, where he studied hard, developing his interest in literature and especially the poetry of Keats. Owen sat and passed the qualifying examination for London University in 1911. Unfortunately, his parents could not afford the fees and Owen had not qualified for a scholarship, so instead he took up the position of assistant to the Vicar of Dunsden in Oxfordshire, in return for which he received additional tuition. However, this proved to be an unhappy time for Owen, who found his religious beliefs sorely tested in this poor parish, especially in the absence of his influential mother. By February 1913, Owen had returned to Shrewsbury and went on to sit for a scholarship at Reading University. Upon failing, however, he gave up on the idea of a university education. Owen needed to earn a living so he travelled to France where he became an English teacher, initially in Berlitz and then in the Pyrenees, where he became the private tutor to a wealthy family. When the First World War began in August 1914, Owen made no attempt to return home, writing to his mother that he believed his role in the war was to perpetuate the English language. It would be a year before Owen returned to enlist in the Artists’ Rifles in October 1915 and, following months of training, he was commissioned into the Manchester Regiment in June 1916. Owen finally arrived back in France in December 1916, in the middle of the coldest winter of the war. On March 13th 1917, Owen fell into a cellar and, although he initially thought he had just banged his head, he was actually concussed and was hospitalised for two weeks. At the beginning of April, in heavy fighting around Savy Wood near St Quentin, Owen was caught up in shell fire and spent several days in a shell hole, surrounded by the dismembered remains of a fellow officer. When Owen’s Battalion was relieved on 21st April, it was noticed that his speech was confused and he was shaking. He was diagnosed as suffering from shell shock and was eventually sent to Craiglockhart Military Hospital in Edinburgh, where he remained for four months. While at Craiglockhart, Owen met a fellow patient, Siegfried Sassoon and the two soon became friends, after an initially awkward first meeting. The shy, stammering Owen was somewhat in awe of the decorated war hero Sassoon, but the latter agreed to look at some of Owen’s poetry and perceived a natural talent in a few of his pieces. The more experienced poet encouraged his young protégé, even to the point where the manuscript for one of Owen’s most famous poems, Anthem for Doomed Youth, contains several amendments in Sassoon’s handwriting. Under Sassoon’s influence, Owen began to write some of his most famous war poems and was also introduced to many literary figures including Robert Graves, Robbie Ross and H G Wells. Owen was declared fit for light duties, leaving Craiglockhart in October 1917, bound for Scarborough. He did not return to France until the end of August 1918, having already begun work on the publication of his first volume of poetry. In October 1918, Owen was awarded the Military Cross. The citation read: “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in the attack on the Fonsomme Line on October 1st/2nd 1918. On the company commander becoming a casualty, he assumed command and showed fine leadership and resisted a heavy counter-attack. He personally manipulated a captured enemy machine gun from an isolated position and inflicted considerable losses on the enemy. Throughout he behaved most gallantly.” On the morning of November 4th, Owen was shot and killed while attempting to cross the Sambre-Oise Canal. A week later, the Armistice was signed and hostilities ceased. As the church bells began to ring all over England, Tom and Susan awaited news of their beloved eldest son, when the telegram arrived, informing them of his death. Owen is buried in the tiny Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at Ors.

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Steele-Knudslien Arraigned on Murder Charge in Superior Court 10:36AM / Monday January 22, 2018 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A man accused of killing his wife was arraigned Monday morning in Berkshire Superior Court on a murder charge. Mark S. Steele-Knudslien, 47, entered a plea of not guilty of one charge of murder in connection with the death of his wife, 42-year-old Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien. Steele-Knudslien allegedly beat his wife with a hammer and stabbed her on the evening of Jan. 5 in their Veazie Street home in North Adams. Police say they discovered her body, wrapped up in the basement, after her husband entered the Adams Police Station hours later to report the crime. Judge John Agostini ordered Steele-Knudslien continued to be held without bail at the Berkshire County House of Correction. Steele-Knudslien had previously entered a not-guilty plea in Northern Berkshire District Court on Jan. 8. The couple had apparently lived in Adams and, before that, the Springfield area before moving to North Adams last March. They were married in April 2017. The investigation is being conducted by state police detectives assigned to the district attorney's office, members of the North Adams and Adams police departments and the Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Services Section. North Adams Man Pleads Not Guilty in Murder of Wife Staff Reports 12:53PM / Monday January 08, 2018 NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A North Adams man pleaded not guilty on Monday morning in Northern Berkshire District Court of murdering his 42-year-old wife, Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien. Mark S. Steele-Knudslien, 47, is accused of beating and stabbing his wife to death on Friday evening in their 107 Veazie St. home. Judge Paul Vrabel ordered that he be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction without the right to bail. Steele-Knudslien will be back in court for a pre-trial hearing on Feb. 7, 2018. According to police reports, Mark Steele-Knudslien admitted to police that he had hit Christa numerous times in the head with a hammer and stabbed her in the back with a large, stainless-steel kitchen knife. Steele-Knudslien walked into the Adams Police Station at about 8:40 p.m. on Friday asking to speak privately with an officer. According to the report submitted by Trooper Ryan H. Dickinson of Berkshire Detective Unit, Steele-Knudslien told Officer Michael Wandrei that "he had done something very bad and that he should be put in handcuffs." Steele-Knudslien was not cuffed at that point but was read his Miranda Rights, which he acknowledged, and then told the officers he had killed his wife. North Adams Police were alerted and entered the Veazie Street home, finding Christa's body wrapped in tarp and bedding and tied up in the basement. The medical examiner's report found blunt force trauma and injuries consistent with defensive wounds; the knife stabbed into her back punctured her heart. Cause of death was blood loss. During a recorded 29-minute interview, Steele-Knudslien told police that he and his wife had gotten into an argument the day before and that she often belittled him and called him names. On Friday, he "snapped," according to the report, and attacked her at about 5 p.m. on Friday in their living room. After killing her, according to the report, he tried to clean up, took a shower and went out to buy alcohol. It's not clear why he approached the Adams Police but neither of the Steele-Knudsliens appear to be local to the area and they had lived more recently in Adams. Christa Steele-Knudslien, nee Steele, is originally from Rochester, Minn., according to her Facebook page. She apparently lived in Western Massachusetts for some time, particularly the Springfield area, before moving to the Berkshires. One of her two Facebook pages shows images and posts about fixing up the Veazie Street house that she purchased in March 2017 under the name Christa L. Torres. She also was a founder and chief executive officer of the Miss Trans New England Pageant, apparently as Christa Hilfers, and a founder of New England Trans Pride. The Steele-Knudsliens were married April 15, 2017. In a Facebook post a few months before that, Christa had written that "My husband and I are going to try to work things out." This is the first murder in the city since 2013. Friends of Christa have started a GoFundMe to help defray funeral costs. Steele-Knudslien Murder Case by iBerkshires.com on Scribd North Adams Man Charged With Murdering Wife 03:23PM / Saturday January 06, 2018 Mark S. Steele-Knudslien and Christa Steele-Knudslien Update Jan. 7, 2018: The North Adams woman killed on Friday was stabbed and bludgeoned to death, according to an autopsy conducted on Sunday afternoon. The preliminary results, according to Dr. Robert Welton, an associate medical examiner for the Office of the Chief Medical, indicate Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien died of loss of blood because of a stab wound to the torso; a contributing factor was multiple blunt-force trauma to the head. Welton ruled the death a homicide. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A North Adams man has been charged with murder in connection with the death of his wife. Mark S. Steele-Knudslien, 47, has been arrested and charged with one count of Murder. It is alleged that he killed his wife, 42-year-old Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien, whose body was found inside their Veazie Street North Adams home Friday evening. An autopsy, to determine her cause of death, will be conducted at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Holyoke on Sunday. Steele-Knudslien will be arraigned on the murder charge Monday morning in Northern Berkshire District Court. He is being held without the right to bail pending his arraignment. The investigation is being conducted by State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s Office, members of the North Adams and Adams Police Departments and State Police Crime Scene Services Section. Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien is originally from Rochester, Minn., according to information on one of her two Facebook pages. She was active in the trans community and had produced the Miss Trans New England pageant. The Steele-Knudsliens were apparently married last April. North Adams Woman Injured When Her SUV Hits House Staff Reports 02:39PM / Thursday January 04, 2018 NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A 47-year-old North Adams woman was taken to Berkshire Medical Center's Pittsfield campus after her sport utility vehicle slammed into a portico on Church Street. The accident occurred about 9:51 a.m. on Thursday morning during the snowstorm. The driver was coming down Pleasant Street when her 2003 Ford Expedition began sliding. She was unable to control the SUV as it slid down the steep hill, across Church Street and into 193 Church. "There was significant structural damage to the front porch and front entrance," said Sgt. James Burdick, but the building inspector determined the house itself was habitable. The Ford took out one of the two Doric columns holding up the roof over the portico and severely damaged the other one. There also appeared to be damage to the building leading into the entryway. Burdick said firefighters, police, building and wire inspectors and North Adams Ambulance Service responded to the scene. The driver incurred head injuries but no one else was injured. Church Street was closed for about 90 minutes until the scene was cleared. Despite the poor weather conditions, only a few accidents had occurred by early afternoon, including single-car accident on Curran Highway with no injuries and a more serious one on Old State Street near Dorans around 2, according to scanner reports. Burdick encouraged motorists, that if they had to be out in the weather, to drive slowly, make sure they kept appropriate distances from vehicles in front of them, and had the correct tires for driving. Collision With Utility Pole Closes Section of State Road Staff Reports 03:32PM / Friday December 01, 2017 NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A section of State Road was closed down on Friday afternoon after a sport-utility vehicle took out a utility pole. The single-vehicle crash occurred at about 2:30 p.m. near George Avenue, just west of Stop & Shop. The late-model charcoal Honda Pilot was headed east when the driver apparently veered across the westbound lane and struck the pole, breaking it and sending the transformer and connected wires into Route 2. The driver was the only occupant of the Honda and was attended to by North Adams Ambulance personnel. The Honda incurred major damage to the front end and pieces of it were strewn across the road. It was taken from the scene by Cariddi Auto. Both lanes were closed and traffic detoured over Protection and Ashton avenues, causing significant backups both ways. The roadway was not expected to open for some time as National Grid was being called in to replace the pole and wires. North Adams Police and Fire responded. Police said the accident is under investigation. Page 8 of 48 ... 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ... 48 Motorcycles Firearms Motor Vehicle Accident Injuries Police Investigation Homicide Hit & Run Structure Fire Larceny Search Veremko Buglaries Fire Motor Vehicle Crime Watch Break-ins Fraud Mvi Search & Rescue Assaults Accident Robbery Rape Shooting Missing Persons Vehicle Pedestrians Armed Robbery Murder Assault Fatal Drug Charges Heroin Drugs Stabbing

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International Business Times, Singapore Edition John Cena reveals whether he will return to full-time action in WWE or not The 42-year-old wrestler is currently not associated with the company as a full-timer and he reveals what his next step is. By Ishan Ghosh Updated October 23, 2019 15:56 +08 John Cena. Reuters WWE wrestler and Superstar John Cena is currently not working with the company as a full-time wrestler. In the recent SmackDown's debut show on FOX, the star was expected to make a return as a full-timer but he did not become a part of it. The superstar who has a huge fanbase has some other opinions about his current status. In an interview with Sunday Today host Willie Geist, the WWE Champion who is also an actor and a rapper stated that he is happy with the limited number of appearances he is making on WWE as he is content with the love he gets from the WWE Universe which makes it more special for him. He further went on to mention that he is occupied with many projects at this moment and the opportunities he is getting are actually helping him cope up with the pressure and also recover from fights throughout the year as his body cannot handle the schedule anymore. The 42-year-old wrestler is enjoying the opportunities he is getting in his life and would like to continue to maintain the same lifestyle. "Now, the opportunities that I've been awarded keep me from being in the ring, and I actually think that's good because it makes any time that I'm invited back to WWE super, super special. And that's the way it should be, if I didn't have these opportunities, I still would be taking, actively taking more time off," the wrestler-turned-actor told Willie Geist as quoted by Sportskeeda. "Because my body just can't handle the schedule anymore. It's a lot of performances a year. And I love it so much; I don't ever want to take time off. I wanna perform. You can essentially take as much time off as you want," he added. The 42-year-old wrestler has won the WWE Championship 13 times whereas the WWE World Heavyweight Championship thrice and the World Tag Team Championship twice, once with Batista and another time with Shawn Michaels. He was a very popular face of WWE and had a huge fan following who are still waiting for him to return full-time in WWE. Apart from this, he has acted in many films as well and currently he is working for Fast and Furious 9, The Suicide Squad. This article was first published on October 13, 2019 Coco Gauff pulls a Wimbledon on Venus Williams at Australian Open Beating the veteran who is 24 years her senior, the teenager won the match... Egyptian Mohamed Safwat falls in Melbourne but eyes Olympic dream Safwat's ranking is expected to rise to around 150th after making an... Hulk Hogan, Undertaker not in Kurt Angle's Mount Rushmore: Who else are there in his list? Kurt Angle has revealed the names of his WWE Mount Rushmore and there are... Australian Open 2020: Caroline Wozniacki begins her career final tournament at Melbourne With her characteristic defensive skills and swift footwork enthralled... Swiss star Roger Federer launches Australian Open campaign with straight sets win 20 times Grand Slam winner Roger Federer beat Steve Johnson in the first... San Francisco 49ers will face off against Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV Patrick Mahomes played an important role in Chiefs' victory over the... Bulluck reliving fairytale run as Titans make Super Bowl bid It has been over a decade since the three-time All-Pro linebacker suited... Golden State Warriors pip Orlando Magic to end 10-game losing streak This was the first victory for the Warriors after their four in a row... Casemiro double as Real see off Sevilla, who rage against VAR Casemiro brought Real Madrid in front with a towering header, taking his... Sergio Aguero's brace goes in vain as Crystal Palace hold Manchester City 2-2 The much-needed equaliser for Crystal Palace came in the form of an own...

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Shepherdson, Cuthbert, Albert Wee Kwan Tan and Van Nam Tran. "Developing an E-Government Roadmap for Developing Countries." Strategic Information Technology and Portfolio Management. IGI Global, 2009. 170-186. Web. 20 Jan. 2020. doi:10.4018/978-1-59904-687-7.ch009 Shepherdson, C., Tan, A. W., & Tran, V. N. (2009). Developing an E-Government Roadmap for Developing Countries. In A. Tan, & P. Theodorou (Eds.), Strategic Information Technology and Portfolio Management (pp. 170-186). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-59904-687-7.ch009 Shepherdson, Cuthbert, Albert Wee Kwan Tan and Van Nam Tran. "Developing an E-Government Roadmap for Developing Countries." In Strategic Information Technology and Portfolio Management, ed. Albert Wee Kwan Tan and Petros Theodorou, 170-186 (2009), accessed January 20, 2020. doi:10.4018/978-1-59904-687-7.ch009 InfoSci-Library and Information Science Developing an E-Government Roadmap for Developing Countries Cuthbert Shepherdson (KDI Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore), Albert Wee Kwan Tan (National University of Singapore, Singapore) and Van Nam Tran (National Economics University, Vietnam) Source Title: Strategic Information Technology and Portfolio Management DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59904-687-7.ch009 Developing countries, opting to pursue services-oriented economies, have invested in information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance their competitiveness in the global environment. This has called for improved management in both public and private sectors and as a consequence governments, some of which have undertaken public sector reform, now seem ready to embrace e-Government. However, experience even in developed countries has shown that incorporating e-Government practices is not a sure means of attaining desired goals. This paper examines the position of Vietnam, as it becomes a member of WTO in implementing E-Government. Some E-Government initiatives taken are identified and an IT roadmap is recommended as a means of achieving a successful transformation. This roadmap emphasizes a holistic approach to analyze existing performance gaps and identify E-Government opportunities for Vietnam. Over three decades ago the potential of information and communication technology to enhance the socioeconomic development of developing countries (DCs) was recognized by some international institutions. Since then DCs all over the world have been increasing their investment in ICT and extending its application into all sectors of their economies. In the private sector there is the issue of the ‘productivity paradox’ in the utilization of ICT in enterprises with apparently little measurable productivity gains being attained after considerable ICT investment. Many governments have also not been noticing the expected improvements after their considerable investments (Ciborra, 2005). This has been a difficult pill to swallow for some DCs which are least able to afford such unprofitable investment when their populations sometimes lack basic necessities in their social systems. The reality gap between the hype about ICT and the actual performance must therefore be confronted by governments in DCs (Heeks, 2003). To narrow the gap on how government should plan and implement e-Government, we drew upon the literature on strategic information systems (SIS) and strategic information systems planning (SISP). SIS refers to the use of information systems to change the way a firm competes in the industry or change the structure of the industry (Neumann, 1994). Extensive research was conducted on the nature, driving forces, critical success factors, problems and barriers of SIS. However, most of these studies were conducted in the context of the private sector, where firms compete with each other in an open free market. Alternatively, public organizations like governments do not operate on the same principles as the private counterparts. In the absence of competitive forces of the market, one may question the relevance and applicability of the concept of SIS to the public sector. We believe that today governments are under increasing pressure to operate more like private firms. Internally, they are challenged to improve efficiency by legislative mandates or budget constraints (Fountain, 2001). Externally, the public – citizens and business – exerts increased pressure on government to improve the way it delivers services. Having witnessed and gotten used to the convenience and power of electronic commerce in the private sector, the public has become less tolerant with the level of services provided by governments. All these forces – by making government more efficient, responsive, and accountable – have the potential to change the way government operates and alter the political structure. We believe that information technologies have much to offer in the process, just like the way SIS has the power to modify the market structure. We therefore conjecture that e-Government is a strategic IS issue because it has the potential to change the way government operates and its political structure. This paper addresses one aspect of a larger project undertaken by two of the authors on ICT, governance and modernization, reviews some initiatives towards e-Government taken by the Government of Vietnam and proposes an IT roadmap that can be used to enhance our understanding of how many of the failures experienced elsewhere might be avoided. Note is taken of the literature concerning models on ICT application and, more recently on e-Government adoption. Unfortunately these have tended to be about developed countries such as Canada, emerging economies like Singapore and large DCs like South Africa and India. The situation in Vietnam has special characteristics and requires specific consideration. Hunter and Long (2002) in examining the challenges faced in the application of IT to small businesses utilized the Entrepreneurial Process and that work has been closely studied in preparing this paper. Likewise the contributions of Heeks (2001(a), 2001(b)) have been useful in the study of efforts to re-engineer administrative processes within government and to seek to implement such processes. In his work he has generally been cognizant of the failure of e-Government and other ICT initiatives in DCs and has proposed steps to attain e-readiness. Finally one of the authors has recently advised the Vietnam government on national IT planning as a precursor to e-Government introduction. That involvement has given great insight into many of the hindrances in the efforts towards successful ICT utilization in DCs. It is hoped that the roadmap can be useful or at least insightful for other developing countries in their thrust towards e-Government.

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Weeding through the mess of video metrics Weeding through the mess of video metrics Jayant Kadambi 0 COMMENTS 133 VIEWS 0 0 0 Everyone expects metrics when advertising online, and all publishers and ad networks claim to have the metrics necessary to prove their client's spending was appropriate and did the job. Whether that job was brand lift, customer engagement, driving traffic to a destination site or a consumer purchasing a product, the client is usually given an identical set of metrics. Today, we'll consider the metrics portion of branded video advertising online and provide some guidance on sorting through the morass of data so people can determine the success (or failure) of their video campaign. We'll also suggest that the metrics that are generated should be tailored to the goals of the campaign. The issue is not just about receiving data and metrics. It's about receiving the meaningful data and analysis to help correlate the data to the campaign goals. Otherwise, there will likely be sensory overload. Think about it: If a client is running a $100,000 campaign with an effective CPM of $20, and the campaign consists of a pre-roll, a companion banner and a set of overlays that run over the content, this equals three assets, each with a set of metrics. The total number of "impressions" for this campaign amounts to 5 million. For the pre-roll and overlay assets (if the overlay is click-to-video), this can include not just an impression (i.e., the ad was served by the ad server) but everything on this list: Clicks ( for pre-roll, overlay or companion banner) Pre-roll played (from 0 to 100 percent) Overlay was clicked and video played (from 0 to 100 percent) Viewer engaged with the advert (other than clicking) and took some action (e.g, mouse over) -- This is applicable to overlays and pre-rolls. Companion banner or pre-roll clicks to website Conversion tracking from website based on banner or pre-roll clicks Overlay was dismissed Pre-roll was dismissed The rate of pre-roll dismissal is increasing during the campaign OK, we'll stop now without completing the list with other possibilities, including additional metrics that measure the interaction rates during the campaign. Take the last metric, for example: The client would want to know if the pre-roll was annoying people and making them bail out, wouldn't they? So, for a simple brand campaign with three assets, that's about 25 different metrics, each provided 5,000 times or over 100,000 beacons or tags, to use an ad serving phrase. Even when collated into a spreadsheet, it's just too much data. A post-campaign report showing that the combination of pre-rolls, overlays and companion ads reached 5,000 unique visitors and the click-through rate (CTR) was 0.4 percent is not doing justice to the money being spent. What's needed is an understanding of the basic goals of the ad campaign. Then, during and after the campaign, the publisher or ad network should organize (and reduce) the data and provide summary statistics that are appropriate for the campaign. In addition, the data and metrics should not be provided in a vacuum, but in context. Here are a few hypothetical examples and what to consider when measuring metrics: 1. The client is releasing a horror movie in three weeks and wishes to measure viewer interest in the trailers (three are provided). They simultaneously want to drive traffic to the feature film's destination site because past experience shows that traffic spikes drive a film's opening weekend box office numbers. In addition to the baseline impression and click numbers, summaries of which trailers are performing (i.e., viewers are actually watching the whole way through) on a daily and weekly basis will reflect whether the creative is doing well On which pieces of content or websites (used as a proxy for the demographic) are the trailers being watched the most? Are particular trailers receiving a higher click-through rate to the website than others? Is there a set of websites or demographic for which the CTR is higher? 2. The client has an athletic shoe release coming up and wants to blanket the airwaves -- or in this case, relevant online video destinations -- with their branding campaign. They also want as close to 100 percent share of voice (SOV) on pieces of video content (along with the usual roadblock banner/display elements for the webpage to ensure SOV) that are relevant to their demographic of 18- to 24-year-old males. Again, the basic reporting in terms of ad impressions, clicks and on which pieces of content the ad ran should be provided. In addition, to measure SOV, rather than asking the client, agency, etc., to take the SOV on faith, the total number of video content streams should be provided. This way, the client can ascertain how close to 100 percent SOV they actually received. On a side note, this is not completely accurate, since overlays can have multiple impressions per stream, but for now, let's go with it. 3. The client is advertising for the release of a new video game that can be played either online or by using a dedicated system, such as an XBox, Wii or Playstation. The client wants to run an ad campaign that engages viewers and encourages them to use the product. The ad is a custom-developed Flash unit that has loads of interactivity and a free mini-version of the game. The amount of time the cursor, mouse or pointer is moving over the flash creative is an important factor in determining engagement. How long did the user linger? If the ad creative runs for 15 seconds, did the user pause the creative? Did they start playing the game and stay longer than 15 seconds? How often did the aforementioned behavior happen and on which pieces of content? Clearly, the content on which this happens more often is more relevant. As you can see with the examples above, the metrics that can be measured with video are brand lift, interest, driving traffic, share of voice, engagement, interaction, etc. The list goes on. Clearly, one of the major advantages of advertising with video is the correlation that can be drawn between the client spend and ROI, because of the ease with which metrics can be reported. Due to an overload of data, it is critical to tailor the metrics provided to the actual campaign goals to easily judge campaign performance. Jayant Kadambi is CEO, YuMe Networks. Jayant Kadambi has over 18 years of experience in the areas of networking, hardware architecture and semiconductors. Prior to co–founding YuMe Networks in 2004, Jayant was Vice President R&D and Officer of Netopia, Inc., a publicly held...

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Non-traditional Data iMoMo Technologies Manica Province, Mozambique ESTIMATING FIELD-SCALE IRRIGATION WATER AVAILABILITY IN SMALLHOLDER SCHEMES Despite progress in the beginning of this decade, poverty reduction in Mozambique has stagnated with 55 percent of the population still living in poverty. In addition, the poverty rate in the rural areas, where two-thirds of the population lives, has been increasing. In the central part of the country, agriculture is dominated by smallholder rain-fed farms which have experienced significant harvest losses as a result of extreme weather like droughts and floods. Promoting sustainable irrigation and drainage is essential in making smallholder farmers resilient to these intensifying climate variations. Acknowledging this, the government of Mozambique has made the development of irrigation a priority for agriculture growth and rural development. Irrigation interventions hold tremendous potential to help farmers cope with increasing climate variability and to ensure food security in many poorer regions of the world. Globally, irrigated land accounts for only 17 percent of total cultivated land, but 40 percent of total food production. Yet, failure to properly manage irrigation schemes often leads to lack of investments in this sector and is the root cause for ineffective and unsustainable water resources management. As the country is heavily increasing its irrigation activities, sound management is required in order to avoid overexploitation of the resources with the corresponding adverse impacts on ecosystems and livelihoods in the downstream alike. Empirical research in the field of water management is key in responding to these operational challenges, but has been limited in this context. Therefore, the study ongoing campaign is expected to yield interesting insights in how to use and deploy scalable low-cost methods for scheme-level water balance assessments and for determining how these data can inform locally better irrigation decisions. Together with researchers from IFPRI, a team from the World Bank and specialists from the Ministério de Agricultura, Instituto Nacional de Irrigação as well as from the Eduardo Mondlane University, hydrosolutions ltd. has implemented a low-cost, high-tech, real-time, crowd-sensing approach for measuring field water availability in 3 rehabilitated smallholder irrigation schemes in Manica Province, Mozambique. Contrary to traditional monitoring approaches that do not scale well due to prohibitive costs and that are prone to vandalism and normally cause significant O&M requirements, the implemented approach relies entirely on local user-reported data that are recorded at specific intervals. All monitoring protocols have been thoroughly discussed with the communities and agreed upon. The designated persons in charge of data collection were recruited from these communities. They were given a contract that clearly specifies their roles and responsibilities with regard to the site- and technology-specific daily data collection and the modalities for remuneration of operational expenses and salaries. For the small-scale irrigation canals, measurement sites were calibrated using the propeller method for the establishment of stage-discharge relationships. Assuming uniform flow conditions, this allows for translating simple water depth measurements taken by a ruler into discharge values. For sprinklers and hydrants, average yield values were calculated with repeated measurements through volumetric dosing. The designated data collectors were given a notebook with pre-printed forms to fill out. Data on irrigation canals flows are collected three times daily and averaged over the day. Through the determination of the sub-scheme level catchment of a particular irrigation canal, supplies can be calculated on a per hectare basis on daily scales. For fields that are irrigated by sprinklers and hydrants, the number of active units is recorded twice daily. Multiplying these numbers with average yields, daily water supplies can easily be calculated. For each scheme, a designated extension officer is collecting the data on a weekly basis and types in the information in a spreadsheet table. The extension officer will also be monitoring the data collection on a weekly basis for QA/QC and follow-up in case of issues/questions and report back to INIR as well as designated university people that are the local project leaders. When weekly averaged scheme inflows were compared to weekly averaged mean CMORPH precipitation in the region a strong correlation was observed. These preliminary results reveal to which extend inflows are driven by precipitation patterns. Unintentionally, the monitoring campaign captured the failure of the 2015/2016 rains. The associated drought conditions led to hardship in the communities in the province and throughout the whole Southern African region. Based on these data and concurrent agricultural surveys taken, maps were then created to visualize own and relative water use and productivity (crop per drop) throughout the scheme during the dry season (see Figure). This information tool can be used by water user associations to assess how water may be reallocated to achieve higher yields within the scheme, particularly during the dry season when the resource is most scarce. Evaluations were carried out and findings were communicated to the farmers. It was then evaluated to which extend the feedback tool affects individual farmers’ water use, yields, profits, and yield variability. Mapped Nhamandembe Scheme with gauging sites Stakeholder discussion for setting up measurement campaign Gauging site calibration, Nhamandembe Scheme, July 2015 IMOMO GLOBAL INITIATIVE ©2018 BY HYDROSOLUTIONS GMBH.

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Stories of Justice: If you are the 'other' in Turkey, you should know that you carry death in your pocket As one of the “others,” I ask for a “justice for others.” Do you have it, or should I wait for the afterlife? BY NEDIM TURFENT This article is part our partnership with the Media and Law Studies Association. The Stories of Justice series is an MLSA project supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. Dicle News Agency reporter Nedim Türfent was sentenced to 8 years and 9 months by a Turkish court. © Mezopotamya Agency They say that people get a smile on their face when justice is served. Justice in Turkey also makes people smile – sometimes, even when it is not served. What a mysterious success! The person who passes those verdicts could even be nominated for the Nobel prize as a master of black humor if only one forgot that the sentences were products of justice. I think there isn’t a single country on earth with a judicial system that pleases everybody. Something like that is only possible in the afterlife for believers. A judicial system that pleases the majority might be labeled “not bad,” even if one can’t call it “good.” But if this is the case, then should we wait for kingdom come to get justice? Don’t you think that might be a little too late? Justice delayed is justice denied, isn’t it? I can hear the people of my country responding with “better late than never.” But why have late justice when you can have it early? Justice in Turkey has been lame for a long time because it has been sabotaging itself. However good the laws are, those that mete out justice have either been bad of their own accord, or they have had to be bad out of their own interest. The latter is the case for most of them. The main reason for verdicts that would make even the best black comedy masters envious is that those that implement justice are under the guidance of the government, meaning they have to act according to orders from on high. What counts for today’s zeitgeist is not that justice is served but the threat of a judicial stick coming crashing down on your head if you contradict the spirit of the time. It’s not the law, but the rules of the government, that are in force. You can see it looking at how the “good boys” of today are acquitted one by one. This is what the zeitgeist requires. This country is home to a judge who accepted a prosecutor’s request to tap a number of telephones, including his own. When the incident was revealed, he said he could not read properly at the time since he did not have his glasses on him and signed the verdict without fully understanding the request. Let’s take a brief look at some unique ideas of justice in Turkey, which would actually fit better in a work of fictional humor than a courtroom. But this is the real world, and these sentences have all affected the lives of people by violating their right to freedom. A suspect who was accused of chanting slogans in a crowd was sentenced for conducting terrorism propaganda. So far, so good. But what if that person is deaf and mute? If you live in Turkey, you have to avoid crowds as much as you can, for your own sake. Otherwise, you might get a headache, or even a migraine, from the authorities for reasons like failing to walk away from crowds, looking at people who are dancing a political halay, whistling or keeping the rhythm to the music. I’m telling you… Speaking about health issues, you should mind your hands, washing them frequently. This is naturally important for hygiene, but it is also important for avoiding particular illnesses and saving you from being detained as a suspect. Please, don’t ask how. One civil servant, who was returning from a cadastral field trip, was detained and later sued for throwing stones at police because his hands were dirty. We cannot know for certain if not washing his hands had pathological consequences, but it obviously resulted in psychological trauma. Don’t get excited, and never run. Be like a koala; never be in a rush. Move gently and slowly. Otherwise, police who arrive to intervene against an incident may check by hand and notice that your heart is beating fast, leading them to detain and sue you for being involved in an incident and escaping from police. This is part of the reason Turkey is not particularly successful in track and field. If you happen to come to Turkey from an Asian country, then you should have a translator with you. Otherwise, the court might fail to read your defense after you’ve spent nearly two years behind bars because it cannot find a translator. You might have started learning Turkish in the meantime. Speaking a single language is very important in Turkey. But which language is it, do you think? You would be joking if you thought it was anything but Turkish. Kurdish, for one, is still mentioned as “X” or “unknown language” in parliamentary minutes. Make sure not to have any maps on scraps of paper, your mobile, tablet or other device you carry. And if there are some different colors and lines on the Turkey part of that map, then you’re in for trouble, because you can be arrested or sued for planning to divide the country. Such a map, which showed the habitats and population of bees in Turkey, was accepted as evidence in a case in which the prosecutor sought an aggravated life sentence for a person who allegedly “disrupted the unity and territorial integrity of the state.” Alternatively, you may face a probe for carrying a world map that shows Turkey smaller than it is. Only those who experience this would know. If your country has the colors of yellow, red and green in its flag – which is the case for many African countries – and if you have clothing with the same colors, don’t come to Turkey wearing it. You might turn into a terrorism suspect the moment you land at the airport. Please don’t be that evil-minded, dear! They don’t like colors or colors together in Turkey. This is why the first traffic lights in Yüksekova in the southeast had blue-colored lamps instead of green. This might also be why the most appreciated color in the country is black. Let’s not look into this headache profession of mine. “Propagate for me or shut up,” is what they say here. Justice? Who’s lost it that you’ll find it? A journalist whose name I will not disclose wrote a story that received a prize. Then what happened? The author of the story was sentenced. On a chilly night in the middle of winter, your sole fear shouldn’t be freezing your hands and legs off as you carry diesel oil on the back of your mule to earn some pocket money. That’s because your body might be torn to a thousand pieces if one of those iron birds they call fighter jets pours fire on the group you are walking with. The next thing that mules will carry might be the body parts of you and your friends wrapped in a blanket. They won’t care why you were taking the sharp ridge of the mountain on a freezing night, and it won’t matter whether you are armed or not. Who cares that most of you are children! Nothing matters at all. Here, “everything is a small detail if the issue is the homeland.” This is what you live through; this is what they make you go through; this is the truth. Take it or leave it! Because at the end of the probe launched to investigate the incident mentioned above, it was ruled that those who died were responsible. If you are the “other” in this country, you should know that you carry death in your pocket. Your burial shroud should be within easy reach because it is not the creator who knows when you will need it, but those who see themselves as his reflection on earth. Under these conditions, how could I pen a story on justice? Now as “the other,” I ask for a “justice for others.” Do you have it or should I wait for the afterlife? To be honest, I have no intention of ringing the bells for the angel of death. Actually, this story itself is a complete work of fiction and doesn’t have the slightest connection to reality. Does it? The Media and Law Studies Association is a Turkish non-profit (registered as Medya ve Hukuk Çalışmaları Derneği) that campaigns to support democracy and the rule of law in Turkey. MLSA offers legal protection to journalists and promotes the public’s right to information with an emphasis on supporting financial and science reporting. Kurdish reporter sentenced to more than 8 years Kurdish reporter Nedim Türfent has been sentenced to 8 years and 9 months in prison on charges of “membership of a terrorist organisation.” Death threats, witness torture mark Kurdish reporter’s trial in Turkey The case of Nedim Türfent, whose journalism has irked authorities, is critical for understanding the plight of press freedom in Turkey, observers say Nedim Turfent Latest posts by Nedim Turfent (see all) Stories of Justice: If you are the ‘other’ in Turkey, you should know that you carry death in your pocket - 3 July 2 responses to “Stories of Justice: If you are the ‘other’ in Turkey, you should know that you carry death in your pocket” 3 July at 10:23 And those who try to lynch someone for representing a political party they don’t agree with are understood and forgiven, while those who argue for reasoned work for peace are jailed as terrorists; assassins and attempted assassins walk free or receive light or suspended sentences, while mothers of new-born babies are handcuffed while still in the delivery room… the list is endless Timothy YU says: All Dictators have their fair share of Ass Lickers, Mussolini, Hitler, Maduro, Idi Amin, Omar Bashir and he’s Ganjaweeds, name them you have them in the Directory of Evil. As and when this charade is over, Erdogan and he’s judges should be Hung upside down and pelted with Olives.

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Maintaining Longevity Of Large Bridge CMM Regular maintenance programme enables over two decades of precision with Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence Founded over 57 years ago, China Airlines is the main airline carrier in Taiwan, operating over 1 400 flights per week to 118 airports in 115 cities across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. With a fleet of 84 aircraft, regular engine repairs and maintenance programmes are crucial. Medical Checks for Each Engine With over 2 000 employees located at two manufacturing hubs in Taipei and Kaohsiung, 80 engines are repaired and maintained each year between the two sites. The aeroengine is transported to the hub in Taipei located at Taoyuan Airport where it is carefully dismantled, which begins the process to establish if general maintenance or repair is needed. The China Airlines team calls this process a ‘medical check’, subjecting the engine parts to rigorous examination, including x-rays and supersonic tests, to diagnose any problems and ensure parts are fit for their job and performing correctly. It’s then down to the team at China Airlines Taipei to find the solution and fix any issues within the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) process. Extensive engine checks and maintenance can be highly time-consuming, but the company reduced the time taken to complete these checks by enhancing the inspection process with a bridge-type coordinate measuring machine (CMM) and a planned maintenance programme. A High Quality CMM That’s Built to Last Known for manufacturing high quality and reliable machines, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence established its presence in Taiwan by supplying CMMs for aerospace and car body manufacturers within the region. This was the main reason why China Airlines chose Hexagon as its partner. In 1994, a DEA OMEGA was installed at the factory in Taipei and has remained the only CMM within the production site in Taiwan. The DEA OMEGA CMM measures the majority of the airline’s engine parts, from turbine exhaust cases, compressor rear frames, to housings, with other aerospace parts sent from mainland China to the factory in Taiwan for repairs and measuring. For China Airlines, accuracy, rather than speed, is the number one priority so installing the DEA OMEGA was the ideal choice. Yet the machine also helps optimise the process for quicker cycle times. “The previous process was to measure different dimensions of the larger parts using different types of equipment”, explains Mr Chang Johnson, Operator. “With the DEA OMEGA we only have to use one machine which reads all of the dimensions, saving time and speeding up production by 50%.” Environmental Factors to Consider Due to the hot and humid climate in Taiwan, the DEA OMEGA is housed within a measuring room that is kept to a constant temperature of 22 °C. Earthquakes pose another challenge, as Taiwan is located in a seismically active zone on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and strict government regulations demand that all buildings in the region must be built to withstand a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. If there is an earthquake at the magnitude of 7.0 or below – which can affect the accuracy of a CMM – Hexagon performs a recalibration and restabilises the level of the machine as part of the maintenance programme. Due to the regularity of earthquakes in the region, level checks are part of the yearly maintenance. Maintenance and Enhancement Ensures Longevity of a CMM Full Bright, Hexagon’s official distributor in Taiwan, has been providing a maintenance contract with China Airlines for over 20 years, servicing the machine every three months and performing an annual calibration. The team at the Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence factory in Turin, Italy trained the Full Bright engineers, giving them the expertise to perform any necessary maintenance and train all China Airlines operators on how to use the CMM and the software. “The training was very good, and if we have any problems we call the engineer who responds and fixes the issue quickly so we don’t have long periods of downtime,” comments Mr Chang Johnson. The maintenance programme ensures the longevity of the CMM, which has been measuring parts of the jet engines for the last 23 years. The original software installed on the DEA OMEGA was Tutor for Windows, and after 22 years of using the software the decision was made to upgrade to a more modern platform, PC-DMIS. The upgrade to PC-DMIS was carried out in 2016 resulting in the DEA OMEGA being much faster. “PC-DMIS is quick and easy to use,” explains Mr Chang Johnson. “Using the upgraded software has made the whole process faster, cutting the cycle time by around 20%. It’s also easier to program compared to Tutor for Windows, and the screen images are much clearer.” With a good maintenance programme in place, the DEA OMEGA has continued to perform high precision measurement for almost a quarter of a century. Still working with the original controller, jogbox and sensors, China Airlines has no immediate plans to upgrade to a new CMM. However, the company is planning to upgrade the controller due to it being an obsolete model. “We would also like to upgrade the jogbox to a newer version,” says Mr Chang Johnson, “we have seen the results of how upgrading has improved the production of the machine and our MRO process.” Upgrading to the Next Jogbox (NJB) and controller would be the next step to maintaining the longevity of the CMM. Based upon the success of the DEA OMEGA, the second site in Taiwan plans to install a GLOBAL CMM to ensure the process drives productivity and high quality standards. Case Study: China Airlines - Taiwan A minőségi szabványoknak lépést kell tartaniuk a termelés változásával. A portálos... A Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence segíti a repülőgép-test ill. repülőgép gyártókat és a repülőgépipari...

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DANFS California II (Armored Cruiser No. 6) Weather, Convoy, Patrol, Explosion Boats-Ships--Submarine Ship History The second U.S. Navy ship named for the 31st state of the Union. (Armored Cruiser No. 6: displacement 15,138 (full load); length 503'11"; beam 69'6½"; draft 24'1"; speed 22.20 knots; complement 1,114; armament 4 8-inch, 14 6-inch, 18 3-inch, 4 3-pounders (saluting), 2 18-inch torpedo tubes (submerged); class Pennsylvania) The second California (Armored Cruiser No. 6) was laid down on 7 May 1902 at San Francisco, Calif., by Union Iron Works; launched on 28 April 1904; sponsored by Miss Florence Pardee, the daughter of Governor of California George C. Pardee; and commissioned at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, Calif., on 1 August 1907, Capt. Thomas S. Phelps in command. California departed Mare Island on 8 October for Vallejo Junction, Calif., where she took on ammunition and stores, and coaled (8-21 October). She then called at Sausalito, Calif. (21 October-4 November), for “presentation [of] tablet and colors,” before she called at San Francisco, Calif., to take on stores. Steaming up the coast to the Pacific Northwest, California entered the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Wash., for docking (16 November-4 December 1908). Following that period in yard hands, the new armored cruiser paid a brief visit to Victoria, British Columbia (4-5 December). After delivering passengers and prisoners to San Francisco (8-12 December 1908), California operated off Santa Barbara, Calif., to obtain tactical data (13-15 December). The ship then returned to Vallejo Junction to coal (16-17 December), embarked additional members of her crew (17-18 December), then put in to San Diego, Calif., for the sad task of burying one of her men. Reaching Magdalena Bay, Mexico, three days before Christmas of 1908 [22 December], California carried out her “shaking down” in those waters through the beginning of the new year 1909. Underway on 3 January 1909, she returned to San Diego to participate in the unveiling of the monument to those men who had perished in the explosion of a boiler on board Bennington (Gunboat No. 5) in 1905 (5-7 January). The armored cruiser then returned to San Francisco to prepare for her final trial run (9-17 January), then to perform those final trials (19-21 January). California returned to Vallejo Junction in accordance with departmental orders (21 January-4 February 1909), then spent time at Mare Island Navy Yard (4-18 February) undergoing repairs. After pausing to coal at Vallejo Junction (18-20 February), the armored cruiser returned to Magdalena Bay for preliminary target practice (23 February-11 March). She then proceeded to San Diego (13-16 March) to join the Second Division, steaming with that unit to San Pedro (16-23 March), then to a succession of California ports: Redondo (23-25 March), Venice (25-27 March), Monterey (28-29 March), and San Francisco (29 March-1 April). California then returned to the waters of the Pacific Northwest, visiting seaports in Washington State “for exhibition purposes.” These included Port Angeles (4-6 April), Port Townsend (6-8 April), Bellingham (8-11 April), Blaine (11-12 April), Everett (12-13 April), and Seattle (13-15 April), then pausing at Bremerton to coal (15-23 April). She then visited Anacortes in company with sister ship South Dakota (Armored Cruiser No. 9), then paid return calls to Seattle (25-27 April) and Bremerton (27 April-1 May), before returning to San Francisco on 4 May. Assigned to the Second Division of the Pacific Fleet, California visited San Francisco with the First Squadron, and while there (4-17 May 1908) participated in the naval review by Secretary of the Navy Victor H. Metcalf. She continued operating with the First Squadron into early June, operating off Santa Barbara conducting drills and shaking down (18-22 May), after which she paused at Long Beach (22-25 May) to provide liberty for her crew. She returned to the waters off Santa Barbara for further drills (25-29 May), then put in to Venice for liberty (29 May-1 June). The ship’s ball took place during her stay at Redondo (5-8 June), that followed another period of drills off Santa Barbara (1-4 June). California drilled with the Second Squadron (8-13 June 1908) off Santa Barbara, then visited Santa Cruz, Calif., for the first time (14-15 June), after which she returned to Vallejo Junction (15-16 June) to coal and take on stores with the Second Division. Steaming to Hunter’s Point, Calif., the armored cruiser docked there (16-19 June), then coaled at San Francisco (19-23 June). After landing her 3-pounder guns and ammunition at Vallejo Junction (23-27 June), California then steamed to San Francisco, arriving on 27 June to join the flagship. While there, she prepared for towing tests, departing on 1 July. In company with Tennessee (Armored Cruiser No. 10) and Washington (Armored Cruiser No. 11), California carried out tests towing destroyers (3-7 July 1908) off San Diego, before she proceeded to Mare Island via San Francisco (9-10 July) and Vallejo Junction (10-13 July), arriving at the navy yard on 13 July to receive the installation of a fire control system. Emerging from the yard on 16 August, she proceeded to California City, Calif., and there coaled ship (16-18 August). Shifting to San Francisco (18-24 August), California steamed thence with the Pacific Fleet with a destroyer in tow, pausing at Honolulu, Hawaii ((2-10 September), en route to Pago Pago, Samoa, towing a destroyer on that ten-day voyage (10-20 September). Preparing for the return passage at Pago Pago (20 September-7 October), the armored cruiser, again towing a destroyer, again visited Honolulu (17-20 October), sailing with the First Squadron of the Pacific Fleet with a destroyer in tow, setting course for Mexican waters. She reached Magdalena Bay on 2 November, and operated thence conducting target practice until 1 December. California cruised with the Pacific Fleet through the end of 1908, visiting Amapala, Honduras (8-10 December), and Panama (12-22 December), spending Christmas at sea while en route to Talcahuano, Chile. After visiting that port (3-14 January 1909), the armored cruiser touched at Coquimbo, Chile (16-22 January), then Callao, Peru (27 January-10 February), and Chatham Island, in the Galapagos Group (14-18 February), before paying a return visit to Panama (22-28 February), then, in company with Pennsylvania (Armored Cruiser No. 4), visiting Amapala. Returning to Magdalena Bay, California carried out target practice in those waters (20 March-4 April). Soon thereafter, she transported passengers from the wrecked Pacific Mail Steamship Company steamer Indiana -- that had gone aground off Cape Tosco, Isla Santa Margarita, Mexico, on 4 April -- to San Francisco (7-8 April), after which she returned to Magdalena Bay to continue target practice (12-17 April). The armored cruiser returned to the waters of the Pacific Northwest after accompanying the flagship to San Francisco for a visit (21 April-17 May 1909), calling at Port Townsend (20-21 May) en route to Tacoma. She called at that port in connection with the visit of the Japanese Training Squadron to Tacoma (21-29 May) thence to Seattle (29 May-4 June). After coaling at Bremerton (4-7 June), she received orders to return to Mare Island for repairs. Pausing briefly at San Francisco (10-11 June), California reached Mare Island Navy Yard on 11 June, undergoing repairs until 24 July, when she got underway for Hunter’s Point, where she was drydocked from 24 to 27 July. She returned to Mare Island on 2 August, remaining there completing repairs until 14 August, when she got underway for San Francisco, pausing there only briefly before getting underway in company with West Virginia (Armored Cruiser No. 5), Maryland (Armored Cruiser No. 8) and South Dakota for Seattle. Making port at Seattle in company with her sisters on 18 August 1909, California remained there for two days, sailing on the 20th with the First Squadron of the Pacific Fleet to conduct standardization trials off Vashon Island, Wash. (20 August) before returning to Seattle. Departing that port city with the First Squadron on 28 August, the armored cruiser paused at California City to coal ship (31 August-1 September), after which time she returned to San Francisco (1-5 September) to prepare for her impending voyage across the Pacific. Clearing the west coast on 5 September 1909, California sailed for the Hawaiian Islands, reaching Honolulu on 10 September with the First Squadron. Shifting to Maalea Bay on 20 September to coal ship, she then conducted a four-hour full power trial off Maalea Bay the next day. She visited Hilo, Hawaii, with the First Division of the Pacific Fleet (23-24 September), then paid a return call upon Honolulu with the Pacific Fleet’s First Squadron (25 September-5 October). Departing Hawaiian waters on 5 October, California reached the Admiralty Islands a little less than a fortnight later, and coaled ship there with other units of the Pacific Fleet before she continued on, setting course for the Philippine Islands (P.I.) on 25 October. California made arrival with the fleet at Manila, P.I., on 30 October 1909, and provided her crew with liberty. Shifting to Cavite (4-7 November), she coaled ship there, shifting to Olongapo to conduct preliminary mine practice (7-9 November), then carrying out day and night sub-caliber practice off Manila Bay (9-10 November). She conducted a series of operations over the ensuing period, calibration practice off Olongapo (10-12 November), night record battle practice off Manila Bay (12-20 November), and day battle practice off Olongapo (20 November-6 December). After again providing liberty for her crew at Manila (6-10 December), California sailed for Japan with South Dakota. California visited Yokohama, Japan (15-30 December 1909), spending Christmas there, before sailing for Woosung, China, on the 30th. After coaling ship and giving liberty to her crew (3-14 January), the armored cruiser set course to return to Yokohama, where she coaled and provided liberty (17-20 January), then proceeded for the Hawaiian Islands, returning to Honolulu with the Pacific Fleet on the last day of January 1910. Sailing on 8 February, she stood in to San Francisco on the 14th with the Pacific Fleet. Remaining there until 23 February, California then coaled ship at California City (23-24 February) and returned to San Francisco on the 24th to provide liberty for her crew over then ensuing days (24 February-1 March). Soon thereafter, preparations for target practice occupied California for the balance of March 1910, in the waters off Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara channel, Santa Cruz Island and Santa Rosa Island. Ultimately, she carried out target practice on the target range off Santa Barbara (29 March-2 April), and Santa Rosa (2-3 April) before conducting standardization runs off Santa Barbara (3 April) and record mine practice off Santa Cruz (4-6 April). Pausing briefly at California City (6-7 April), the armored cruiser moored at the Mare Island Navy Yard for repairs on 7 April. Completing repairs at Mare Island on 9 August 1910, California coaled at Tiburon, Calif. (9-11 August), then visited San Francisco with the First Division of the Pacific Fleet (11-14 August). Subsequently, she sailed for Peru, calling at Chimbote (28 August-4 September). She then visited Valparaiso, Chile, with the Pacific Fleet’s First Division to take part in the festivities commemorating Chilean independence (10-23 September). After paying a return call at Chimbote (28 September-3 October), the armored cruiser returned to San Francisco on 16 October to provide liberty for her crew. Underway for San Diego on 8 November 1910, California prepared for battle practice at that port (5-19 November), then returned to San Francisco to entertain a visiting Japanese squadron (21-27 November). Following those festivities, the warship put in to Tiburon to coal (27-28 November). Returning to San Francisco for a liberty visit (28-30 November), the armored cruiser conducted battle practice off San Diego (2-21 December) before putting in to San Francisco to provide her bluejackets liberty over the Christmas holidays (23-28 December). After again coaling at Tiburon (28-29 December), California again visited San Francisco for liberty (29 December 1910-4 January 1911). Over the ensuing months, the armored cruiser pursued a busy schedule of operations in the waters off the coast of California. She conducted torpedo defense practice off Santa Barbara (5-14 January and 18-31 January 1911), the second time punctuated by drills, liberty, and landing a party of marines. During February 1911, she maneuvered jointly with the torpedo fleet, her marine guard and bluejacket landing force encamped ashore at San Diego and engaged in small arms and field gun target practice; in addition, California drilled in combating submarine attacks. After coaling from the fuel ship Saturn (1 March), she reprised maneuvers with the torpedo fleet (1-4 March), after which she granted her crew liberty at San Pedro (4 March) and Long Beach (4-5 March), then again at San Pedro while preparing for battle practice (5-9 March). Preparations for battle practice continued during an extended period at San Diego (9 March-25 June 1911), preparative work punctuated by trial runs and bore-sighting her guns, and also coaled again from Saturn. California then conducted full power and endurance runs off San Pedro (26-27 June), and standardization runs off Santa Barbara (28 June). Proceeding via San Francisco (29-30 June), the armored cruiser stood in to the Mare Island Navy Yard for repairs on 30 June. Emerging from yard hands on 6 July 1911, California visited San Francisco for the National Education Association convention (6-17 July), after which she returned to Mare Island to continue repairs and alterations (17 July-16 September). After coaling ship off Mare Island light 16-18 September), the armored cruiser proceeded to San Diego (20-23 September). California carried out target practice drills (23-25 September 1911), off San Diego, then practice runs off Coronado Beach (25-30 September), after which returned to San Diego to provide liberty (30 September-2 October). The armored cruiser resumed her training regimen soon thereafter, preparing for target practice off Coronado (2-4 October), then off San Pedro (5-6 October), before putting in to Santa Monica for liberty (6-9 October). California’s men participated in parades at San Francisco and Oakland, Calif. (10-17 October 1911), events that included President William Howard Taft breaking ground for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in Golden Gate Park on 14 October. Such festivities soon gave way to work, as the armored cruiser coaled ship at California City (17 October), after which she returned to San Francisco for liberty and stores (17-19 October), and a return call for liberty at San Diego (20-23 October). Returned to the waters off Coronado, California again prepared for target practice (23-27 October 1911), evolutions that continued off San Diego (27-31 October), capped by liberty at that port. Following a brief period at anchor off Coronado (31 October), the armored cruiser participated in a naval review off San Pedro (1-4 November), then resumed target practice, off San Diego (4-6 November), Coronado (8-12 November), San Diego (12 November), and Coronado (12-15 November). She put in to San Diego for stores (15 November), then coaled at Tiburon (17 November), and called at San Francisco to take further stores on board (17-21 November), after which time she set course for the Hawaiian Islands as flagship for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, flying the flag of Rear Adm. Chauncey Thomas. California arrived at Honolulu on 28 November 1911, then shifted to the waters off Waialua, Hawaii, in company with the other vessels of the squadron, on 2 December. Weighing anchor on the following day, the armored cruiser returned to Honolulu for liberty (3-14 December). At the end of that period, California cleared Honolulu for Pearl Harbor, became the first rated man-of-war to transverse the newly dredged channel, returning to Honolulu later the same day. Sailing the following day (15 December), the warship visited the island of Hilo (16-20 December), affording officers and men an opportunity to visit a volcano. Returning to Honolulu on 21 December 1911, California remained moored for the rest of the year and over three weeks into the New Year 1912, her crew engaged in routine drills on board ship, interspersed with liberty ashore. Underway off Honolulu (29 January-1 February), the ship received an inspection from Rear Adm. Thomas, Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, then anchored at that port going through routine drills (1-5 February). Underway again at the end of that time, the ship conducted “maneuvers preparatory to target practice” (5-8 February), then put in to Honolulu to coal ship, provide liberty, and carry out routine drills (8-12 February). California conducted maneuvers and exercises off Lahaina, Maui, (12-13 February 1912), then off Kealakekua (13-14 February), before putting in to Maui for liberty (15-19 February). Pausing off Kahului (19-20 February) with the squadron, the armored cruiser coaled ship and granted liberty at Honolulu (20 February-11 March), after which she carried out maneuvers off that port (11-16 March). Then, after again coaling ship and granting liberty (16-18 March), she sailed for the Philippine Islands. Pausing briefly at Guam (2 April 1912) en route, California pushed on for the Philippines, standing in to the waters off Olongapo six days later. After receiving stores there, the armored cruiser steamed to Cavite, arriving there on the 9th to coal ship (9-10 April). Following target practice in Manila Bay (10-12 April), California returned to Olongapo for docking and routine drills (12-26 April) before steaming to Manila for liberty (26-29 April). Coaling ship at Cavite (29 April-1 May 1912), the armored cruiser returned to the target range in Manila Bay, carrying out night firing practice (1-4 May), then fired night and day practice in two more stints in and out of Manila Bay (6-10 May and 13-17 May), interspersed with providing liberty for her crew in Manila. Clearing ship for action at Olongapo (17-24 May), California carried out speed trial runs and target practice off Manila (24 May-5 June), after which she coaled ship at Cavite (6-7 June). Conducting standardization runs off Olongapo (7-10 June), she again coaled at Cavite (10-12 June), then provided liberty at Olongapo, and sending her men ashore to use the rifle range (12-19 June). Off Manila, the armored cruiser again allowed her crew ashore for recreation and liberty, and conducted torpedo practice (19-24 June); then after coaling ship at Cavite (24-26 June), she sailed for China. California reached Woosung, near Shanghai, on 30 June 1912, then sailed in company with South Dakota for Tsingtao, visiting that port (8-14 July) before proceeding on with her sister ship to Yokohama (17-24 July), then to Hawaii. During the passage to the Hawaiian Islands, however, a revolution had broken out in Nicaragua (29 July), and California and South Dakota paused only briefly at Honolulu (4-6 August) before proceeding on to the west coast, reaching San Francisco to take on coal and stores (15-17 August). Dropping down the coast to San Diego, California held drills at that port (19-21 August) before setting course for Nicaragua, the situation in that country daily posing an “increasing menace to the railroad and other American properties,” Clearing San Diego on 21 August 1912, California made port at Corinto on the 28th, and put ashore a landing force to protect American citizens and others threatened by the reigning disorder. Rear Adm. William H. H. Southerland reached Corinto on the 28th and “took complete charge of military affairs in the western part of Nicaragua.” The admiral controlled “the land operations of the bluejackets and marines as well as the duties performed by the ships…patrolling the coast and preventing filibustering.” Shifting to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, the following day (29 August), California sent and received cablegrams at that port before steaming to Panama, Canal Zone, where (31 August-1 September), she embarked the First Provisional Regiment of Marines – 29 officers, 4 naval officers and 744 enlisted men under the command of Col. Joseph H. Pendleton, USMC. Transporting the regiment to Corinto on 4 September, the armored cruiser disembarked the leathernecks to Annapolis (Gunboat No. 10), whence the force went ashore. Colorado (Armored Cruiser No.7) landed her marine guard as well as a bluejacket detachment on 5 September, and Cleveland (Cruiser No. 19) landed her marines well as a company of sailors with one section of artillery and two Colt automatic guns on the 14th, bringing the total number of bluejackets and marines ashore to about 2,350. Meanwhile, California completing putting the marines ashore on 5 September 1912 then got underway to return to San Juan del Sur to put a landing force ashore there (5-11 September). Shifting back to Corinto, where she lingered briefly (12-13 September), she steamed into the Golf of Fonseca where she coaled ship (13-19 September), then returned to Corinto where she landed a force (19-25 September), after which she patrolled off the entrance to the Talmarinda River (25-26 September), and off Corinto (26 September). She then kept an eye on conditions in San Juan del Sur (27 September-12 October), then Corinto (13-19 October), where she loaded stores and permitted liberty for the crew, after which she returned for another stint at San Juan del Sur (20 October-4 November). Coaling ship at Corinto (4 November), the armored cruiser then put ashore a force from the Gulf of Fonseca (7 November) before she proceeded back to Corinto to embark part of the expeditionary force (8-14 November), after which she set course for San Diego. After disembarking her passengers, then conducting elementary target practice with Colorado and Maryland (22 November-20 December 1912), California visited San Francisco with those sister ships (22-23 December 1912). She then stood in to the Mare Island Navy Yard two days before Christmas to begin a period of repairs and alterations that lasted into 1913. Emerging from yard hands on 16 March 1913, California coaled ship at Tiburon (16-18 March), then paused briefly at San Francisco (18-19 March) en route to San Diego, visiting that port from 21 to 26 March in company with Maryland. The armored cruiser then obtained tactical data off Coronado Island and San Diego on five occasions, concluding that work on 3 April when she cleared San Diego for Guaymas, Mexico, off which she operated for a little over two months (7 April-9 June). After calling at San Diego (13-17 June), California spent the balance of the month of June engaged in various local operations, that included target practice with South Dakota off the Coronado Islands (17-20 June), bore-sighting her own guns off San Diego (20 June), work on the Coronado Islands on the target range (21-22 June) and conducting two periods of speed trials (22-26 June and 27-28 June) off San Diego, after which she put in to San Francisco on 30 June. California coaled at Tiburon (8-10 July 1913), then returned briefly to San Francisco (10-12 July) before steaming to ports in the Pacific Northwest. During the balance of July, the armored cruiser visited Seattle (15-21 July), Tacoma (21-26 July), and Bremerton (26-30 July), in succession, and concluded the trip to those waters with a visit to Victoria, British Columbia (30 July-2 August). She stood in to San Francisco on 5 August, but shifted to the Mare Island Navy Yard later the same day. Clearing Vallejo on the 8th, she transited the Carquinez Strait (8-9 August), and paused again at San Francisco (9-21 August) before troubled conditions in revolution-torn Mexico compelled her being ordered south. After “observing conditions” at Guaymas (27 August-4 October 1913), California visited Mazatlan (6-13 October) and Topolobampo (14 October) before resuming her watch at Guaymas (15 October-9 November). Her observing conditions in Mexican waters continued into December, with the ship calling at Topolobampo (10 November) and Mazatlan (11-30 November), adding San Blas and Santa Cruz Village (1 December) as well as Manzanillo (2-8 December) to her Mexican itinerary. Paying return visits to San Blas (9 December) and Mazatlan (10-17 December) concluded her time in those waters, and she put in to San Diego five days before Christmas of 1913 to resume training, holding elementary target practice soon thereafter. Clearing San Diego on 2 January 1914, California began the year searching for a lost torpedo (2-3 January), then transferred officers to the cruiser New Orleans during a visit to San Francisco (5-12 January). Then, after coaling at Tiburon (12 January) and a period in yard hands at Mare Island (12-29 January), the armored cruiser operated in the waters off San Diego and the Coronado Islands for almost a month. During that time she conducted target practice, spotting practice, torpedo practice (three times), and observed Maryland’s target practice, until conditions in Mexico again resulted in orders for her to proceed to that country’s west coast. Leaving the Coronado Islands in her wake on 24 February, she reached Mazatlan on the 28th. California stood out of the port of Mazatlan on 3 March 1914, and held full power runs (3-5 March) en route to Guaymas. After a stint of observing conditions there (6-14 March), the armored cruiser again visited Topolobampo (15 March), then Mazatlan (16 March-5 April), before calling at Acapulco (8-16 April) and reprising a visit to Mazatlan (18 April-23 June), steaming thence to Pichilinque, arriving there on 24 June. California made a second cruise “to observe conditions” along the coast of Mexico (16 July-18 August). General Order No. 112 of 30 July 1914 re-named the armored cruiser San Diego on 1 September 1914 to clear the name California for assignment to Battleship No. 44. She subsequently became flagship of the Pacific Fleet, and participated in the opening of the Panama-California Exposition on 1 January 1915. A few weeks later, on 21 January 1915, an explosion in San Diego’s no. 1 fire room killed five sailors and injured seven. Ens. Robert W. Cary, Jr., 25 years old and a little over seven months out of the Naval Academy, held the watertight doors between the fire rooms open, enabling three men to escape. Fireman 2nd Class Telesforo Trinidad, 25, blown clear of no. 2 boiler room, immediately returned and brought injured Fireman 2nd Class R. E. Daly to safety. Just after Trinidad and Daly exited the no. 2 fire room, however, an explosion occurred in the No. 3 fire room, flames burning Trinidad’s face. After passing the injured Daly to another sailor, Trinidad entered the No. 3 fire room and rescued another injured man. For their selfless heroism that day, both Ens. Cary and Fireman 2nd Class Trinidad each received the Medal of Honor. As a result of the damage, the Navy placed San Diego in limited commission from 10 June to 15 September 1915 pending repairs. Rejoining the Pacific Fleet in late 1915, San Diego participated in the successful rescue of 48 people from the schooner Fort Bragg, which had fouled a reef 20 miles northeast of Cabo San Lucas on 15 November 1915. San Diego, the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, was placed in reserve on 12 February 1917, and the U.S. declaration of war on Germany (6 April 1917) found her in the midst of repairs at Mare Island. She was placed in commission, 456 men short of her full complement, the next day (7 April), Cmdr. Claude B. Price in command. Less than one week later, active participation began in the mobilization and federalization of the state of California’s Naval Militia, which had previously been mobilized at their local armories. Congestion at the Naval Training Station (NTS), San Francisco, however, had prevented that facility from being used as a Federal Depot to enroll the militia in the National Naval Volunteers (NNV). Consequently, the Navy employed San Diego, Huntington (ex-West Virginia), and the Spanish-American War veteran Oregon (Battleship No. 3) as a collective depot afloat. San Diego received the five officers that comprised the battalion staff of the Naval Militia, as well as officers from the Naval Militia’s Third, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth and Tenth Divisions and about 450 men, of whom some came fully outfitted and some came wearing only the clothes on their backs. Drilling, fitting-out, and examinations began immediately. Enrollment began on 18 April. On 19 April 1917, San Diego began transferring men from the Sixth Division of the Naval Militia (later NNV) to Frederick (ex-Maryland), Pueblo (ex-Colorado) and St. Louis (Cruiser No. 20) as soon as they could be signed up. Enrollment continued the next day [20 April] with the Sixth and Ninth Divisions going to various ships then in port at San Diego. Undocked on 21 April 1917, San Diego brought to a close the enrollment of the Naval Militia on board to the NNV, with only 50 men ordered retained on board and the remainder parceled out to other ships, in most cases officers and enlisted men being transferred together. The ship received a draft of 200 recruits from NTS San Francisco, ordered thus to relieve congestion there, but an arrangement was reached with the Commandant of the Navy Yard to send them to a detention camp at the yard due to a prevalence of measles in the recruits transferred from Goat Island. The 200 men that were to join the ship essentially being medically hors de combat, San Diego received another draft of 200 men from NTS Great Lakes on 24 April 1917, the new sailors coming via San Diego to report to St. Louis. That ship’s vacancies having been filled by the NNV processed on board San Diego, however, the newly arrived men came with little. Lacking clothes bags, the recruits had spent a week on a train with their clothing in gunny sacks followed for them all. In the wake of the arrival of the new sailors, who immediately began to receive infantry drill, firing, and instruction, with the Reserve Fleet ceasing to exist and the Patrol Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, being organized, Rear Adm. William F. Fullam, accompanied by his staff, broke his flag in San Diego on 5 May 1917. San Diego held dock trials for her main engines on 16 May 1917, completed outfitting and taking on stores. Her officers and men also conducted trials of repairs and alterations performed by the yard workers, testing boilers, new sections of piping, and ventilation blowers. Ten days later, with all authorized work having been completed by the yard, all stores on board, cold storage spaces filled, the ship then steamed to the Coal Depot at California City, where the newly outfitted armored cruiser coaled ship (28-29 May). At 6:30 a.m. on 31 May 1917, San Diego sailed for San Francisco, and after arriving there maneuvered for two hours, carrying out experimental work with her radio compass. At 11:30 a.m., the ship set course for the Farallon Islands, in obedience to Rear Adm. Fullam’s orders, standing out to intercept the U.S. steamship Columbia, which had set out from Honolulu with a seized German cargo ship in tow, bound for Bremerton. Arriving at a point some 900 miles from the port of origin of the voyage, San Diego was to convoy Columbia and her tow to Puget Sound. Arriving at the meeting point at 6:00 a.m. on 5 June, the armored cruiser sighted the ships she was to escort at 11:15 a.m. and joined them soon thereafter. Passing into the Straits of Juan de Fuca at 3:15 a.m. on 14 June, San Diego parted company with the convoy at 5:00 a.m. and set course for Port Townsend, reaching her destination at noon. She then exited the Straits at 2:00 p.m. that afternoon and headed for San Francisco. San Diego anchored off the Tiburon Coal Depot on 16 June 1917, and there replenished her bunkers as well as took on ammunition and stores before continuing on to San Francisco, arriving there on 18 June. Underway again on 23 June, the warship reached the port of San Diego on the 25th. Detached from the Patrol Force, Pacific Fleet, with orders to proceed to the Atlantic, San Diego stood out of the waters of the port whose name she carried on 18 July. Arriving at Balboa, Canal Zone, on 28 July 1917, San Diego transited the Panama Canal on the 29th, and after arriving at Cristobal, coaled to capacity. She sailed the next day [30 July] for Hampton Roads, Virginia. Reaching her destination on 4 August, the armored cruiser coaled, and remained there until the 10th, at which point she stood out and set course for New York, where she reported to the Commander, Cruiser Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, upon arrival. On 19 August 1917, as ordered by the Commander Cruiser and Transport Force, San Diego cleared New York in company with Seattle (ex-Washington), and proceeded to Port Jefferson, N.Y., to embark midshipmen from ships in the Battle Force and transport them to Annapolis, Md., and to return to New York. The armored cruiser reached Annapolis on 22 August, disembarked the midshipmen, then returned to the North River the next day. Rear Adm. Albert Gleaves, Commander Cruiser and Transport Force, shifted his flag from Seattle to San Diego on 25 August, and wore it in the latter for almost one month, transferring back to Seattle on 19 September. San Diego remained at her North River anchorage for three more days, shifting to Tompkinsville, Staten Island, N.Y., on 22 September 1917 to assume command of an eastbound convoy. Sailing the following day [23 September] as flagship and one of the escorting vessels for Troop Convoy Group Eight, San Diego set course for St. Nazaire, France, in company with the troop ships Finland, Antilles, Henderson (Troop Transport No. 1) and Lenape (Id. No. 2700), Kanawha (Fuel Ship No. 13) and Maumee (Fuel Ship No. 14), and Monaghan (Destroyer No. 32) and Roe (Destroyer No. 24). Early in the convoy’s passage, troubles with a low pressure valve stem compelled Lenape to drop out of the formation on 24 September, one day at sea. Six days later [30 September], Kanawha “proceeded on duty assigned,” while Maumee received orders to join the escorting force. Ultimately, on 3 October, Sampson (Destroyer No. 63), Davis (Destroyer No. 65), Fanning (Destroyer No. 37), Winslow (Destroyer No. 53) and Jarvis (Destroyer No. 38), as the Eastern Escort, relieved the Ocean Escort, the latter putting about to return to the U.S. Kanawha rejoined three days later [6 October] and fueled Monaghan and Roe. One week later, on 13 October 1917, San Diego stood in to Hampton Roads and coaled ship. She then sailed for Tompkinsville on the 15th, arriving the next day. Three days later, the armored cruiser cleared New York for Portsmouth, N.H., and reached her destination on 20 October, entering dry dock there for an overhaul and to receive emergency repairs. She remained there until the 30th, at which point she proceeded back to New York, making her arrival there on 1 November. Less than a fortnight later, San Diego sailed as flagship for Troop Convoy Group Eleven on 13 November 1917, bound for Brest, France, escorting Madawaska (Id. No. 3011), Powhatan (Id. No. 3013), and Pocahontas (Id. No. 3044), along with her old consorts Monaghan and Roe riding shotgun on the troop transports as well. Putting in to Le Croisic, France, on 26 November, she transferred “supplies and small stores” to the Naval Air Station there on 30 November, then sailed to continue on to Brest on 3 December, reaching her destination the following day. San Diego cleared Brest as escort for only one vessel on 7 December 1917, and reached New York on the 15th, remaining there for five days before sailing for Hampton Roads. Arriving in those waters the next day [21 December], the armored cruiser coaled, then returned north to the New York Navy Yard, arriving there on 22 December and entering dry dock, where yard workmen began removing most of the ship’s 6-inch guns the next day. San Diego finished taking stores on board, then undocked two days after Christmas, returning to her anchorage in the North River on 3 January 1918. Ordered to proceed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, San Diego arrived there on 14 January 1918, to escort convoys formed around fast steamships [liners] “until further notice.” The armored cruiser put to sea on 20 January, returning to Halifax on 4 February to coal ship and load supplies. Following another escort cycle, putting to sea on 21 February 1918 and returning on 8 March, San Diego set out as escort for convoy HK-26 (Fast) – British steamships Ansonia, Avonmouth, City of Exeter, Saturnia, and Glasco – on 17 March. Standing up the North River on 23 April, the ship went into dry dock for a day (25 April), then hurriedly put to sea in response to an SOS the next day, returning to port on 28 April. San Diego cleared New York on 3 May 1918 in company with HMS Alsatrain as a second escort, with mercantile convoy HX-32 (Fast) that included Cuyama (Fuel Ship No. 15) and the mine planter Roanoke (Id. No. 1695) and 12 British ships. After returning to Hampton Roads on 20 May, the armored cruiser carried out gunnery exercises and torpedo practice (22-25 May) after which she cleared the Tidewater region and, proceeding via Cape Charles City, Va., steamed to New York, arriving there on the 26th. A little over a fortnight later, San Diego sailed from New York with HX-37 (Fast), along with the armed merchant cruiser HMS Edinburgh Castle, shepherding a convoy formed around the troop transport Plattsburg (Id. No. 1645) and ten British vessels, bound for Liverpool, England. Arriving at Portsmouth Navy Yard on 29 June 1918, San Diego entered dry dock the next day. She emerged on 16 July, then coaled ship and loaded supplies. Two days later [18 July], the armored cruiser cleared Portsmouth for New York. Steaming at 15 knots, San Diego was attempting to make a landfall on the Long Island shore, northeast of the Fire Island light vessel. She had run a continuous line of soundings that, while they “did not agree with any line on the chart,” indicated that land would be found at the point desired. When landfall did not occur as expected, the armored cruiser changed course 30 degrees to the right at 10:30 a.m. on 19 July 1918, rounding the Nantucket Light Vessel at a distance of 20 miles. Lookouts, gun crews, and fire control parties had manned their stations, and from his vantage point atop the wheel house, a structure eight feet in height that afforded Capt. Harley H. Christy, San Diego’s commanding officer, a “good view of the bridge lookouts and many others on watch and their attention to their duties. Everyone on watch in sight was on the alert.” A smooth sea “made small objects easily visible,” and the lookouts made “frequent reports of drift wood and other objects…” At about 11:05 a.m. on 19 July 1918, San Diego hit a mine, the explosion sounding like “a dull heavy thud,” lifting the stern slightly and shaking the ship “moderately fore and aft.” The warship assumed an immediate six to eight degree list, and she lost headway. The mine had exploded on the port side about frame 78, well below the waterline, rupturing the skin of the ship and deforming the bulkhead at that location, opening watertight door no.142 between the port engine room and no. 8 fireroom. Flooding occurred in the port engine room, adjacent compartments, as well as no. 8 fireroom, and San Diego then took on a 17½ degree list, water entering through an open gun port for 6-inch gun no.10. At the outset, “the behavior of the ship did not convince me she was in much danger of sinking,” Capt. Christy later wrote, but he soon received the report from the engineer officer that the ship had lost power in both engines. Loss of motive power “precluded any maneuvering to combat a submarine.” The list increased. “When I was convinced that there was no hope of her holding and that she would capsize,” Christy gave the order to abandon ship, the gun crews remaining at their stations “until they could no longer fire,” and the depth charges being “secured so that they would be innocuous.” San Diego’s sailors launched life rafts, whaleboats, dinghies and punts by hand, as well as mess tables, benches, hammocks and lumber – “ample material to support the crew” – “an evolution…performed in an orderly manner without confusion,” while the broadside gun crews fired about 30 to 40 rounds “at possible periscopes.” With San Diego nearly on her beam ends, Capt. Christy, along with his executive officer, Cmdr. Gerard Bradford, were the last to leave the ship. Bradford went down the port side, the commanding officer went over the starboard side by a rope, swinging down to the bilge keel then the docking keel before going overboard. Christy then watched his ship turn turtle, “in a symmetrical position with the keel inclined about ten degrees to the horizontal, the forward end elevated” before gradually sinking. San Diego sank about 10.5 miles from Fire Island Lighthouse, taking with her Eng2c Clyde C. Blaine, F1c Thomas E. Davis, Sea2c Paul J. Harris, MM2c Andrew Munson, MM2c Frazier O. Thomas, and Eng2c James F. Rochet (USNRF). Six other enlisted men suffered injuries in the sinking. With the radio apparatus having been rendered inoperable by the shock of the explosion, Capt. Christy had ordered Lt. Clarkson J. Bright “to proceed with a dinghy crew to Long Island to report the disaster and request rescue vessels.” Bright accomplished his mission and carried out his orders. Picked up by a whaleboat, Capt. Christy directed operations, ordering a mast stepped and a sail hoisted to attract attention, and his boat “pulled around the rafts and picked up a few sick and injured.” The survivors caught sight of two steamers to the south and headed for them – these proved to be the U.S. Shipping Board freighter Bussum (Capt. Brewer) that had been formerly operated by the Naval Overseas Transportation Service, together with the steamship Malden (Capt. Brown). Soon thereafter, the steamship S. P. Jones (Capt. Dodge) arrived on the scene and assisted in rescuing the armored cruiser’s survivors and took them to New York. The court of inquiry into San Diego’s loss lauded the masters of Bussum, Malden, and S. P. Jones for displaying “...courage and a splendid spirit in taking their ships into these waters, where a submarine had been operating,” and recommended that “suitable acknowledgement be made by the Navy Department of their gallantry.” “The conduct of then officers and men throughout the disaster,” Christy wrote later, “was in keeping with the best traditions of the service and exactly what I had good reason to expect of them whenever the test should come…” The Court of Inquiry attributed the “remarkably small loss of life…to the high state of discipline maintained on board.” San Diego had fouled a mine laid by the German submarine U-156. Subsequently, naval forces in the vicinity of the sinking located six contact mines the next day. Ironically, U-156 was believed sunk by a mine on her return voyage to Germany, on 25 September 1918. Having sunk 36 ships (including San Diego) and damaged two during her second patrol, she was lost with all hands, 77 souls all told, including 36-year old Kapitänleutnant Richard Feldt, her commanding officer. San Diego was stricken from the Navy List on 26 August 1918. Robert J. Cressman and Christopher J. Martin Published: Tue Jul 25 07:59:08 EDT 2017

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Olive Foster Outstanding Teacher Award Russell P. Strange Memorial Book Award Sesquicentennial Houses of Worship Centennial Business Awards Verna Ross Orndorff Scholarship King V. Hostick Scholarship Illinois Heritage Best of Illinois History Awards Gala 2020 PublicationsJournal Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society The Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, established in 1908, is the scholarly publication of the Illinois State Historical Society. The peer-reviewed Journal welcomes articles, essays, and documents about history, literature, art technology, law, and other subjects related to Illinois and the Midwest. The Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society is published quarterly and is available to everyone for purchase, discounts are included for members of the Illinois State Historical Society. Visit our Membership section for membership options and information. To purchase individual issues please contact our office. Volume 111 Number 3 Fall 2018 Volume 109 – Number 3 – Fall 2016 Mark Hubbard / Wednesday, February 1, 2017 0 5191 This issue offers three articles covering diverse aspects of Illinois' history. In "Illinois Germans and the Coming of the Civil War: Reshaping Ethnic Identity," Christina Bearden-White uses German-language sources to examine the complex issue of German identity in the Prairie State during the mid-nineteenth century. Ian Rocksborough-Smith's article, "'I had gone in there thinking I was going to be a cultural worker': Richard Durham, Oscar Brown, Jr. and the United Packinghouse Workers Association in Chicago," presents a fascinating analysis of the Cold War-era careers of Oscar Brown, Jr. and Richard Durham, two prominent Chicago-based African American political activists. Finally, Michael Sublett's "Downstate: Illinois' Peripheral Other," presents the etymology of that well-known Prairie State term. Employing the categories of core and periphery, which rose to prominence in social science and historical writing during the 1970s, Sublett traces the evolution and application of the downstate moniker. Volume 109 - Number 2 - Summer 2016 Mark Hubbard / Monday, August 29, 2016 0 4840 The summer 2016 issue features three stimulating essays on mid-nineteenth century Illinois politics. In "Extradition, the Mormons, and the Election of 1843," Andrew H. Hedges offers a new interpretation of the Mormons' surprising support of Joseph P. Hoge, the 1843 Democratic candidate for U.S. representative in Illinois' sixth congressional district. That decision was fraught with enormous consequence. In the wake of the Mormon vote for the Democrat Hoge, the area's Whig Party turned against the religious group, a momentous shift in local attitudes that spawned conflict and eventual expulsion of the Mormons out of western Illinois. Brent M. Rodgers examines another dimension of Mormon politics in Illinois in his "'Armed men are coming from the state of Missouri': Federalism, Interstate Affairs, and Joseph Smith's Final Attempt to Secure Federal Intervention in Nauvoo." Rogers examines the constitutional and political theory behind Joseph Smith's letter to President John Tyler, written just seven days before his murder, pleading for federal intervention in behalf of the beleaguered religionists at Nauvoo. In the issue's final article, "A Copperhead in Quincy Goes to Washington: Senator William A. Richardson," Shawn Hale adds to our knowledge and understanding of the Copperhead opposition that dogged Lincoln throughout the Civil War. Focusing on Richardson's many published speeches, Hale produces a refurbished and updated analysis of the Illinois Democrat's political thought. Richardson, argues Hale, is best seen as a "romantic conservative" whose commitment to the Constitution 'as it was' left him ill equipped in the face of revolutionary changes to federal authority and black freedom wrought by the Civil War. Volume 109 - Number 1 - Spring 2016 Alex Hays / Wednesday, May 4, 2016 0 4833 “How Newness Enters the World”: Cultural Creolization in Swedish-American Hymnals Published at Augustana College, 1901-1925 - By Peter Ellertsen Sacrificing for a “Just Cause”:
The World War I Memoir of Edward F. Paule, U.S. Engineers - By Jeffrey L. Patrick Moral Imperatives and Political Realities:
Edward Marciniak and the Fight to End Chicago’s Dual Housing Market - By Charles Shanabruch Volume 108 - Number 3-4 - Fall/Winter 2015 Shaggy / Wednesday, January 13, 2016 0 7228 IN 1963, DURING THE HEIGHT of the Civil War centennial, the Illinois State Historical Society published a special issue of its journal to commemorate and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. The articles in the issue covered a wide range of topics related to African American history in Illinois up to the Civil War era. Although the ISHS had published articles on Illinois African American history through the years, a special issue devoted exclusively to the top was deemed appropriate. As the sesquicentennial of both the Civil War and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment draws to a close, it is no less appropriate to devote a special issue of this journal to African American history in Illinois. In hist second inaugural address Lincoln said that all knew that slavery somehow was the cause of the Civil War. To commemorate and remember the war without discussing slavery and the broader questions of African American citizenship and participation in society would be wrong. And so, I am happy to present six outstanding articles covering a variety of topics on Illinois African American history. Shaggy / Friday, September 4, 2015 0 6375 THE SUMMER ISSUE OF THE JOURNAL OFFERS three articles that examine key aspects of the Prairie State's Political history. In "Elijah P. Lovejoy: Anti-Catholic Abolitionist," John Duerk examines the famous abolitionist's anti-Catholicism, which constituted a vital component of Lovejoy's larger worldview. In "A Question of Loyalty: The 1896 Election in Quincy, Illinois," John Coats analyzes the election of 1896 at the grassroots. For decades political historians have viewed the election of 1896 as a "critical" election, marking the transition from the third to the fourth party system. Finally, Richard Allen Morton's "It Was Bryan and Sullivan Who did the Trick': How William Jennings Bryan and Illinois' Roger C. Sullivan Brought About the Nomination of Woodrow Wilson in 1912," examines the backroom negotiations and on-floor machinations that produced Woodrow Wilson's nomination at the 1912 Democratic Party convention in Baltimore. Chicago8 African Americans7 Civil War4 Identity3 Cultural Work2 Activism2 Downstate Illinois2 Quincy2 Great Depression2 Chicago World's Fair2 Illinois State Historical Society | Strawbridge-Shepherd House | 5255 Shepherd Road | Springfield, IL 62703 Directory of Illinois Historical Societies Illinois State Archives Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Illinois Digital Archives (IDA) Terms Of UsePrivacy StatementCopyright 2020 by Illinois State Historical Society

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Frontiers in Marine Science Marine Conservation and Sustainability Romuald Lipcius William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary, United States Telmo Morato University of the Azores, Portugal Andrew M. Fischer Front. Mar. Sci., 25 October 2017 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00335 High-Resolution Habitat Suitability Models for the Conservation and Management of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems on the Louisville Seamount Chain, South Pacific Ocean Ashley A. Rowden1*, Owen F. Anderson1, Samuel E. Georgian2, David A. Bowden1, Malcolm R. Clark1, Arne Pallentin1 and Andrew Miller3 1National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand 2Marine Conservation Institute, Seattle, WA, United States 3National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Christchurch, New Zealand Vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) are ecosystems at risk from the effects of fishing or other kinds of disturbance, as determined by the vulnerability of their components (e.g., habitats, communities, or species). Habitat suitability modeling is being used increasingly to predict distribution patterns of VME indicator taxa in the deep sea, where data are particularly sparse, and the models are considered useful for marine ecosystem management. The Louisville Seamount Chain is located within the South Pacific Regional Fishery Management Organization (SPRFMO) Convention Area, and some seamounts are the subject of bottom trawling for orange roughy by the New Zealand fishery. The aim of the present study was to produce high-resolution habitat suitability maps for VME indicator taxa and VME habitat on these seamounts, in order to evaluate the feasibility of designing within-seamount spatial closures to protect VMEs. We used a multi-model habitat suitability mapping approach, based on bathymetric and backscatter data collected by multibeam echo sounder survey, and data collected by towed underwater camera for the stony coral and habitat-forming VME indicator species Solenosmilia variabilis, as well as two taxa indicative of stony coral habitat (Brisingida, Crinoidea). Model performance varied among the different model types used (Boosted Regression Tree, Random Forest, Generalized Additive Models), but abundance-based models consistently out-performed models based on presence-absence data. Uncertainty for ensemble models (combination of all models) was lower overall compared to the other models. Maps resulting from our models showed that suitable habitat for S. variabilis is distributed around the summit-slope break of seamounts, and along ridges that extend down the seamount flanks. Only the flat, soft sediment summits are predicted to be unsuitable habitat for this stony coral species. We translated a definition for stony coral-reef habitat into a S. variabilis abundance-based threshold in order to use our models to map this VME habitat. These maps showed that coral-reef occurred in small and isolated patches, and that most of the seabed on these seamounts is predicted to be unsuitable habitat for this VME. We discuss the implications of these results for spatial management closures on the Louisville Seamount Chain seamounts and the wider SPRFMO area, and future modeling improvements that could aid efforts to use habitat suitability maps for managing the impact of fishing on VMEs. Vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) are ecosystems at potential risk from the effects of fishing or other kinds of disturbance, as determined by the vulnerability of their components (e.g., habitats, communities, or species) (FAO, 2009). A number of United Nations General Assembly resolutions have been passed that require nation states and fishery management organizations to identify VMEs within their jurisdiction as one of the steps toward their protection (see Ardron et al., 2014 for details). Species or taxonomic groups have been identified that can be used as indicators of the presence of VMEs in particular ocean regions, in order to assist agencies responsible for their protection [e.g., the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO) in the South Pacific region—Parker et al., 2009]. Such taxa possess characteristics that make them particularly vulnerable to disturbance (such as slow growth rates, longevity, late maturity, and fragility), and include species that form structurally complex features, like coral reefs and sponge aggregations, which provide three-dimensional structure associated with diverse communities, and discrete areas of functional significance (e.g., necessary habitat for rare, threatened or endangered species of the habitat, and/or the survival, function, spawning/reproduction or recovery of fish stocks and particular life-history stages) (FAO, 2009). Habitat suitability modeling (sometimes called species distribution modeling) is a method for predicting the suitability of a location for a species, or group of species, based on their observed relationship with environmental conditions. Habitat suitability modeling is being used increasingly to predict distribution patterns of VME indicator taxa in the deep sea, where data are particularly sparse, and such models are considered useful for marine ecosystem management (Ross and Howell, 2013; Reiss et al., 2014). Habitat suitability models have been produced for numerous deep-sea taxa (see review by Vierod et al., 2014), but the predicted distributions are dependent on how the models are constructed. The quantity, quality, and distribution of species presence records, the availability of true absence records, and the environmental predictor variables used can all influence the reliability of the models (Araújo and Guisan, 2006; Guisan et al., 2006). Recent efforts to improve the accuracy of habitat suitability models, and thus their usefulness for the management of the impact of fishing on VMEs, have included use of abundance data (as opposed to relying only on presence-absence data), ground-truth model validation, ensemble modeling, and estimates of model uncertainty (Rooper et al., 2014, 2016; Anderson et al., 2016a,b; Robert et al., 2016). Despite these improvements, models are still sometimes found to be unsuitable for management purposes because they are either at spatial resolutions that are too coarse, or because they predict the presence of VME indicator taxa but not the VME itself. These issues can be reduced if high-resolution multibeam data and seafloor images are used in building habitat suitability models (e.g., Howell et al., 2011; Rengstorf et al., 2012, 2013, 2014). The aim of the present study was to produce high-resolution habitat suitability models for VME indicator taxa, and VME habitat, on seamounts of the Louisville Seamount Chain at the scale of individual seamounts. These seamounts are located within the SPRFMO Convention Area, and some are the subject of bottom trawling for orange roughy by the New Zealand fishery. SPRFMO has protection measures in place for VMEs, but the efficacy of these measures has been questioned (e.g., Penny and Guinotte, 2013), and additional and alternative measures are being sought and considered by stakeholders. Currently, large 20-min latitude/longitude spatial closures are implemented on some seamounts for the New Zealand fishery, based on past fishing history or the presence of a VME detected by the bycatch of VME indicator taxa exceeding a particular threshold (Parker et al., 2009; Penney et al., 2009). One possible alternative management measure is to close small areas on individual seamounts that have, or are likely to have, VMEs, and allow fishing elsewhere on the seamount. High resolution, seamount-scale habitat suitability models for VME indicator taxa would aid the design of such within-seamount spatial closure measures. In the present study we built such models for a species of reef-forming stony coral, Solenosmilia variabilis and two taxa that are considered useful indicators for the occurrence of coral reef habitat; brisingid starfish and crinoids (Parker et al., 2009). The present study builds on previous habitat suitability modeling work in the region (Anderson et al., 2016a,b), and collectively these models can be used to inform spatial management planning for protecting VMEs in the seas around New Zealand, including key bottom-trawling regions within the SPRFMO Convention Area. Study Area and Seamounts The Louisville Seamount Chain lies to the east of New Zealand in the SPRFMO Convention Area, the region of the South Pacific beyond areas of national jurisdiction. It is made up of more than 80 seamounts and extends over 4,000 km from the junction of the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates (at latitude ~27° S) southeastwards into the central southwest Pacific (to latitude ~47° S) (Figure 1). Many of the seamounts in the chain are large guyots; flat-topped seamounts formed by erosion and subsequent submersion of islands (Lonsdale, 1988). Parts of the Louisville Seamount Chain are subject to bottom trawling, primarily for orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) by the New Zealand deepwater fishing fleet (Clark et al., 2016). Figure 1. Location of the surveyed seamounts and guyots within the Louisville Seamount Chain. Dots mark the location of the seamount summit, boxes mark areas open/closed to New Zealand bottom fishing. Inset image shows the location of the study area in relation to New Zealand. Seven large seamounts in the Louisville Seamount Chain were selected for survey (Forde, CenSeam, Anvil, JCM, 39 South, Ghost, Valerie) (Figure 1) with the aim to represent as wide a geographic range as possible given the available survey time. All seven seamounts have a vertical elevation of more than 1 km from the surrounding seafloor, and summary details for each are given in Table 1. Among the chosen seamounts there is a general gradient of increasing historical bottom trawling from north to south. Bottom trawling has taken place on all these seamounts and much of the area (excluding Forde and CenSeam) remains open to fishing by New Zealand bottom trawlers under SPRFMO regulations. These regulations control fishing in designated 20-min latitude/longitude blocks by vessels flagged to SPRFMO Member States. Regulations are based on a “bottom fishing footprint” established during the 2002-06 SPRFMO reference period (SPRFMO CMM2.03, https://www.sprfmo.int/), and for New Zealand vessels these are subject to open, move-on, and closed rules (Penney et al., 2009) (Figure 1). Table 1. Summary details of the surveyed seamounts. A random-stratified survey of benthic fauna and habitats using a towed camera system and an epibenthic sledge was undertaken on each study seamount to test the abilities of two broad-scale models to predict the presence of reef-forming corals (Anderson et al., 2016a). Data collected during this survey were also intended to enable subsequent development of high-resolution habitat suitability models at the scale of individual seamounts in the present study. Clark et al. (2015) and Anderson et al. (2016a) describe the survey design and sampling methodology in detail, but some of this information is repeated here for completeness. Prior to running photographic transects, a multibeam echosounder (MBES) survey was conducted on each seamount (except Anvil where existing data were available) using a 30 KHz Kongsberg EM302, producing a data resolution of 25 × 25 m. Each photographic transect was ~1.4 km long (mean ± SD, 1.43 ± 0.27) and 2 m wide, and some targeted epibenthic sled deployments were made along the video transects to collect physical samples for verification of visual identifications and other research. Photographic transects were carried out using NIWA's deep towed imaging system (DTIS, Hill, 2009), which incorporates high definition video (Sony HD 1080i format) and still camera (Canon 10MP single lens reflex) systems, with an ultra-short baseline positioning system (USBL, Kongsberg HiPAP) for tracking and recording the precise seabed position of the equipment (accurate under ideal conditions to within 1 m). In total, 118 photographic transects were completed, with 20, 22, 13, 1, 17, 29, and 16 on Forde, CenSeam, Anvil, JCM, 39 South, Ghost and Valerie seamounts, respectively (Figure 2). Figure 2. Bathymetric maps showing the position of photographic transects on each of the study seamounts (number = station number). JCM seamount is not shown because it was only partially surveyed and only one photographic transect was completed. Data and Data Processing Identifications and counts of fauna observed in video transects were made in real-time via a low-resolution video link to the ship, and from later analysis of full-resolution video for selected transects in which VME indicator taxa (primarily stony corals) occurred. S. variabilis was the only significant habitat-forming coral observed in the study area. Because much of the S. variabilis matrix of colonies observed was evidently not alive (dark colouration with no feeding polyps visible in high resolution still imagery), occurrence of this taxon was recorded in two ways: as percent cover of the seabed by intact coral matrix (“intact coral”), and counts of distinct coral colonies or “heads” with live polyps (“live heads”). The occurrence of non-intact coral matrix (broken up coral colonies that can occur around intact coral) was not recorded. Abundance data were then extracted for the three study taxa: live heads of S. variabilis; brisingid starfishes (Order Brisingida), and sea-lilies and feather stars (Class Crinoidea). The first species belongs to the VME indicator taxon Order Scleractinia, while the latter two are VME habitat indicator taxa for coral reefs (sensu Parker et al., 2009). Abundances were recorded as the number of individuals (or live heads) per 25 m2 segment of video transect (~2 m transect image width × 12 m along the transect track). A working definition of VME coral reef habitat, as opposed to individual occurrence of S. variabilis, was derived from video observations in the context of: (a) guidelines on identifying “sensitive environments” in the New Zealand region (schedule 6, Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects—Permitted Activities) Regulations 2013 http://www.mfe.govt.nz/marine/legislation/regulations-under-eez-act) and (b) our intuitive evaluation of VME status from observation of the seabed video imagery during the voyage and post-voyage confirmation from high-resolution imagery. According to the guidelines, “stony coral thicket or reef” habitat (Figure 3A) exists where either live or dead colonies of a structure-forming coral taxon cover more than 15% of the seabed over areas of >100 m2. Using this as a starting point, for each 25 m2 video segment, we calculated the proportion of the seabed identified as intact coral. To approximate to ~100 m2, we then identified areas along each transect where any 3 or more segments in a 5-segment moving window had more than 15% intact coral. We then compared a number of possible formulations for VME definition (excluding extensive areas of dead coral matrix), each incorporating different measures of the numbers of live S. variabilis heads, against our intuitive evaluation of VME status. The definition (“rule”) that best matched our intuitive evaluation combined only two criteria: (1) more than 15% intact coral present in 3 or more segments of a 5-segment moving window, and (2) more than one live S. variabilis head present in 3 or more segments of the 5-segment moving window. Having arrived at this definition of VME habitat status, we then calculated the mean number of live S. variabilis heads per VME habitat segment per transect for each transect in which VME habitat occurred, and then took the lowest mean value obtained (2.78 S. variabilis live heads per VME habitat segment, transect #135) as a threshold indicator of VME coral reef habitat (Figure 3B). This abundance threshold value was applied to the outputs from the suitability modeling (see below) to map the predicted distribution of VME habitat. Figure 3. (A) Seabed photograph showing coral reef habitat (live coral heads are lighter colored) and associated fauna including brisingids and crinoids (station 150, Valerie Guyot). (B) Illustration of VME habitat definition approach based on video transect observations, showing the occurrence of: all intact Solensmilia variabilis colony matrix (“intact coral”); VME coral reef habitat as defined by a “rule” (“VME by rule,” see methods text), and an abundance indicator of VME coral reef habitat (“live coral head threshold”) based only on a minimum threshold for live Solensmilia variabilis heads derived from their occurrence in the “VME by rule” areas. Black lines show full video transect paths (numbers = station number). This example is from the northwest flank of Ghost Seamount. A set of more than 100 topographical terrain variables was derived from bathymetric data collected by the MBES survey using Benthic Terrain Modeler in ArcGIS 10.3.1 (ESRI, 2015). Terrain variables included those that have been shown previously to be useful for predicting suitable habitat for VME indicator taxa (e.g., Rengstorf et al., 2012). The continuous variables were: depth; slope (steepest gradient to any neighboring cell); aspect (direction of slope); curvature (change of slope); plan curvature (curvature of the surface perpendicular to the slope direction); and profile curvature (curvature of the surface in the direction of slope). In addition, a further set of derivative continuous variables were calculated using focal mean analysis in ArcGIS for the standard deviation of depth, depth range, standard deviation of the slope, and terrain ruggedness. Focal mean analysis finds the average value of a variable within a specified neighborhood centered on a given cell and outputs these data to the corresponding cell location. Four different neighborhood sizes (3 × 3, 5 × 5, 7 × 7, and 15 × 15 grid cells) were computed to produce more generalized datasets. The different neighborhood cell sizes were selected to mimic a range of spatial scales at which seafloor bathymetry and topography may affect the distribution of benthic communities (e.g., 3 × 3 cells = 75 × 75 m; 5 × 5 = 125 × 125 m; 7 × 7 = 175 × 175 m; 15 × 15 = 375 × 375 m). Aspect, measured continuously in degrees, was transformed into a categorical variable representing the 16 sectors of the compass (i.e., N, NNE, NE, etc). Backscatter data from the MBES survey were processed using SonarScope (Augustin and Lurton, 2005). Processing consisted of statistical compensation of the signal as a function of its incidence angle on the seafloor, to attenuate the strong signal from specular reflection at the nadir and the rapid decrease of the signal strength with increasing incidence angle (Fonseca et al., 2009). Backscatter strength (a continuous variable), which measures the acoustic reflectivity of the seafloor, has been found to be a useful surrogate for substratum type (Lamarche et al., 2011). Substratum type influences the distribution of benthic organisms, including the study taxa which typically occupy hard substratum (high backscatter seafloor), and backscatter strength has been related to the distribution of deepwater coral species in previous studies (e.g., Georgian et al., 2014). Because backscatter data were not available from the earlier MBES survey of Anvil Seamount, this seamount was excluded from modeling. JCM Seamount was also excluded because only a part of the seamount was surveyed using MBES, and only one photographic transect was completed on the feature. That is, only models for five out of the original seven seamounts surveyed were made. Some biological data from the two excluded seamounts is presented later. Model Types and Selected Model Settings We selected three statistical modeling methods in common usage for habitat suitability modeling; Boosted Regression Trees, General Additive Models, and Random Forests. Model predictions of habitat suitability across all seamounts were restricted to a maximum depth of 2,000 m (the depth limit of the video survey) and a minimum depth of 265 m (the summit of the shallowest seamount). Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) modeling is an approach which can utilize both presence-absence data and abundance data, and has been used previously to predict distributions of deep-sea taxa in the study region (Anderson et al., 2016a,b). BRT models incorporate recursive binary splits within a regression tree structure to explain the relationship between the response and predictor variables (Elith et al., 2008). BRT models were fitted in R (R Development Core Team, 2016) using a standard approach, including optimization of the learning rate and number of trees by internal cross validation (Elith et al., 2008), and setting tree-complexity to 3 to allow a level of interactions between terms. The minimum number of trees for each model was set at 700. For construction of presence-absence models a Bernoulli (= binomial) distribution was assumed and for abundance models (count data) a Poisson distribution was assumed. Other model settings were left at default values. A Generalized Additive Model (GAM) A Generalized Additive Model (GAM) is a specific form of a generalized linear model that estimates smooth, non-parametric functions for each predictor variable (Hastie and Tibshirani, 1986). The distributions of a number of deep-sea species have been successfully modeled using a GAM approach, including corals (Rooper et al., 2014; Murillo et al., 2016), sponges (Rooper et al., 2014; Murillo et al., 2016), and fish (Leathwick et al., 2006). GAMs were developed in R using the “mgcv” package (Wood, 2006). For presence-absence models, a binomial distribution was assumed during model construction. For abundance models, a zero-inflated Poisson distribution with no data transformation was selected after exploring several alternative distributions (Gaussian, Poisson, quasi-Poisson, and Tweedie) and transformations (log+1, log+1% of mean abundance, square root, and fourth root) through analysis of residuals and model deviance. For all models, predictors were fitted with smooth terms allowing up to 4 degrees of freedom. Random Forest (RF) Random Forest (RF) modeling (Breiman, 2001) is a non-parametric approach which builds classification trees (presence-absence data) or regression trees (abundance data) using random subsets of the input data. One potential benefit of random forest over modeling approaches such as GAMs is the lack of any underlying assumption of the distribution of the response variable. RF models were constructed using the “randomForest” package (Liaw and Wiener, 2002) in R. For all models, 501 trees were run, which was always sufficient to allow the error rate to stabilize. Different values of “mtry,” the number of variables used in each tree node, were explored during initial model construction using the “tuneRF” function in the “randomForest” package. Default values (square root of the number of environmental variables for classification models, 1/3 the number of environmental variables for regression models), consistently produced the best results and were used in all models. Classification trees are highly sensitive to imbalances in the response variable, as the model will minimize the overall error rate at the expense of the error rate of the minority class (Chen et al., 2004; Evans et al., 2011). As our taxa data were skewed (>10:1 ratio of absences to presences for all species), we set the “cutoff” parameter in “randomForest” equal to species prevalence for each presence-absence model (Guo et al., 2004), which greatly reduced omission errors without affecting overall model performance. Model Performance and Precision Model performance was assessed using a cross-validation procedure in which models were trained using a random partition of data (70%) and tested against the remaining portion (30%). This cross-validation was carried out for 10 test datasets derived from different combinations of extracted data. For presence-absence models the area under the curve (AUC) metric was assessed for each of the ten test datasets, and an average calculated. In general, AUC values of ≥0.5 indicate better than random performance, ≥0.7 indicate adequate performance, and ≥0.8 indicate excellent performance (Hosmer et al., 2013). For abundance models, correlations (R2) between predicted and observed values for the 10 test datasets were calculated, and averaged. In addition, for both presence-absence and abundance models (and ensemble models—see below), the correlation (R2) between predicted and observed values was calculated for the whole dataset. For presence-absence models this was achieved by first converting model probabilities into a binomial form comparable with the observed data using cut-offs which provided an equivalent number of presences and absences. In all cases the final models were constructed using all data. In order to assess the relative confidence in predictions across the model extent, we used a bootstrap technique for each model type to produce spatially explicit uncertainty measures, after Anderson et al. (2016b). Random samples of the input data, in which presence and absence records were in equal proportion and number to the original (for both presence-absence and abundance models) were drawn with replacement, and models constructed with the same settings as the original. Predictions were then made for each cell of the model extent. This process was repeated 500 times for BRT models and 200 times for GAM and RF models (limited by processing capacity) resulting in 500 or 200 estimates for each cell. We then calculated model uncertainties as the coefficient of variation (CV) of the bootstrap output. Fundamental differences in model structure among the three models will inevitably result in different patterns of predicted habitat suitability. Evaluations of different types of models are often unable to demonstrate the unequivocal superiority of any single type, and studies have shown that predictions by alternative models can be so variable that they compromise their use for guiding policy or decision making; a solution to this issue is to use “ensemble” models (Araújo and New, 2007). Hence, for incorporation into decision-making tools for spatial management planning (e.g., Zonation, Moilanen, 2007) an ensemble model is a practical way to avoid dependence on a single model type and better describe in general the predicted spatial variation and uncertainties (Robert et al., 2016). To incorporate the predictions and underlying assumptions of each model into a single output grid we produced ensemble models of presence-absence and abundance, by calculating weighted averages of the relevant BRT, GAM, and RF models (after Oppel et al., 2012 and Anderson et al., 2016b). WB=PSBPSB+PSG+PSR,WG=PSGPSB+PSG+PSR, andWR=PSRPSB+PSG+PSRXE=XB * WB+ XG * WG+XR * WRCVE=(CVB* XB)2*WB2+(CVG*XG)2*WG2+(CVR+XR)2*WR2XE2 where PSB, PSG, and PSR are the model performance statistics (AUC for presence-absence models and R2 values for abundance models); XB, XG, XR, and XE the model predictions; and CVB, CVM, CVG, and CVE the bootstrap CVs from the BRT, GAM, and RF, and ensemble models respectively. Precision estimates for the ensemble models were calculated as the correlation (R2) between predicted and observed values calculated for the whole dataset, as described above. Predictor Variable Selection The topographical terrain and backscatter variables derived from the MBES survey formed the basis of the model predictor variable set. Chemical and other water property variables, including biological productivity variables available from various global or regional climatologies, were not considered as none were available with a native resolution similar to that of the MBES-derived variables. Several of these variables (e.g., temperature, salinity, surface-derived production, and aragonite saturation) are correlated with depth to varying degrees, and so a depth variable in this case can act as a surrogate for the changes in these parameters (Leathwick et al., 2006; Thresher et al., 2014). The categorical variable seamount, identifying the individual seamounts, was however added to MBES-derived candidate variables. Seamount was used rather than latitude and longitude to predict potential geographic-related environmental differences in habitat suitability, because this variable could also be used to reflect variables that may be specific to a particular seamount that are not related simply to geography. The full set of candidate variables was initially reduced by eliminating highly correlated variables, based on Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients. Values for the remaining variables were then determined for the midpoint locations of each of the 25 m2 taxa presence/absence video segments and used to build a set of single-variable presence-absence GAM models for each of the three taxa, as well as models using all of the variables together. The predictive value of each variable was then assessed according to its chi-square score in the all-variable models, and its AUC score in the single-variable models. In order to further assess the relative utility of the remaining candidate variables, we considered relationships among them using a cluster dendrogram, again using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients. In this way priority was given to variables that had low correlations with other variables and occurred in unique clusters, so as to avoid losing information that was not also provided by other variables, and to avoid including only high-performing variables that provided similar information. Moran's index was used, with the “spdep” package for R (Bivand, 2011), to measure spatial autocorrelation in model residuals compared with the raw presence-absence or abundance data. This index measures the correlation between observations as a function of the distance separating them, with values between−1 (highly dispersed) and 1 (highly clustered). In order to account for the inherent spatial autocorrelation in the model data, where relationships between observations are correlated with the geographic distances between them, we created an additional predictor, the residual autocovariate (RAC), representing the similarity between the residual from initial models at a location compared with those of neighboring locations. This method can account for spatial autocorrelation without compromising model performance, and can easily be implemented in most modeling approaches (Crase et al., 2012). Model Outputs All model results [predicted probability of occurrence/suitable habitat [0–1] and predicted abundance [number 25m−2] for each model and taxon, and the corresponding coefficients of variation (CV)] were mapped onto the newly derived bathymetry for the seamounts using ArcMap 10.3.1 (ESRI, 2015) at the same spatial resolution as the model environmental input data (25 × 25 m). Maps were drawn with a constant probability/abundance scale between models and taxa so that visual comparisons can be easily made. As a measure of the utility of the two VME habitat indicator taxa Brisingida and Crinoida for identifying the location of stony coral VME habitat, correlations between the predicted abundance of S. variabilis and the predicted abundance of these taxa were calculated from the ensemble-abundance model outputs. Photographic Transects The stony coral S. variabilis and brisingids were present in less than 500 of the 12,504 25 m2 video segments observed. Crinoids were two–three times more common across all seamounts, but this taxon was represented by a greater number of species than the other VME habitat indicator taxon (Table 2, Figure S1). During the survey, at least 11 species of crinoids were identified from samples collected using the epibenthic sled (the comatulids Aglaometra incerta, Charitometra basicurva, Florometra novaezealandiae, Glyptometra inaequalis, Antedon sp., Crotalometra sp., Cyclometra sp., Porphyrocrinus sp., Strotometra sp., and the hyocrinid Thalassocrinus, sp. plus several unidentified comatulids), compared with three species of brisingids (Novodinia novaezelandiae, Freyella sp., and Hymenodiscus sp.). Table 2. VME indicator and habitat indicator taxa, the number of presence and absence records, and for presence records, the minimum and maximum number of records per video transect segment (25 m2). Related variables based on a single focal mean neighborhood size (e.g., the range and standard deviation of curvature, curvature aspect, and plan curvature) were often highly correlated (>75%). Correlations between these variables and all remaining variables were examined graphically to eliminate all but the least correlated of them. Similarly, ruggedness was highly correlated with standard deviation of slope, and the latter variable was eliminated due to its higher correlation with other retained variables. This logic was followed for all variable types and focal mean neighborhood sizes to eliminate the most correlated variables, reducing the set of more than 100 MBES-derived variables to 63. Chi-square values for the GAM models based on all 63 remaining variables, and AUC scores for 63 single-variable models (for each taxon) revealed a consistent set of eight variables which showed a high level of explanatory power while covering a range of the variable types derivable from MBES data. Cluster dendrograms and correlation coefficients showed clustering of these variables and no two variables were more than 70% correlated (Figures S2, S3). Separate RAC variables were constructed for each model type (BRT, GAM, and RF), prediction type (presence-absence and abundance), and taxon (S. variabilis, Brisingida, and Crinoidea), based on the residuals from initial models constructed from the eight MBES-derived variables. The final set of nine variables used in each of the models is shown in Table 3. Table 3. Final set of predictor variables used in the habitat suitability models. Model Performance Cross-validated AUC values were very similar for each of the presence-absence models, ranging between 0.90 and 0.93 in all cases except for the Brisingida GAM model which was lower (0.87) but still considered excellent (Hosmer et al., 2013) (Table 4). The generally similar AUC values among the three model types for each taxon meant that there was a similar weighting, and therefore a similar influence, for each model in the ensemble models. Overall, and consistently across the three taxa, RF models performed slightly better than BRT models, and GAM models performed worst according to cross validated AUC. Correlations (R2) between predicted and observed presence-absence for all model data showed broad agreement with the AUC performance measures, although they were consistently slightly higher for BRT models (26.6–37.8%) than for RF models (23.7–33.7%), and considerably lower for GAM models (7.5–16.0%). Among the three taxa, the model performance was highest for S. variabilis and Crinoidea, and lowest for Brisingida, according to both the AUC and correlation statistics. The performance measures (correlation only) for the ensemble models reflect the mean performance of the three contributing models, and do not directly assess their ability to predict outside observed cells. Table 4. Comparison of performance statistics for four types of presence-absence and abundance models for Solenosmilia variabilis, Brisingida, and Crinoidea on seamounts of the Louisville Seamount Chain. For the abundance models, cross validated correlations (Mean CV R2) were lowest overall for Brisingida but similar among the three model types (15.1–15.7%); they were more variable for S. variabilis (from 12.7% for BRT to 24.2% for RF) and consistently highest for Crinoidea (22.4–33.5%). By this measure GAM and RF models performed similarly well, and consistently better than BRT models. Correlations (R2) between predicted and observed presence-absence for all model data were highest for BRT models (56.9–67.1%) and similar for RF and GAM models (18.7–36.4%). By this measure the models for Crinoida again consistently performed better than those for the other two taxa. The all-data correlation values were considerably higher for abundance models compared with presence-absence models for BRT and GAM models (24.5–67.1%), but similar for RF models. By this measure BRT models (and the ensemble models) performed better than RF and GAM models. Predictor Influence For all model types, autocorrelation in the residuals (measured using Moran's index) was substantially reduced with the inclusion of the RAC variable. The RAC variable had the greatest influence in all models except for the abundance model for Crinoidea (Table 5). The most influential environmental variable in all the BRT models was Aspect, with a tendency for higher abundance and presence on westerly sector slopes. In contrast, for the GAM and RF models there was no single consistently important environmental variable for all indicator taxa and the two types of models. The variable SlopeSD was the most important for GAM presence-absence and abundance models for S. variabilis, while Curvature and Slope were the most important variables for Brisingida and Crinoidea GAM models, respectively. Slope SD and Depth were the two most important environmental variables for RF models of S. variabilis, while Backscatter was more important for the abundance model of this species. Slope SD and Curvature were the most important environmental variables for RF models of Brisingida presence-absence and abundance, respectively. For RF models of Crinoidea, Slope was the most important variable. The least important environmental variables also varied among BRT, GAM, and RF models for VME indicator taxa and the two model types, but Seamount, Backscatter and Aspect (with the exception of the BRT models) were most often the least important variables (Table 5). See Figure S4 for details of the influence of the predictor variables across their full range in the model data. Table 5. Variable contributions to each type of habitat suitability model for each VME indicator taxon. Habitat Suitability Predictions Generally across all seamounts, the distribution of suitable habitat (≥0.5 probability of occurrence for presence-absence models and >0.5 live coral heads per 25 × 25 m grid cell for abundance models; thresholds = more likely to occur than not, and relatively high abundance, respectively) was predicted to be more extensive by the BRT models than either the GAM or RF models, although the basic distribution patterns were similar. Differences between the models were more pronounced in the presence-absence models than the abundance models. The distribution of suitable habitat predicted by the ensemble models for all taxa reflected the underlying averaging principle of this approach (e.g., Figures 4A,B for Forde Guyot; see Figure S5 for comparison among model types for other seamounts). Figure 4. (A) Forde Guyot. Model predictions of Solenosmilia variabilis habitat suitability (probability of presence) showing difference between model types (top left, BRT; top right, GAM; bottom left, RF; bottom right, Ensemble). Color-coded model probabilities are draped over the MBES bathymetry obtained during the survey. (B) Forde Guyot. Model predictions of Solenosmilia variabilis abundance (number of “live head” colonies per 25 × 25 m model cell) showing difference between model types (top left, BRT; top right, GAM; bottom left, RF; bottom right, Ensemble). Color-coded model abundance estimates are draped over the MBES bathymetry obtained during the survey. Because the abundance models performed better than presence-absence models, and ensemble models are practical for spatial management planning purposes (to avoid dependence on single model types), only the habitat suitability results of the ensemble-abundance models are described in detail hereafter. All the results of the other models are provided in Figure S5. Suitable habitat for S. variabilis was generally predicted to occur at the summit-slope break, and on ridge-like features that extended down the flanks of the seamounts. Some areas of the seamount flanks were predicted to have concentrations of suitable habitat for this coral. Generally, these areas were on the north and north-west flanks of the seamounts. Where they occurred (particularly on Ghost Seamount), isolated knoll-like features on the flat summits of seamounts were also sometimes predicted to have suitable habitat for S. variabilis (Figure 5). Figure 5. Predictions of Solenosmilia variabilis abundance (number of “live head” colonies per 25 × 25 m model cell) for ensemble habitat suitability model. Color-coded model abundance estimates are draped over the MBES bathymetry obtained during the survey. The distribution patterns of suitable habitat predicted by ensemble-abundance models for crinoids and brisingids were generally similar to those for S. variabilis across all seamounts (i.e., summit-slope break, ridges on flanks). However, highly suitable habitat for crinoids was more extensive than for brisingids on the seamount flanks (particularly on Forde Guyot where the mean number of crinoid observations per cell were over three times higher than for other seamounts) (Figure 6). Correlations varied between the ensemble-abundance models for the VME indicator taxa S. variabilis and the two taxa that are supposedly indicators of the habitat formed by the stony coral. The correlation between the models for Crinoidea was relatively high (R = 0.53), compared to that for Brisingida (R = 0.25). Figure 6. Predictions of brisingids (Left) and crinoids (Right) abundance (number per 25 × 25 m model cell) for ensemble habitat suitability model. Color-coded model abundance estimates are draped over the MBES bathymetry obtained during the survey. Spatial patterns of model uncertainty varied among BRT, GAM, and RF models, but these patterns were generally similar between presence-absence and abundance models. Highest levels of uncertainty were generally associated with areas of highest habitat suitability for BRT models (i.e., seamount flanks), low habitat suitability at the deepest depths for GAM models (i.e., base of seamount flanks), and low habitat suitability at the shallowest depths for RF models (i.e., the flat seamount summit). Uncertainty for ensemble models was lower overall compared to the other models, and where areas of relatively high uncertainty occurred for ensemble models they were limited to small patches on the flanks of the seamounts (e.g., Figure 7 abundance models for S. variabilis on Forde Guyot; see Figure S5 for all models for other taxa and seamounts). Figure 7. Forde Guyot. Prediction of Solenosmilia variabilis (Left) abundance (number of “live head” colonies per 25 × 25 m model cell) and (Right) uncertainty (CV) for (from top to bottom) BRT, GAM, RF, and ensemble habitat suitability models. Color-coded model abundance estimates and CV are draped over the MBES bathymetry obtained during the survey. Distribution Predictions for Coral Reef VME Habitat The ensemble-abundance models for coral reefs predicted that this VME habitat was sparsely distributed on all seamounts (Figure 8). Where it was predicted to occur at the summit-slope break and ridges on the seamount flanks, the patch size of this habitat was typically small with few relatively large patches (range from 625 to 42,500 m2), and did not total more than 0.6 km2 or 0.09% of the modeled area of any single seamount (Table 6, Figure 9). Figure 8. Predictions for coral reef habitat based on VME threshold (“live coral head threshold”; see Methods text for explanation). Enlargements show the predicted distribution of coral reef habitat patches on the part of the seamount where they are most prevalent (apart from Ghost, where patches were not concentrated in one area). Maps are draped over the MBES bathymetry obtained during the survey. Table 6. Total seamount area within the modeled depth range (265–2,000 m), estimated area and proportion of VME coral reef habitat, and range of VME habitat patch size. Figure 9. Distribution of predicted VME coral reef habitat patch sizes on individual seamounts and overall. The results of our study contribute to the growing number of examples that demonstrate the potential for using high-resolution habitat suitability models for the conservation and management of VMEs in the deep sea. Our models predict that suitable habitat for the stony coral VME indicator species S. variabilis is found at distinct breaks in slope and on elevated ridge-like features on seamounts. The general pattern of distribution predicted by our models conforms to expectations from previous observations of the distribution of stony corals at seamounts, canyons and continental slopes, and the topographic-related factors that are thought to control their distribution at these locations (e.g., Frederiksen et al., 1992; Thiem et al., 2006; Reveillaud et al., 2008). The predicted small-scale distribution patterns for S. variabilis, and the topographic variables identified as being important in these models (Aspect, Slope, SlopeSD, Curvature), are similar to those resulting from previous habitat suitability models for similar coral species found elsewhere (e.g., Dolan et al., 2008; Howell et al., 2011; Rengstorf et al., 2012). Habitat suitability models for crinoids and brisingids, taxa that are considered to be indicators of VME habitat (Parker et al., 2009), were correlated with those for the stony coral S. variabilis. However, the correlations were not strong, particularly for brisingids. As such, in a habitat suitability modeling context, these taxa are not likely to be useful model proxies for the presence of coral habitat. Many observations suggest an association between the occurrence of crinoids and brisingids and the stony coral, and the contribution of their presence to the “VME indicator score” used by observers on fishing vessels operating the “move-on rule” (Parker et al., 2009) appears to be supported to some extent by the present study. However, despite their co-occurrence with stony corals in areas of high relief and hard substrate, there is also a growing body of data showing that both of these taxa can occur on bare rock surfaces, and that Brisingids can occur on soft sediment seabeds. Below we discuss the results of our study with particular reference to improving high-resolution habitat suitability modeling, identifying and mapping VME habitat, and implications for spatial management in the SPRFMO Convention Area. For discussion about the limitations of the model types and general modeling methodology used in this study, please see Anderson et al. (2016b). High-Resolution Habitat Suitability Mapping The efficacy of habitat suitability modeling, using seafloor camera imagery and bathymetric and backscatter data obtained from multibeam surveys to make high-resolution predictive distribution maps for benthic species of conservation or management significance in the deep sea was first demonstrated off SW Ireland by Dolan et al. (2008). Since then similar models for VME indicator taxa have been made and developed for the same area and elsewhere in the NE Atlantic Ocean (Guinan et al., 2009; Howell et al., 2011; Rengstorf et al., 2012, 2013, 2014; Tong et al., 2013; Robert et al., 2016). However, none of these studies produced abundance-based models for VME indicator taxa, nor used measures of abundance to model directly the distribution of VME habitat. Howell et al. (2011) modeled the distribution of the presence of the stony coral Lophelia pertusa and coral reef habitat, but the latter was based on data from the subjective identification of reefs by eye. Nonetheless, this study demonstrated the importance of distinguishing between models for VME indicator taxa and VME habitat, and the authors suggested that “mapping efforts should focus on the habitat rather than the species at fine (100 m) scales” (Howell et al., 2011). Robert et al. (2016) used quantitative density data in their high resolution models but did so indirectly by modeling the distribution of benthic assemblages (including a L. pertusa-dominated assemblage) that were first identified objectively using multivariate analyses based on abundance data for individual taxa. Their models also used the occurrence of coral and coral rubble substrata (classes derived from backscatter data) as predictor variables, and thus appear to include a degree of circularity (at least for predicting the occurrence of the L. pertusa-dominated assemblage). Rengstorf et al. (2014) used species occurrence proportion data for L. pertusa (i.e., number of presence records compared to the number of absence records in a grid cell) as a measure of coral prevalence. While they did not use abundance data in their models, they nonetheless found that models that included the semi-quantitative proportional data performed better than models based on presence-absence data, had lower coefficients of uncertainty, and were considered more reliable (Rengstorf et al., 2014). Rengstorf et al. (2014) advocated the use of proportion data because of the time-consuming nature of obtaining true abundance data for benthic taxa from seabed imagery. However, where abundance data are available, they can significantly improve model performance and provide a more comprehensive understanding of spatial patterns, as clearly demonstrated by the present study. Mapping VME Habitat FAO (2009) notes that “merely detecting the presence of an element itself (i.e., a VME indicator taxa) is not sufficient to identify a VME.” Thus, as well as model improvements for VME indicator taxa, abundance data also offer the prospect of making distribution models for VME habitat based on a density threshold for habitat-forming taxa, rather than using data based solely on subjectively identifying VME habitat, or data for benthic assemblages that act as a proxy for VME habitat. However, VME habitat is not always or consistently defined by the density of the habitat-forming taxa. For example, definitions of coral reef habitat are not provided by FAO (2009) in their initial list of VMEs, and the longer description of coral reef habitats provided in support of the OSPAR List of Threatened and/or Declining Species and Habitats does not indicate any density or coverage thresholds (Hall-Spencer and Stehfest, 2009). In the few studies where deep-sea coral reef habitats are identified based on a particular density or coverage in a VME mapping context, values differ depending on the type of coral habitat. For example, Vertino et al. (2010) defined 20–40% coverage of dead and/or live coral colonies per video frame (~2.4 m2) for “Coral framework and hardground” habitat compared with >60% coverage for “Coral framework” habitat. These threshold-based identifications of VME habitat often include both dead and live corals, which reflects the typical composition of coral reef habitats. The amount of dead coral can be extensive, as found in the present study, by Thresher et al. (2011) off Tasmania, and by Vertino et al. (2010) in the Mediterranean where they noted live colonies rarely cover more than 30% of the seafloor. In the present study we constructed predictive maps of VME habitat based on the definition for coral reefs and thickets (as “sensitive environments”) provided by the regulations associated with New Zealand's EEZ Environmental Effects Act. However, this threshold-based definition is essentially a subjective regional translation of the “you know it when you see it” descriptions provided by the likes of OSPAR, rather than a density of corals determined directly from study of the structural or functional attributes that distinguish coral reefs as VMEs. While our attempt to predict the distribution of VME habitat is currently defensible because no consensus exists about what density of corals is necessary to generate the structural and functional attributes of a VME, the lack of a robust density threshold-based definition of VME habitat potentially limits the acceptance of these maps for conservation and fisheries management purposes (see below). Nonetheless, the results of the present study are in line with the developments envisaged for habitat suitability modeling in order that predictive distribution maps can be better used for the spatial management of VMEs (Ross and Howell, 2013; Reiss et al., 2014; Rengstorf et al., 2014; Vierod et al., 2014; Robert et al., 2016). These improvements include our use of an abundance-based multi-model ensemble approach to produce high-resolution predictive distribution maps, and presentation of spatially explicit measures of model uncertainty for VME indicator taxa and VME habitat across a group of seamounts that are targeted by a specific fishery. Implications for Spatial Management in the SPRFMO Convention Area New Zealand deepwater fishing stakeholders have proposed that, because their bottom trawling occurs exclusively in relation to seamounts in the SPRFMO Convention Area, and that commercially viable fish concentrations vary within and between seamounts, as do presumably the abundance of benthic species, spatial management measures should be based on individual seamounts (https://www.sprfmo.int/assets/Meetings/Meetings-2013-plus/SC-Meetings/2nd-SC-Meeting-2014/Papers/SC-02-INF-04-Management-by-Seafloor-Feature-of-Deepwater-Fisheries-in-the-South-Pacific-Ocean-b.pdf). That is, open and closed areas should be defined on an individual seamount basis, with a sufficient fraction of each seamount closed to ensure adequate protection of VMEs. Fishing stakeholders have argued for this approach because they believe that spatial management based on large, regular shaped areas (e.g., areas defined by 20-min of latitude and longitude) precludes them from fishing areas within closed areas that are not suitable for VMEs, and that it is not necessary to impose large closure areas that might extend over most or all of a seamount. Furthermore, with the accurate deployment of fishing gear using modern navigational methods, it is possible to effectively avoid relatively small closed areas where it is known that VMEs do occur on a seamount. The fishing stakeholders accept that in order for this strategy to be implemented it is necessary to map the distribution of VMEs at high-resolution on each seamount within the broader fishing area. As we have demonstrated through the present study, habitat suitability modeling using multibeam data and seafloor images can achieve this mapping goal. The ensemble habitat suitability models for S. variabilis predicted that concentrations of relatively high abundances of this VME indicator taxon typically occur in the north/northwestern areas of the seamounts, and sometimes in southern areas. However, relatively high abundances of the coral (>5 live heads 25 m−2) were predicted to occur around the entire seamount at the summit-slope break, mostly on ridge-like features that extend down slope from the flat top of the seamount summit (860–2,000 m—maximum modeled depth). This result suggests that only the flat topped and soft sediment summits are relatively large and discrete areas of consistently low habitat suitability for S. variabilis, and thus where bottom fishing could occur with a low likelihood of encountering this VME indicator taxon. However, these areas are not generally favored by fishers. Fishing patterns revealed by logbook data and commercial fishers plotter lines differ between seamounts, but indicate that fishers tend to target either small localized hill features on the summits (e.g., Ghost, 39 South), or the upper slopes and flanks of seamounts (e.g., Valerie, JCM) where over 90% of tows occur away from the summit plateau on the flanks to depths of 1,200 m. Our habitat suitability models predict that areas of relatively high abundance of S. variabilis are likely to be encountered by bottom trawling the seamount flanks. Based on the results of the abundance models for this VME indicator taxon, and current knowledge of the areas of interest to fishers, designing spatial management measures on an individual seamount level would be problematic. The abundance models were also used to identify and predict coral reef habitat. This VME was predicted to occur as relatively small patches in only a few relatively isolated areas on seamounts. This limited distribution and abundance of VME habitat on seamounts conforms to the experience of the fishers, and thus supports one of their arguments for reducing the size of closed areas on seamounts, and adopting an individual seamount-based spatial management approach for the Louisville Seamount Chain. However, this conclusion is predicated on the veracity of the threshold-based approach by which VME habitat was identified in the present study. If predictive models are to be used for designing spatial management at the within-seamount scale, research is required to establish coverage and/or density estimates that relate to the specific structural and functional attributes that define a VME. For example, Cathelot et al. (2015) recently demonstrated that an area of 1,767 m2 dominated by live corals with a density of visible live polyps of ~33 per 100 cm2 can make a significant contribution to local ecosystem function in the deep sea. Some of the predicted coral reef habitat patches in the present study were greater than the size examined by Cathelot et al. (2015) (0, 18, 27, 38, and 41% of patches on the study seamounts were predicted to occupy ≥3 cells i.e., ≥1,875 m2) but most were smaller. So while it is probable that some of the coral reef habitat on the Louisville Seamounts Chain is providing important ecosystem function, the significance of the more numerous smaller patches of coral habitat is uncertain. The necessary patch size or polyp/live head density to represent significant sites of benthic respiration and organic carbon cycling, or significant habitat to support biodiversity or juvenile fish is unknown. Thus, we recommend that further research is needed to investigate and develop the way in which VME habitats are identified and included in habitat suitability modeling approaches (regardless of the resolution or spatial scale of the models) for the purpose of informing conservation and management. Such work should include multi-modeling approaches that incorporate the functional traits of species to improve the ecological interpretation of results, and support a broader ecosystem approach to management. AR and MC conceived of the study. AR, MC, and DB designed the field survey. MC, DB, OA, and AP collected data from the field survey. DB, AM, and AP analyzed image and multibeam data from the survey. OA and SG undertook the modeling. AR, OA, SG, MC, and DB interpreted all data. AR led the writing, and drafted text for the manuscript. OA, SG, MC, DB, and AP contributed draft text to the manuscript, and all authors revised and approved the final version of the manuscript. This study is part of the NIWA-led South Pacific Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems Project funded by the New Zealand Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (C01X1229). Additional funding was provided by the Ministry for Primary Industries (ZBD201302). 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Use of predictive habitat modelling to assess the distribution and extent of the current protection of ‘listed’ deep-sea habitats. Diver. Distrib. 19, 433–445. doi: 10.1111/ddi.12010 Thiem, Ø., Ravagnan, E., Fosså, J. H., and Bersten, J. (2006). Food supply mechanisms for coldwater corals along a continental shelf edge. J. Mar. Syst. 60, 207–219. doi: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2005.12.004 Thresher, R., Althaus, F., Adkins, J., Gowlett-Holmes, K., Alderslade, P., Dowdney, J., et al. (2014). Strong depth-related zonation of Megabenthos on a rocky continental margin (~700–4000 m) off Southern Tasmania, Australia. PLoS ONE 9:e85872. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085872 Thresher, R. E., Adkins, J., Fallon, S. J., Gowlett-Holmes, K., Althaus, F., and Williams, A. (2011). Extraordinarily high biomass benthic community on Southern Ocean seamounts. Sci. Rep. 1:119. doi: 10.1038/srep00119 Tong, R., Purser, A., Guinan, J., and Unnithan, V. (2013). Modelling the habitat suitability for deep-water gorgonian corals based on terrain variables. Ecol. Inform. 13, 123–132. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2012.07.002 Vertino, A., Savini, A., Rosso, A., Di Geronimo, A., Mastrototaro, F., Sanfilippo, R., et al. (2010). Benthic habitat characterization and distribution from two representative sites of the deep-water SML Coral Province (Mediterranean). Deep Sea Res. II 57, 380–396. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2009.08.023 Vierod, A. D. T., Guinotte, J. M., and Davies, A. J. (2014). Predicting the distribution of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the deep sea using presence-background models. Deep Sea Res. II, 99, 6–18. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.06.010 Wood, S. N. (2006). Generalized Additive Models: An Introduction with R. Boca Raton, FL: Chapman & Hall/CRC Press. Keywords: vulnerable marine ecosystems, habitat suitability modeling, Solenosmilia variabilis, fishery management, Louisville Seamount Chain, SPRFMO, seamount Citation: Rowden AA, Anderson OF, Georgian SE, Bowden DA, Clark MR, Pallentin A and Miller A (2017) High-Resolution Habitat Suitability Models for the Conservation and Management of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems on the Louisville Seamount Chain, South Pacific Ocean. Front. Mar. Sci. 4:335. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2017.00335 Received: 02 June 2017; Accepted: 09 October 2017; Romuald Lipcius, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, United States Andrew M. Fischer, University of Tasmania, Australia Telmo Morato, University of the Azores, Portugal Copyright © 2017 Rowden, Anderson, Georgian, Bowden, Clark, Pallentin and Miller. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. *Correspondence: Ashley A. Rowden, a.rowden@niwa.co.nz

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Creative, inclusive and diverse. No.2 the best places to work in TV Broadcast 2016 Initial is one of the UK’s leading entertainment content creators and producers. The company is behind productions such as Big Brother, Total Wipeout, Tenable, The Almost Impossible Gameshow, Big Box Little Box and Soccer Aid, which has so far raised over £17 million for UNICEF. Voted number 2 in the best places to work in TV (BROADCAST 2016), we pride ourselves on being a supportive, collaborative and fun workplace that attracts top talent from across the industry. Big Brother & Celebrity Big Brother won the Best Digital Programme Support category Broadcast Digital Awards 2017 Katy Manley Katy worked her way up the industry on a variety of shows including Distraction, Catchphrase, Your Face or Mine and QI. She later began to specialise in big, ambitious reality and entertainment shows, and her senior credits include Celebrity Scissorhands, Comic Relief Does Fame Academy, House of Tiny Tearaways and Big Brother. In 2010 she became Executive Producer of Big Brother, and managed the successful transition of the show from Channel 4 to Channel 5. Reinvigorating the brand and overseeing the creative strategy across all shows, she has been responsible for hundreds of hours of television every year. In 2015 she became Creative Director of Big Brother, stepping up to Head of Reality at Initial in 2017. In 2018 she joined Cat Lynch as Creative Director of Initial, responsible for managing the company, its creative output and direction as well as overseeing productions. Catherine Lynch Catherine started her career as an Endemol creative intern, and following work in production and development for companies including Monkey and ITV Studios, returned to Endemol in 2007. She became Head of Development for Initial in 2011 and since then has been overseeing the creative output of the company and exec producing key shows, such as The Almost Impossible Game Show and Being Kellie Maloney. Catherine became Creative Director in 2016, seeing Tenable launch and become a returning daytime hit. In 2018 the role was expanded and now, alongside Katy she manages Initial. Together they are responsible for overseeing the company’s creative output and productions. Sandra Smith Director of Production Sandra Smith began her journey in the television industry as a Production Assistant over 27 years ago. Since then she has worked for more than seven independent television production companies before finding her TV home at Endemol Shine. She quickly progressed through the ranks becoming Head of Production at Initial in 2011, responsible for renowned shows such as Total Wipeout, Big Brother, Soccer Aid and various other prime time entertainment series. In 2015 Sandra was promoted to Director of Production at Initial which is her current position. © 2017 Initial info@initialtv.com Shepherds Building Central Charecroft Way, London W14 0EE

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Airdrie Savings Bank opted for 'orderly wind-down' to avoid years of losses Bank's chief executive tells MSPs that pressure from low interest rates, the cost of moving to digital platforms and higher regulation costs had combined to drive the decision to close Airdrie Savings Bank, which announced last month it would close in a phased wind-down which will see 70 jobs go (Image: Tom Dick) The Trustees of Airdrie Savings Bank decided to close the business in order to conduct “an orderly wind-down” as it faced years of losses, MSPs have heard. The UK's last remaining independent savings bank, founded in 1835, announced last month it would close in a phased wind-down which will see 70 jobs go. The higher costs in meeting new regulations was reported to being one of the main reason behind the decision. Airdrie Savings Bank chief executive Rod Ashley said taking the decision to wind down the bank's affairs now was viewed as the better option than going on to book years of losses and the regulator then stepping in to manage the winding down process. Holyrood's Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee heard on Tuesday that the bank had weathered the financial crisis relatively well but more recently had come under pressure from low interest rates, the cost of moving to digital platforms and higher regulation costs, which combined had driven the decision to close. Ashley told the committee: “We undertook a strategic review of the options for the bank and that led us to the decision that the medium to long-term position for the bank was sufficiently uncertain that in order to act in the best interests of the depositors that we would take the decision at this point in time in order to conduct an orderly wind-down of the bank affairs, in order that there might be a community benefit at the end of the wind-down process. Airdrie Savings Bank chief executive Rod Ashley told MSPs that closure now was a better option than having the process taken out of local hands “We could have ended up in a situation where the bank may have continued making losses for a number of years to come and there would come a point by which the control of any wind-down would be taken out the hands of the local community, and out of the local trustees, and would be handled by the regulators.” Ashley said the bank had considered a merger or takeover, though both avenues were deemed unsuitable because of its corporate structure. He said discussions with credit unions had revealed it would be easier to set up a new credit union than to transform into one. MSPs heard a “handful” of affected staff have secured new jobs and a consultation process is under way on redundancies. ASB is understood to have around 10,000 current accounts and 30,000 deposit accounts. Its loan and mortgage book will transfer over to TSB on April 28 and all current accounts will close. The head office in Airdrie will remain open to allow customers to transfer their money to an alternative banking provider, which it is thought could take until the end of the year. In 2015 ASB announced it would close four branches, including full-time branches in Motherwell and Baillieston along with part-time outlets in Muirhead and Shotts. The bank blamed high operating costs and changing consumer habits for the closures. The banks remaining branches in Airdrie, Falkirk, Bellshill and Coatbridge will now close. Unite regional officer Wendy Dunsmore told MSPs the staff were an “absolute catch” as they were rewarded for their banking skills rather than “what they could sell or mis-sell”. Professor Charles Munn, of the University of Glasgow warned new technology such as Apple Pay will see commercial banks experience similar pressures as ASB, as he believes it is now “virtually impossible” to make money from current accounts.

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22 of the scariest crimes to ever hit the world of retail A look inside retail-related crimes, including the Austin yogurt shop murders, the so-called "Fast Food Killer," and the McDonald's massacre. The 17 scariest crimes to ever hit the world of fast food The fast-food industry has an issue with violence and has seen its share of notorious homicides over the years. Military & Defense 2019-10-29T21:14:21Z Paul Rudd is now the face of the Pentagon's Baskin-Robbins for a very good reason The Pentagon is among the most heavily-fortified office buildings on the planet. But no security system is a match for Scott Lang. These are the 11 classic food-court chains with the most locations in America From Panda Express to Auntie Anne's to Baskin-Robbins, these are the 13 classic food-court chains with the most US locations. Oreo's new mint chocolate chip ice cream flavor has two layers of chocolate and mint creme with mini chocolate chips For a limited time only, you can buy Oreo and Baskin-Robbins new mint chocolate chip cookie that tastes exactly like ice cream. The Baskin-Robbins founder's grandson never eats ice cream. He’s a vegetable-obsessed diet guru who has kale for breakfast. Ocean Robbins doesn't eat Baskin-Robbins. Instead, he enjoys frozen bananas and cashews. He thinks we should subsidize more fresh foods. Baskin-Robbins' 'Love Potion' frozen dessert is back in time for Valentine’s Day, and it’s a blend of white chocolate and raspberry-flavored ice cream The Valentine's Day-inspired ice cream flavor also has a blend of raspberry-filled chocolate hearts and red raspberry swirl. Baskin Robbins’ red velvet Swiss roll is filled with cream cheese-flavored ice cream for a new take on ice cream cake The Creole Cream Cheese ice cream is meant to mimic the classic cream cheese frosting that usually accompanies red velvet cake. Baskin Robbins is bringing back its 'Trick Oreo Treat' ice cream — and it's like eating a bowl of Halloween candy in one sitting Baskin-Robbins just announced that Trick Oreo Treat is their flavor of the month for October. Here's what you need to know about this candy-filled flavor and its availability. Food 2018-04-27T17:08:05Z Baskin-Robbins is making a Dunkin' Donuts flavored ice cream — and it sounds absolutely delicious The scoopable frozen goodness is available in three different, coffee-based flavors that come in 14-ounce containers. We tried all 31 flavors at Baskin-Robbins — here are the best ones We tried over 30 ice cream flavors from Baskin-Robbins to see which flavors are the best. We tested 5 top ice cream brands to see which melted the fastest — here's what happened We put five ice-cream brands head-to-head in a battle to the melting end. You can now get Baskin-Robbins ice cream delivered to your door Baskin-Robbins partnered with DoorDash to launch ice cream delivery in 22 cities around the country. These are America's 2 most hated fast-food restaurants VIDEO: Chick-fil-A is the best for the fifth year in a row.

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Katie Mulgrew appears in Coronation Street shows https://www.jimmycricket.co.uk/wp-content/themes/blade/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 mhamer mhamer https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e3e9e71d9bef1ab16642587b224d590b?s=96&d=mm&r=g May 1, 2018 May 1, 2018 Katie Mulgrew appears in Coronation Street shows Katie Mulgrew, stand-up comedian and Jimmy Cricket’s daughter, has been appearing in Coronation Street. Well-known Northern Irish entertainer Jimmy, 72, tweeted (above) that Katie was in Monday’s episodes of the popular soap and will appear on Wednesday as well. She had a talking part in Monday’s first episode (see 18.38 in a rerun of the show here) and appears again in the second one. Katie, from Rochdale, is also a writer and was recently one of three winners of the Northern Writers Award run by Kudos North, the Manchester-based production arm of Kudos. Daughter Katie wins coveted playwriting prize https://www.jimmycricket.co.uk/wp-content/themes/blade/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 mhamer mhamer https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e3e9e71d9bef1ab16642587b224d590b?s=96&d=mm&r=g April 19, 2015 April 19, 2015 Daughter Katie wins coveted playwriting prize Famous entertainer Jimmy Cricket has expressed his immense pride after daughter Katie won a prestigious playwriting competition. Katie Mulgrew, 30, was the winner of the first ever Liverpool Hope University playwriting prize, with her work entitled Omnibus, which follows a group of friends following a soap opera. Not only did she earn herself £10,000 in the process, but she now has the opportunity to see the play produced by the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool, one of the partners for the competition along with the Liverpool Echo newspaper. She was the only female comic among the 10 finalists. Katie told The Stage newspaper: “I entered the Liverpool Hope Playwriting Prize because some of my heroes are on the judging panel, and I would adore the opportunity to work with such a beautiful theatre, positively soaked in history and talent.” Her play was shortlisted at the start of the year as part of a group of 10 plays that went to a judging panel consisting of: – Comedienne Kathy Burke – Screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce – Playwright, director and visiting professor at Liverpool Hope University John Godber – Playwriter & arts journalist Paul Allen – Chief executive of the Royal Court Theatre Kevin Fearon – Principal Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies at Liverpool Hope University‌ Dr John Bennett – Liverpool Echo arts editor Catherine Jones Jimmy said: “I am really thrilled for Katie and am incredibly proud of this tremendous achievement.” Teaming up with ‘Demis Roussos’! https://www.jimmycricket.co.uk/wp-content/themes/blade/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 mhamer mhamer https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e3e9e71d9bef1ab16642587b224d590b?s=96&d=mm&r=g June 9, 2014 June 9, 2014 Teaming up with ‘Demis Roussos’! A Demis Roussos impersonation was part of the entertainment when Jimmy Cricket joined up with fellow comedian Alfie Joey. The Jimmy & Alfie Show took place at the Customs House Theatre in South Shields last month. Alfie has a real Tyneside connection as not only was he born in the region, he is also the current presenter of BBC Radio Newcastle’s breakfast show. The show was well-received and Alfie even did an impersonation of Artemios ‘Demis’ Ventouris Roussos, a Greek singer who had a string of international hit records as a solo performer in the 1970s. His most famous single was Forever And Ever which topped the charts in several countries. Jimmy said: “I was happy to spend some time after the show meeting and greeting those who were in attendance and was thrilled to have a chat with Susan Barnes.” (pictured above right). Green cake with wellies on it! https://www.jimmycricket.co.uk/wp-content/themes/blade/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 mhamer mhamer https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e3e9e71d9bef1ab16642587b224d590b?s=96&d=mm&r=g May 15, 2014 May 15, 2014 Green cake with wellies on it! Jimmy Cricket was presented with an Irish-themed cake when he returned to perform at the Billingham Forum Theatre near Middlesbrough. The famous Belfast-born entertainer appeared in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the North East theatre over the Christmas and New Year period. Sellout crowds watched the pantomime; in fact, the biggest attendances ever for a panto at the venue. And as he arrived to perform again at the theatre at the start of April, he was greeted with a green cake with a pair of wellingtons on it – Jimmy is renowned in his acts for wearing wellies on the wrong feet! The cake was made by Stockton resident Yasmin Calvert whose mum, Janet, went to the stage door of the theatre to hand it to Jimmy. Jimmy said: “I was overjoyed on receiving it as it’s one of the best that anyone has made for me. I was particularly impressed with the detail of the decoration and amazed at how it was produced all in green! “A big thank you to Yasmin for the efforts she went to in making this culinary delight for me.” His comedy show was a triumph as almost 400 people came to see Jimmy on his return. He invited the Heritage Dance School to perform a few numbers during the show and added: “I was very pleased with their efforts as they slotted in really nicely.” Presenting… the Jimmy & Alfie Show https://www.jimmycricket.co.uk/wp-content/themes/blade/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 mhamer mhamer https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e3e9e71d9bef1ab16642587b224d590b?s=96&d=mm&r=g April 30, 2014 April 30, 2014 Presenting… the Jimmy & Alfie Show The legendary Jimmy Cricket is set to join forces with BBC Radio Newcastle’s Alfie Joey for a comedy extravaganza at The Customs House Theatre in South Shields. For one night only, two of the finest exponents of the art of comedy will bring their contrasting styles to a show that will be bursting with one-liners, gags, stories and the odd punchline or two! The Jimmy and Alfie Show is on Saturday 10 May. Tickets have been kept affordable, with the top price capped at £14. Alfie said: “It is a sheer delight to be sharing the stage with a comedy great like Jimmy Cricket. “By teaming up with Jimmy, we not only complement one another, but we’ll bring different gag-telling approaches to the evening. This means those who can come along will have a real taste of comedy throughout our show at The Customs House.” Jimmy said: “I’ve worked with Alfie on a number of occasions in the past, including teaming up together a couple of years ago for a show at the ARC arts centre in Stockton-on-Tees. So I was thrilled to be offered this chance to work with him again in South Shields because he is just great fun to be around. “Why not come along and indulge in a few chuckles in what will be a splendid evening of laughter and frivolity!” Lemon Tree, jam night & soap stars https://www.jimmycricket.co.uk/wp-content/themes/blade/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 mhamer mhamer https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e3e9e71d9bef1ab16642587b224d590b?s=96&d=mm&r=g April 28, 2014 April 28, 2014 Lemon Tree, jam night & soap stars A renowned band called Lemon Tree were among the artists at a recent jam night organised and hosted by famous comedian Jimmy Cricket. Local, national and sometimes international entertainers perform for nothing at the monthly event which takes place at St Vincents RC Parish Centre in Norden, Rochdale. Among the musicians at the jam evening in March was Lemon Tree which features Brian and Maxine. Jimmy said: “The pair have been in the business of performing for a number of years and Lemon Tree developed a reputation of being one of the best corporate live musical bands in the country. “As a result they were never out of work and travelled the length and breadth of the country performing at major corporate events and company parties.” Out of the success of the band, Brian also developed an entertainment agency called the Lemon Tree Agency. It initially specialised in arranging musical acts and bands, but of late Brian has developed the personal appearance side of the business through links he has made with a number of soap stars. His new website can be found here. Brian and Maxine are seen above performing at the St Vincents jam night in March and, below, they are pictured with Jimmy. Both photographs were taken by St Vincent’s photographer John Kay. Jimmy pays tribute to panto team https://www.jimmycricket.co.uk/wp-content/themes/blade/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 mhamer mhamer https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e3e9e71d9bef1ab16642587b224d590b?s=96&d=mm&r=g January 26, 2014 January 26, 2014 Jimmy pays tribute to panto team The entire panto cast, including Yvonne Patterson who took on the role of Wicked Queen and the dancers from the Stockton Heritage dance studio Jimmy with Malcolm Dixon, who played the head dwarf, and whose wife Anita was the production’s stage manager Famous funnyman Jimmy Cricket has been reflecting on the successful pantomime in which he starred over the festive season. The Northern Irish entertainer played the comedy role of Muddles in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Billingham Forum Theatre near Middlesbrough. Also in the cast was Emmerdale’s Kurtis Stacey (he plays Alex Moss in the soap) who featured in the role of the Wicked Henchman. In total, a record 30,000 spectators came through the theatre’s doors to watch Jimmy and the cast over several weeks. And it consistently had excellent reviews from people who see the show during the Christmas and New Year period. Jimmy said: “I would like to pay tribute to the wonderful cast that had been assembled and express my gratitude to the excellent production team that put the show together led by producer Duggie Chapman. Jimmy and Stacey “I am also grateful to all the wonderful staff at the Forum Theatre under the watchful eye of manager Derek Cooper.” He also acknowledges the fantastic cottage (scene photo below) he stayed at over the duration of the pantomime which was situated within Abbey Hill Cottages and is run by Paul, Smokey and Mary. Jimmy liked the North East venue so much that he will bring his stand-up comedy show to the Forum Theatre on the afternoon of Sunday 6 April. To book tickets for Jimmy’s return visit with his comedy show, visit the theatre website here.

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Social enterprise community Social Enterprise of The Month 2016 Forerunner Prize Rise Programme Enhance Social Enterprise July News: Businesses with a social conscience valued, but often misunderstood We recently conducted research in to consumers understanding of social enterprise. We found, while the majority of consumers (87%) state a preference for buying products or services from a business with a social conscience, four out of five people admit to uncertainty when it comes to identifying an organisation that has a positive impact in the community. The release of the survey findings coincides with the launch of our Social Frontier Project - a series of free to attend online workshops to raise awareness of and support start-ups and existing social enterprises across the country. The project has been backed by the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All. The definition of a “social enterprise” causes confusion, according to the research, particularly concerning how these businesses are funded and where profit goes. Reflecting the opinion of many, one respondent said, “I’m not entirely clear what the definition of a social enterprise is”. And, almost a third of those surveyed believe that a social enterprise is “not-for-profit”. Commenting on these common misunderstandings, Gareth Hart, founder and director of Iridescent Ideas, said, “A social enterprise is a business with a good cause. Most do aim to make a profit but it’s what they do with that profit that sets them apart from other businesses. In fact, many are highly profitable, creating wealth and jobs while tackling social and environmental issues at the same time.” This was echoed by survey respondents, who pointed out, “not-for-profit can mean different things to different people” and “it’s what you do with the profit that counts”. There were also calls for social enterprises to be “compulsory to a degree” or “to form part of every business’ aims and objectives”. “It’s great to see that the public has a strong sense of conscience but many people do not know what a social enterprise is, how to identify organisations operating within this sector and what they do with the profit they generate. Our project aims to raise levels of awareness and understanding to address this”, he added. Social conscience goes beyond consumerism as people not only wish to buy from organisations that have a positive impact on society or the environment but would consider starting their own business with the same aim. In fact, almost a fifth of those surveyed responded positively when asked if they would “like to start a business that would improve people’s lives”. Gareth continued, “It’s really encouraging to see that having a social conscience translates into entrepreneurial spirit but what’s lacking is access to free information and advice to help start-ups get off the ground. That’s why our project goes beyond raising awareness to offer sound business advice and support to new and established social enterprises.” The Social Frontier Project will deliver a series of four online workshops initially, with another four to follow, on the topics of starting, growing, funding and proving the impact of a social enterprise. The first webinar, themed “Start It” is scheduled for 2pm to 4pm on Thursday, 20 July 2017 - CLICK It will cover what a social enterprise is and how to start one, as well as examining income streams and how to create a one-page business plan. Iridescent Ideas will host guest speaker, Sara Burgess, a former regulator of Community Interest Companies, for the first event. To find out more and register for the webinars visit: http://www.iridescentideas.com/new-events-page.html “Our previous workshops, which have always been run as face-to-face events, have generated really positive feedback from our local community. As the UK’s first social enterprise city, Plymouth is the natural birthplace of our project but we’re keen to share our knowledge and experience beyond the South West. By delivering our next series of workshops online we hope to attract a wider audience from across the UK. That is, after all, the true spirit of a social enterprise”, said Gareth. “Iridescent Ideas was recently ranked the second fastest growing social enterprise in the South West, according to NatWest’s latest SE100 Index, and sixth in the UK for business services and consultancy. We have supported more than 200 social enterprises, including 80 start-ups, and helped to raise over £2 million in investment to date”, Gareth added. “We expect the launch of the Social Frontier Project to further boost our track record, support many more businesses on their journey to success and ultimately grow the future social economy.” Visit our events page to find out more about Social Frontier: CLICK Home | About | Contact Subscribe E: gareth@iridescentideas.com Tweets by @IridescentIdeas Iridescent Ideas CIC is a registered Community Interest Company (number 7635685). We are regulated by the CIC Regulator (www.cicregulator.gov.uk) ​Terms & Privacys & Privacy

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If banking was a horse race By Martín Frascaroli 2019-10-10T10:00:52Z How to stay on track in the race towards a digital transformation of the financial industry. It is clear by now that limited and standardised banking services are no longer the rule, and that embracing transformation is a must if you want to thrive in any business. Financial institutions are by no means the exception. As consumers, we are now very familiar with convenient, high-functioning digital tools in all areas of our lives, and when it comes to banks and payments, we demand the same flexibility. Today, If we are seeking to communicate with brands, we choose among a wide range of channels. We turn to all kinds of platforms, apps, and websites to do activities that we enjoy in our spare time, and of course, to carry out our daily routines. Digital trends and changes are reshaping the world we live in and how we interact with it. With this in mind, and in an effort to secure customer loyalty in the digital era, nearly all banks have decided to move with full force and apply digitisation as a strategy to compete with banks and fintechs that are up for the challenge. However, many of their digital solutions still fail to fulfil customers’ expectations in terms of how they translate banking tasks and experiences. In fact, according to this Bain & Company snap chart, “Direct banks generally outperform traditional banks on loyalty, in part because direct banks offer a more simple and digital experience”. Also, “Banks that lead in Net Promoter Score®, a metric of the likelihood a consumer would recommend the bank to others, outperform laggards in net interest income growth”. As a result, 28 per cent of traditional banks were highly rated by respondents, in contrast to 92 per cent obtained by direct banks In a few words, emerging digital technologies, a wide variety of consumer preferences and a growing competition are just some of the new challenges that banks are facing today. So, how to keep the pace and make it to the finish line? Banking disrupted: Three tips to help banks adapt Voice-assistants have become a very strong trend when it comes to technology in consumer markets, yet not fully exploited by banks. Despite including innovation in their agendas, only a handful of banks have tapped this trend, a fact that clashes with the percentage of consumers that are already using this kind of technology. Nearly half of U.S. adults (46 per cent) said they now use voice-controlled assistants to interact with smartphones and other devices, according to Pew Research Centre. In addition, and according to Gartner Research, after implementing a Virtual Customer Assistant (VCA) organisations state that there is a reduction of up to 70 per cent in call, chat and/or email. They also report increased customer satisfaction and a 33 per cent saving per voice engagement. Also, according to BrightEdge, survey respondents identified consumer personalisation (29 per cent), AI (26 per cent), and voice search (21.23 per cent) as the next big marketing trends. These top three responses, which total 75 per cent of all AI applications, demonstrate that AI is more pervasive and prominent than respondents realise and that, not so long from now, this trend will definitely be patted. How banks can use more secure software to protect their future Innovation also requires knowing when to slow down and where to put your energy in an era full of transitions. Paradigm changes are not meant to happen overnight, and while we head towards an all-around digital era, past, present and future will still share the spotlight and overlap in time. When it comes to bank branches, it is hard to believe that they will vanish overnight. Customers are still not ready to do without them. As a matter of fact, 75 per cent of consumers still consider a traditional institution with branches to be their primary financial services provider, according to The Financial Brand. However, customers are in the search for branches that combine both the physical and digital for a better experience and in a seamless way. It is certain that automated consulting on banking services is becoming more predominant, but the aim is not to replace human advice completely. Everyday transactions and operations like deposits, transfers and account openings will migrate to digital, while branches will be the place to go to for problem resolution and complex advice. This is due to customers' declared interest in turning to human advisors when seeking for advice on products such as mortgages (61 per cent) or the ability to make a complaint (67 per cent), despite the growing interest in automated support and technological innovations. Branches will definitely transform to play different roles, as a lot of banks have already ventured with ATM-only branches, tech-enabled hubs with modern digital integrations and some with just a few or not clerks at all. The winning bet When it comes to banking, Customer Service agents have historically taken on a number of tasks and customer-facing functions that could be otherwise automated. Costs of maintaining this department running were also a fact to consider until AI chatbots solutions came along. As a consequence, the number of banks embracing automated conversational agents has increased in the last couple of years. In fact, an industry survey shows that “3 out of 4 financial institutions view chatbots as a lucrative investment opportunity”, as it provides support around the clock while reducing costs. Apart from cost reduction, this serves a growing base of tech-adept consumers, who as customers can request services or ask questions using natural language through their preferred channel. 24/7 availability and immediacy have become a standard customer expectation today, and chatbots allow customers to solve their issues on their own time, rather than having to wait around for a company to reply. According to American Express, more than 60 per cent of Americans prefer solving basic customer service issues through a self-service website or app. And a study by Edelman Digital that more than half of consumers expect a response from customer service within an hour, even on weekends. Even though AI has a lot of room for improvement, it aims to provide customers with fast service and support when it comes mostly to daily operations: transactions, balance inquiries, bank account details, loan queries, and other tasks. In that way, customer service representatives are left with more time for complex issues. AI's continuous development is paving the way for chatbots to become more than customer service support and information base tools: they are becoming real financial advisors. Understanding spending habits, creating tailored financial tips for customers and helping them manage and save money will be the result of integrating chatbots with the right historical data, predictive behavior software and other intelligent analysis platforms. The race to the finish line A great flood is coming: Open APIs and the data deluge Transformation is certainly not a one-time thing, but a never-ending process. So, when it comes to financial institutions and the future, how do we define success? Success is not defined by crossing the finish line once, but rather the improvement in between races. Provide outstanding customer experience in the financial industry means solving customer problems quickly, in a pleasant and personalised way, encouraging loyalty and trust even after “crossing the finish line”. Whether it is a problem with our credit cards or routine bill payment, there is a wide variety of transactions and banking tasks that we perform on a daily (and not so daily) basis. All these scenarios demand different management strategies, and each customer deserves its own special treatment. Experience will be defined by consumers, time after time, lap after lap. At the end of the day, banks will seize every opportunity involving self-service and automation, as time is valuable for both parties. They will poke us to try self-service ad go digital as they improve integrations with other types of customer service, such as phone, messaging, face-to-face, and developing a more omnichannel approach to banking, providing us with options to choose from. Embracing an agile and flexible system is vital in order to create value for customers. Want to become an intelligent and competitive bank of tomorrow? Welcome the innovations that technology allows today. Know your horses, take care of your troop and get ready for the next race. Martín Frascaroli, founder, Aivo The future of simulation software in 2020

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Meet the vocalist featured on the biggest amapiano tracks Local / 23 October 2019, 1:50pm / Liam Karabo Joyce Singer Sha Sha. Picture: Supplied Over the past few months, amapiano has grown into a popular new genre across South Africa. When it first popped on the scene in 2018, it was clear that this sound which was created in Pretoria was here to stay. Essentially amapiano is a mix of deep house, gqom all mixed in with the jazzy, soulful sound of a piano. Although people like Tall Ass Tee and The Soul Dictators are cited as the creators of this sound, many other artists have jumped onboard the amapiano ship to create hits of their own. From Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa to Samthing Soweto, Scorpion Brothers and even Mlindo The Vocalist. Apart from delving into this new genre, these artists also have one other thing in common. They all teamed up with Zimbabwean vocalist, Sha Sha to create their hits. The young beauty from Mutare has become an in-demand vocalist in amapiano and it's no surprise why. No stranger to music, Sha Sha, whose real name is Charmaine Mapimbiro, started performing at music festivals in Zimbabwe after her friends encouraged her. “I was not supposed to get into music. I actually wanted to be a nurse. Growing up I would sing in the choir and at school plays but I never actually thought I could sing, others did,” she said. After pursuing music professionally and having her singles hit the airwaves in Zimbabwe, the rising start decided to move to South Africa and pursue music here. She started doing gigs and soon started growing a fanbase but things really changed when a cab driver she befriended introduced her to DJ Maphorisa “I would do a lot of gigs at night and I had a cab driver and one day he asked me why I was always moving around at night and I told him it's because I sing. Turns out he also drove DJ Maphorisa now and then so he introduced me to him. I sang for him and he liked my sound,” she said. Following her introduction to the DJ, Sha Sha was featured on songs like "Nge Thanda Wena" and "Akulaleki" which has helped cement her name in the music industry. Her latest offering is a remix of Moloko’s iconic song, "Sing It Back". “Whatever I do, I do it because I like it. I have always loved 'Sing It Back' so I wanted to add the amapiano vibe to it and see what we get and I loved it,” she said. Not one to be labelled as an amapiano vocalist only, her debut EP, "Blossom" will be released in November and is already available for pre-order. Sha Sha describes it as a labour of love. “This EP has been a long time coming and I am really excited it is here. I went through a lot to get to this point and I just want to celebrate that. On this EP you will see my diversity and relate to the different themes,” she said. Tshwane's 'Virgo Deep' wants to make tracks on a bigger stage ‘SA Hip hop need Cassper Nyovest’ to drop a Dezamba jam Durban's rising afro-house DJs nominated for Dance Music Awards

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Describing Cognitive Processes in Translation Editor(s): Maureen Ehrensberger-Dow, Birgitta Englund Dimitrova, Séverine Hubscher-Davidson and Ulf Norberg This volume addresses translation as an act and an event, having as its main focus the cognitive and mental processes of the translating or interpreting individual in the act of translating, while opening up wider perspectives by including the social situation in explorations of the translation process. First published as a special issue of Translation and Interpreting Studies (issue 8:2, 2013), the chapters in this volume deal with various aspects of translators’ and interpreters’ observable and non-observable processes, thus encouraging further research at the interface of cognitive and sociological approaches in this area. In terms of those distinctions, the chapters can be characterized as studies of the actual cognitive translation acts, of other processes related to the translation acts, or of processes that are related to the sociological translation event. Dynamics and Terminology Editor(s): Rita Temmerman and Marc Van Campenhoudt The urge to understand all aspects of human experience more and better seems to be one of the motives underlying cognitive development in many domains of human existence. Understanding more and better is at the basis of knowledge creation and extension. One way of getting access to how understanding comes about and how knowledge is the result of a continuous dynamics of understanding and misunderstanding is by studying the cognitive potential and the development of natural language(s) and more particularly of terminology, in specialized domains. In this volume on dynamics and terminology, thirteen contributors illustrate that human cognition is a dynamic process in a variety of socio-cognitive and cultural settings. The case studies encompass a panoply of methodologies and deal with subjects ranging from the dynamics of legal understanding in multilingual Europe, over financial, economic and scientific terminology in several cultural and linguistic settings, to language policy issues in multilingual environments. All thirteen contributors link the dynamics of cognition to the creative potential of language as a repository of past and present experience in cultural settings and to the creation of neologisms in domain-specific languages. Attention is given to the functionality of indeterminacy, vagueness, polysemy, ambiguity, synonymy, metaphor and phraseology. In this volume terminology is researched and discussed from an interdisciplinary perspective, combining insights developed over the last decades in communicative terminology, socio-terminology, socio-cognitive terminology, cultural terminology, with tools and methods from cognitive linguistics, corpus linguistics, sociolinguistics, frame semantics, semiotics, knowledge engineering and statistics. Descriptive Translation Studies – and beyond Author(s): Gideon Toury This is an expanded and slightly revised version of the book of the same title which caused quite a stir when it was first published (1995). It thus reflects an additional step in an ongoing research project which was launched in the 1970s. The main objective is to transcend the limitations of using descriptive methods as a mere ancillary tool and place a proper branch of DTS at the very heart of the discipline, between the theoretical and the applied branches. Throughout the book, theoretical and methodological discussions are illustrated by an assortment of case studies, the emphasis being on the need to take whatever one wishes to focus on within the contexts which are relevant to it. Part One discusses the pivotal position of the descriptive branch within Translation Studies, and Part Two then outlines a detailed rationale for that positioning. This, in turn, supplies a framework for the case studies comprising Part Three, where a number of exemplary issues are analysed and contextualized: texts and modes of translational behaviour are situated in their cultural setting, and textual components are related to their texts and then also to the cultural constellations in which they are embedded. All this leads to Part Four, which asks what the knowledge accumulated through descriptive studies of the kind advocated in the book is likely to yield in terms of both the theoretical and the applied branches of the field. All in all: an innovative, thought-provoking book which no one with a keen interest in translation can afford to ignore. Doing Justice to Court Interpreting Editor(s): Miriam Shlesinger and Franz Pöchhacker First published as a Special Issue of Interpreting (10:1, 2008) and complemented with two articles published in Interpreting (12:1, 2010), this volume provides a panoramic view of the complex and uniquely constrained practice of court interpreting. In an array of empirical papers, the nine authors explore the potential of court interpreters to make or break the proceedings, from the perspectives of the minority language speaker and of the other participants. The volume offers thoughtful overviews of the tensions and conflicts typically associated with the practice of court interpreting. It looks at the attitudes of judicial authorities towards interpreting, and of interpreters towards the concept of a code of ethics. With further themes such as the interplay of different groups of "linguists" at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal and the language rights of indigenous communities, it opens novel perspectives on the study of interpreting at the interface between the letter of the law and its implementation. Decentering Translation Studies Editor(s): Judy Wakabayashi and Rita Kothari This book foregrounds practices and discourses of ‘translation’ in several non-Western traditions. Translation Studies currently reflects the historiography and concerns of Anglo-American and European scholars, overlooking the full richness of translational activities and diverse discourses. The essays in this book, which generally have a historical slant, help push back the geographical and conceptual boundaries of the discipline. They illustrate how distinctive historical, social and philosophical contexts have shaped the ways in which translational acts are defined, performed, viewed, encouraged or suppressed in different linguistic communities. The volume has a particular focus on the multiple contexts of translation in India, but also encompasses translation in Korea, Japan and South Africa, as well as representations of Sufism in different contexts. The Didactics of Audiovisual Translation Editor(s): Jorge Díaz Cintas While complementing other volumes in the BTL series in its exploration of the state of the art of translator training, this collection of essays is solely focused on audiovisual translation, one of the most complex and dynamic areas of the translation discipline. The book offers an easily accessible yet comprehensive introduction to the fascinating subject of translating films, video games and other audiovisual material. Offering a balance between theory and practice, the main aim of this volume is to provide a wealth of teaching and learning ideas in areas such as subtitling, dubbing, and voice-over without forgetting the newer fields of subtitling for the deaf and audio description for the blind. The Didactics of Audiovisual Translation comes with an accompanying CD-Rom, highlighting its fundamentally interactive approach, and the activities proposed can be adapted to different learning environments and used with different language combinations. Dictionary Visions, Research and Practice Editor(s): Henrik Gottlieb and Jens Erik Mogensen This book is about dictionaries and dictionary making. In six thematic sections it presents nineteen contributions covering a wide field within lexicography: Online Lexicography, Dictionary Structure, Phraseology in Dictionaries, LSP Lexicography, Dictionaries and the User, plus Etymology, History and Culture in Lexicography. Some chapters focus on theoretical aspects, others report on dictionary work in the making, and still others compare and analyze existing dictionaries. Common to all authors, however, is the concern for the dictionary user. Trivial as it may seem, the fact that dictionaries are meant to fulfill the needs of specific user groups has only recently achieved widespread recognition in the lexicographical literature. This volume shows the many ramifications of this functional approach to lexicography by presenting twenty-two authors representing the state of the art in eleven countries: Canada, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, The Netherlands, Poland, South Africa and Spain. Doubts and Directions in Translation Studies Editor(s): Yves Gambier, Miriam Shlesinger and Radegundis Stolze Like previous collections based on congresses of the European Society of Translation Studies (EST), this volume presents the latest insights and findings in an ever-changing, ever-challenging domain. The twenty-six papers, carefully chosen from about 140 presented at the 4th EST Congress, offer a bird's eye view of the most pressing concerns and most exciting vistas in Translation Studies today. The editors' final choices reflect a focus on quality of approach, originality of topic, and clarity of presentation, and aim at capturing the most salient developments in the contemporary theory, methodology and technology of TS. As always in EST, the themes covered relate to translation as well as interpreting. They include discussion of a broad range of text-types and skopoi, and a diversity of themes, such as translation universals, translation strategies, translation and ideology, perception of translated humor, translation tools, etc. Many of the papers force us to take a fresh look at seemingly well established paradigms and familiar notions, while also making recourse to work being done in other disciplines (Semiotics, Linguistics, Discourse Analysis, Contrastive Studies). De-/Re-Contextualizing Conference Interpreting Author(s): Ebru Diriker This groundbreaking study explores Simultaneous Conference Interpreting (SI) by focusing on interpreters as professionals working in socio-cultural contexts and on the interdependency between these contexts and actual SI behavior. While previous research on SI has been dominated by cognitive and psycholinguistic approaches, Diriker’s work explores SI in relation to the broader and more immediate socio-cultural contexts by investigating the representation of the profession(al) in the meta-discourse and by exploring the presence of interpreters and the nature of the interpreted utterance at an actual conference. Making use of participant observations, interviews and analysis of conference transcripts, Diriker challenges some of the widely held assumptions about SI. She suggests that the interpreter’s delivery represents not only the speaker but a multiplicity of speaker-positions, and that this multiplicity may well be a source of tension or vulnerability, as well as strength, for interpreters. Her analysis also highlights how interpreters negotiate meaning in SI, and underscores the need for more concerted efforts to explore SI in authentic contexts. The Discourse of Court Interpreting Author(s): Sandra Beatriz Hale This book explores the intricacies of court interpreting through a thorough analysis of the authentic discourse of the English-speaking participants, the Spanish-speaking witnesses and the interpreters. Written by a practitioner, educator and researcher, the book presents the reader with real issues that most court interpreters face during their work and shows through the results of careful research studies that interpreter’s choices can have varying degrees of influence on the triadic exchange. It aims to raise the practitioners’ awareness of the significance of their choices and attempts to provide a theoretical basis for interpreters to make informed decisions rather than intuitive ones. It also suggests solutions for common problems. The book highlights the complexities of court interpreting and argues for thorough training for practicing interpreters to improve their performance as well as for better understanding of their task from the legal profession. Although the data is drawn from Spanish-English cases, the main results can be extended to any language combination. The book is written in a clear, accessible language and is aimed at practicing interpreters, students and educators of interpreting, linguists and legal professionals. The Dynamics of Terminology Author(s): Kyo Kageura The discovery of rules for the systematicity and dynamics of terminology creations is essential for a sound basis of a theory of terminology. This quest provides the driving force for The Dynamics of Terminology in which Dr. Kageura demonstrates the interaction of these two factors on a specific corpus of Japanese terminology which, beyond the necessary linguistic circumstances, also has a model character for similar studies. His detailed examination of the relationships between terms and their constituent elements, the relationships among the constituent elements and the type of conceptual combinations used in the construction of the terminology permits deep insights into the systematic thought processes underlying term creation. To compensate for the inherent limitation of a purely descriptive analysis of conceptual patterns, Dr. Kageura offers a quantitative analysis of the patterns of the growth of terminology. His fascinating and unique contribution to our understanding of the terminological process reveals the powerful interaction of linguistic possibilities and the naming process of conceptual entities. Developing Translation Competence Editor(s): Christina Schäffner and Beverly Adab This volume presents a comprehensive study of what constitutes Translation Competence, from the various sub-competences to the overall skill. Contributors combine experience as translation scholars with their experience as teachers of translation. The volume is organized into three sections: Defining, Building, and Assessing Translation Competence. The chapters offer insights into the nature of translation competence and its place in the translation training programme in an academic environment and show how theoretical considerations have contributed to defining, building and assessing translation competence, offering practical examples of how this can be achieved. The first section introduces major sub-competences, including linguistic, cultural, textual, subject, research, and transfer competence. The second section presents issues relating to course design, methodology and teaching practice. The third section reflects on criteria for quality assessment. Discourse and Meaning Editor(s): Barbara H. Partee and Petr Sgall A collection of papers in honor of Eva Haji&#269;ov&#225;, who represents the continuation of the Prague School tradition in the methodological context of formal and computational linguistics. Her broadly acknowledged contribution to syntax, topic-focus studies, discourse analysis and natural language processing is reflected in the papers by 30 authors, divided in five sections (Discourse, Meaning, Focus, Translation, Structure).

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Payment for Lindo Creek remains described as flawed financial oversight By Gary Eleazar It is a flawed financial oversight system that has allowed the Guyana Police Force to pay more than $32M to store the remains of those killed in the Lindo Creek Massacre without raising eyebrows over the past four years. This is according to Volda Lawrence, the immediate past Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which is tasked with scrutiny of the expenditures from the nation’s coffers. On Sunday last this publication revealed that Government is paying Lyken Funeral Home up to $750,000 per month to store the remains of the miners which were recovered at their camp site. This amounts to a whopping $32.2M, so far since the remains were collected by investigators in June 2008. Volda Lawrence Lawrence, in an invited comment, yesterday, told this publication that the reason this was not raised in the Public Accounts Committee before is because it would have been expended under a vague budget line item. The opposition for years has been haggling over expenditures in the Budget under headings such as “Other” and “Miscellaneous” for which they say there is no clear definition of how the monies would be utilized very often to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. This is but one example, she said, where money is expended without raising an eyebrow given its vague nature in the books but turn out to be ridiculous expenditures on the part of the administration. Lawrence told this publication that “once the payment has the necessary documentations and they are clean then the Auditor General wouldn’t pick it up.” Reference was made to the Auditor General given that it is the discrepancies that have been uncovered by the Audit Office over the years that the PAC would most often scrutinize. “He (Auditor General) would only pick up something that is not in keeping with, or is inappropriate in terms of how they (the Administration) spend the monies.” She said that for the Guyana Police Force through allocations made by the Ministry of Home Affairs to be paying $750,000 to store the remains from an unsolved massacre for four years now is ridiculous, “and there seems not to be any thinking into how monies are spent.” DNA samples have already been harvested from all of the remains that are being stored by the Guyana Police Force with testing done in Jamaica. Crime Chief Seelall Persaud on Friday last told this newspaper that the police force had received some results from the analysis being done by the Jamaicans. He disclosed that the analysis was brought to Guyana by the team of investigators who were recently invited to assist in the probe of rape allegations made against Police Commissioner Henry Greene. Meanwhile, Lawrence stressed that generally there is never a follow up on the allocations to see if the country is getting the desired value for money hence the reason that the Opposition has been pressing for “Value for Money Audits.” She drew reference to the most recent Public Accounts Committee report which was presented to the Ministry of Finance and the issue of ‘Value for Money’ was raised. “We need to start to introduce more value for money audits so that these things can come out because definitely we are not getting value for money.” She questioned too where is the end game for the Guyana Police Force in terms of the investigation and the storage of the remains, asking how much more will be spent to store the remains from which the critical DNA samples have already been harvested. “These are the types of things we have hanging loose throughout the length and breadth of Guyana under the previous administration,” Lawrence opined while reiterating her belief that it is a flawed oversight system which has allowed for issues such as the now controversial storage fees to fester. On June 21, 2008, owner of the Lindo Creek camp, Leonard Arokium, discovered the burnt bones and skulls of his workers, including his son, at the location. Those who were killed at the site were Dax Arokium, Cedric Arokium, Compton Speirs, Horace Drakes, Clifton Wong, Lancelot Lee, Bonny Harry and Nigel Torres. He had reportedly received information that the men were killed the previous week. According to Arokium, he received a phone call from a woman who told him that some “soldiers” had shot and killed his men and burnt their bodies. The Joint Services denied the claims made by the dredge owner that soldiers committed the brutal crime. Police had blamed the attack on Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins and his gang whom they said they had encountered during a confrontation at Christmas Falls on June 6, 2008, a few weeks prior to the gruesome discovery. Fineman Rawlins and members of his gang were subsequently hunted down and killed, and the security forces had suggested that the Lindo Creek case had died with them. Leonard Arokium, in an invited comment confirmed, that the authorities had closed the matter with the death of Rawlins and his gang members. “The last time I spoke with the police, (Commissioner) Greene had said that it was Fine Man who killed my workers. As far as he was concerned the case was closed, since he indicated that all the evidence pointed to Fine Man,” Arokium told this newspaper.

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Circle of Dust – Metamorphosis (Remastered) Available For Pre-Order! Metamorphosis – the third album released from Circle of Dust – was a rare gem among Klayton’s early discography that has been shrouded in confusion and mystery. A pseudo-compilation album featuring remixes from Circle of Dust (self-titled) and Brainchild, along with remixes of (at-the-time) Death Metal label-mates Living Sacrifice, were brought together being remixed/produced by Klayton. Despite the confusion, this album served as the spark that ignited Klayton’s pioneering spirit into genre-mashing remixes that took existing ideas of both his own and others, flipped them on their head, and produced something no one other than himself could have ever imagined. Along with the remixes found on Metamorphosis, three original tracks from Circle of Dust – “Heldweller,” “Nihilistic Void,” & “Daraq” – found their home on this titanic release and have been joined in the re-release by other rarities such as the custom album intro track “Emerge” that Klayton created for Living Sacrifice’s 1992 album Nonexistent, “Never” a single from a brief side-project Klayton created called Rivot, and a Circle of Dust remix of lvl’s “Backslide.” Not only has Metamorphosis been remastered, undergoing complete sonic overhaul, but now includes a brand new remix from Blue Stahli, a 1987 cassette demo of “Heldweller,” Argyle Park-era collaboration demos between Klayton and Tommy Victor of Prong, and of course – more of the unreleased, archival “Dust” demos. We asked Klayton what he thought about the release of the new album, and he told us: It still mystifies me to this day how I pulled off the remixes for Metamorphosis. I had so little gear and even less experience remixing. I just knew what I was hearing in my head and had to find some way to bring that to reality. Not sure if I accomplished it, but when all was said and done, I was proud and somewhat surprised that it all came together. The reissue of this release is now packed with even more goodies that span a wider range of time. Remixes and lost demos for things I had forgotten existed are finally out of my vaults and in your hands – do with them what you will. //_^) 34 tracks. 18 never-before-heard rarities. 2 hours of music. 1 legendary album. Pre-Order “Metamorphosis” music and merch in the FiXT Store now! 10 June 2016 James Rhodes Circle of Dust Featured FiXT Label FiXT News News Premiere

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3 Chinese Stocks That Are Better Bargains than Alibaba Looking for a foothold in the Chinese market with dividends to boot? Consider this threesome. By David Milstead, Contributing Writer All eyes are on Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) as the Chinese e-commerce giant makes its U.S. stock-market debut. Shares of the initial public offering priced at $68 apiece on Thursday. Alibaba dominates Internet sales in the world’s most populous nation, moving more merchandise than Amazon.com (AMZN) and eBay (EBAY) combined and serving up healthy profits. When the stock begins trading on Friday, it’s likely to change hands at more than 30 times Alibaba’s earnings over the past 12 months. See Also: 8 Tech Stocks that Could Perform Magic If you want to buy into the world’s second-largest economy without paying such a lofty price-earnings ratio, you have other options, though — particularly if you’re looking for dividends. You can choose from plenty of Chinese companies with a global footprint and a commanding presence in China itself that sell at far cheaper prices than Alibaba. (We include Taiwanese companies, as many Chinese mutual funds do, because of Taiwan’s close links to the mainland.) Many of these companies trade in the U.S. as American depositary receipts. Here are three that look appealing. (Prices are as of September 16.) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM, $20.48) is the world’s largest maker of computer chips, the components found in nearly every electronic device. The company dominates the high end of the chip market, says analyst Ahmad Halim, of S&P CapitalIQ, because of its industry-leading technology. Demand for semiconductors will rise, he says, as the smartphone business continues its explosive growth. Halim projects a 25% gain in sales in 2014 after an 18% increase last year. The company’s profit margins are particularly appealing: Its EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, is more than 60% of sales, and that figure could rise as it introduces new technologies, Halim says. The shares trade at a modest 11 times estimated year-ahead earnings. Halim rates the stock a “strong buy,” with a 12-month target price of $27. He says Taiwan Semiconductor’s valuation should be at a slight premium to that of similar manufacturers because the company is more profitable than its peers. The stock’s sports a 2.4% dividend yield. (By contrast, the yield of Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index is 2.0%.). More Chinese joining the middle class means more Chinese car owners. And China Petroleum & Chemical (SNP, $92.67), also known as Sinopec, will be there to benefit. It’s part of a duopoly that “dominates all facets of China’s domestic oil and gas sector,” says Morningstar analyst Zhao Hu. Compared with PetroChina (PTR), the other half of the twosome, Sinopec has “superior” refineries, Hu says. That’s because the facilities are larger and are located closer to the country’s economic hubs, cutting distribution costs, he says. Investors chopped the price of Sinopec’s shares by 6.2% on September 15 after the company announced a sale of a stake in its gas-marketing operations at a price that was below analysts’ expectations. That helped bump up the stock’s dividend yield to a healthy 4.6% and left some breathing room below Hu’s $102-per-share estimate of Sinopec’s true value. China Mobile (CHL, $62.08) is the world’s largest wireless telephone company, with roughly 800 million customers. It has signed them up despite what Morningstar analyst Ross MacMillan calls its “inferior” 3G technology, forced on China Mobile by its controlling shareholder, the Chinese government. Now, however, the company has launched 4G phones, and it expects to sell 88 million of them in the second half of 2014, up from 22 million in the first half. Expectations for 4G growth have pushed the shares to 52-week highs in recent days, over MacMillan’s fair value estimate of $54. Analyst Ramakrishna Maruvada, of Daiwa Capital Markets, is upbeat about the stock. He believes subscription rates for China Mobile’s 4G services are accelerating past his previous expectations, and early results suggest that 4G customers are spending more on data services, driving up China Mobile’s average revenue per user, a key measure in the telecommunications sector. China Mobile’s shares yield 3.4%. Kiplinger's Latest Online Broker Rankings

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Managing Stress a Must for Caregivers Providing care for a severely ill loved one can be grueling, but caregivers risk burnout if they don't take steps to care for themselves, too. By Judi Hasson, Contributing Writer From Kiplinger's Retirement Report, September 2014 If you are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease, you could end up suffering from caregiver burnout if you're not vigilant. The prescription for this common ailment: Find ways to reduce your stress. "The strain of caregiving can sneak up on us," says Ruth Drew, director of family and information services at the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org). "When people offer to help, say 'Yes.'" See Also: Caregiving Special Report Retired cardiologist Michael McVay, 68, of Yankton, S.D., has figured out how to manage his stress while he cares for his wife, Ellen, 65. Ellen, a former therapist, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's four years ago. McVay spends time away from Ellen every day. For now, she can stay alone for about three hours, or he'll invite a friend to visit while he takes time off. He meets with his own friends, plays golf once a week and exercises at a gym regularly. Those activities "give me distance from my worries," he says. A real stress buster for him is meditation, which "keeps me in the present moment," McVay says. Caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia are particularly vulnerable to high levels of stress. Dealing with severe changes in a loved one's personality and behavior can be grueling for caregivers, especially when 24-hour attention is required. Stressed-out caregivers may suffer from any number of symptoms, such as sleeplessness and anger. And burnout can lead to stress-related illnesses, including depression and heart ailments. "We see caregivers getting sick," Drew says. One way to reduce stress is to take time off. "Take 45 minutes a week to connect with friends, or take a tai chi class," says Michelle Venegas, director of programs and services at the Family Caregiver Alliance (www.caregiver.org). "You need to replenish yourself." Of course, that means finding someone to care for your loved one. Depending on the severity of the illness, it may not be possible to ask a friend to spend a couple of hours caring for your loved one. One option is to find a home health aide who can come in for several hours a day. An aide from a licensed agency costs between $21 and $30 an hour. Medicare does not cover these costs. Make sure the aide has experience caring for Alzheimer’s patients. You can find a home health service through your Area Agency on Aging. (Find your local agency at the Eldercare Locator at www.eldercare.gov.) Another option is adult day care, which will supervise your loved one for four or five hours a day. The cost ranges from $55 to $100 a day. A facility could offer music, art, exercise and other activities. If your loved one needs personal care, such as help with using the bathroom, make sure the center provides it. To find an adult day-care center near you, go to www.communityresourcefinder.org or use the Eldercare Locator. If your family member has a long-term-care insurance policy, it likely will cover part of the cost. Maintain Healthy Habits It's also essential for caregivers to stay in good health. “Lack of sleep is really pervasive," Venegas says. "We always talk about the importance of figuring out how to sleep—medication, talk therapy, a journal." Don't put off seeing a doctor for your own health needs. Be sure to keep up an exercise regimen. If you don't have time to cook healthy meals, find a local service that will deliver nutritious dinners. And consider seeing a therapist to discuss depression, anger and other emotions associated with extreme caregiving. Also ask your physician or a therapist to teach you relaxation techniques. Joining a caregiver support group—either online or in person—can be a big help. You can get emotional support and practical advice from people who are going through the same experiences. You can find support groups in your area at the Web sites of the Alzheimer's Association and the Family Caregiver Alliance. The association also has a 24-hour helpline.

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Why the risk of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) increases over the holidays by: Staff The holidays are a time when families come together, catch up and make new memories, but for those who can’t make it home for the holidays, it can be lonely thinking about the celebrations that you’re missing out on. Experts say those feelings of exclusion and disconnection can be made worse by social media. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram make it easy to keep tabs on friends and family, but all those photos of their holiday parties can contribute to holiday FOMO, or fear of missing out. FOMO has been studied by experts in human behavior who say that constantly comparing your life to the experiences shared on social media can lead to depressive mood, anxiety and a feeling of inferiority. But Joel Barcalow, PCC, a counselor at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, says instead of allowing yourself to question your life decisions, follow these tips to help kick your holiday FOMO. — Recognize the issue – Take an honest look at your behavior on and off social media. Do you have a pattern of comparing yourself to others? It might be helpful to get an outside perspective and ask friends and family if they’ve noticed a pattern. You’ll probably learn that they feel some effect of FOMO as well. Knowing you’re not alone is a good first step. — Accept that you can’t always be there – Life is full of choices and obligations, and it’s unrealistic to think that you can be part of every gathering or event. Accepting that you’re not going to be in every shared photo is an important part of letting go of FOMO. Instead, appreciate that you have the choice in the plans you make. — Limit access to social media – If you are stuck at work over the holidays or can’t make the trip to see friends and family, don’t torture yourself by being glued to your smartphone, scrolling through pictures of everyone else’s fun. Limit social media access to once a day, and reduce temptation by turning off notifications. This will help you enjoy the present instead of wishing you were somewhere else. — Practice mindfulness – The easiest way to start a mindfulness practice is to observe your breath. Try breathing through your belly instead of your chest while sitting quietly in a place where you won’t be distracted. Taking just a few slow deep breaths while concentrating on living in the moment can reduce stress and anxiety. — Learn to let it go – Letting go of the worry associated with missing out and learning to feel secure about the choices you’ve made can be difficult, but realizing why you’ve made those choices can help you see what’s important in life. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police in Kansas City, Missouri, say at least two people are dead and 15 people were reportedly injured in a shooting outside a bar. The shooting took place shortly before midnight Sunday, Kansas City police said at the scene. Capt. David Jackson told news outlets at the scene that responding officers found “a chaotic scene” and had to call in help from around the city. A man and a woman were found dead.

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Jonathan Crowe Book reviewer, cat photographer, fanzine editor, map blogger, snake whisperer. AE Reviews Ecdysis Gartersnake.info Not So Much, Said the Cat by Jonathan Crowe On 9 Sep 2016 In Book Reviews, Science Fiction & Fantasy It’s hard for me to review Michael Swanwick’s latest collection of short stories, Not So Much, Said the Cat (Tachyon, August 2016), without coming across like a total fangoober. That’s partly because, when it comes to Swanwick’s work, I am a total fangoober, and have been for decades. He’s one of my favourite writers and a literary hero of mine, so I’m primed to like a collection of his—I always have. But it’s also because Not So Much, Said the Cat is such a good collection—far better than any book of its kind has any right to be. Not So Much, Said the Cat includes most of Swanwick’s short fiction production from 2008 onward — the only exceptions I’m aware of are the collaborations with other authors, the miniatures he’s written for his wife’s Dragonstairs Press project, and the Mongolian Wizard stories, which presumably will get their own volume (though the fourth story in the series, “House of Dreams,” is included here). Which is to say that it’s one of those short story collections that are iterative and reasonably all-inclusive: here, these collections say, are the stories that have appeared since the author’s previous collection—in this case, The Dog Said Bow-Wow (Tachyon, 2007). Collections like these inevitably have stronger stories and weaker stories, the latter more or less serving to pad out the collection. Here’s the thing: there are no weak stories in Not So Much, Said the Cat. They’re all great. Every last one of them. (I checked this assessment with Jennifer, no small Swanwick fan herself, and she agrees with me.) These 17 stories are all of a very high standard, each infused with emotional insight, clear intelligence, meticulous craft, and the cunning and clever mischief that are Swanwickian hallmarks. The subject matter ranges from the mundane to the metaphysical, and from the fantastic to the hardest of hard science. In stories like “The Man in Grey” and “The Woman Who Shook the World-Tree” the nature of time and reality are unravelled; in “Passage of Earth” and “From Babel’s Fall’n Glory We Fled …” we encounter thoroughly well-realized aliens; in “Of Finest Scarlet Was Her Gown” a daughter travels to the underworld to save her father. The rogues Darger and Surplus make a welcome re-appearance in “Tawny Petticoats”; this time they meet their match while visiting New Orleans (which suffers the usual fate). “The Dala Horse” takes a Swedish folk object and turns it into a post-utopian tale. Russia features twice, in “Pushkin the American,” a sly secret history, and “Libertarian Russia,” a parable that is both timely and timeless. Finally, we have “The She-Wolf’s Hidden Grin,” a Gene Wolfe tribute that flipped the details of his classic novella, “The Fifth Head of Cerberus.” Only a few of these stories appeared online (I have linked to them above); most appeared in either the traditional magazines (six in Asimov’s, two in F&SF) or in original anthologies, so it’s likely there’s more than a few stories you haven’t seen before. The quality of this collection is mind-boggling and has forced me to recalibrate my expectations: I almost have to go back and take one star off my reviews of other short story collections. With Not So Much, Said the Cat Swanwick is at the top of his game, the height of his powers, the insert-whatever cliché-seems-appropriate-here. It’s all the more striking when you consider that at the same point in Isaac Asimov’s career—36 years after first publication—Asimov published Buy Jupiter and Other Stories (Doubleday, 1975), a collection of feghoots, shaggy dogs and other minor Asimoviana whose prime virtue was that they had not yet been published between boards. But Asimov had largely been phoning it in on the fiction front since the late 1950s. Swanwick has done no such thing: this collection is proof positive of that. Indeed, it is proof that Swanwick, who has spent considerable time talking about the important figures of the science fiction and fantasy field, is one such figure himself—and almost certainly one of our greatest living writers. If that sounds like fangoobering, so be it. I received an electronic review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. Amazon | iBooks | Weightless Books Michael Swanwickshort stories Extrovert, 1999-2016 Jonathan Crowe blogs about maps at The Map Room. His nonfiction has been published by AE, The New York Review of Science Fiction, the Ottawa Citizen and Tor.com. His sf fanzine, Ecdysis, was a two-time Aurora Award finalist. Read more. As an Amazon Associate I earn income from qualifying purchases made through links on this website. The 22-Year Anniversary of My Diagnosis, and Why I Don’t Talk About It as Much as I Might Books Read: 4Q 2019 A Year of Misguided Opinions: 2019 in Essays Star Trek: The Motion Picture at 40 The 2019 Election by (Some of) the Numbers Dwight Williams "Okay, that's just a little chilling. " "I found myself taking advantage of an available seat at Silver City-as-was right ..." Yves Meynard "Thank you for this, Jonathan. As I have in other cases of someone ..." "So we’re now halfway through “The Gauntlet,” and it’s weird how many familiar ..." "Flickr Pro has cost that for a while; it’s just that until this ..." Recent Posts at Tor.com Where Do Fantasy Maps Come From? 23 Sep 2019 Fantasy Maps Don’t Belong in the Hands of Fantasy Characters 28 May 2019 What Does a Fantasy Map Look Like? 19 Mar 2019 A Literary Love Letter to Maps: The Writer’s Map 26 Nov 2018 The Dúnedain and the Deep Blue Sea: On Númenórean Navigation 7 Nov 2018 Most blog posts from before October 2016 are no longer available online. Here’s why. Astronomy & Space (6) Books Read (12) Reptiles & Amphibians (33) Reviewing (3) Weather & Climate (1) 2016 US election (3) AE (3) Aliette de Bodard (3) Ambystoma (4) anthologies (3) biographies (3) Canada (3) Canadian politics (18) Canadian SF (6) Catherynne M. 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You are currently searching within the Legislation section. 06/19/18 S.3091bill number A bill to limit the separation of families seeking asylum in the United States and expedite the asylum process for individuals arriving in the United States with children. 06/19/18 S.2837bill number Preventing Drug Diversion Act of 2018 06/19/18 S.2789bill number Substance Abuse Prevention Act of 2018 06/19/18 S.2645bill number Access to Increased Drug Disposal Act of 2018 06/19/18 S.2838bill number Using Data to Prevent Opioid Diversion Act of 2018 06/18/18 S.3084bill number A bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to allow Members of Congress to tour detention facilities that house unaccompanied alien children. 06/18/18 H.R.3249bill number Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program Authorization Act of 2018 06/18/18 S.3082bill number A bill to promote registered apprenticeships and other work-based learning opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses within in-demand industry sectors, through the establishment and support of eligible partnerships. 06/18/18 H.R.2851bill number SITSA Act 06/14/18 S.Res.549bill number A resolution designating June 15, 2018, as "World Elder Abuse Awareness Day". 06/14/18 H.R.4655bill number CREEPER Act of 2017 06/14/18 S.Res.548bill number A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that high performance buildings improve the quality of life for millions of individuals, produce a more resilient and sustainable world for current and future generations, reduce operating costs, and improve the productivity, comfort, and health of occupants, and designating the week of June 11 through June 15, 2018, as "High Performance Building Week". 06/14/18 S.Res.503bill number A resolution commemorating the tricentennial of the City of San Antonio, Texas. 06/14/18 H.R.6029bill number REGROUP Act of 2018 06/13/18 S.Res.546bill number A resolution recognizing the significance of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United States. 06/13/18 H.R.5041bill number Safe Disposal of Unused Medication Act 06/12/18 S.Res.540bill number A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that flowers grown in the United States support the farmers, small businesses, jobs, and economy of the United States, that flower farming is an honorable vocation, and designating July as "American Grown Flower Month". 06/07/18 S.3036bill number A bill to limit the separation of families at or near ports of entry. 06/07/18 S.3032bill number A bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to provide for a new rule regarding the application of the Act to marihuana, and for other purposes. 06/06/18 S.3003bill number A bill to amend the Inspector General Act of 1978 relative to the powers of the Department of Justice Inspector General. 06/06/18 S.3007bill number A bill to include Portugal in the list of foreign states whose nationals are eligible for admission into the United States as E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrants if United States nationals are treated similarly by the Government of Portugal. 06/06/18 S.3002bill number A bill to provide for the implementation of a system of licensing for purchasers of certain firearms and for a record of sale system for those firearms, and for other purposes. 05/24/18 S.2967bill number A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide a penalty for assault against journalists, and for other purposes. 05/24/18 S.2981bill number A bill to provide certain protections from civil liability with respect to the emergency administration of opioid overdose drugs. 05/24/18 S.2972bill number A bill to prioritize the allocation of H-2B visas for States with low unemployment rates. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Showing page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 of 54 Filter by Congressional Session All Congressional Sessions 116th Congress (2019 - 2020) 115th Congress (2017 - 2018) 114th Congress (2015 - 2016)

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Making Migration Work Featured article originally published in FE News on 27 March 2015. Imagine being worried about how your children are doing at school, but not having the language skills to talk confidently to their teachers. Or understanding what your doctor is telling you. And having skills, but not being able to get work because of your weak English. For far too many people in this country, this is a sad reality. We have 850,000 of our fellow citizens without the English language skills they need to participate fully in life and work. Our latest Policy Solution addresses this and proposes policies which will make migration work better for the UK. I agree with the political parties that immigration is one of the most important issues facing our country. However, the debate should not simply focus on immigration caps and targets, because we need migration if we are to have a strong economy, and we need to make it work if we are to have a good society. I want to step away from the politics, hype, scapegoating and mythology that surround this issue. Let’s get the facts out into the open. Facts like these: immigrants who have arrived in Britain since 2000 are less than half as likely as the UK-born population to receive state benefits or tax credits; EU migrants alone contribute net £20bn to the UK’s GDP; and less than 5% of migrants are claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance. But we have some big challenges. In 2006/07 around 500,000 people were in ESOL classes. With funding cut from £230m per year in 2008 to £130m in 2013, those numbers have dropped to around 140,000 learners and with public funding tightening even further, it is likely that these numbers will drop even further. We also know that there are some communities where the concentration of migrants is putting pressures on infrastructure and public services and we know that high-skilled immigration is being hampered by policy. Our Policy Solution, Making Migration Work (http://www.niace.org.uk/news/making-the-most-of-migration) sets out bold proposals for employment, skills and learning policies. It is bold because NIACE believes that too many people in this country are struggling to participate fully in work and in life. That simply cannot be allowed to continue. And it’s not just the cost to individuals. Our economy relies on skilled, talented and productive people entering and progressing throughout the labour market. But right now there are huge skills shortages and skills gaps that are threatening our future economic prosperity. On top of that we face a difficult decade ahead. Over the next 10 years there will be 13.5 million job vacancies and yet only 7 million young people entering the labour market. Who will fill that 6.5 million gap? Yes, in part, it will be older people retiring later. But the side of immigration that we rarely hear about is how many businesses need skilled migrants to help them grow and succeed. So this is what we propose: changes to the benefit system to require everyone in a household in receipt of benefits with an English language-need to learn English – a new responsibility; significant expansion in the number of English classes by refocusing current public investment on entry levels and introducing loans for learning beyond this – a new set of opportunities; greater power for local areas to promote integration and support local opportunity; and changes to the immigration cap so more highly skilled people can stay and work in the UK. I believe that these policy proposals will enhance the benefits of migration. They will help support people on a journey to more fulfilling careers and lives for them and their families. We know this because during every Adult Learners’ Week we hear stories about people who have their talents released and their prospects transformed. We meet many people who have started with entry-level ESOL, then go on to college, university and hugely rewarding jobs. More than often they also reinvest their energies back into their communities and workplaces as well as with their families by supporting and inspiring others. This leads to not only stronger economies but a more tolerant, inclusive and integrated society.

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Startup India Free Legal Help Free Legal Query Tag: Ramlila Maidan Incident Dt . v Home Secretary Right to Sleep –The Apex Court’s Lullaby for the People! Posted on January 4, 2013 | by Mohan Rao Bolla | Leave a Comment on Right to Sleep –The Apex Court’s Lullaby for the People! (Dr.)Mohan Rao B, Principal, Manair College of Law, Khammam An Irish Proverb goes on to say that the beginning of health is sleep. The state of sleep has been described by Homer in the famous epic Iliad as “sleep is the twin of death”. Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher has said that all men are alike when asleep. Sleep is an unconscious state or condition regularly and naturally assumed by man and other living beings during which the activity of the nervous system is almost or entirely suspended. It is the state of slumber and repose. It is a necessity and not a luxury. It is essential for optimal health and happiness as it directly affects the quality of the life of an individual when awake inducing his mental sharpness, emotional balance, creativity and vitality. It is believed that a person who is sleeping, is half dead. His mental faculties are in an inactive state. Sleep is, therefore, a biological and essential ingredient of the basic necessities of life. If this sleep is disturbed, the mind gets disoriented and it disrupts the health cycle. . Sleep, therefore, is a self rejuvenating element of our life cycle and is, therefore, part and partial of human life. The state of sleeping is assumed by an individual when he is in a safe atmosphere. It is for this reason that this natural system has been inbuilt by our creator to provide relaxation to a human being. The muscles are relaxed and this cycle has a normal recurrence every night and lasts for several hours. It is so essential that even all our transport systems provide for facilities of sleep while travelling. Sleep is therefore, both, life and inherent liberty which cannot be taken away by any unscrupulous action. Sleep is a natural process which is inherent in a human being, if disturbed obviously affects basic life. It is for this reason that if a person is deprived of sleep, the effect thereof, is treated to be torturous. Disruption of sleep has a wide range of negative effects. If disruption is brought about in odd hours preventing an individual from getting normal sleep, it also causes energy dis balance, indigestion and also affects cardiovascular health. These symptoms, therefore, make sleep so essential that its deprivation would result in mental and physical torture both. It also impairs the normal functioning and performance of an individual which is compulsory in day-to-day life of a human being. The disruption of sleep is to deprive a person of a basic priority, resulting in adverse metabolic effects. It is a medicine for weariness which if impeded would lead to disastrous results. Deprivation of sleep has tumultuous adverse effects. It causes a stir and disturbs the quiet and peace of an individual’s physical state. To take away the right of natural rest is also therefore violation of a human right. It becomes a violation of a fundamental right when it is disturbed intentionally, unlawfully and for no justification. To arouse a person suddenly, brings about a feeling of shock and benumbness. The pressure of a sudden awakening results in almost a void of sensation. Such an action, therefore, does affect the basic life of an individual. ‘Suo Motu’ Rescue to Protect Fundamental Rights Recalling Paster Niemoller’s statement, ‘‘when they arrested my neighbour I did not protest! when they arrested men and women in opposite houses I did not protest!! when they finally came for me there was no body left to protest….,’ we may applaud the suo moto cognizance of the Supreme Court as guarantor and savior of the fundamental rights to the people of India. In Re-Ramlila Maidan Incident Dt . v Home Secretary, case on 4th June, 2011, Baba Ramdev’s hunger strike began with the motto of `Bhrashtachar Mitao Satyagraha. Baba Ramdev had been granted permission to hold satyagraha at Jantar Mantar, of course, with a very limited number of persons. Despite that, the crowd at the Ramlila Maidan swelled to more than fifty thousand. No yoga training was held for the entire day. At about 1.00 p.m., Baba Ramdev decided to march to Jantar Mantar for holding a dharna along with the entire gathering. Keeping in view the fact that Jantar Mantar could not accommodate such a large crowd, the permission for holding the dharna was withdrawn by the authorities. Negotiations took place between Baba Ramdev and some of the ministers on telephone, but, Baba Ramdev revived his earlier condition of time-bound action, an ordinance to bring black money back and the items missing on his initial list of demands. At about 11.15 p.m., it is stated that Centre’s emissary reached Baba Ramdev at Ramlila Maidan with the letter assuring a law to declare black money hoarded abroad as a national asset. The messenger kept his mobile on so the Government negotiators could listen to Baba Ramdev and his aides. The conversation with Baba Ramdev convinced the Government that Baba Ramdev will not wind up his protest. At about 11.30 p.m., a team of Police, led by the Joint Commissioner of Police, met Baba Ramdev and informed him that the permission to hold the camp had been withdrawn and that he would be detained. At about 12.30 a.m., a large number of CRPF, Delhi Police force and Rapid Action Force personnel, totaling approximately to 5000 (as stated in the notes of the Amicus. However, from the record it appears to be 1200), reached the Ramlila Maidan. At that time, the protestors were peacefully sleeping. Thereafter, at about 1.10 a.m., the Police reached the dais/platform to take Baba Ramdev out, which action was resisted by his supporters. At 1.25 a.m., Baba Ramdev jumped into the crowd from the stage and disappeared amongst his supporters. He, thereafter, climbed on the shoulders of one of his supporters, exhorting women to form a barricade around him. A scuffle between the security forces and the supporters of Baba Ramdev took place and eight rounds of teargas shells were fired. By 2.10 a.m., almost all the supporters had been driven out of the Ramlila Maidan. The Apex Court passed the verdict after taking ‘suo motu’ cognizance of media reports showing the brutality of police action against the followers of Ramdev who were sleeping. The Court speaking through Justice Swatantar Kumar and Justice Chauhan gauged the dimensions of legal provisions in relation to the exercise of jurisdiction by the empowered officer in passing an order under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. While appreciating that there might be a reason available to impose prohibitory orders calling upon an assembly to disperse, the Court opined that there did not appear to be any plausible reason for the police to resort to blows on a sleeping crowd and to throw them out of their encampments abruptly. The affidavits and explanation given did not disclose as to why the police could not wait till morning and provide a reasonable time to this crowd to disperse peacefully. The undue haste caused huge disarray and resulted in a catastrophe that was witnessed on Media and Television throughout the country. According to the Court, a person cannot be presumed to be engaged in a criminal activity or an activity to disturb peace of mind when asleep. Justice Chauhan opined, ‘To presume that a person was scheming to disrupt public peace while asleep would be unjust and would be entering into the dreams of that person. ‘I am bewildered to find out as to how such declaration of the intention to impose the prohibition was affected on a sleeping crowd.’ There was no reasonable explanation for the gravity or the urgent situation requiring such an emergent action at this dark hour of midnight. Therefore, in the absence of any such justification the Court had no option but to deprecate such action and it also casts a serious doubt about the existence of the sufficiency of reasons for such action. The incident in Ram Leela Maidan incident was held ‘an example of a weird expression of the desire of a tyrannical mind to threaten peaceful life suddenly for no justification’. The Court viewed that coupled with what was understood of sleep would make it clear that the precipitate action was nothing but a clear violation of human rights and a definite violation of procedure for achieving the end of dispersing a crowd. The Supreme Court analyzed Article 355 of the Constitution of India provides that the Government of every State would act in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. The primary task of the State is to provide security to all citizens without violating human dignity. Powers conferred upon the statutory authorities have to be, perforce, admitted. Nonetheless, the very essence of constitutionalist is also that no organ of the State may arrogate to itself powers beyond what is specified in the Constitution. Disturbing Sleep Violates Fundamental Right ‘An individual is entitled to sleep as comfortably and as freely as he breathes. Sleep is essential for a human being to maintain the delicate balance of health necessary for its very existence and survival.’ Sleep is, therefore, a fundamental and basic requirement without which the existence of life itself would be in peril. To disturb sleep, therefore, would amount to torture which is now accepted as a violation of human right. It would be similar to a third degree method which at times is sought to be justified as a necessary police action to extract the truth out of an accused involved in heinous and cold- blooded crimes. It is also a device adopted during warfare where prisoners of war and those involved in espionage are subjected to treatments depriving them of normal sleep. Can such an attempt be permitted or justified in the given circumstances of the present case? Judicially and on the strength of impartial logic, the answer has to be in the negative as a sleeping crowd cannot be included within the bracket of an unlawful category unless there is sufficient material to brand it as such. The facts as uncovered and the procedural mandate having been blatantly violated, is malice in law and also the part played by the police and administration shows the outrageous behaviour which cannot be justified by law in any civilized society. For the reasons aforesaid, Dr. B.S. Chauhan concurred with the directions issued by Justice Swatantar Kumar with a forewarning to the Respondents State and the Police to prevent any repetition of such hasty and unwarranted act affecting the safe living conditions of the citizens/persons in the country. Criticism against the Ram Leela Maidan Judgment Delivering a lecture on “Jurisprudence of Constitutional Structure”, S.H.Kapadia, [former] the Chief Justice of India, was making an apparent reference to the recent Supreme Court judgment in the Ramlila Maidan police action against Ramdev’s supporters in which “Right to Sleep” was declared a fundamental right. The C.J. stated, ‘Now, we have included right to sleep, where are we going? It is not a criticism. Is it capable of being enforced? When you expand the right, the judge must explore the enforceability. “Questions which judges must ask are if it is capable of being enforced. Judges must apply enforceability test. Today, if a judge proposes a policy matter, government says we are not going to follow. Are you going by way of contempt or implement it?” he asked. He also wondered what would happen if the executive refuses to comply with judiciary’s directives that may not be enforceable. “Right to life, we have said, includes environmental protection, right to live with dignity. “Judges should not govern this country. We need to go by strict principle. Whenever you lay down a law, it should not interfere with governance. We are not accountable to people. Objectivity, certainty enshrined in the basic principles of the Constitution has to be given weightage,” he said. Kapadia said judges should go strictly by the Constitutional principles which has clearly demarcate the separation of powers among the judiciary, the legislature and the executive. With due respects to the Justice, the opinions must be taken as personal. The assertions that ‘Whenever you lay down a law, it should not interfere with governance. We are not accountable to people,’ -is untenable. The Court is expected to interfere even with the governance whenever there is i) violation of rule of Law, ii) an ultravires/excessive actions of the power conferred by Law, iii) the basic and fundamental human freedoms are violated and iv) the basic structures of the Constitution are deviated. The Constitutional principles envisage judicial intervention interpretative function and diligent interference for upholding the Constitution and the Rule of Law. The Courts are also accountable to people though not directly. If, judgments are given based on unscrupulous principles only to support a government in power, there would be serious consequences. [ as Justice Krishna Iyyer aptly stated ] the Court is also a Political Institution [ meant to do good to people.] The judgment of the Supreme Court was indeed like a lullaby for the citizens of the country in general. The State cannot adversely affect the natural and personal freedom implicitly read by the Court to include right to sleep. S. H. Kapadia’s criticism is redundant. The criticism is not even an ‘obiter dictum’. Therefore, fortunately, it is not binding on the Courts. As far as the enforceability of the right to sleep is concerned, with such laudable judgments, excessive State/police actions can be controlled. Pursuant to the judgment, the Police shall not resort to midnight operations akin to Dr. Karunanidhi’s arrest. Lest, the citizens should get right to remedy for such late night police operations. The ‘judicial right’ expanding the new vistas would open scope and hope for the needy and deserving indigent public would get in future, their rights realized through the judgment. However, the Supreme Court was not ‘definitely dealing in Ram Leela Maidan Case, with the rights of homeless persons who may claim right to sleep on footpath or public premises…’ but restricted the case only to the extent as under what circumstances a sleeping person may be disturbed. The Apex Court categorically maintained that the State authorities cannot deprive a person of that right to sleep anywhere and at all times. The verdict creates a hope for many homeless pavement dwellers and reminds the governments’ responsibility to protect the right to sleep of the indigent, homeless orphans, pavement/street dwellers including the vulnerable women, adolescents, kids and the aged. Posted in Legal Articles | Tagged Ramlila Maidan Incident Dt . v Home Secretary, right to sleep प्रवक्ता.कॉम से… गांधी के राम बच्चों में कौतूहल भरने वाली लोक कहावतें और खेल कहां खो गये ? बिहार के जेपी को भाजपा राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष की कमान आदर्श जीवन की विलक्षण दास्तान : श्री रामनिवास लखोटिया saurabh on Rights Of Students Under Right To Information Act 2005 Sahib Singh on Discussion Forum on Banking & Insurance Laws Sid on WILL under Indian Law 9616439953 on Cruelty Against Husband in India Roy on Discussion Forum on Labour Laws

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Landis+Gyr Comments on Toshiba Earnings Results Téléchargement PDF Zug, Switzerland, August 14, 2017 – Landis+Gyr (SWX: LAND), a global leader in transforming the way energy is delivered and managed, today issued the following statement. Landis+Gyr's former majority shareholder Toshiba Corporation has released its fiscal year 2016 and Q1 2017 financial results. The results for fiscal year 2016 and Q1 2017 (which are as of June 30, 2017) included Landis+Gyr as a fully consolidated subsidiary. In addition, Toshiba Corporation provided certain additional financial information for Landis+Gyr, net sales and operating income, which included certain unspecified additions and adjustments. As a stand-alone company, and consistent with the offering memorandum dated July 12, 2017 (as supplemented on July 20, 2017), Landis+Gyr posted USD 433 million in net revenue (unaudited) and USD 54.6 million in adjusted EBITDA (unaudited) for the three months ended June 30, 2017. Landis+Gyr is providing this information in response to Toshiba Corporation's uncoordinated release of its financial results, and as an exception to Landis+Gyr's half year financial reporting policy. Landis+Gyr will provide its next financial update for H1 2017 on or about October 26, 2017. About Landis+Gyr Landis+Gyr is the leading global provider of integrated energy management solutions for the utility sector. Offering one of the broadest portfolios of products and services to address complex industry challenges, the company delivers comprehensive solutions for the foundation of a smarter grid, including smart metering, distribution network sensing and automation tools, load control, analytics and energy storage. Landis+Gyr operates in over 30 countries across five continents. With sales of approximately USD 1.7 billion, the company employs c. 6,000 people with the sole mission of helping the world manage energy better. More information is available at www.landisgyr.com. For further details, please contact: Michael Düringer IRF Communications Email: michael.dueringer@irfcom.ch This document is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to purchase or subscribe for shares. This document is not a prospectus within the meaning of Article 652a of the Swiss Code of Obligations, nor is it a listing prospectus as defined in the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange AG or a prospectus under any other applicable laws. Copies of this document may not be sent to jurisdictions, or distributed in or sent from jurisdictions, in which this is barred or prohibited by law. The information contained herein shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any jurisdiction. A decision to invest in securities of Landis+Gyr Group AG should be based exclusively on the issue and listing prospectus published by Landis+Gyr Group AG for such purpose. Copies of such issue and listing prospectus (and any supplements thereto) are available free of charge from UBS AG, Prospectus Library, P.O. Box, 8098 Zurich, Switzerland (telephone number: +41 44 239 4703; fax number: +41 44 239 6914; email: swiss-prospectus@ubs.com) and Morgan Stanley & Co International plc, 25 Cabot Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 4QA. In addition, copies of such issue and listing prospectus (and any supplements thereto) are available free of charge in Switzerland from Landis+Gyr Group AG, ir@landisgyr.com. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the laws of any state, and may not be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration under or an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. This publication may contain specific forward-looking statements, e.g., statements including terms like “believe”, “assume”, “expect”, “forecast”, “project”, “may”, “could”, “might”, “will” or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may result in a substantial divergence between the actual results, financial situation, development or performance of Landis+Gyr Group AG and those explicitly or implicitly presumed in these statements. Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. Landis+Gyr Group AG assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments. Visit the Landis+Gyr news room

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Months after deportation, they do what the Mexican government will not Roger Perez, left, receives help from Diego Maria, who is a part of a group called Deportees United in the Fight. The group, made up of former deportees, goes to the airport each week to greet those who, like them, have been forced to return. (Kate Linthicum / Los Angeles Times) By Kate LinthicumStaff Writer Reporting from Mexico City — The sliding doors opened, and suddenly Roger Perez was back in Mexico. Spanish boomed over the airport loudspeaker, and men swaggered past in dusty boots and cowboy hats. Thanks to U.S. immigration authorities, Perez, 21, had been trapped on a plane for hours with his wrists and ankles shackled. Now, he was a free man. But as a deportee to a country he hadn’t seen since he left as a young child, the freedom felt scary, not sweet. Trembling, Perez shook the hand of a Mexican government official, who explained how he could apply for unemployment benefits. Then he took a business card offered by Diego Maria. “We’re here to help you,” it read. “Together we’re stronger.” “Hey, man,” Maria told him in English. “I was deported too.” Every week, Maria, 36, and other migrants deported from the United States in recent months greet planeloads of people sent back to Mexico City. They call themselves Deportees United in the Fight. They help new arrivals phone relatives, figure out how to catch a bus and register for the few government benefits available to former migrants. But mostly, they come to show the new deportees that they are not alone. “Getting deported is the most traumatic experience of your life,” said Maria, who lived in the U.S. for 17 years before he was deported last summer. Perez nodded nervously. “My parents and siblings all live in North Carolina,” Perez said softly, his English inflected with a gentle Southern lilt. “It’s pretty rough.” Claudia Arias looks for her husband, Mauricio Marino, who was deported to Mexico from Pennsylvania. Deportees United is among a handful of grass-roots groups that have formed in recent years to help a growing number of deportees to Mexico. Since 2009, more Mexicans have been departing from the U.S. than arriving there, according to Pew Research Center, a reverse migration trend driven by job loss after the Great Recession and an increase in deportations under President Obama. In the first four months of this year, more than 50,000 Mexicans have been repatriated, according to the Mexican government, a deportation rate similar to that of the last year of Obama’s presidency. For years, Mexican officials largely ignored return migration. But since President Trump started lobbing attacks at Mexican immigrants and stepped up deportations, Mexican elected leaders have responded with efforts to help immigrants living illegally in the U.S., as well as those sent home. They have staged news conferences at the airport to greet planeloads of deportees and have aired ads promoting the integration of returning migrants. We learned [in the U.S.] that we can defend our rights. Diego Maria Despite the rhetoric, few services are available for migrants coming home. While deportees can receive six months of help — they are eligible for $100 monthly unemployment checks — that’s about it, said Monica Jacobo, who studies return migration at Mexico City’s Center for Research and Teaching in Economics. “I don’t see any serious planning from the government,” Jacobo said, adding that returning migrants often have a difficult time finding work, enrolling in school and reintegrating into communities that often view them as foreigners. Because U.S. leaders have insisted that they mainly deport migrants with criminal convictions — despite data that show large numbers of deportees have little or no criminal history — deportees also carry a stigma: that they are all delinquents. Deportees United organized to fill what it sees as a clear void. Mexican migrants working in the U.S. send home billions of dollars each year, and the group believes deportees should be treated with respect, not as outcasts. It hopes to open a shelter where deportees can spend a few days adjusting before restarting their lives. With the help of small donations, it recently opened a screen-printing business that will employ only deportees. Among the items printed at the small workshop are shirts that say, “Deportees are not criminals.” Claudia Arias embraces her husband, Mauricio Marino, who was deported to Mexico. It’s hard to start from zero, but we’re always going to be there for them. The group was organized in December by Maria and other recent deportees who had been invited to a government event announcing efforts to integrate returnees into the workforce. One of them, Ana Laura Lopez, had been an immigrants rights activist in Chicago and suggested they organize. She says the group might not have existed if it weren’t for the increased activism and heightened political awareness of Latinos in the U.S. in recent years. Maria said he gained a sense of political empowerment in the U.S.: “We learned there that we can defend our rights.” He grew up in the verdant fields of Hidalgo, a state in central Mexico, in a dirt-poor indigenous family that couldn’t afford shoes for the children. At 13, he went to work as a street vendor in Mexico City to send money home. In 2000, when he was 18, he crossed illegally into the United States. Maria lived in North Carolina, and then moved to Dalton, Ga., where he drove a forklift for several of the city’s famous carpet factories. It was good work. With the help of a fake Social Security card, he made $15 an hour. Overtime, too. He married and had a kid, and later won custody of his son after he split with his wife. One day last year, he was driving back to work after stopping at home to have lunch with his son when he was pulled over at a police checkpoint. Officers were asking for licenses. Maria didn’t have one. He was taken to the police station, where a 2003 felony conviction for domestic violence with a previous girlfriend flagged him for removal under Obama’s revised deportation priorities. Maria never saw his son again. The boy, Shamus, now 5, lives with an aunt. Maria spent four months in detention. On the day of his deportation he walked out of the same sliding doors Perez would later emerge from and felt like he was going back 20 years in time. The streets were chaotic and polluted, and people desperate for money were selling whatever they could on every corner. Diego Maria, right, talks with Ana Laura Lopez as she screen-prints T-shirts at a shop Maria opened with other deportees in Mexico City. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) Maria had no idea where to go. His cellphone, which had the numbers of his relatives, hadn’t been returned to him after his arrest. His family didn’t know he was in Mexico. A friend he had made on the plane saw his panic and invited him to stay a few days at his family’s house, where Maria logged onto Facebook to tell his family he was back. Then he and the friend went out for tacos — the food they had missed the most while away. Maria got violently sick. It seemed even his stomach was no longer Mexican. His family came to visit him. When his mother walked in, after a 17-year-old absence, she thought he was a stranger, and shook his hand. “I couldn’t even enjoy being with my family,” Maria said of those difficult first weeks. He still feels sad about being so far from his son, and angry about the deportation. But his most frequent feeling is something else. “Impotence,” he said. He isn’t allowed to work while he’s on unemployment. He is sick of feeling like he doesn’t have any control of his own life. Deportees United has helped return a sense of control and order. The other members of the group have become his best friends. They don’t think it’s crazy that he loves country music. They get it when he talks about missing the turkey, mashed potatoes and pie at Thanksgiving. “We’re on the same channel,” he said. He shows up at the airport to help other deportees try to put a positive spin on a difficult new chapter. “It’s hard to start from zero,” he said. “But we’re always going to be there for them.” Diego Maria at the print shop he opened with other deportees in Mexico City. The group hopes to employ returning migrants from the U.S. at the shop and makes weekly pilgrimages to the airport to receive people being sent home. The U.S. government hires charter planes to ferry more than 100 deportees back to Mexico City three times a week. At the airport, the deportees emerge, dazed, via a special exit used by pilots and flight attendants. They are identifiable by the clear plastic lunch bag they’re handed as they leave, and by the mesh bags resembling potato sacks they are given to carry personal effects. Family members who know their loved ones are coming back crowd around the sliding doors anxiously. On a recent afternoon, Claudia Arias was waiting there. Arias, 42, a U.S. citizen, had flown down that morning from Pennsylvania to greet her husband, Mauricio Marino, 27, who had been deported. “Oh my God, he’s so hairy,” she said in English as she saw him approaching. Marino had grown a long beard during his month in detention. After hugging Arias for several minutes, Marino accepted a card from Maria, who told him to call with any questions. Marino thanked him, and went back to holding his wife. Then Perez walked through the doors, wearing the same Nike shoes and baseball hat that he had on the day he was caught. “It’s pretty rough,” he said. “They got me driving without a license, and these days, they don’t forgive.” He had no phone, so Maria lent Perez his so he could call a cousin in his home state of Tabasco. “Hola, carnal,” Perez said, using a slang Mexican term of affection. Perez had a little money, and wanted to fly to Tabasco. Maria walked him across the airport to the Aeromexico counter, and Perez handed cash to the attendant. The pair embraced. “Call me anytime,” Maria said, as Perez hurried off to his gate. kate.linthicum@latimes.com Twitter: @katelinthicum An Oceanside minister supported Trump. Now, he’s getting deported ‘You’re just there, trapped’: Why one Mexican woman decided to ‘self-deport,’ long before Trump U.S. military veterans deported to Mexico say they want to come back home World & NationMexico & the Americas Kate Linthicum Kate Linthicum is a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times based in Mexico City.

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Compelled Use of Biometric Identifiers to Unlock Electronic Devices Under the Fifth Amendment Should fingerprints and facial recognition be treated more like passcodes and passwords in the smartphone context? Two recent cases reflect a split of authority on that question. By Evan T. Barr | June 24, 2019 at 11:45 AM Scanning fingerprint/Peshkova/iStock We all know that smartphones and similar devices contain enormous quantities of personal and private information. Not surprisingly, for that reason, the government considers them a treasure trove of potential evidence in criminal investigations. Most courts have now concluded that forcing an individual to provide the password for a smartphone to a law enforcement agent runs afoul of the Fifth Amendment’s privilege against self-incrimination. A split in the federal courts has begun to emerge recently, however, as to whether compelling an individual to provide a fingerprint or other biometric data to unlock a smartphone amounts to a similar constitutional violation. This article will discuss two recent representative cases reflecting the divergent views on this issue. Law Firms Mentioned First Jurors Seated in Harvey Weinstein Criminal Trial Told Trial Is Not About #MeToo Jane Wester | January 16, 2020 Manhattan Criminal Court Judge James Burke told the jurors that the trial would not be a referendum on sexual harassment, women’s rights, or the #MeToo movement. Setting the Record Straight as to Interlocutory Appellate Practice Elliott Scheinberg | January 17, 2020 This article examines foundational principles of appellate procedure both generally and as applicable in child custody cases. The Challenges of Protecting ‘Custom’ IP: Court Limits Injunctive Relief for Tailored Software Project Stephen M. Kramarsky | January 17, 2020 If millions of people are using a company’s software, the company is happy—as long as it’s getting paid. But if the company loses control of the product, it must take steps to defend its rights. And the first step in that playbook is often to go to court and seek to restrain unlawful use of the intellectual property. In his Intellectual Property column, Stephen M. Kramarsky discusses a recent New York Supreme Court case regarding exactly that situation. It is worth examining because it conducts the familiar preliminary injunction analysis in a somewhat unfamiliar way. New York Code of Criminal Justice: A Practical GuideBook New York Code of Criminal Justice: A Practical Guide is a guide to the criminal statutes in New York. In addition to the full text of the New York Penal Law and Criminal ...

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Longo and Weidman Mixed Martial Arts Long Island's Premiere Mixed Martial Arts Facility EAT CLEAN BRO RAY LONGO Owner / Head Instructor Ray Longo is a boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai trainer, having trained in several martial arts styles since 1972. He is a certified coach for the U.S. Amateur Boxing Federation, and a Long Island representative for the European/American Thai Boxing Association under the current European Thai boxing champion, Phil Nurse. Longo is a certified instructor of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kun Do Concepts, under Richard Bustillo, Tom Batell and Paul Vunak. He founded Ray Longo's International Martial Arts Academy, or IMAA, in 1990, and has trained thousands of students and fighters since, including several Golden Gloves champions, American and Thai kickboxing champions, and UFC fighters including working with Matt Serra as a striking coach. He has also coached Luke Cummo. Longo is also the stand-up striking coach for Team Serra-Longo. Ray was also a coach on Season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter. He acted as an assistant coach on Team Serra. Eric Hyer A Muay Thai and Kickboxing coach, began training with Ray Longo 1992. Eventually, moving to the Fairtex camp living there for several years as a full time fighter. Turning pro in 1995, he has trained and fought all over the world winning several titles. As a coach Eric has trained several pro fighters, many of whom have gone on to fight in upper echelon organizations such Glory,UFC, Strikeforce, BellatorMMA, EliteXC,& International Fight League. Peter 'Drago' Sell Head Jiu JItsu Instructor is an American mixed martial artist specializing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is a 2nd degree black belt under teacher and fellow mixed martial artist Matt Serra in East Meadow, New York, and has trained extensively under striking coach Ray Longo in Garden City, New York. A member of the Serra-Longo Fight Team, Sell formerly fought at both Middleweight & Welterweight in the UFC. Jennie Nedell Kids Kickboxing Instructor Jennie has been training under Ray Longo since 2010. Originally she started training as way to lose weight and get in shape. She developed a love for kickboxing and soon after decided she wanted to compete. She is a very experienced pro kickboxer and has amassed an impressive amateur record of 25 wins with only 4 losses and 1 draw . Jennie has made her pro kickboxing debut in early 2014 and is now 11-2 as a pro kickboxer. She is currently fighting in Glory Kickboxing and is the NYS Champion for Louis Neglia. Owner/Personal Trainer Chris “The All American” Weidman began wrestling as a child in Baldwin. He excelled greatly at Baldwin Senior High School where he won a Nassau County and New York State championship. Chris was the first junior college wrestler in history to win a New York State Championship. Weidman Burst onto the UFC scene and won the UFC Middleweight championship in only his sixth fight. Chris successfully defended his title 3 times. Jamie Franco Coach Jamie Franco is the head Wrestling Coach for LAW MMA. Franco has competed at the highest level and was ranked as high as 13th in the country while wrestling for Hofstra University. While wrestling at Hofstra Franco was a team captain for the Pride, a four-year letterman, a three-time NCAA qualifier, the 2013 Colonial Athletic Association champion at 133 pounds. In addition to the CAA Championship, Franco captured the 125-pound title at the 2013 in the New York State championship and took 3rd at 133- pounds in 2012, and 5th at the EIWA’s in 2014 High School- Coach Franco was a varsity starter for 6 seasons at Monroe-Woodbury High School in Central Valley, New York... During those 6 season, Franco was a 5 time Section 9 champion as well at a five-time New York State Championship place winner. Franco Placed (4th,2nd,4th,1st,2nd) in NYS from 2005-2009. He was a three-time captain For Monroe-Woodbury and holds the school record with 208 victories. Dave Patton Jiu Jitsu Instructor Dave has been training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for over 16 years. He is currently a Black belt under former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra. Dave currently instructs and coaches under Ray Longo. -International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) New York Open 2013 – Gold Medal Purple Belt Senior 3 Heavy Weight -International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Pan Championships 2012 – Silver Medal Purple Belt Senior 2 Heavy Weight -North American Grappling Association (NAGA) Albany Open 2012 – Men’s Director Heavy Weight Dual Silver Gi/No Gi -Long Island Pride Championship 2012 – Bronze Medal Over 40 years Heavy Weight Gi -The Good Fight Thanksgiving Throw-down 2009 First Place Heavyweight No Gi 1 Commercial Ave. Garden City, NY. 11530 Garden City, NY. 11530 E-mail: Lawmmastaff@gmail.com © 2016 by LAW MMA. Proudly created with Wix.com Click Banner Below to Save 10% off ECB Orders

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« Prayer Request | Main | What We Almost Lost » I Simply Do Not Believe This Climate change is rapidly turning America the beautiful into America the stormy, sneezy, costly and dangerous, according to a comprehensive federal scientific report released Tuesday. So says the San Jose Mercury-News apropos a new National Climate Assessment report. Perhaps the actual report is not as excited as the journalism, but from what I've seen of headlines today this piece is fairly typical. I am quite willing to believe that the overall average temperature of the earth has gone up slightly in the past 100 years or so. I'm willing to believe that human activity is at least part of the reason. But it is abundantly clear that political and quasi-religious convictions are very influential on the climate-change activism side, and if I remain skeptical that the phenomenon is really so terribly serious and dangerous, that's part of the reason. I am not equipped to judge "the science" (when did that annoying term replace "the research"?), but anyone can see that there's a whole lot of emotionalism wrapped up with it, and that makes me skeptical. "The science" may indeed show warming. But the specific evidence cited for warming's ill effects appears to be selected to fit the prediction. When we have an exceptionally cold winter, we're told that "weather is not climate," which is true. But when there is a drought in California, it seems that weather is climate after all. And you simply aren't going to persuade me that there has been a dramatic change in my local climate, because I have lived in it for some decades now, and there hasn't. Of course that says little about the global picture, but it illustrates the problem with the strategy of anecdotal alarmism. Around ten years ago we on the Gulf Coast had a spate of severe hurricanes, Katrina being the worst. We were assured that climate change was the cause, and that the storms would continue to grow worse and more frequent. Now we've had nine years of very much milder and fewer ones. That certainly doesn't disprove the warming argument, but it just as certainly doesn't support it. Exaggeration and emotionalism do not belong in science, and they're counter-productive as a strategy when they produce dire predictions that aren't fulfilled. This article is not even a prediction, it's an attempt to paint the situation as verging on disaster now, when it plainly is not. Maybe the activists think apocalyptic talk is the only way to mobilize people. And maybe it works on some. But it isn't working on me. It only makes me skeptical--especially when the claims have become so broad that any severe weather at all, even a blizzard, is claimed as evidence for the theory. 05/06/2014 at 08:54 PM in Current Affairs, Politics, Science | Permalink I was listening to this on NPR this evening and I thought, "Wait, wait! When did they start saying "climate change" instead of "global warming?" And then, later in the program the interviewer asked the man he was talking to if he thought that the use of the term "global warming" had hurt their cause. I think it's been a while now, at least five or six and maybe as many as ten. At any rate I've been conscious for some time that to use the term "global warming" is to reveal oneself as being at best a bit of a rube. Seems like a pretty transparent attempt to make sure that you're still right even if the temperature fails to rise. May have to do with the plateau in temperature over the past decade or so. "...at least five or six and maybe as many as ten." Years, that is. Run for higher ground! Posted by: Stu | 05/07/2014 at 12:19 PM I am not equipped to judge "the science" (when did that annoying term replace "the research"?) Since someone in journalism decided the former sounded more authoritative, I'd guess. Very irritating. I'm not just skeptical - the emotionalism attached to this topic makes me positively opposed. Back when people still talked about global warming, Michael Crichton published a book in which the baddies deliberately shift the terminology to climate change, in order to keep themselves covered no matter what the climate does. These alarmist reports really do engender skepticism. My daughter had a similar reaction to the mandatory freshman session on sexual assault at her university; the figures cited were so preposterously high that she concluded they were either fabricated or based on a definition of assault so broad as to be meaningless. Posted by: Anne-Marie | 05/07/2014 at 03:34 PM George Will, in commenting on that latest report, said this: "Al Gore, who in 2008, said by 2013, for those of you keeping score at home, that’s last year, the ice cap in The North Pole would be gone. It’s not." That reminded me that I thought I'd read a while ago that the ice cap was actually increasing in size, so I went searching and found this in a "Weather Wisdom" column in the Boston Globe, of all places: "We hear a lot of chatter about global sea ice, mostly in the arctic region because that’s where the ice has declined over the past several decades. During the past 12 months it’s been interesting to see how the decline in the ice has slowed and there has been an increase in multi-year ice as well. One year doesn’t buck a trend and it may be but a blip in the overall decline. Nevertheless it’s important to note." and the piece ends with this: "All this information can be a bit overwhelming and turn the planets cycles into some sort of reality show for the climate. However, I do think it’s important to be able to observe changes to the Earth and then hopefully we can understand how these changes fit into the bigger picture of climate change and what affects anthropogenic (human) forcing may or may not be playing in them." That last part about whether or not human activity is affecting all this deserves a small "wow," I think, since it's coming from a Globe writer. Yes, it does. Sometimes I wonder if the scientific case for catastrophe may actually be getting less persuasive, which inspires a reaction either of scaled-back claims or digging in and turning up the volume against the "deniers." I've heard of the Crichton book. I understand it made him no friends in the environmental movement. Coincidentally, just this morning I heard someone say that the problem is the amount of energy trapped in the system, which produces extreme events, hence "climate change." But that has to start with an elevated temperature, so in the end they're still talking about global warming. So many environmentalists are really in practice counter-productive to their cause. I suspect that "the science" actually came from scientists. Maybe Craig or godescalc can enlighten us. "...the mandatory freshman session on sexual assault at her university; the figures cited were so preposterously high..." Don't get me started...universities in alliance with feminism and hippie libertinism produced, starting back in the 1970s, a completely insane situation where boys and girls are given complete license to get stupid-drunk and do whatever their lusts suggest, yet at the same time sneaking in a mutant puritanism that demands that the boys take no liberties. I heard about this on NPR the other day and thought 'what?' We did just have the 6th or so coldest winter in the USA, but what that means, amongst other things, is that some winter back in the 1980s or so was colder than this one (it was the 5th coldest). I don't know how people lived through it. I've never experienced a winter like that. I'd actually sorta like to--once. The coldest I ever knew was an ordinary one in Denver, which was quite cold by my standards but nowhere near what much of the country experienced this year. Without denying that there's a good deal of political pressure on scientists in this area, and that some skepticism is warranted, I do think that the phrase "climate change" is a defensible substitute for "global warming". The impression created by the latter is that temperatures around the world are increasing, whereas in fact the scientific claim is only that the *average* global temperature increases. And the likely effect of an average increase is a change in weather patterns: some places cooler, some warmer, different wind patterns, precipitation rates, etc. Hence, "climate change". The downside, of course, is that it begins to sound like, "Whatever happens supports our theory." That isn't actually the case, but it can come across that way in popular media. That's reasonable. As a marketing move, it may have backfired, because it definitely does sound like "Whatever happens supports our theory." And many of the activists reinforce the impression by triumphantly saying "This is exactly what we predicted" every time there's undesirable weather anywhere. I always took "global warming" to mean precisely "that the *average* global temperature increases." In fact it only just now occurred to me that anyone might think it meant a uniform increase, but perhaps many would. The best thing to say would be "global warming with localized climate changes", but that's a mouthful. If Google Books is any guide, the use of "the science" to mean "the latest scientific research" started creeping in in the mid-to-late-90s, in the first instance from people writing about the use of scientific findings from the perspective of policy or jurisprudence. That fits. I'd kind of prefer that it not have come from the scientific community itself. Here's how the EPA defines the two terms: Global warming refers to the recent and ongoing rise in global average temperature near Earth's surface. It is caused mostly by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Global warming is causing climate patterns to change. However, global warming itself represents only one aspect of climate change. Climate change refers to any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time. In other words, climate change includes major changes in temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns, among other effects, that occur over several decades or longer. So, warming is just one aspect of climate change. And warming is caused by increased greenhouse gases. But they don't say what causes the other aspects of climate change. Confusing conflation all around. Yes, that is confusing. Or confused. Or perhaps deliberately muddled. Partly because they're defining "global warming" as a concrete contemporary phenomenon, but "climate change" in an abstract way. They actually imply doubt as to the causes of climate change, which is probably not what they wanted to do.

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Home iWatch Apple Watch Becomes Easily Available Apple Watch Becomes Easily Available John Colston 7/30/2015 01:17:00 PM iWatch People who plan on buying the Apple Watch, without the stress of having to wait for the device to be delivered to them, might be happy to find out that the smartwatch is now easily available in sale. So, US customers who want to order the Apple Watch can rest assured that they will get the device in just a few days. The Apple Watch online store shows that most models of the new device are in stock. This means that orders will be processed immediately as placed and in some cases shoppers will get the new product in only one business day. The fact that the device is available in stock could mean that the famous company has finally managed to catch up with the demand for the new product, but also that the overall interest in the Apple Watch has gradually decreased since the release of this product. Well, both these hypothesis might be true. So, when the Apple Watch was released in April there was a huge gap between demand and supply, which meant that customers had to wait up to several weeks until getting their order. Apple expected to have a higher demand than supply, but it seems that the famous company was unable to prevent this. The manufacturing process of the Apple Watch was said to be very complex, so Apple was unable to produce more. "We expect that strong customer demand will exceed our supply at launch," a statement said at that time. "To provide the best experience and selection to as many customers as we can, we will be taking orders for Apple Watch exclusively online during the initial launch period," the same statement added. Well, opinions seem to be shared when it comes to the success of the Apple Watch. There are also some voices saying that Apple has registered some great sales so far, which will continue in the following months. There is no wonder that there are so much speculations on this subject, as Apple refused to reveal how much it sold since the release. Some analysts claimed that by June Apple sold over 2.79 million devices. Some claimed that by the end of the year no less than 15.4 million units will be shipped. Others said that Apple will sell 30 million watches in the first year of its release. Apple Watch Becomes Easily Available Reviewed by John Colston on 7/30/2015 01:17:00 PM Rating: 5

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Johnson hopeful of quick return at Presidents Cup MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The No. 1 player in the world early in the year, Dustin Johnson didn't show up on the leaderboard the last three months of the PGA Tour and hasn't been seen at all since then. The USA team poses for a photo ahead of the President's Cup Golf tournament in Melbourne, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. USA's Gary Woodland hits out of fairway bunker during a practice round ahead of the President's Cup golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. USA team captain Tiger Woods, left, and Matt Kuchar smile during a practice round ahead of the President's Cup golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. Both can be attributed to an ailing knee. It shouldn't take long to find out how quickly he recovers. Johnson is part of the opening session Thursday in the Presidents Cup, his first competition since Aug. 25 at the Tour Championship. He finished last in the 30-man field at East Lake, and then had surgery on his left knee to repair cartilage damage. "Unless I didn't feel like I could come here and help the team, then I wouldn't have come," Johnson said. "But I feel like I definitely can help the team, and the game is in good enough form to where I feel just fine." Johnson nearly staged the biggest comeback in major championship history at the PGA Championship until Brooks Koepka held him off. Over his next eight events, he never finished better than a tie for 20th. He didn't want to use the knee as an excuse, though it was hard to overlook. He had eight top 10s this year, his fewest since he missed the last five months of 2014 while trying to get his life back in order. "I can't ever blame anything. It was me. I just played poorly," he said. "But obviously, it had some kind of an impact on it. Now, I mean I had a lot of time sitting on the couch, just thinking back on the year. I was struggling, and what I was struggling with in my golf swing, you definitely could relate it to the knee with what I was doing, which was hanging back too much and just not controlling the golf ball well enough." U.S. captain Tiger Woods sent him out in the anchor match of the opening fourballs session, playing with U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland against the International side of Louis Oosthuizen and Adam Scott. Johnson raised some concerns when he decided at the last minute to withdraw from the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, saying he wanted one more week of rest and some practice to make sure he was ready for Royal Melbourne. Woodland said he expects nothing but the typical game of Johnson, who has held the No. 1 ranking for more weeks than any player over the last five years. With his slump at the end of the PGA Tour season, and being off for the last three months, he now is No. 5. "DJ looks great," Woodland said. "Not many people outside of Tiger Woods can take that kind of break off and come back and look pretty good. Yesterday, you could maybe say he was a little rusty early in the round, made some birdies late. Today he played great. I expect him to be playing quite a bit this week." Johnson returned from his six-month hiatus at the end of 2014 by missing the cut at Torrey Pines. He finished among the top six in five of his next six tournaments, including a World Golf Championship title at Doral. "You could see into the round his speed coming back," Matt Kuchar said. "Same today. Man, he's such a talent. You'd hardly noticed he's had time off for surgery." Johnson has played all five matches in his last Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup appearances, and he doesn't expect that to change. He remains one of golf's biggest talents. Now it's a matter of how he performs Thursday, and what Woods has in mind for the rest of the week. Johnson doesn't expect to play all five sessions. "I'll play as many as Tiger wants me to play," he said. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't ready to play." More AP golf: https://apnews.com/apf-Golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Men's golf, Men's sports, Brooks Koepka, Gary Woodland, Louis Oosthuizen, Mozart Of Chess Unbeaten Record NFL 2020 Predictions Americans rally late to only trail by 3 in Presidents Cup Americans have momentum, just not the lead in Presidents Cup Captain Woods sends himself out in 1st Presidents Cup match International clings to 2-point lead in Presidents Cup The captain becomes a player as Tiger Woods picks himself Corporate Incentive Gifts Ecommerce Email Campaigns

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Eli Manning Awarded Walter Payton NFL Man Of The Year Award The team at Hackensack Meridian Health is pleased to congratulate New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning on his Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. Eli Manning stands with doctors, nurses, team members, patients and families from Hackensack University Medical Center as a part of the Tackle Kids Cancer campaign He shares the award with Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals. “We are ecstatic that Eli achieved this incredible honor,” said Robert C. Garrett, co-chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health. “He is a valued team member both on and off the field, and we are particularly grateful for his devotion to our patients and the Tackle Kids Cancer initiative.” Each NFL team nominates one player who has had a significant positive influence on his community. In a statement, the NFL praised Manning as a steadfast champion for causes involving children. “Eli shares our vision in advancing the Tackle Kids Cancer initiative in many ways,” said Jon M. Fitzgerald, president of the Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation. “In 2016, he issued a matching donation challenge that ignited the community and exceeded the goal. We are proud to partner with Eli on this essential program.” One hundred percent of the funds raised by Tackle Kids Cancer directly supports pediatric cancer research and program services at the Children’s Cancer Institute at HackensackUMC. Tackle Kids Cancer is a partnership of dedicated clinicians and researchers, corporate sponsors, and supporters working to make the necessary strides towards advancing medical research to find a cure for pediatric cancer and providing the highest level of care. Since volunteering to champion the Tackle Kids Cancer campaign ahead of the 2015 season, Eli Manning regularly visits the children battling cancer at the Children’s Cancer Institute at HackensackUMC. His fundraising, appearances and personal donations are exemplified by the creation of the “Sohn-Manning Pediatric Cancer Survivorship Program,” among the many fundraising efforts he inspired. During its inaugural season the Giants, Manning and HackensackUMC were surprised by the many local grass roots organizations supporting Tackle Kids Cancer, so Manning pledged to match and inspire those efforts – and “Eli’s Challenge” was born, exceeding the goal in the first few weeks of the program. To date, his support of the program has directly led to more than $1,000,000 in fundraising in just over one year, and propelled the new charitable program to over $4,000,000 in funds raised since its inception. The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field. The award was established in 1970. It was renamed in 1999 after the late Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back, Walter Payton. This is the first time a New York Giant player has won the award in its history. The winner was announced in Houston at NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special that aired nationally on FOX the night before Super Bowl LI. Billy Crystal and Larry Fitzgerald Honored for Their Work to Help the World Hear Jul 19, 2019 Starkey Hearing Foundation is honoring award-winning actor, comedian and philanthropist Billy Crystal and Cardinals’ star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald for their humanitarian efforts. More → Stars Shine At Celebrity Fight Night XXV Mar 27, 2019 Make-A-Wish And ESPN Team Up To Showcase Life-Changing Wishes Jul 16, 2018 eBay for Charity Partners with GLAAD to Celebrate Pride Month and the LGBTQ Community Jun 13, 2018 1 is 2 Many

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Budget date announced The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid has announced that he is planning to hold his first Budget on Wednesday, 11 March 2020. This announcement follows a turbulent period in Parliament that saw the Autumn 2019 Budget pencilled in for 6 November 2019 and then cancelled as Brexit was delayed. With Brexit now looking set for 31 January 2020 and the Government working with a comfortable majority, the new date has been announced. The Budget traditionally took place in the spring but was moved a few years ago to the autumn. It remains to be seen if the Budget schedule will move back to the autumn and if we will have another Budget later in 2020. The Chancellor said: 'With this Budget we will unleash Britain’s potential – uniting our great country, opening a new chapter for our economy and ushering in a decade of renewal.' This will be the first Budget after the UK leaves the EU and we are likely to see many new measures being announced. We are also told that at the Budget, the Chancellor will also update the Charter of Fiscal Responsibility with new rules, to help HM Treasury take better advantage of the current low interest rates. The Treasury has also confirmed that the opportunity to submit representations for the Budget is now available. A Budget representation is a written representation from an interest group, individual or representative body to HM Treasury with the aim of commenting on Government policy and / or suggesting new policy ideas for inclusion in the Budget. Any submissions should be sent to HM Treasury by 7 February 2020. Details of all the Budget announcements will be made on a special section of the GOV.UK website which will be updated following completion of the Chancellor’s speech in March. Bron: HM Treasury | 08-01-2020 BACK TO NEWS PAGE....

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All issues Volume 239 (2018) MATEC Web Conf., 239 (2018) 03014 Abstract MATEC Web Conf. Volume 239, 2018 Siberian Transport Forum - TransSiberia 2018 The role of the railway network of border areas in interstate cooperation Natalia Popova* and Elena Korkhovaya Siberian Transport University, Dusi Kovalchuk st., 191, 630049, Novosibirsk, Russia * Corresponding author: pnb1512@yandex.ru The border areas of countries are aimed at playing a special role in the development of general economic and social relations, enhancing the geopolitical significance of regional interstate relations. The purpose of the work is to study and show the modern economic complex of border regions on the example of Russia and Mongolia, in which railway transport plays a significant role. Statistical and analytical comparison as a method of scientific analysis allowed examining in detail the territorial production complex of a large region, its resource dependence, and the conditionality of the functioning by the configuration of transport routes and transport accessibility indicators, both in Russia and Mongolia. The Russian railways, which connect Siberia and the Far East with the European regions of the country, continue to provide interdistrict and interregional economic relations at the present time. The Mongolian railways, which have a smaller length, perform a linking role between the fields of raw materials and the points of its processing or further transportation. The study showed that railways continue to be the basis for interregional cross-border connections. However, as the shortest transport route between the countries of Western, Central, Eastern Europe, and the countries of Central, East, and South-East Asia, the railways of the region in question, uniting the border regions of Mongolia and Russia, can strengthen their role in interstate cooperation and become the most important part of the international Eurasian transport corridors - the Steppe Route and the Silk Road. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The Russian-Mongolian vector of the eastern energy strategy of Russia: role of energy potential of the Baikal region Mongolia’s potential in international cooperation in the Asian energy space Interaction in transportation as the basis for implementation of intergovernmental cooperation The China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor and Mongolia’s energy sector A shift in the paradigm of energy cooperation between Russia and Northeast Asia countries facing new global and regional challenges: from predominant sale of energy resources to innovation and technology cooperation

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Tag Archives: Russia Tisha B’Av: The Untold Story of Napoleon and the Jews Tisha b’Av is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. This holiday commemorates many historical tragedies, most significantly the destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem. One of the most common stories heard on Tisha b’Av is about Napoleon walking by a Paris synagogue on this day, hearing the lamentations and loud weeping of the Jews. In the story, he asks what the Jews are crying about, and after being told about the destruction of the Temple nearly two millennia ago, apparently remarks something along the lines of: “A nation that cries and fasts for 2,000 years for their land and Temple will surely be rewarded with their Temple.” Hearing this story immediately sets off some alarms. Firstly, Napoleon was no ignoramus, and was certainly well aware of the destruction of the Temple (after all, the Temple is featured in the “New Testament” and plays an important role in Christian history as well). More notably, Napoleon was a military man his entire life; his biography is the very definition of a tough guy. This man lived by the sword—it is highly unlikely that he would praise people for sitting and crying about something. In fact, the myth of Napoleon and Tisha b’Av has been debunked multiple times (see here for example). One of the earliest known sources of the legend is a Yiddish article from 1912, later included in the 1924 American Jewish Yearbook, and similarly appearing in a 1942 book called Napoleon in Jewish Folklore. Here, we are given a far more logical version of the story: After hearing the weeping of the Jews in a synagogue in Vilnius, Napoleon points to his sword and says, “This is how to redeem Palestine.” Napoleon and the Jews An 1806 depiction of Napoleon emancipating the Jews Napoleon would actually play a tremendous role in Jewish history, and might even be credited with starting the process of “redeeming Palestine”. It was Napoleon that ushered in the “emancipation” of Jews in Europe. Wherever he conquered, he would free the Jews from the ghettos, and give them equal rights. In France, he went so far as to declare Judaism one of the state’s official religions in 1807. Napoleon also famously sought (and failed) to re-establish the Sanhedrin. These actions brought upon him the ire of many of his contemporaries, especially Czar Alexander of Russia, who branded Napoleon the “Anti-Christ” for liberating the despised Jews. Moscow’s religious authority at the time proclaimed: In order to destroy the foundations of the Churches of Christendom, the Emperor of the French has invited into his capital all the Judaic synagogues and he furthermore intends to found a new Hebrew Sanhedrin—the same council that the Christian Bible states condemned to death (by crucifixion) the revered figure, Jesus of Nazareth. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the “Alter Rebbe” (1745-1812) Of course, most Jews were ecstatic, and relished their newly acquired liberties. It became common for Jews to name their children “Napoleon”, or adopt the last name “Schöntheil”, the German translation of “Bonaparte”. Yet, not all Jews were happy about this development. The Alter Rebbe—founder of Chabad, who lived during the times of Napoleon—wrote the following in one of his letters: If Bonaparte will be victorious, Jewish wealth will increase, and the prestige of the Jewish people will be raised; but their hearts will disintegrate and be distanced from their Father in Heaven. But if Alexander will be victorious, although Israel’s poverty will increase and their prestige will be lowered, their hearts will be joined, bound and unified with their Father in Heaven… The Alter Rebbe thus fled from the approaching French forces, inspired his followers to do the same, and even supported the Russian military. He was right about Bonaparte. Napoleon had no interest whatsoever in seeing the Jews flourish as Jews, or practice their religion proudly. His intentions were clear: the complete assimilation of the Jews into European society. It was Napoleon that first permitted Jews to serve in the military, openly stating that “Once part of their youth will take its place in our armies, they will cease to have Jewish interests and sentiments; their interests and sentiments will be French.” As it turned out, opening the doors for Jews to serve in the French military would lead to the proliferation of the Zionist movement, and the establishment of the State of Israel. France and Israel 1899 Guth painting of Alfred Dreyfus for Vanity Fair In 1894, Theodor Herzl was a young journalist working in Paris. He was covering the infamous “Dreyfus affair”, where a Jewish captain in the French military, Alfred Dreyfus, was wrongly accused of treason. During this time, Herzl witnessed the extreme anti-Semitism of the French firsthand. He realized that no matter how much the Jews assimilate, they would still never be accepted into European society, and reasoned that the Jews must have their own free state. Thus, it was a Jewish soldier in the French military—what Napoleon so dearly wanted—which catapulted the Zionist movement. Interestingly, Napoleon himself seemed to have supported the notion of a Jewish state in Israel. In 1799, before he was emperor, and while besieging the city of Acre in Israel, Napoleon issued a proclamation inviting “all the Jews of Asia and Africa to gather under his flag in order to re-establish the ancient Jerusalem. He has already given arms to a great number, and their battalions threaten Aleppo.” Ultimately, the British defeated Napoleon’s forces, and the plan never materialized. Nonetheless, Napoleon’s role in igniting the flames of Zionism cannot be overlooked. Zionism was primarily a secular movement, its most fervent supporters being assimilated European Jews who, like Herzl, were frustrated that they were still hated and unwanted in European society. This secularism was a direct result of Napoleon’s campaigns. Without his spearheading of the Jewish “emancipation”, it is doubtful that there would have ever been a Zionist movement to begin with. And although there is much to criticize about Zionism, these mostly secular European Jews succeeded in re-establishing a free Jewish state in the Holy Land after two very long millennia. Yes, the Israeli government is unfortunately secular, and Mashiach has not yet come, and there is a great deal of work to do to restore a proper Jewish kingdom as God intended. However, the State of Israel allowed for the majority of Jews to return to their homeland, escape persecution, live openly as Jews, fulfil mitzvot only possible in the Holy Land, and travel freely to Jerusalem. Israel is undoubtedly paving the way for the Final Redemption, which is why many great rabbis of recent times have described it as reshit tzmichat geulatenu, the first steps of the redemption. It is therefore fitting that the gematria of “France” (צרפת), where the whole process began, is 770, a number very much associated with redemption as it is equivalent to בית משיח, the “House of Mashiach”. Ironically, this number is most special for Chabad—the same Chabad that so resisted Napoleon and the French! (And at the same time, adopted the tune of Napoleon’s military band as their own niggun, still known as “Napoleon’s March” and traditionally sung on Yom Kippur!) Most beautifully, it appears to have all been predicted long ago by the Biblical prophet Ovadia, who prophesied (v. 17-21): And Mount Zion shall be a refuge, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their heritage… And they shall possess the Negev, the mount of Esau, and the Lowland, with the [land of the] Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin with Gilead. And the great exile of the children of Israel, that are wandering as far as צרפת [France], and the exile of Jerusalem that is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the Negev. And saviours shall come upon Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be God’s. The article above is an excerpt from Garments of Light: 70 Illuminating Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion and Holidays. Click here to get the book! This entry was posted in Archaeology & History, Holidays and tagged Acre, Alfred Dreyfus, Alter Rebbe, Chabad, Christianity, Czar Alexander I, Europe, France, French Empire, Gematria, Israel, Jerusalem, Jewish State, Mashiach, Moscow, Mount Zion, Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon's March, Negev, Niggun, Ovadia (Prophet), Palestine, Paris, Prophecy, Redemption, Russia, Sanhedrin, Sepharad, State of Israel, Temple, Theodor Herzl, Tisha B'Av, Vilnius, Zarephath, Zionism on August 1, 2017 by Efraim Palvanov. How Jewish History Confirms God’s Promise to Abraham Abraham’s Journey to Canaan, by Jozsef Molnar (1850) Lech Lecha begins with God’s famous command to Abraham to leave the comforts of his home and journey forth to a new beginning in the Holy Land. God promises Abraham (at that point still known as “Abram”) that he will become a great nation, and that God will “bless those who bless you, and the ones who curse you I will curse” (Genesis 12:3). God’s covenant with Abraham passed down to his son Isaac, and then to Isaac’s son Jacob, who fathered twelve sons that became the twelve tribes of Israel. God confirmed his promise to the twelve tribes through the prophet Bilaam, who saw “Israel dwelling tribe by tribe, and the spirit of God came upon him” and he famously remarked, “how goodly are your tents, oh Jacob, your dwellings, oh Israel!” before prophesying that “blessed be those who bless you, and cursed be those who curse you.” (Numbers 24:2-9) Over three millennia have passed since that time, and as we look back though history, we can see how accurately this prediction has been realized. It began with the twelve sons of Jacob, whom the Ancient Egyptians welcomed to their land and initially treated exceedingly well (thanks to Joseph, who saved Egypt from seven years of extreme famine, and then made the kingdom very rich). As time went on, the Israelites multiplied and prospered in Egypt. In a pattern that would repeat itself countless times throughout history, the natives started to become a little weary (and jealous) of the foreigners. Israel was soon subjugated and enslaved. This brought God’s plagues upon Egypt, and the empire was destroyed. Ancient Egypt’s decline steadily continued from that point, and it would never restore its former glory. Historians recognize three great ages within Ancient Egypt’s past; the last “golden age” was in the New Kingdom period (1549-1069 BCE), approximately when the Israelites would have been dwelling there. Once Israel left, Egypt’s greatness would soon evaporate, and it would be nothing more than a vassal for the rest of its history – to Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The next major oppressors of Israel were the Assyrians, who destroyed the northern Israelite Kingdom and exiled its tribes. It wasn’t long before the Babylonians overtook the Assyrians. Once the Babylonians themselves destroyed the southern Kingdom of Judah (and the Holy Temple), their own fate was sealed, and it was just 70 years before the Persians took over. The Persian emperor Cyrus treated the Jews very well, allowing them to return to Israel and rebuild the Temple. He was so good that he is described in the Tanakh as God’s anointed – mashiach! (Isaiah 45:1) When Persian attitudes towards Israel started to turn sour, the Greeks under Alexander the Great quickly became the new rulers. Jews and Hellenists enjoyed very good relations for some two centuries. In the 2nd century BCE, the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks) attempted to totally assimilate the Jews into their culture. They failed miserably – as celebrated during Chanukah – and soon disappeared from history, being overtaken by the Romans from the West and the Parthians from the East. Ancient Empires, clockwise from top left: Assyrian Empire (with deportations of Israelites); Babylonian Empire at its height; the Persian Empire under Cyrus and his Achaemenid dynasty; empire of Alexander the Macedonian (Alexander the Great) Relations with Rome were good, too, at first. During this time, Rome experienced its own golden age, beginning with the emperor Augustus. Unfortunately, Rome was soon busy quelling the province of Judea and destroying the Second Temple in Jerusalem. At the very same time, Rome was thrust into a difficult period of civil war. In the same year that the Temple was destroyed, Rome had its “Year of Four Emperors”. Coins minted by Bar Kochva In 132-135 CE, Rome and Israel were at war again, with the latter lead by Shimon Bar Kochva. After mounting an impressive resistance, Bar Kochva’s rebellion was put down. Just 45 years later, Rome enjoyed the last of its “Five Good Emperors” (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, who some identify with the Talmud’s “Antoninus”, the close friend of Rabbi Yehuda haNasi). Marcus Aurelius’ successor, Commodus, was a madman who ushered in Rome’s slow decline (as depicted pseudo-historically in the film Gladiator). The ancient historian Dio Cassius marked the year 180 CE – when Commodus took power – as the point at which the Roman Empire began to change “from a kingdom of gold to one of rust and iron.” Silver coins minted by Bahram V Many of the Jews who fled the Roman Empire moved to the Sasanian (or Sassanid) Persian Empire. The Sasanians treated Jews remarkably well, and were in turn blessed with prosperity and riches. It was during this time, in the “Babylon” of the Sasanians, that the Talmud was compiled. Jews were granted semi-autonomy within the empire and had their own representative to the government, known as the Reish Galuta, or exilarch. Sasanian kings even married Jewish women, and one of the most famous of Sasanian kings, the legendary Bahram V (r. 421-438 CE), was the son of the Jewish princess Shushandukht. Unfortunately, his successor, Yazdegerd II (r. 438-457), started persecuting religious minorities within the empire and force-fed the state religion of Zoroastrianism. (Some say he was motivated to persecute Jews because of a prophecy that Mashiach would come on the 400th anniversary of the Temple’s destruction.) Sasanian and Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empires before the rise of Islam At the beginning of the sixth century, a Zoroastrian priest named Mazdak gained a large following and created a new religious sect that even attracted the king, Kavadh I. This thrust the empire into all sorts of religious turmoil, within which the Reish Galuta, Mar Zutra II, led his own rebellion and managed to establish an independent Jewish city-state in Mahoza. This did not last long, as the king captured Mar Zutra and had him crucified. The office of the Reish Galuta was disbanded at this point. Not surprisingly, the Sasanian Empire wouldn’t last very long after this. The office of the Reish Galuta would soon be re-established by the invading Muslim Arabs, who completely overran the Sasanian Empire. The same pattern then occurred with the Muslims themselves, who initially treated the Jews of their domain quite well. Jews welcomed the Arab conquerors and saw them as “liberators”. Over time, persecution of Jews became more common. In 1040, the last Reish Galuta (and last of the Gaonim, “geniuses”) Hezekiah, was tortured and killed, and the position of the exilarch was abolished permanently. Hezekiah’s sons fled to Spain, where the Muslim rulers were more tolerant. As is well known, Jews in Spain experienced a “golden age” of their own during this time. But here, too, they would be victimized by the Muslim rulers. The Muslims were soon driven out of the peninsula by the Christian kingdoms. The expulsion of the Jews by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella followed shortly after. Sultan Bayezid II A large majority of the Jews settled in the Ottoman Empire, where the Sultan Bayezid II welcomed them. In fact, with regards to this the Sultan said, “They tell me that Ferdinand of Spain is a wise man but he is a fool. For he takes his treasure and sends it all to me.” Assisted by the influx of Jews, the Ottoman Empire flourished. Meanwhile in Spain, Isabella died and Ferdinand was unable to hold onto the kingdom. It was soon taken over by the Austrian Habsburgs. In 1656, Jews were permitted to return to England, and it wasn’t long before the British Empire became the greatest the world has ever known. A similar fate awaited the United States, where many Jews found refuge. (And were instrumental in its founding and success. In fact, one of the main financiers of the American Revolution was a Jew named Haym Solomon.) It isn’t difficult to understand why the Soviet Union lost the Cold War against the U.S. so quickly and so dramatically, as Russia and the USSR never had much tolerance for its Jews, while the United States was just about always a safe place for them. Of course, history is far more complex than the simple narrative presented above, and there are many factors in the rise and fall of empires. However, there is indeed a clear pattern: Where Jews are treated well, the state flourishes and prospers; when Jews are persecuted and expelled, the very same state rapidly declines. This pattern is so obvious that in the 1930s, the Japanese came up with their “Fugu Plan” to strengthen their empire by settling Jews within its lands! In analyzing the pattern, some scholars see it in simply practical terms, as Jews would bring their wisdom and wealth, skills, expertise, and business acumen wherever they would go, and thus contribute immensely to the success of the places where they lived. Others see far more powerful spiritual reasons, propelled by Biblical prophecy. Whatever the case, history undeniably confirms God’s promise to Abraham and Israel: “I will bless those who bless you, and the ones who curse you I will curse.” The above is an excerpt from Garments of Light: 70 Illuminating Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion and Holidays. Click here to get the book! This entry was posted in Archaeology & History, Kabbalah & Mysticism, Prophecy and tagged Abraham, Alexander the Great, America, Antoninus, Arabs, Assyrian Empire, Babylon, Babylonian Empire, Bahram V, Bar Kochva, Bilaam, Blessings, British Empire, Curses, Cyrus the Great, Dio Cassius, Egypt, England, Fugu Plan, Gaonim, Greek Empire, Hellenism, Hezekiah Gaon, History, Islam, Israelites, Japan, Joseph, Kingdom of Israel, Kingdom of Judah, Lech Lecha (Parasha), Mahoza, Mar Zutra II, Mashiach, Ottoman Empire, Persian Empire, Persian Jews, Prophecy, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, Reish Galuta, Rome, Russia, Sasanian Empire, Sassanids, Seleucids, Shushandukht, Soviet Union, Spain, Syrian Greeks, Tanakh, Temple, Twelve Tribes, Zoroastrianism on November 10, 2016 by Efraim Palvanov. The Forgotten Reason For Fasting on the Tenth of Tevet Where in the Torah is Chanukah? Should Jews Celebrate Birthdays? What Does It Really Mean to Be “Sephardi”? God’s Entourage The Sarah Paradox In Search of a Definitive List of Abraham’s Ten Tests Sign up for a weekly Torah insight! Check Out Past Blog Posts Check Out Past Blog Posts Select Month January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 Topics Select Category Archaeology & History Holidays Jewish Law & Life Cycle Kabbalah & Mysticism Mashiach & End of Days Midrash Mysteries & Origins Personal Development Prophecy Torah & Science Aaron Abraham Adam and Eve Angels Arizal Berakhot (Tractate) Blessings Christianity Creation Egypt Elijah/Eliyahu End of Days Garden of Eden Gematria Genesis God's Names Hebrew Idolatry Isaac Israel Jacob Jerusalem Joseph Kabbalah King David King Solomon Mashiach Midrash Moses Pharaoh Pirkei Avot Prophecy Psalms Rabbi Akiva Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai Rambam Rashi Sanhedrin (Tractate) Sefirot Sha'ar HaGilgulim Shabbat Temple Tikkun Yom Kippur Zohar

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Hillary Clinton Less Powerful Than Bill in News Interviews By Robin Lloyd 2007-05-10T09:37:00Z Some pundits say former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton operate like a unified political animal. But a study of their TV and radio interviews reveals that gender separates the speech of the power couple, such that he "talks like a man" and she is "ladylike." Well-known interviewers also treated each of the Clintons differently, possibly due to gender stereotypes and expectations. Camelia Suleiman of Florida International University and Daniel C. O'Connell of Georgetown University recently examined three TV interviews and two radio interviews with the former president in June 2004 and three TV interviews and two radio interviews with Hillary Clinton in June 2003. All were conducted by the same journalists: Larry King of CNN, Katie Couric of NBC, David Letterman of CBS, Juan Williams of NPR and Terry Gross of NPR. Sen. Clinton was nearly three times more likely to use "you know" than her husband, a "hedge" phrase that downgrades or diminishes the power of a statement. Previous research shows that women use hedges more than men. She also used the word "so" more frequently than her husband, a word that is often used to underline or intensify what is said. This finding also goes along with previous work that shows women use intensifying words more than men and that this marks women and their language as powerless. "Even though Hillary Clinton is a politician herself, she still follows, to some extent, the historic designation of women's language as the language of the non-powerful," the researchers wrote. The researchers say their findings should be taken with a grain of salt: "We are comparing only two individuals … but Bill and Hillary's language does reflect the historic power relations between men and women." Sen. Clinton has announced her presidential candidacy in the intervening years since the data were collected, but Suleiman said she would find the same gendered talk in data collected more recently. "I believe it does hold true four years later," she told LiveScience. "This is Hillary Clinton’s personal style as compared to Bill Clinton’s." The results are detailed in the latest issue of the Journal of Psycholinguistic Research. Call me Bill Gender sometimes entered the mix via the speech of the interviewer, moreso than via the speech of the politician being interviewed, Suleiman and O'Connell said. For instance, calling someone by their first name rather than their last name can be seen as casual and even disrespectful in some professional and political situations, and in fact, no interviewer addressed the former president with his first name. However, Sen. Clinton was addressed by her first name when the interviewer was a man, but never when the interviewer was a woman. Meanwhile, Bill Clinton never addressed his interviewers by their first name, while Hillary Clinton did, males and females alike. She might have been attempting to establish camaraderie, the researchers wrote, especially when she was regularly being asked in these interviews about her husband's infidelity, her personal appearance, her daughter, her relationship with her husband, her childhood and doing what is right, along with her potential presidential candidacy, her comments about Republicans and health care. Interviewers asked President Clinton about his presidency, his wife's possible presidential candidacy, his personal affairs, scandals, politics in the Middle East and Rwanda, his impeachment and John Kerry's candidacy, the analysis showed. Conceding the floor Gender differences in the interviews could also have to do with the power status of a former U.S. president compared to the status of a senator, the researchers said. Overall, President Clinton dominated interviews more than his wife, as measured in syllables spoken. He spoke 82 percent of all syllables in the combined interviews, while she spoke 77 percent of the syllables in the sum of all those in her interviews, Suleiman and O'Connell wrote. "Interviewers are obviously deferring to Bill Clinton more than to Hillary Clinton," the authors wrote. In general, the meaning of speaking strategies can change depending on the cultural and social context as well as immediate contexts, Suleiman said. "Therefore, women in politics, while bringing women's [linguistic] style to politics, can bring in a transformation of the meaning of these linguistic strategies and hence associate them with powerful language as well," she said. "In other words, we (as users of language) define social relations through language, just like social relations, simultaneously define the way we speak." Top 10 Ailing Presidents College Students Know More About Politics Than About American Idol White House Press Cuts Presidents Few Breaks

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How did you meet William Earl? William Earl lives a few doors down from my parents-in-law and they have been friends since the 1960s. I had heard William’s name in passing, but it was not until November 2009 that we were properly introduced. It was when I popped into my in-laws to watch the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph in London. William was sitting in the corner and as we watched the veterans March Past, he began to talk about his service in the RAMC in Italy. I was hooked immediately and asked if I could interview him for my blog. We met a few months later and he greeted me with the words, “I’m a D-Day Dodger and I still hate Mark Clark for what he did at Anzio.” I knew then that this spirited 94-year-old was going to be a marvellous interviewee. My grandfather was an ambulance driver in a field ambulance. How can I find out more about him? To find out more you first need to acquire a copy of his army service record. Click on this link to find out how. These records will give you some basic information such as the date of enlistment and discharge, unit, regiment, corps and theatres of operation. Armed with these details, you can approach the National Archives for further help. You can click on their help with research page here. If you are unable to do your own research, you can employ a professional researcher instead. Be aware that ambulance drivers were generally members of the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) not RAMC. I say generally, because if they were killed or injured during an evacuation, the accompanying RAMC nursing orderly would take over and drive the casualties back. That would not, however, make him an ambulance driver, he would still be a nursing orderly. My grandfather was also in the 8th Army in Italy. Could William have helped him when he was injured? A field ambulance supported a specific infantry brigade. William’s field ambulance, the 214th, supported the 169th brigade of the 56th (London) Division. If your grandfather was in the 169th, it is highly likely that William could have helped him. If one brigade went into action with another, for example the 167th and 169th, then the supporting field ambulances would have handled both brigades’ the sick and injured. Therefore if your grandfather was in the 167th infantry brigade of the 56th London, William may have helped him. Occasionally, a field ambulance also supported a completely different division. This occured in Forlimpopoli in December 1944, when the 169th infantry brigade of the 56th Division supported two battalions of the 46th Division. One of those battalions was supported by the 185th field ambulance so during that operation the 214th and 185th field ambulances worked together. In this case, if your grandfather was in one of the battalions involved there is a slim chance that William may have helped your grandfather. Even if William himself did not help, it’s highly likely that someone like William would have cared for your grandfather because the RAMC recruited a certain type of man. A man with intelligence and compassion who would have treated your grandfather skillfully and with respect.

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MarketScreener Homepage > News > Companies > All News News : Companies C&J Energy Services : Keane and C&J Energy Services to Combine in Merger of Equals, Establishing an Industry- Leading, Diversified Oilfield Services Provider HOUSTON - June 17, 2019 - C&J Energy Services ('C&J') (NYSE: CJ) and Keane Group, Inc. ('Keane') (NYSE: FRAC) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby the companies will combine in an all-stock merger of equals. The combined company will be positioned as an industry-leading, diversified oilfield services provider with a pro-forma enterprise value of approximately $1.8 billion, including $255 million of net debt. Under the terms of the merger agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and the Special Committee of the Keane Board, C&J shareholders will receive 1.6149 shares of Keane common stock for each share of C&J common stock owned. The merger agreement permits C&J to pay its shareholders a cash dividend of $1.00 per share prior to closing. Upon closing, Keane and C&J shareholders will, in the aggregate, each own 50% of the equity of the combined company on a fully diluted basis. The share exchange is expected to be tax-free. The merger of equals will create a leading well completion and production services company in the U.S., with increased scale and density across services and geographies with a prominent presence in the most active U.S. basins. Both C&J and Keane share a commitment to safety and integrity, employee development, partnerships with blue-chip customers, technological innovation, and strong community relationships, all of which will be reflected in the operations of the combined company. On a pro-forma basis, the combined company would have approximately $4.2 billion in net revenue and approximately $636 million in adjusted EBITDA for the 12 months ended March 31, 2019. In addition, the two companies anticipate to achieve annualized run-rate cost synergies of $100 million within 12 months after closing. With approximately $173 million in cash, or $106 million after the $1.00 per share cash dividend is paid to C&J shareholders, the combined company will have flexibility to invest in growth and technology and return capital to shareholders. 'The merger of equals unites two great companies, resulting in a broader portfolio of well completion services across an even greater footprint in the U.S., benefiting our combined employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, and the communities in which we operate,' said Robert Drummond, Chief Executive Officer of Keane. 'With two strong teams, enhanced and diversified operations, a strong balance sheet, ample liquidity, attractive free cash flow and a legacy of successful R&D, the combined company will be well positioned to further invest in technology and innovation, as well as the career development of our employees to drive sustainable growth in our dynamic industry. In C&J, we've found a partner who is equally committed to our strong employee culture with a focus on safety and customers, with whom we are eager to join forces to leverage our combined resources and strengths.' Don Gawick, President and Chief Executive Officer of C&J, said, 'This agreement to merge C&J and Keane underscores the highly complementary nature of our two platforms and cultures. We are excited by the many strategic and financial benefits of this combination, including the opportunities for our employees from the greater scale and enhanced capabilities of the combined company. For the customers and markets we serve, our people will continue to deliver the highest level of customer service with quality, safety, integrity and innovation. Given the shared safety focus and passion for excellence of our highly talented workforces, I am confident that the opportunity to leverage each other's strengths will enable a combined organization where the sum of both parts makes a much greater whole. Alongside our talented Keane colleagues, we look forward to expanding and deepening our service capabilities, enhancing our relationships with blue-chip customers and generating long-term, sustainable shareholder value.' Compelling Strategic and Financial Benefits of the Merger of Equals: - Greater Scale and Density Across Services and Geographies: Together, the combined company will have 2.3 million hydraulic fracturing horsepower ('HHP') consisting of approximately 50 frac fleets, 158 wireline trucks, 81 pumpdown units, 28 coiled tubing units, 139 cementing units and 364 workover rigs, which together will create a leading U.S. well completion and production services company. The combined company will also have a larger footprint in the most active U.S. basins, including the Permian, Marcellus / Utica, Eagle Ford, Rockies / Bakken, Mid-Continent and California, among others. - Significant Synergies and Enhanced Opportunity for Value Creation and Investment: The combined company expects to generate annualized run-rate cost synergies of approximately $100 million within a year after closing through cost reductions in sales, general and administrative expenses, supply chain management and optimization of operational processes. In addition, in the highly fragmented, dynamic and evolving oilfield services industry, the combined company is well-positioned to deliver enhanced shareholder returns given anticipated potential for growth and improved margins through the increased utilization of high quality, market ready equipment, synergy capture and benefits of size and scale. With these benefits and enhanced daily trading liquidity, the combination provides an attractive opportunity for equity investors. - Strong Financial Position: Pro-forma as of March 31, 2019, the combined company will have approximately $173 million in cash, or $106 million after the cash dividend is paid to C&J shareholders, with pro-forma leverage of approximately 0.4x net debt to adjusted EBITDA. In addition, the anticipated $100 million of annualized run-rate synergies will enhance the future liquidity and financial flexibility of the combined company. The merger of equals will also be immediately accretive to cash flow per share and increase the potential for operating cash flow generation. Pro-forma as of March 31, 2019, operating cash flow for the combined company would be $686 million, which excludes the $100 million of expected annualized run-rate cost synergies. - Complementary Cultures & Operating Philosophy: The combined company will support sustainable growth through highly complementary services including hydraulic fracturing, cementing, coiled tubing, pumpdown and workover rigs. Keane and C&J will also share best practices for customer service and operational processes, leveraging their combined resources to enhance already strong partnerships and organizational agility. The combined company's talented employees will drive exceptional customer service focused on delivering top-tier safety, efficiency and execution. Deeper penetration in critical growth markets will also broaden the combined company's blue-chip customer base to include most of the largest U.S. onshore exploration and production operators. - Positioned for Continued Innovation and Investment: With a shared legacy of innovative R&D and a rich portfolio of proprietary technology, the combined company will accelerate investments in continued innovation and advanced, value-added technologies. These investments will include pursuing next generation opportunities in fracking and expanding real-time data and analytics capabilities in an effort to drive operational efficiencies, reduce Non-Productive Time (NPT), enable differentiated service to customers and lower operating costs. Leadership, Governance and Headquarters The combined company will be led by a proven management team that reflects the strengths and capabilities of both organizations. Upon close, Patrick Murray, Chairman of the C&J Board of Directors will serve as Chair of the combined company's Board of Directors, and Robert Drummond, Chief Executive Officer of Keane, will serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of the combined company. Jan Kees van Gaalen, Chief Financial Officer of C&J, will serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the combined company, and Gregory Powell, President and Chief Financial Officer of Keane will serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Integration Officer of the combined company. Additional senior executives for the combined company will be selected from top talent at both companies and named prior to the close of the transaction. Upon completion of the transaction, the combined company's Board of Directors will comprise 12 directors, six of whom will be from the C&J Board, including the Chairman of C&J, and six of whom will be from the Keane Board, including the Chief Executive Officer of Keane. The combined company's corporate headquarters will remain in Houston, Texas. Keane and C&J each share a deep heritage and strong brand recognition and following the closing, the combined company will operate under a new corporate name and trade under a new ticker symbol that will leverage the strengths of both brands. The combined company's corporate name and ticker will be announced prior to the close of the transaction. Approvals and Closing The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of C&J. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of Keane, following the unanimous recommendation of its Special Committee comprising independent directors. The merger is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019, following C&J and Keane shareholder approval, regulatory approvals and receipt of other customary closing conditions. Keane Investor Holdings LLC, which includes an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., Keane family and certain members of Keane management, owns approximately 49 percent of the outstanding shares of Keane and has entered into a support agreement to vote in favor of the transaction. Citi is serving as financial advisor and Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP is serving as legal advisor to Keane. Lazard is serving as financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is serving as legal advisor to the Special Committee of the Keane Board. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as lead financial advisor to C&J, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is also serving as a financial advisor to C&J. Kirkland & Ellis is serving as legal advisor to C&J. Analyst/Investor Conference Call and Webcast A joint conference call and webcast will be held with the investor community today at 7:00 am CT/8:00 am ET to discuss the combination and supplemental information regarding the transaction has been provided in a joint investor presentation of C&J and Keane, available at www.cjenergy.com and www.keanegrp.com. Interested parties may listen to the conference call via a live webcast accessible at http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=134959 or by calling U.S. (Toll Free): 1-877-407-9716 or International: 1-201-493-6779, and using the conference ID: 13691794. A playback of the call will also be available by telephone beginning at 10:00 a.m. CT/11:00 a.m. ET today until 10:59 p.m. CT/11:59 p.m. ET on June 24, 2019 by calling U.S. (Toll Free): 1-844-512-2921 or International: 1-412-317-6671, and using the replay pin number: 13691794. About Keane Group, Inc. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Keane is one of the largest pure-play providers of integrated well completion services in the U.S., with a focus on complex, technically demanding completion solutions. Keane's primary service offerings include horizontal and vertical fracturing, wireline perforation and logging, engineered solutions and cementing, as well as other value-added service offerings. About C&J Energy Services C&J Energy Services is a leading provider of well construction and intervention, well completion, well support and other complementary oilfield services and technologies to independent and major oilfield companies engaged in the exploration, production and development of oil and gas properties in onshore basins throughout the continental United States. C&J offers a diverse, integrated suite of services across the life cycle of the well, including hydraulic fracturing, cased-hole wireline and pumpdown, cementing, coiled tubing, rig services, fluid management, other completions logistics, and specialty well site support services. C&J is headquartered in Houston, Texas and operates across all active onshore basins in the continental United States. For additional information about C&J, please visit https://cjenergy.com. This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1993, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Where a forward-looking statement expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. The words 'believe' 'continue,' 'could,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'intends,' 'estimate,' 'forecast,' 'project,' 'should,' 'may,' 'will,' 'would' or the negative thereof and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Keane's and C&J's control. Statements in this communication regarding Keane, C&J and the combined company that are forward-looking, including projections as to the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction, the impact of the proposed transaction on Keane's and C&J's business and future financial and operating results, the amount and timing of synergies from the proposed transaction, and the closing date for the proposed transaction, are based on management's estimates, assumptions and projections, and are subject to significant uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond Keane's and C&J's control. These factors and risks include, but are not limited to, (i) the competitive nature of the industry in which Keane and C&J conduct their business, including pricing pressures; (ii) the ability to meet rapid demand shifts; (iii) the impact of pipeline capacity constraints and adverse weather conditions in oil or gas producing regions; (iv) the ability to obtain or renew customer contracts and changes in customer requirements in the markets Keane and C&J serve; (v) the ability to identify, effect and integrate acquisitions, joint ventures or other transactions; (vi) the ability to protect and enforce intellectual property rights; (vii) the effect of environmental and other governmental regulations on Keane's and C&J's operations; (viii) the effect of a loss of, or interruption in operations of, one or more key suppliers, including resulting from product defects, recalls or suspensions; (ix) the variability of crude oil and natural gas commodity prices; (x) the market price and availability of materials or equipment; (xi) the ability to obtain permits, approvals and authorizations from governmental and third parties; (xii) Keane's and C&J's ability to employ a sufficient number of skilled and qualified workers to combat the operating hazards inherent in Keane's and C&J's industry; (xiii) fluctuations in the market price of Keane's and C&J's stock; (xiv) the level of, and obligations associated with, Keane's and C&J's indebtedness; and (xv) other risk factors and additional information. In addition, material risks that could cause actual results to differ from forward-looking statements include: the inherent uncertainty associated with financial or other projections; the prompt and effective integration of C&J's businesses and the ability to achieve the anticipated synergies and value-creation contemplated by the proposed transaction; the risk associated with Keane's and C&J's ability to obtain the approval of the proposed transaction by their shareholders required to consummate the proposed transaction and the timing of the closing of the proposed transaction, including the risk that the conditions to the transaction are not satisfied on a timely basis or at all and the failure of the transaction to close for any other reason; the risk that a consent or authorization that may be required for the proposed transaction is not obtained or is obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated; unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the transaction, the response of business partners and retention as a result of the announcement and pendency of the transaction; and the diversion of management time on transaction-related issues. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors, see Keane's and C&J's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC'), including under the heading 'Risk Factors' in Item 1A of Keane's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, filed on February 27, 2019, and C&J's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, filed on February 27, 2019 and in other periodic filings, available on the SEC website or www.keanegrp.com or www.cjenergy.com. Keane and C&J assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this communication, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Investors should not assume that any lack of update to a previously issued 'forward-looking statement' constitutes a reaffirmation of that statement. Non-GAAP Measures Adjusted EBITDA (the 'Non-GAAP Measure') is a performance measure that provides supplemental information that C&J and Keane believe is useful to analysts and investors to evaluate ongoing results of operations, when considered alongside other GAAP measures such as net income, operating income and gross profit. This Non-GAAP Measure excludes the financial impact of items management does not consider in assessing the ongoing operating performance of C&J, Keane, or the new company, and thereby facilitates review of its operating performance on a period-to-period basis. Other companies may have different capital structures and comparability to the results of operations of C&J, Keane, or the new company may be impacted by the effects of acquisition accounting on its depreciation and amortization. As a result of the effects of these factors and factors specific to other companies, C&J and Keane believe Adjusted EBITDA provides helpful information to analysts and investors to facilitate a comparison of their operating performance to that of other companies. The presentation of the Non-GAAP Measure in this press release should not be construed as an inference that its future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. A reconciliation of the Non-GAAP Measure has not been provided because such reconciliation could not be produced without unreasonable effort. Important Additional Information Regarding the Merger of Equals Will Be Filed With the SEC In connection with the proposed transaction, Keane intends to file with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 that will include a joint proxy statement of Keane and C&J that also constitutes a prospectus of Keane. Each of Keane and C&J also plan to file other relevant documents with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction. No offering of securities shall be made, except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Any definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus (if and when available) will be mailed to stockholders of Keane and C&J. INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT MAY BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors and stockholders will be able to obtain free copies of these documents (if and when available) and other documents containing important information about Keane and C&J, once such documents are filed with the SEC through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Keane will be available free of charge on Keane's website at http://www.keanegrp.com or by contacting Keane's Investor Relations Department by email at investors@keanegrp.com or by phone at 281-929-0370. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by C&J will be available free of charge on C&J's website at www.cjenergy.com or by contacting C&J's Investor Relations Department by email at investors@cjenergy.com or by phone at 713-260-9986. Participants in the Solicitation Keane, C&J and certain of their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of C&J is set forth in its proxy statement for its 2019 annual meeting of shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 9, 2019, and C&J's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, which was filed with the SEC on February 27, 2019. Information about the directors and executive officers of Keane is set forth in Keane's proxy statement for its 2019 annual meeting of shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 1, 2019, and Keane's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, which was filed with the SEC on February 27, 2019. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitations and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction when such materials become available. Investors should read the joint proxy statement/prospectus carefully when it becomes available before making any voting or investment decisions. You may obtain free copies of these documents from Keane or C&J using the sources indicated above. No Offer or Solicitation This document is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of any vote in any jurisdiction pursuant to the proposed transaction or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. Subject to certain exceptions to be approved by the relevant regulators or certain facts to be ascertained, the public offer will not be made directly or indirectly, in or into any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws of such jurisdiction, or by use of the mails or by any means or instrumentality (including without limitation, facsimile transmission, telephone and the internet) of interstate or foreign commerce, or any facility of a national securities exchange, of any such jurisdiction. C&J Energy Services Inc. published this content on 17 June 2019 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 17 June 2019 11:48:05 UTC Latest news "Companies" 02:04p Macron and Trump declare a truce on digital tax dispute 02:04p ELEKTA : Institut Jules Bordet invests in Elekta's latest cancer treatment technology 02:04p KINGSPAN : achieves CDP ‘A List' for its efforts against climate change 02:01p ARTIFICIAL INTERNATIONAL : Solutions publishes prospectus relating to the rights issue and provides pro forma information 02:01p 19M Plastic Bottles Recycled as Part of QuickDrain USA Shower Pan Production 01:57p Oil rises as Libya declares force majeure in oilfields 01:56p HELLOFRESH : Teams Up With Actress and Songstress Lea Michele to Promote Benefits of Cooking Delicious and Wholesome Meals at Home 01:51p CRESCENT POINT ENERGY : Closes Sale of Gas Infrastructure Assets 01:44p BOMBARDIER : Gets Green Light for Avionics Upgrade on Learjet Aircraft 1 Fevertree loses its sparkle as Britons' taste for premium tonic sours 2 Apple's Cook says global corporate tax system must be overhauled 3 OUTOKUMPU : OUTOKUMPU : Stainless steel maker Outokumpu shares up 16% on fourth quarter beat 4 AIRBUS SE : AIRBUS : unit to offer product to help airlines with revenue volatility 5 JPMorgan says 'oui' to Paris expansion post-Brexit OUTOKUMPU +12.64% Outokumpu : Stainless steel maker Outokumpu shares up 16% on fourth quarter beat TELEFONICA +2.72% Telefonica : Latin American Investors Seek to Control Telefonica's Hispanoamerica Unit BAE SYSTEMS +3.68% BAE SYSTEMS PLC Acquisition PROSIEBENSAT.1 MEDIA. +2.63% ProSieben says 'super relaxed' on Mediaset stake SANY HEAVY INDUSTRY +2.19% Sany Heavy Industry : Expects 2019 Net Profit to Rise 77%-93% Accor : Hotels group Accor launches 300 million euros buyback programme

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https://www.middletownpress.com/news/article/Need-for-donors-grows-11899167.php Need for donors grows By Jeff Mill Published 12:00 am EST, Sunday, December 30, 2007 CROMWELL - What kind of man willing gives away a kidney to another human being who is a total stranger? A rare one, to be sure. Specifically in the case of Eileen Branciforte, her donor, Harry Kiernan, is a former Glastonbury firefighter and Navy diver with a penchant for dark chocolate and the New York Yankees - and a lively sense of humor about life and himself. Kiernan agreed to participate in a story about his donation to Branciforte to hopefully inspire other people to make the same of a similar decision. There is no question the need for transplants is there, said Audrey White of Hartford Hospital. At present, nearly 3,400 Connecticut residents are on lists waiting - and praying - for a donor, White said. Nationwide, 98,154 people are waiting for a transplant, according to data compiled by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). The largest number, 74,180 are waiting for a kidney transplant. (The next highest number, some 16,000, are waiting for a liver transplant, according to data on the UNOS web site, unos.org.) This year, however, there were only 21,403 transplants, according to the UNOS data. And some of those were multiple-organ operations. Most distressing for the people who need a transplant and those like White, who advocate for those in need, there were only 10,850 donors this year; 6,055 who were deceased and 4,795 who were living donors. White was, until recently, the kidney transplant coordinator at Hartford Hospital, where Branciforte underwent her surgery. "We need donors," she said Friday. "The waiting time is getting longer, and the donations just don't keep up with the need." There are many reasons why people have been loath to come forward and sign up as organ or tissue donors, White acknowledged. And some of those reasons are still not completely understood by professionals in the field. To overcome that hesitancy, White and others in the transplant community are working to raise awareness about the need for organ and tissue donations and the relative ease of signing up to be a donor and making that wish known to family members. Eileen Branciforte received a kidney from Harry Kiernan. That is a so-called "solid organ," White explained, as are the heart, lungs, and liver. But emerging transplant technology means that doctors can use the eyes of a person, as well as tissue, skin and bone to help improve a person's quality of life. There are any number of ways to become aware of donor options, she said. The first and easiest is to sign up to be a donor on your driver's license - "and to make your wishes known to your family," she said. Hartford Hospital has a donor coordinator, and information can also be gotten from organizations such as the National Kidney Foundation. (Middlesex Hospital does not currently perform transplants.) And, there is the testimony of living donors like Harry Kiernan. "Relatively speaking, it's a piece of cake," Kiernan said Friday. Yes, he acknowledged, he was inconvenienced; "but it as a only for a short part of my life." And, he continued, it pales to insignificance "when I see Eileen and how well she is doing." There's a running joke between the donor and the recipient about what else Kiernan gave to Branciforte besides the kidney. "I told Jim, her husband, 'I gave you some great anti-bodies'" - and a taste for dark chocolate, and his attachment to the Yankees, which could become a problem for Red Sox fan Branciforte. More than once since he made the decision to donate his kidney, Kiernan has been told her is a hero." He fairly bristles at the suggestion. Indeed, on his blog he wrote, "Has the world become so cowardly that doing the right thing makes you a hero? I hope not!" "It's not a big deal to do," Kiernan insisted last week, adding, "I would do it again if I could. It was one of the highlights of my life." As he was in the hospital recovering from the surgery, Jim Branciforte asked Kiernan if he was alright. As Kiernan recounted on his blog, "This whole experience has made me a whole more than just 'fine.'"

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Finnish guitarist Erja Lyytinen arrives in Ottawa for first concert, fresh off jamming with Santana Lynn Saxberg More from Lynn Saxberg Published on: August 14, 2019 | Last Updated: August 14, 2019 8:01 AM EDT Finnish guitarist, Erja Lyytinen. Dirk Eidner. 9 p.m. Aug. 16, Rainbow Bistro, 76 Murray St. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets: $20 advance, available at ticketweb.ca. $25 at the door. Finnish guitarist Erja Lyytinen has a weakness for effects pedals, those electronic devices that bend, buckle, twist and otherwise contort the sound of an electric guitar. Her pedal board is equipped with 20 of the gadgets, a load that adds about 25 kilograms to her baggage allowance, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I loooove pedals,” she confessed in an interview this week. “I like the sounds. I like using the whammy pedal and going crazy and exploring and doing a bit of spaced-out Jimi Hendrix. I also like playing slide and adding some wah and some delay and some modulation effect. “So yeah. I’m not a traditional blues player but everything is serving the song.” The 43-year-old musician, who’s in Ottawa this week for the first time to play a gig at the Rainbow Bistro, started her music education as a conservatory-trained violinist destined for orchestra life. But with parents who were in a band (dad on guitar and mom on bass), there were plenty of other influences at home. She grew up in Kuopio, a small town in eastern Finland, a country with a surprisingly vibrant blues scene. “Classical music didn’t interest me as a teenager,” Lyytinen said. “There’s a certain point when you grow up that you want to do something different. Rock music interested me. I liked guitar because I could solo with it, or play rhythm and sing on top of that. I always liked the big harmony sound.” Her eyes were opened to the possibilities of early American music while watching music videos on VHS at the conservatory. “I saw Ray Charles doing Georgia on my Mind and my skin went to goosebumps,” she recalls. “‘Oh my God, it’s amazing,’ I thought, and I wanted to do the same thing. “Little by little, I got deeper into the blues and was listening to Koko Taylor and Bonnie Raitt and of course some soul music — Aretha Franklin — and then the guitar stuff started to kick in.” At 15, she joined her parents’ band, and learned a repertoire of songs that ranged from Finnish dance music to classic rock and pop songs, including a couple of Santana tunes. Around the same time, she was also singing in a Blues Brothers tribute band at school. She continued to study music, too, attending music schools in Denmark, Los Angeles and Sweden, finally earning a master’s degree in Helsinki, a distinction that prompts her band members to tease her for being one of the most educated blues musicians in Europe. Lyytinen released three albums on the Finnish roots label, Bluelight Records, in the early 2000s before signing to Germany’s Ruf Records and then launching her own label, Tuohi Records. Her latest recording, Another World, came out this year, featuring a full slate of original songs and guest spots by slide master Sonny Landreth and former Michael Jackson guitarist Jennifer Batten. The album marks a new chapter for the now-separated mom of five-year-old twin boys. “It’s an empowering album,” Lyytinen explains. “The previous album was called Stolen Heart, and it was written during the breakup time. There were dark times and sadness. But now it’s like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Emotionally, it’s like searching for something new and you find yourself, and you’re open to new things and happy about what you have.” There’s also growth in the music, with elements of jazz and progressive rock enhancing her unique, blues-based style. “I feel that musically I have also taken steps towards something new and that’s very fascinating. As a guitar player, I’m not restricting myself. I just do what I hear and it feels very satisfying,” she said. Lyytinen, who was declared 2017’s best guitarist in the European Blues Awards, has had some inspiring moments in recent years, including a guest appearance with Carlos Santana in front of 20,000 people in Helsinki last summer, where she held her own against the master of psychedelic Latin-tinged rock. Video from that day shows her grinning from ear to ear as she trades licks with Carlos. “It was amazing. What an experience,” she gushes. “Sometimes I think, ‘Did this really happen?’ but it’s online on YouTube. I can go and have a look anytime.” She’s also shared stages with blues greats like Joe Bonamassa and John Mayall, and this year opened for superstar crooner Tom Jones. Another highlight of 2019 was playing alongside Elwood Blues (a.k.a. Dan Aykroyd) during the Downchild Blues Band’s 50th anniversary gig in Toronto in June. Recalling her high-school band experience playing Blues Brothers songs, she describes it as a “full-circle moment” that gives her hope for an equally long career. “I hope I’m able to do good concerts for the next 40 years,” she says. “That’s what I’m aiming for.” lsaxberg@postmedia.com LISTEN TO THE DOWN TO BUSINESS PODCAST

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Academic freedom under attack by Kristen Brustad Emory University Academic Exchange https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/8307/academic-freedom-under-attack Is the academic mission of American universities under attack? Several recent events, including the case of Campus Watch described in Shalom Goldman's essay and the one I describe here, suggest a pattern of accusations of anti-Americanism leveled against the academy. This case in particular implies that some universities are incapable of deciding what or how to teach. In North Carolina, both the courts and the state legislature became involved in a controversy over the University of North Carolina's right to set the curriculum for an academic program for incoming freshmen. The annual North Carolina Summer Reading program assigns incoming freshmen a book to read over the summer that they will then discuss in the classroom when they arrive on campus. Last summer, the decision was made to find a book that would present the basic tenets of Islam, and Chapel Hill's Professor Carl Ernst chose Approaching the Qur'an by Haverford Professor of Religion Michael Sells. Despite the availability of an option for students to write a paper on why they chose not to read the book, three unnamed freshmen at the University of North Carolina sued the university in federal court, arguing that the assignment blurred the mandated separation of church and state. The court threw out the case, but the state legislature took it up. The North Carolina House of Representatives passed legislation blocking funds for any entering freshman course in religion "unless all other known religions are offered in an equal or incremental way" (the full text is cited on the American Association of University Professors website, www.aaup.org). With this act, the state legislature in effect seeks to exercise power over the university to limit the curriculum and interfere with academic freedom. As an op-ed by general secretary of the AAUP Mary Burgan points out, several other public universities have also been recent targets of their state legislatures, who took issue with controversial research of certain faculty. Those of us who teach at private institutions are fortunate not to operate at the whim of state politicians, but we are not free from financial pressures. This kind of pressure is disturbing in and of itself, but what is even more troubling is the plaintiffs' and politicians' blurring of the distinction between teaching and advocacy. In effect, they charged the UNC with advocating for Islam, as if there were no difference between studying a religion and proselytizing for it. This kind of thinking is anti-academic, and it reflects what I believe to be a growing misconception that a college education should not entail introducing students to anything that challenges their basic beliefs. Is academic freedom unnecessary, a luxury we may disregard in times of trouble? Are certain institutions or individuals undeserving of it? Individuals and groups outside the academy are increasingly vocal about wanting a say in what goes on inside it. They demand this role without a proper understanding (or, in at least one case, with a willful misunderstanding) of the nature of university teaching and research. Perhaps this is in part our fault for not constantly striving to communicate to the public what it is we seek to do and why. It probably also reflects an increasingly conservative political climate. In this climate, and under the threat of war, it behooves us all to pay attention to attacks on academic freedom and to support efforts to defend it. Related Topics: American Association of University Professors receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free mef mailing list

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Freeman sees great night as 'sign of big things' Braves first baseman has three hits, including two-run home run By Mark Bowman ATLANTA -- Freddie Freeman recorded three hits and three RBIs, as the Braves tallied eight runs for the third time this season. In the past, this would have often been the introduction to a story about an Atlanta victory.But the past was far different than the present for the Braves, ATLANTA -- Freddie Freeman recorded three hits and three RBIs, as the Braves tallied eight runs for the third time this season. In the past, this would have often been the introduction to a story about an Atlanta victory. But the past was far different than the present for the Braves, who squandered Freeman's second multi-RBI game of the season and fell to 18-45 with Monday night's 9-8 loss to the Reds at Turner Field. By the time this frustrating evening was over, it was quite clear how quickly eight walks can minimize the value of eight runs. "Offensively, we did a lot of really good things," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "It's something we haven't been doing, scoring some runs. And it's a shame we can't get everything on the same page because you can see in bits and pieces what we're capable of. We just have to keep working to put it all together for an extended period." Braves starting pitcher Aaron Blair issued three walks, including one with the bases loaded in the Reds' three-run third inning, and Atlanta closer Arodys Vizcaino followed an intentional walk to Joey Votto with two more free passes, including another with the bases loaded during the decisive ninth inning. At the end of a night that gave him reason to believe he's about to break free from this season's inconsistencies, Freeman certainly wasn't feeling good. The All-Star first baseman struck out with two on and one out in the seventh inning of the loss. After his first three at-bats, though, he found himself a triple shy of the cycle and recorded his first multi-RBI game at home this season. Freeman notched an RBI single in a two-run first inning and then sparked a two-run third inning with a two-out double. He then gave the Braves a short-lived 7-6 lead with a two-run home run in the fifth inning. He recorded two hits in three at-bats with runners in scoring position, or just four fewer than he had notched in the 49 at-bats he'd tallied in these situations this season. Freeman's struggles have been well-documented, as he notched just two hits in his first 25 at-bats and then managed to get his batting average back up to .284 on May 16. But even with Monday night's three-hit performance, he has hit just .204 with a .663 OPS over his past 21 games. "Obviously, things haven't gone the way I've wanted it so far this year, but hopefully, this is a sign of good things to come," Freeman said. Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

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