Home › Releases › Vanden Plas - Chronicles of the Immortals - Netherworld
Chronicles of the Immortals - Netherworld
Genre: Metal progressive
Welcome to a new dimension in the Vanden Plas universe! With their new work, “Chronicles of the Immortals – Netherworld,” the spectacular German progressive metal band has again shown artistic growth, continuing a pattern of development from album to album that we have grown accustomed to.
In this case, the developmental step was a bit bigger than usual, due to the story behind the birth of “Chronicles of the Immortals – Netherworld.” Wolfgang Hohlbein, who with 43 million books sold worldwide is not only Germany’s biggest selling author but also a fan of VANDEN PLAS, suggested their creative collaboration: a rock opera for the stage based on his series “The Chronicle of the Immortals.” The result: “Bloodnight” (“Blutnacht”). The libretto was written by VANDEN PLAS singer Andy Kuntz, together with Hohlbein and his manager Dieter Winkler, himself a respected author. The VANDEN PLAS team of Stephan Lill/ Günter Werno/Andy Kuntz composed 19 songs for the stage production.
“Bloodnight,” with Kuntz in the lead role and the VANDEN PLAS musicians in the orchestra pit, celebrated a stunning premiere on the stage of the Pfalztheater in Kaiserslautern in 2012. 25 sold-out performances in the 2012 and 2013 seasons with standing ovations that never seemed to end speak for themselves. Overwhelmed by this success, Hohlbein responded by writing another novel; the story of “Bloodnight.”
The next step for the band was to turn the successful theatre piece into an equally successful VANDEN PLAS album. “Chronicles of the Immortals - Netherworld - Path 1” has 10 tracks comprising the first act of “Bloodnight.” “Path 2,” the second half of the album, is scheduled to bring the story to a conclusion in early 2015. Kuntz, in agreement with Hohlbein, adapted the stage version to fit an album format. On it he appears as the storyteller, so that unlike the stage production_he is not only the main character Andrej Delany but also embodies the roles of the other protagonists. In this way the story line is richer and more easily understood by the listener for whom the powerful visions from the stage production are not available.
The music of “Chronicles of the Immortals – Netherworld” is pure VANDEN PLAS. The songs are noticeably harder than in the stage version_and many solos have been included that were too difficult to stage in the theatrical production. Amendments to some of the arrangements can be heard_and some scenes have been completely rewritten. Thus, some large chorus scenes from the stage production reappear with stark intimacy on the album, while in other sections a lush orchestral accompaniment replaces the piano line that had led the action in the stage version. At the same time, all the elements come into play that have long been distinctive to VANDEN PLAS. Kuntz’s incisive lyrics are interwoven with Lill’s defining riffs and Werno’s diverse keyboard parts. A solid base is provided by bass player Torsten Reichert and drummer Andreas Lill, whose collaboration has produced an atmosphere that seems more homogenous and transparent than ever.
It is the details that make this album different from other VANDEN PLAS recordings. It is clearly evident that this album recounts the story from a newly staged theatre production, which makes the VANDEN PLAS music to “Chronicles of the Immortals – Netherworld” even more diversified and vivid.
VANDEN PLAS fans will immediately feel at home with this album. Hohlbein was also immediately thrilled the first time he heard the music. “Great album; I loved it! I’m happy that fans of “The Chronicles of the Immortals” can re-experience the story through the rock opera ‘Bloodnight’.”
The theme of “Chronicles of the Immortals – Netherworld” examines the essential question of human existence. …“What is immortality? Andrej Delany knows the answer. Those who meet him sense that he is somehow different from them, more powerful, more experienced. They call him a sorcerer, revile him as a vampire or a demon. Yet he differs from them in only one aspect: he has lived much, much longer than they themselves have. Andrej desires only to be a human being, but he is incapable of sharing his life with mortals. In the search for his salvation, he wanders through the centuries, not knowing that doing so threatens to put him at the mercy of powers that themselves have Eternity on their side and are slowly tightening a noose around his neck. With satanic trickery, a dark shape shifter tries to convince the immortal one to join him and storm the Pantheon of the old gods and wrest the throne from them. Restless chimeras from the other side warn him against this unholy alliance. They tell him about lost love, the souls of forgotten children, and point him to a “forbidden way”, to Marius - the son he believed to be dead - and Maria, the great love of his life. Suddenly Andrej finds himself between the front lines of two worlds. He is in the middle of the eternal war raging between Heaven and eternal Darkness. But which of the archaic shadow beings is heresy and which is illumination? Which wants to help Andrej - and which wants to deceive and destroy him? He must choose which vision to follow, for in the end the truth lies only within him.”… (Bloodnight) “Chronicles of the Immortals – Netherworld – Path 1” ends at a point where all seems to be hopelessly lost - if it weren’t for the soon-to-be released “Path 2,” which promises redemption. The VANDEN PLAS/Hohlbein collaboration is a creative cornucopia still filled to overflowing! But first, we welcome you into the new but still familiar dimensions of VANDEN PLAS. There is much to discover in “Chronicles of the Immortals – Netherworld – Path 1.” Stefan Glas (Rock Hard, Rocks, Underground Empire), translated by Cynthia Nay The Band
Andy Kuntz (Vocals), Stephan Lill (Guitar), Günter Werno (Keyboard), Torsten Reichert (Bass), Andreas Lill (Drums)
Demos and Self-productions
1986 - Raining in My Heart (Single)
1991 - Days of Thunder (Demo)
1992 - Fire (Single)
1994 - Colour Temple
1997 - The God Thing
1999 - Far Off Grace
2000 - Spirit of Live (live)
2002 - Beyond Daylight
2006 - Christ 0
2010 - The Seraphic Clockwork
2014 - Chronicles of The Immortals - Netherworld - Path 1
Singles and EPs
1996 - AcCult (EP)
1996 - Des hauts, Des Bas (Single, France)
1999 - Inside of Your Head (Single, France)
2000 - I Don't Miss You (Single, Europe)
2007 – Abydos
2009 - Ludus Danielis
CIRCUS MAXIMUS - Nine
Vanden Plas - The Ghost Xperiment: Illumination
About a year ago, the German progressive metal band Vanden Plas delivered the music world part one of their two part concept album, “The Ghost Xperiment”.
Beyond The Bridge - The Old Man And The Spirit
NOVENA - The Stopped Clock
Novena are proud to present 22 minutes of new music in a new 3-track EP, "The Stopped Clock." The single and video for the track 'Bury A Friend' (Billie Eilish cover) is out today.
Vanden Plas - The Seraphic Livework
In their long career, Vanden Plas has until now produced only one live album: "Spirit of Live," recorded in Paris at the legendary Elysée Montmartre, was released in 2000. With the upcoming release of "The Seraphic Liveworks," the wait for another live long-player is finally over.
Turbulence - Frontal
Turbulence is a new progressive rock/metal band from Lebanon founded in 2013 by two extremely gifted composers, guitarist Alain Ibrahim and keyboardist Mood Yassin. Omar El Hage (vocals), Sayed Gereige (drums) and Anthony Atwe (bass) round out the band's line-up. Coming from a region not exactly famous for prog music, Turbulence has emerged and is ready to compete on a world stage. The band is preparing to unleash their sophomore album, “Frontal,” a concept album which showcases Turbulence's ability to combine compelling musical storytelling with modern sounds and production.
Withem - The Unforgiving Road
Withem is an upcoming Progressive Metal band hailing from Norway inspired by the likes of Symphony X, Pagan’s Mind, Dream Theater and Circus Maximus.
Lords of Black - II
Lords Of Black is the band formed by world class singer Ronnie Romero, renowned guitarist Tony Hernando and monster drummer Andy C.


admin	4 April, 2018 Comments Off on Pakistan shines in Mr Ocean 2017 2,568 views views
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE
> LIFE & STYLE > FASHION
LAHORE: Hailing from Lahore, Hassan Bhatti represented Pakistan in Mr Ocean 2017 and secured a position among the top 15. Contestants from over 60 other countries such as the USA, UK, Japan, India, Canada, Italy, Germany and China were also a part of the pageant. According to Hassan’s supervising company, he represented Pakistan in its true sense and earned fame for the country by participating and proving himself in different criterions of the pageant, which was held in Taiwan this month.
While he has been engaged in preparing for Mr Ocean 2017 since beginning November, the grand finale of the pageant was held this week. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Hassan revealed that it was a proud moment for him to represent Pakistan on a global scale.
PHOTO: PUBLICITY
Interestingly, he has been offered film projects as well. “After I participated in Mr Pakistan World 2016, I immediately began preparing for Mr Ocean 2017. For this reason, I did not accept any film offers that came my way,” mentioned Hassan. “Now, that people are starting to recognise me through these events, I am keen on making my film debut. Whenever I get a good opportunity, I will take my first step towards showbiz.”
The budding model was not afraid to admit his deep fondness for acting. “I am very interested in joining the Pakistani film industry. I hope that one day I will be a Lollywood star and work in other film industries as well. I have been dancing and acting since I was a child and luckily, this gives me an upper-hand in talent competitions,” stated Hassan.
Hassan represented the country in Mr Pakistan World 2016 in Canada. Over there, he was associated with a company that groomed young boys with a passion for modelling. It was under the company, Touchgate Global that Hassan participated in his first pageant.
“Taking part in these competitions has boosted my confidence. I have also learnt a lot from my experiences so far so I am hopeful that it will help me in the film industry and possibly even open more doors for me. However, my top priority will always be to represent Pakistan in good taste through my skills,” he said.
Toughgate Global president, Sonia Ahmed, shared she was impressed with Hassan’s talent. “We were expecting a lot from him as we worked very hard to groom him for these competitions. It’s not easy to compete against 60 other countries. Hassan mesmerised the judges when he performed on a Shehzad Roy song. In the future, we will surely involve him different film projects as well,” she said.


7 December 2021 / SF News / Jay Barmann
Bay Area Marks 80 Years Since Attack on Pearl Harbor
Tuesday marks the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and by extension the United States' entry into World War II over the following days. Commemorations are happening around the Bay Area, which is also home to a handful of the remaining survivors of the attack.
That "day that will live in infamy" happened on a Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. BuzzFeed has a series of photographs from the aftermath, showing flames and smoke rising from the massive Navy battleships that were torpedoed or bombed that day. The USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS California, USS West Virginia, USS Utah, USS Maryland, USS Pennsylvania, USS Tennessee, and USS Nevada were all heavily damaged that day, and more than 2,400 Americans were killed, including over 1,000 civilians. The wreckage of the USS Arizona and USS Utah remain at the bottom of the harbor, with some of the dead still entombed there, while the rest of the ships were ultimately repaired and put back into use. Nearly half, or 1,177 of the dead were aboard the Arizona.
A few dozen of the estimated 50 to 70 living survivors of the attack gathered in Oahu today to mark the 80th anniversary. One of those was 99-year-old Herb Elfring, who was assigned to the 251st Coast Artillery, part of the California National Guard, that December and recalls Japanese planes overhead and "bullets strafing his Army base at Camp Malakole" which was a few miles down the coast from Pearl Harbor.
"It was just plain good to get back and be able to participate in the remembrance of the day," Elfring tells the Associated Press, adding that he's been to about 10 of these memorial events over the years.
The capsized the USS Oklahoma and the USS Maryland, were two of the ships destroyed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Here in the Bay Area, 102-year-old Warren Upton of San Jose recalls his harrowing escape from the sinking USS Utah, swimming to shore and helping a shipmate who couldn't swim. Upton is one of the last three living survivors of the USS Utah, which tipped over and sank that day.
"One thing I have to say is that war is hell," Upton tells the Mercury News.
"I try to look on the bright side," adds Upton, who also served in the Korean War. "And remember that bad things do happen."
Upton was attending a brunch Tuesday with some fellow Pearl Harbor survivors in Cupertino. And while the Navy offers a burial at sea — with an urn placed atop the wreckage of one of the sunken ships in Pearl Harbor — to those who survived the attack on one of those ships, Upton says he has no interest. "I got off there once," he tells the Mercury News. "I’m not going back."
At the California State University campus in Concord, a ceremony was being held Tuesday to remember Pearl Harbor, as they do every year. The campus is home to a Pacific War Exhibit, and in 2020, the U.S. Navy gifted a piece of the USS Arizona to the school in recognition of its annual memorials.
On the anniversary last year, the East Bay Times profiled three Pearl Harbor survivors, Michael “Mickey” Ganitch and Clarence Byal of San Leandro, and Earl “Chuck” Kohler of Concord.
Ganitch, 102, retells the story that he was suited up to play a football game that day, the so-called "Super Bowl of the Navy," which his team from the dry-docked USS Pennsylvania would be playing against the USS Arizona.
"I had my [football] gear on me throughout the attack, they couldn’t hurt me," Ganitch told the East Bay Times. "We never played the game. We had things to do, like fighting a war."
And he says he spent part of the morning up in the crow's nest of the ship, reporting on the action. "I had a bird’s eye view. I was higher than the main deck of the ship. I was higher up than some of the planes that were flying around there. Kinda scary," Ganitch said. He also remembers the oil slick catching fire on the harbor, surrounding them with intense heat.
While most of those aboard the drydocked ship survived, Japanese bombers still hit the Pennsylvania with a 500-pound bomb, which Ganitch says missed him by 45 feet.
The Chronicle's Carl Nolte described, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary, how the attack on Pearl Harbor transformed the Bay Area permanently — both directly with the war effort and indirectly with mass industrialization and the growth of suburbs.
Roughly two-thirds of all Army soldiers who served in the Pacific passed through Fort Mason, many seeing San Francisco for the first time and heading to war via the Golden Gate. The bridge and the Bay became powerful symbols to many, and as one historian, Neil Morgan, wrote, "The veteran who had first seen California when in uniform was determined to have a piece of its future."
Thus California's population boomed after the war, and so did the Bay Area's. Our region had a population of under 2 million before the war, but following migration and the post-war boom, the Bay Area's population soared to over 3.5 million by 1960, and to 7.8 million today.
Top image: Burning and damaged ships at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Left to right are the USS West Virginia, the USS Tennessee and the USS Arizona. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
SoMa Sandwich Shop Deli Board Vandalized and Robbed, But Quickly Crowdfunds $13,000 For Repairs
Friday Morning Constitutional: Big Rig at Fault In Deadly Richmond Bridge Crash
Day Around the Bay: Casa Sanchez Building Officially Gets Historical Landmark Status
‘Butt Divots’ Are Coming Back, as Muni Is Rolling Out New, Redesigned Train Seats
Your “back door” will be more comfortable again on Muni trains, as SFMTA is rolling out a new fleet of seats, and two trains with the new seats are already in the wild.
Anti-Vaxxers Bring Chaos to Healdsburg, Rallying Around Unvaccinated City Council Member
A Healdsburg city council meeting turned into a mini-January 6 insurrection Monday, as anti-vaccine zealots stormed city hall and forced a council meeting onto Zoom.


Kensall D. Wise: Michigan, MEMS and Microsystems
Catharine June • September 2, 2012
This retrospective of Kensall D. Wise, William G. Dow Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, provides a view of how he built a world-class program in MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS).
Ken Wise outside the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility
Kensall D. Wise, William G. Dow Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, officially retired in June, 2011, though he continues to participate in ongoing research projects – giving his colleagues hope that he will never truly retire.
When Ken came to the University of Michigan from Bell Labs in 1974, he envisioned working with students and colleagues to expand his doctoral research in the use of silicon micromachining for neural probes. As the first hire in his field, the challenges were
enormous – but Michigan now had Ken, and Michigan became Ken’s playground.
With his unique combination of boundless enthusiasm, inventiveness, practicality, focus on teamwork and education, and dogged determination, he built a world-class program in MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) and microsystems that is supported by one of the top nanofabrication facilities in the nation.
Division News; Electronics, Devices, Computers; Kensall Wise; MEMS and Microsystems; Profile


NCAA to consider allowing athletes to profit from names, image and likeness
By Jill Martin, CNN
Published 9:15 AM EDT, Wed May 15, 2019
'The first reality show': 'Hoop Dreams' at 25
The NCAA is going to start talking about the idea of updating its rules to compensate college athletes. However, the organization maintains it will not consider any concepts that could be construed as payment for participation in college sports.
On Tuesday, the NCAA announced that president Mark Emmert and the board of governors have formed a working group to examine issues related to athletes’ names, image and likeness.
The group will be made up of member representatives from all three NCAA divisions and will be led by Big East commissioner Val Ackerman and Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith.
“This group will bring together diverse opinions from the membership – from presidents and commissioners to student-athletes – that will examine the NCAA’s position on name, image and likeness benefits and potentially propose rule modifications tethered to education,” Ackerman said in a statement.
“We believe the time is right for these discussions and look forward to a thorough assessment of the many complexities involved in this area.”
READ: New Orleans Pelicans win the NBA draft lottery – and likely the Zion Williamson sweepstakes
READ: ‘We all have Hoop Dreams’ – Bittersweet tale of first ‘reality TV show’
A final report will be turned in to the NCAA board of governors in October.
“While the formation of this group is an important step to confirming what we believe as an association, the group’s work will not result in paying students as employees,” Smith said in a statement. “That structure is contrary to the NCAA’s educational mission and will not be a part of this discussion.”
The NCAA’s amateurism rules have been tested in recent years. Notably, former UCLA men’s basketball player Ed O’Bannon challenged the NCAA in 2009 for the opportunity for athletes to be paid for the use of their names, images and likenesses.
In 2014, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken sided with O’Bannon, ruling that the NCAA could set a cap on the money paid to athletes, as long as it allows at least $5,000 per athlete per year. However, that part of the decision later was overturned on appeal.
Currently, college athletes cannot earn money for autographs, which has gotten some in trouble in the past. Todd Gurley, for example, was suspended for receiving money for autographs in 2014 when he was with the University of Georgia.
Johnny Manziel, then at Texas A&M, was suspended for the first half of a game against Rice in 2013 for what was called an “inadvertent violation regarding the signing of certain autographs.”
In March, Rep. Mark Walker, a Republican from North Carolina, announced the Student-Athlete Equity Act, legislation which would amend the definition of a qualified amateur sports organization in the tax code to remove the restriction on student-athletes using or being compensated for use of their name, image and likeness.
The NCAA’s press release Tuesday said the group was created “to examine issues highlighted in recently proposed federal and state legislation.”


Towed Car Earns Columbus Department of Safety a $500 Billion Lawsuit
Danny Gallagher
Danny Gallagher Published: June 9, 2012
An Ohio woman took the phrase "frivolous lawsuit" to a new level with her lawsuit over her towed car.
Michelle R. Mathis of Columbus, Ohio asked for $500 billion in damages from the city after they impounded her 2002 Saturn SC2.
She claimed in her lawsuit that her car was towed as she was being treated at a university medical hospital for a medical procedure. She had been in a car accident and required some recovery time. She said she was unable to receive any mail during this recovery time, including any notification from the city's Department of Public Safety that they had taken possession of her car. She claimed that the city never even sent her a notification.
Then after she was released from the hospital, she said she tried to recover her car but learned that the impound lot had sold it. So she filed the lawsuit seeking damages. Her lawsuit was filed in a handwritten document. She also claimed the city "holds a grudge against her."
The lawsuit ruled against Mathis on the grounds that the city had not violated any constitutional laws by refusing to return her car and found no malfeasance to merit a $500 billion damage claim. The judge also dismissed the lawsuit.


The Principal School Law receives the ULS recognition Award 2021
Prof. Christopher Mbazira, the Ag. Principal of the School of Law Makerere University has received the 2021 award from Uganda Law Society (ULS) for his Distinguished service in the Promotion of Legal Education.
Professor Mbazira, who is also coordinator of the Public Interest Law Clinic (PILAC) was recognized for entrenching the use of Clinical Legal Education methodology in the training of Law students.
In a statement shared on the ULS social media platforms, it was stated that Professor Christopher Mbazira has also spearheaded the mainstreaming of Social Justice and Human Rights across the School curricular. ‘He was one of the 9 academic staff who approached the supreme Court of Uganda and were admitted as amici in the 2016 Presidential Elections.
A number of persons and organizations have applauded the ‘well deserved’ award by Uganda Law society.
In the year 2012, Prof. Christopher Mbazira started Public Interest Law Clinic and with the 12 pioneer students, the School of Law started a journey of training a new cadre of social justice lawyers. The Mission of PILAC is ‘to promote social Justice through legal education, legal research, legal aid, public interest litigation and building strategic partnerships.
A practical experiential training has been emphasized through programs like The Community Law and Mobile Clinic, (CLAPMOC) which involves students supported by advocates reaching out to the poor and less served communities to address the identified social justice issues through literacy sessions as well as provision of free legal services.
The Clinical Legal Education (CLE), a law module has been mainstreamed in most programs in the Law School. If offers experiential teaching approach intended to equip law students with public interest lawyering skills.
Students also learn through Internships and Externships where they experience real life legal problems and this serves as an opportunity for them to collaborate with various organizations and legal practitioners working on specific problems.
In April 2017, PILAC was accredited as a legal aid service provider by the Uganda Law Council. The establishment of a fully -fledged walk- in legal aid unit at the School of Law exposes students to learning opportunities from real cases.
Other pedagogical methodologies include Public Lecture Series designed to create a forum to discuss contemporary law and justice issues at the University. The Guest Lecture series that enable students to interact with experts in a given field.
Harriet Musinguzi
Principal Communication Officer School of Law
Isemaghendera Alex, Web Administrator School of Law


Full Report from Maiden Edition of the Jewel Writing Workshop 2020
Teach Socially>
Applied Worldwide partners with Jewel Writing Workshop to help support writing mentorship in Nigeria.
Post author:Adamu Usman Garko
Post category:Professional Development / Teach Socially
The influx of many young talented writers in Nigeria with neither support nor mentorship has called for immediate intellectual action. Unlike other writers that are being supported massively by government and private agencies, Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs), teen writers are left to wander aimlessly in the open field of creative productivity.
Therefore, the young award-winning writer, Adamu Usman Garko, author of “When Day Breaks” and a winner to many local and international competitions, including the 2020 Nigeria Prize For Teen Authors, swung into action with the creation of an initiative, Jewel Writing Workshop which the first maiden held on the 31st October, 2020 at National Library Gombe branch.
Jewel Writing Workshop was initiated to nurture and mentor young aspiring writers to regurgitate their silent rich talents through the art and principles of writing, and to encourage and make vivacious their zeal. The Initiative aims at linking up these young aspiring writers with support from different enthusiastic organizations that are always ready to support their intellectual compositions. Aside nurturing and grounding them in art and principles of writing, the program also establishes a solid connection between teen writers and different highly prolific mentors that are willing to share their experiences and views.
The first maiden edition targeted 50 teenagers who are mostly in junior and senior secondary schools, who followed a systematized selection process. The call for Participation was released on social and other media to allow for interested participants to apply. To much of our surprise, before the set out deadline, we almost doubled the target which necessitated additional screening procedures; and the deadline was extended to reach out to those offline in order to objectively have a balanced candidature.
Thereafter, a team was established to monitor screening and selection processes. And a host of other professional writers, including facilitators for the workshop were organized to come up with the modus operandi of how the workshop and facilitation should be, and how evaluation and assessments of the candidates will be at the end of the workshop.
OPENING CEREMONY:
In the morning around 7am, the convener, Adamu Usman Garko and his team arrived at the venue of the event carrying along with them: customized jotters, pens, sound system, banners and refreshment.
Immediately after arranging seats and sorting out management stuff in the right direction, roles and responsibilities among volunteers were shared. The team members began to wait for the arrival of the participants. Not very long after, they began to arrive one after the other, obviously anxious and eager.
Sequel to the arrival of the participants, the committee in charge of verification organized and set the participants on process. The participants were duly verified, registered and ushered into the hall with well-arranged seats. Once a participant was verified and registered, a customized jotter, a pen and a tag would be given to them. Immediately the registration was over and everyone happily seated, the opening ceremony started, as scheduled from 10am-11am.
The Workshop was anchored by Sadiq Yahaya the initiative and as well a linguist and one of the great literary enthusiasts in northern Nigeria. The opening session began with the introduction of the purpose of the workshop where the convener, Adamu Usman Garko spoke on the aims of the workshop which as he said was “ bridge the gap between young writers and highly prolific writers. It will also create an avenue for young writers to stabilize their feet in the open field of writing”. Other objectives include contributing to qualitative education in the country and eradication of illiteracy through workshops, distribution of books, etc.
The host of the event, Abubakar Yakubu served as the keynote speaker during the opening ceremony. He talked on the importance of reading as a tool to better one’s craft as a writer. He also urged young people to actively participate in critical reading, because reading was the key to meaningful writing. He finally called upon aspiring writers to make sure their writings are qualitatively made to impact and effect or intrigue changes in the society.
With his encouraging and challenging words, Muhammad Gaude, the president of Gombe Jewel Writers’ Association came on to wrap up the opening ceremony with a speech on why the workshop came at the right time when free mentoring platforms were extremely scarce, more especially for young writers.
WORKSHOP SESSION:
The participants were divided into three groups.
The first group were the most matured ones who were also better at the craft. In order to expose them to hands-on experience on the creative writing processes, Uzairu Uba, an all-around literary giant got them through as their facilitator for the whole workshop time.
The second group were average participants , but they were also excellent in their own capacity and their passion to enhance themselves was genuine. In order to give them two distinct experiences, Sadiq Yahaya took charge of them through the poetry writing process, and Ibrahim Sambo, an intellectual and a highly gifted story writer put them through the prose writing session
The last group were the youngest in age and in grasping of knowledge as it relates to the writing processes. Muib, an educationist who is also an astute writer took them through introductory writing Skills, and instigated them to wholeheartedly embrace reading, dearly.
And all the groups were given exercises, tests and assignments to bring during the closing. They were also linked with platforms, for instance Gombe Jewel Writers Association, Creative Club Gombe State University etc to get more drilled online and offline. And short and long term targets were set for the participants to carry out the principles of the art of writing bestowed to them, through a consistent care of their various facilitators especially online. This was meant to provide sustainability to knowledge and experience given to them.
CLOSING CEREMONY:
The closing ceremony started at exactly 4pm on that very day. Attendance at this stage of the event was not restricted. It was open to everyone. Important guests from without and within Gombe state graced the event.
The participants during the closing have written from what they have learned poems, short stories and other literary writings which they were given the opportunity to present. This was aimed to demonstrate the impact of the workshop practically on them. Sadiq Yahaya moderated the session.
After opening with the national anthem, Muib Introduced the purpose of the event on behalf of the workshop facilitators, where he expressed the cooperation and enthusiasm that dressed the participants throughout the workshop session. This as he said “was an encouragement for the convener to do more and to prepare for more”. Usman Nurain Muhammad, PR expert, writer and the author of “High School Verses” gave an astonishing welcome address to the invited guests, participants and invitees. Thereof, the anchor took over and introduced the keynote speaker and other Special guests of the event.
The Director-General of Centre for Information and Development Agency, Dr. Y.Z Ya’u served as the keynote speaker. He spoke extensively on the topic: “Digital Opportunities for Young Writers. In his words: “I am impressed by the passion, commitment, resourcefulness and determination by both the young writers and those workshop facilitators. Here we have young people trying to find the skills to craft their stories without support from the government and our rulers.”
Lecturer with the department of English, Gombe State University Dr. Yunana Ahmed spoke on the topic: “Creativity a No Man’s Field”. It was really an enticing lecture that invigorated the audience and especially the participants towards innovation and creativity. And the last presenter, Ahmed Musa Hussain spoke on the topic: “Self Development: A Key to Unlocking 21st Century’s Fortunes”. It was a speech that so much focused on the quest for self discovery and improvement of the self literarily, especially leveraging on the enormous inborn talents and creativity that we have as youths.
After receiving poetry rendition by one of the facilitators, Uzairu Ubah, the guest of honor, Muhammad Gaude, president of Gombe Jewel Writers Association gave a tantalizing remark from whence certificates were given to all the participants and facilitators. Along with the certificates was also a poetry book, “When Day Breaks” by Adamu Usman Garko, which was given to all the participants. Thereafter, the event was wrapped up with closing remarks by the convener.
Finally, after the recitation of the national anthem, Group photographs were taken and the event was declared closed.
1. Center for Development and Information Agency
2. National Library Gombe Branch
3. Fombina Imprints
4. Applied Worldwide
Adamu Usman Garko
Adamu Usman Garko is a short story writer, an essayist and poet. He is the author of When Day Breaks, a collection of poetry, which was listed among the 15 Best Published Books in 2018 by DailyTrust newspaper; also, the book is a recommended text for 400l English students of Gombe State University in 2019. He is the 2020 winner of the Nigeria Prize for Teen Authors He is the convener of Gombe Book and Arts Festival, an in-coming literary festival in Nigeria to kickstart in 2020. You can connect with Adamu Usman Garko on Twitter.
The Sociological Studies and Solutions to Teachers’ Problems in Nigeria
Workbooks: A New Approach for Teaching Online Sociology Courses
Is there Good Work to be done with a Master’s in Sociology?
The Story of @SociologyTheory: Part 1
Student-Centered Teaching in Sociology
Reasons to Use Twitter in the Sociology Classroom


Home / Industry / Infotech / SMS revolution for the disabled
SMS revolution for the disabled
Co-founded by Arun Mehta in 2009, Bapsi helps people who have limited access to information because of their disability. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint
3 min read . Updated: 17 Aug 2016, 02:01 AM IST Sohini Sen
Apps created by Bapsi help deaf-blind people communicate using vibration as a medium on their smartphones
New Delhi: Almost a decade ago, Arun Mehta was delivering a talk in Bengaluru about technology access for the disabled, when he felt fingers touching his throat. Zamir Dhale, a young deaf and blind boy, was trying to feel the vibrations on his throat as he spoke. Dhale’s inability to communicate led Mehta to speak to Fernando Botelho, a visually-impaired software developer from Brazil.
“We decided to try using Morse code in SMS," says Mehta, president of Bidirectional Access Promotion Society (Bapsi), a non-governmental organization (NGO). Bapsi was established in 2009 by Mehta and his partner Vickram Crishna in New Delhi.
Bapsi’s aim was to increase public awareness on the potential of telecommunications, broadcasting and Internet as well as to enable maximum access at the lowest costs.
Bapsi supports the “information poorest", people who have limited access to information because of their disability and information is not presented in a user-friendly way.
For example, the Morse code generally replaces letters with long and short sound or light signals. But, for children like Dhale, who have multiple disadvantages, it would have to include the sense of touch.
The team at Bapsi started working on the Vibration Series in 2012. With the help of Anmol Anand, an intern at Bapsi, they created applications that would help deaf-blind people communicate, using vibration as a medium, on their phones.
Of these, PocketSMS (an SMS app that uses vibrations as in Morse code to read text), Narangi (a slate for deaf and blind children, where once the sketcher traces his or her drawing, it vibrates) have already helped improve lives.
Bapsi is a winner in the inclusion & empowerment category of the mBillionth Award South Asia 2016, organized by the Digital Empowerment Foundation for the Vibration Series project.
Mehta, an Indian Institute of Technology alumnus, is a software writer, teacher, disability activist and human rights activist, while Crishna is a technologist, human rights and personal privacy protection activist.
Bapsi has been able to attract some institutional support—$20,000 from the International Development Research Centre for Bapsi’s SKID project and a grant worth $21,000 from the Information Society Innovation Fund for the Vibration Series.
Mehta explains that Bapsi is not looking at fund-raising right now. “Technology moves so fast. In 14 months, the project might not even be relevant," he says.
The other challenge lay in the financial aspect of the target audience, or those who suffer from more than one disability, such as deaf-mute, blind-mute etc. Mehta found out that a severely disabled person in the US, on an average, spends $20,000-25,000 a year on technology—beyond what most families can afford in India.
It is probably the reason why Mehta and Crishna, through many Right to Information (RTI) petitions, could not find a single deaf-blind person in the education system in India, in spite of half-a-million deaf-blind people in the country.
“When we started with the project, we wanted to understand things such as the demographics, where are they, and how educated are the parents," says Mehta.
The growing popularity of smartphones has changed a lot of things for disabled people. Earlier, a disabled child would be conscious of taking a text-to-speech device out to a public place. “But now, it is not a stigma to be carrying access technology anymore," he says.
Bapsi’s applications are free to download from the Google Play Store. “Our distribution is worldwide, but we don’t know who our clients are," says Mehta, who is soon going to start teaching open source software at Sharda University and hopes to take the project forward with its help.
The other challenge lies in the fact that parents want to send their special needs children to regular schools.
Bapsi’s role increases from just designing the software required to teaching the caregiver how to use the software.
The NGO has been working on developing technology that would allow a normal school teacher to teach a class of disabled persons.
Bapsi is looking at developing technology that is much cheaper—around $500-1,000 for the entire class and will approach the government once there is a prototype.
Mint has a strategic partnership with Digital Empowerment Foundation, which hosts the Manthan and mBillionth awards.
mint-india-wire digital-edge


Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Life of Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh commemorated with new £5 coin to mark Armed Forces Day
The design on the coin was approved by the Duke himself before he died earlier this year
Nylah SalamMultimedia Reporter
Gold coin commemorating the life of the Duke of Edinburgh (Image: PA)
A new £5 coin commemorating the life of Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has been unveiled.
The limited edition coin features a portrait of the Duke and was approved by him just weeks before his death on April 9, 2021.
Yesterday (Saturday, June 26) marked the Armed Forces Day on which the coin was launched.
READ MORE: Palace admits it ‘must do more’ to improve ethnic diversity among staff
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “This coin is a fitting tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, who moved and inspired so many people around the world with his decades of service both to the nation and Her Majesty the Queen.
“I’m proud to unveil the coin on Armed Forces Day, considering his distinguished naval career and unwavering dedication to our monarch and to his royal duties, and it is only right that he and the Queen are depicted together on both sides of it.”
Sign up to the HertsLive newsletter below for the latest news straight to your inbox:
The coin will be struck by the Royal Mint and is available from its website, as well as post offices around the UK and special stockists across the Commonwealth and worldwide, the Treasury said.
The Royal Mint will also make a £50,000 donation to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to support its community work in the UK and internationally, it added.
The Duke of Edinburgh served as the president of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee for 47 years.
The design drawn by artist Ian Rank-Broadley was approved by the Duke and the coin bears the inscription 'HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 1921-2021'.
Silver and gold limited edition coins (Image: PA)
The coin is legal tender but has been designed as a limited-edition collectable or gift and will not be entering general circulation, the Treasury said.
Anne Jessopp, chief executive of The Royal Mint, said: “Since the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh in April, many have commented that he led a life well-lived.
“He was the longest-serving consort in British history, and patron or president to over 750 organisations – including The Royal Mint Advisory Committee.
Enter your postcode below for the latest events happening in your area:
“The Royal Mint has marked significant Royal events for centuries and is honoured to unveil an original new coin which celebrates the life and legacy of a remarkable man.
“It feels fitting that this coin – which was personally approved by the prince – will also support the work of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards.
“The awards have benefited millions of young people since they were formed in 1956, and are perhaps Prince Philip’s greatest legacy.”
Watford FC hands out 300 jabs in one hour at 'Super Sunday' Covid walk-in clinic
Hertfordshire couple bought a £460,000 cottage in Wales without ever stepping inside


Ceo lauren | bmgt 317
Write two paragraphs explaining each of the parties’ point of view – Lauren’s as well as the CEO’s. Explain your final decision on whether or not to go through with the sale as well as WHY this is your decision.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using a group decision making process versus an individual decision making process by applying these concepts to the case study.
Discuss Lauren’s bias in her decision making process and how it may have affected her choice to make the decision alone.
Identify the CEO’s bias that may have entered the decision making process.
Discuss the business related facts within the scenario to develop an argument in favor of a group decision versus an individual decision.
You must use course material to support your responses and APA in-text citations with a reference list.
Lauren Becall is the top salesperson for Mudge Paper Company. She also leads the sales team that supports Mudge’s largest client, Bart’s Office Supplies. Bart’s is an international office supply chain that is growing rapidly. During the month of May, Lauren and her team members, Andy Griffith and Ronnie Howard, underwent intense negotiations with Bart’s purchasing agent, Jack Black and Bart’s CEO, Cary Grant, to restructure the current sales contracts.
The new contract spelled out Bart’s yearly paper requirements (contracted sales amounts) as well as payment and credit terms. The negotiations had been particularly hard for several reasons:
Bart’s sales had increased internationally causing shipping and custom duties to increase the cost to Mudge, resulting in an increase in sales price to Bart’s;
The volume of sales directed to Bart’s required Mudge to offer a volume sales discount to remain competitive with other paper companies;
Bart’s wanted a longer time to pay on the purchases. Bart’s wanted 60 days to pay on orders invoiced rather than the current 30 days;
Bart’s also wanted Mudge to extend its current credit line from $850,000 to $1,250,000;
Mudge’s CEO (Jimmy Cricket) was reluctant to tie so much of the company’s cash flow to the success of Bart’s. The concern was raised because in the last six months, Bart’s was paying down the credit line every 60 days rather than in the 30 days that had been agreed to in the current contract. Bart’s did not appear to have credit issues but Mudge was not in a position to give interest free loans for 60 days.
This week, in time for the Memorial Day holiday vacation, the final agreement was reached between Mudge and Bart’s. Bart’s would contract to purchase $1,750,000 of paper products from Mudge. Invoice payment terms were 45 days, with a 3% interest on invoices paid later than 45 days. The credit limit was extended to $1,000,000. Lauren Becall was not completely happy with the contract, as she felt Mudge was not protected from cash flow damage should Bart’s not pay on time, not to mention the larger line of credit. Still, the parties agreed, including her boss who was skeptical for the same reason as Lauren. The parties were due to sign the contract on Tuesday after the Memorial Day holiday.
On Friday evening, Lauren was packing her belongings readying to leave the office for the Memorial Day holiday, when her cell phone pinged. The caller was Jack Black, the Purchasing Agent for Bart’s. It appeared that a recent deal on Bart’s end with UMGC tripled its need for copy paper from Mudge. This deal would raise the total contract sales to $2.5 million. Jack Black made it clear that he wanted to change the credit limit from $1 million to $1.5 million and to extend the payment terms from 45 days to 50 days. Bart’s would not pay interest on late invoices until after 60 days. Black also made it clear to Lauren that if the new terms were not agreed on by the end of that Friday evening, he would be prepared to look at an offer supplied to him by Bart’s biggest competitor, King Paper. Black further stated that, while Bart’s is pleased with Mudge’s work, money is always the most important factor in purchasing. Bart’s president wanted an immediate answer so he could go on vacation with a clear mind. Lauren was aware that most of Jack’s talk was a negotiating technique, but did not doubt that there is competition waiting in the background. Images of last month’s teamwork ran through Lauren’s mind as she listened to Black talk.
Lauren winced at the memory of her teammate Griffith’s constant posturing in front of Black and the Bart’s CEO. She had hoped to be able to pick her own team when she was promoted to leader but that was not to be. Andy Griffith is a problem on this team. All month long, he had challenged her ideas in front of Bart’s CEO. Lauren knows that she was promoted over Griffith because her sales record was 20% higher than his was and she could close a deal better than he could. Griffith resents her promotion and reminds Lauren, as often as possible, that he brought in the Bart’s account and that he and Bart’s CEO have a great relationship. They play golf together and often go to dinner together with their wives. Lauren thinks Griffith is a good salesperson, but believes he should not be on this team. The tension is at times very thick especially during the negotiations this month. Griffith seemed to want to give away the store.
Unfortunately, Ronnie Howard seemed to be sitting on the fence when it came to the negotiations. Lauren had expected that Ronnie would support her negotiation position with the client rather than Griffith’s because it protected Mudge. Since Ronnie was the niece of Mudge’s owner and CEO, Lauren believed she should be supportive of protecting the company’s money. Still, Ronnie was the one who came up with the idea of paying interest on the late invoices. It just seemed to Lauren that one day Ronnie was agreeing with Griffith and on another day with her. Lauren supposed that it was Ronnie’s new position at the company that made her want to please everyone, including Griffith. Lauren believed that pleasing people is a nice gesture but does not add to the efficiency of the team’s decision-making. Lauren believed that Ronnie would be looking for the general thoughts of the group, so she could appear to agree with the group.
Overall, the month’s negotiation process had been long and difficult. The thought of going over it all again to make the changes seemed mind-numbing to Lauren. Yet, making the decision on her own would mean obligating the company to an even greater cash flow commitment. Her boss would not be happy with this obligation because he specifically warned her when they started that there was nothing to prevent Bart’s from continuing to pay its bills every 60 days despite the new contract agreement. Lauren rationalized and thought to herself, “Bart’s knows we are not likely to cut them off easily. They are too big a customer to us. However, the extra sales volume should offset the lost interest due for ten days on late invoices.”
Lauren told Black that he could tell the CEO that she would agree to the terms. When Lauren hung up the phone, she said aloud to nobody in particular, “I supposed I should have consulted the group, but it was worth the risk of not having to make another team decision.”
Assignment: You are Jimmy Cricket, CEO of Mudge Paper Company and Lauren’s boss. You have come into the office early on the day after the Memorial Day Holiday to find Lauren’s report on your desk explaining the events of the Friday before and her subsequent decision. You are not happy because this is the exact reason why you wanted group decisions and, as a result, you would like to bring Lauren up on the carpet ASAP. However, you decide to take a moment and collect your thoughts.
You decide to ask Lauren to explain her reasoning behind making the decision solo as opposed to having the group decide. You also decide to explain why you wanted the group to make decisions of this kind.
http://payforessayonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/whatsapp-logo-1.jpeg 0 0 Pay for essay online http://payforessayonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/whatsapp-logo-1.jpeg Pay for essay online2021-12-15 10:01:492021-12-15 10:01:49Ceo lauren | bmgt 317
Marjory gordon’s functional health patterns nursing essay. Nurs 6221 | NURS 6221 – Managing Human Resources | Walden University


Eve 6 offer free download of Friend Of Mine
Eve 6 are offering a brand new acoustic version of their song ‘Friend Of Mine’ which originally appeared on their 2003 album ‘It’s All In Your Head’. Listen to the song above and grab your download here.
‘It’s All In Your Head’ is the band’s latest release but they have entered the studio to record a brand new album which may be released later this year.
Downloads, News
Green Day release lyrics for brand new song Amy
Jesse Leech demoing solo material for album


Dangerous Migration
Warmer temperatures in high elevation regions are leading to spread of mosquitoes and vector-borne diseases.
I t is a winged migration that has researchers and health officials alarmed.
As highland regions in Africa and the Americas experience warmer temperatures, disease-carrying mosquitoes, which thrive under such conditions, have slowly been making their way upslope, putting people at risk for viruses that previously affected only populations in lower-lying regions.
“It’s one of the more interesting findings that’s backed up by field observations,” says Douglas O. Fuller, professor of geography and regional studies in the University of Miami’s College of Arts and Sciences, who studies the distribution patterns of mosquitoes around the world.
“What we’re seeing most likely is upslope migration, particularly in the Andes, of some vectors,” Fuller says. “As climate changes and tropical bioclimatic zones shift upslope to replace temperate zones, a lot more people will be exposed to disease.”
Agencies and institutes like the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Global Change Research Program have all sided with that view, warning that vector-borne diseases will spread more widely as the planet continues to heat up.
Geography Professor Douglas O. Fuller uses a laser rangefinder to measure tree canopy heights. Trees and shrubs are ideal resting habitats for mosquitoes because they provide excellent shade and sugar-feeding opportunities between blood meals.
UM College of Arts and Sciences, @UMCAS
Miller School of Medicine, @umiamimedicine
“There’s been a big debate in the literature about malaria being found at higher and higher elevations as a result of climate change, with melting snows of Kilimanjaro, for example, being a primary indicator of how things are changing in the montane regions of Africa,” explains Fuller. “Well, the same thing is happening in the Americas, but there hasn’t been a lot of attention in the literature.”
Fuller has studied mosquito populations using environmental remote sensing and other geospatial technologies for years. More recently he has concentrated on spatial modeling, mapping urban sites throughout the Americas and in Haiti where disease-transmitting vectors can be found. His digital precision mapping technique uses environmental data such as climate layers to reveal the probability of a species occurring within a specific pixel on a map.
“And we’ve been pretty successful,” he says. “The idea is that some of these maps will feed into mosquito control efforts and help local authorities do a much better job at targeting whatever elimination or control activities they’re engaged in—whether it’s spraying, the distribution of bed nets, or more public awareness about areas that are likely to be at higher risks.”
In his crosshairs: the Anopheles mosquito, which can spread malaria.
“We’re now at a point of talking about the elimination of malaria in Mesoamerica, where the vectors are still there but transmission rates are now fairly low,” says Fuller. “We’re not really seeing outbreaks, but if we turn our backs and don’t continue elimination efforts, malaria can pop up again.”
Fuller is an expert in tracking mosquitoes. About ten years ago he helped develop a model to predict dengue fever outbreaks in Costa Rica using data showing a link between transmission rates of the disease in that country and the occurrence of certain environmental conditions such as fluctuations in sea-surface temperatures.
He’s also conducted fieldwork in West Africa and is currently collaborating with John Beier, professor of public health sciences at the Miller School of Medicine, on a project focusing on the distribution of Aedes aegypti breeding sites in Honduras.
Now, everybody’s focusing on the Aedes aegypti because of their ability to transmit multiple viruses. It is the original yellow fever mosquito.
“We’ve been wrestling with that critter for a long time,” Fuller says of Aedes aegypti, noting that the mosquito has garnered more and more attention in the research community because of its ability to transmit multiple viruses such as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika.
“One of the sad facts of life is, despite all the efforts to wipe out certain insect species by bombing with DDT and taking other extreme measures,” Fuller says, “we’ve never been able to cause one of them to go extinct.”
- Robert C. Jones Jr. / UM News


Transformers: Age of Extinction
My View: Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) PG-13 Four years after the invasion of Chicago, a mechanic (Mark Wahlberg) and his daughter (Nicola Peltz) find a broken down semi -truck. It turns out the truck is a deactivated Optimus Prime. The mechanic fires up the truck and starts a chain of events that could destroy the world. If you like dumb, pointless movies with loads of bad dialogue and action sequences that make no sense, then this is your movie. It’s one long (almost three hours) mess of a film franchise that has never valued its human actors over the robots. The first third of the film was promising, as we got to know Wahlberg’s character and his first interactions with Optimus. But, by the end, we really don’t care what happens. Yes, there are robots riding dinosaur robots, but, at this point, we don’t care, and we just want all the robot violence to end. By the there are so many product placement products in this film, it would make a great drinking game. The film is not worth seeing in 3-D, and there are no bonus scenes during the credits. Mr. Bay, I would like my 3 hours back, now! My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again Transformers: Age of Extinction Website
Indiefest: Obvious Child (2014) R A standup comedian (Jenny Slate) gets dumped by her boyfriend in the bathroom of a comedy club. She finds out that her day job, at a bookstore she loves, is closing. After doing a miserable standup routine while drunk, she meets a nice guy and sleeps with him. A few weeks later she discovers that she is pregnant and makes the decision to have an abortion. Now, the question is, does she tell her parents, and, more importantly, the guy she slept with? This is a downright funny film, and Jenny Slate is perfect in the role of a girl with a wicked sense of humor whom you just can’t help rooting for. The film is getting a lot of attention due to the topic of abortion is the centerpiece of the film, but it’s really a movie about relationships. How we try to hang on to old ones, how we need our close friends and family for support, and how we must be open to new ones is what this film is about. I laughed throughout this romantic comedy, finding myself falling in love with Jenny Slate, and I think you will too. My Rating: Full Price Obvious Child Website
Indiefest: Ivory Tower (2014) PG-13 A documentary about the high cost of college and dealing with the mounting problem of student loans. This is an interesting film that looks at the high cost of higher education and how the student loan system has become such a big business. What I liked about this film is it explores a number of solutions to the problem, whether it be online education or non-traditional education (like a college in Death Valley that is on a working ranch). It’s a film that any parent needs to see and the debt of student loans (more than the credit card debt in this country) is something that needs to be explored. My Rating: Full Price Ivory Tower Website
Indiefest: We Are the Best! (2013) Three girls, Bobo (Mira Barkhammar), Klara (Mira Grosin) and Hedvig (Liv LeMoyne) in 1980’s decide to form a punk band. The only problem - they can’t play any instruments. Oh, and, by the way, they are told that punk is dead. This is a joy of a film to watch as the three actress give incredible performances. Grosin, who plays the outspoken Klara, pinballs from scene to scene with energy of a girl who wants to get everything she can out of life. LeMoyne, playing the more restrained Hedvig, has real musical talent and a nice presence on screen. The film relies on Barkhammar as Bobo, to carry the film and she does so with ease. The musical soundtrack helps the film move along, using old punk songs from the late 70’s and early eighties. This is one of those films that you are glad you spent some time with the characters. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again We Are the Best! Website
Forgotten Film: Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989) NC-17 A former mental patient (Antonio Banderas) seeks out a former lover (Victoria Abril), who happens to be an actress and part-time porn star. When she rebukes his marriage proposal, he kidnaps her and holds her prisoner. This film isn’t for everybody, but I found it funny and extremely witty. Banderas is the best he has ever been in this film and has chemistry with Abril, who plays the woman he is trying to make love him, even though his methods are a bit extreme. Directed by Pedro Almodovar, it’s a film that never takes itself seriously. It’s a movie that just should be enjoyed. My Take: Full Price Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down! Info
Weird Credits: From the credits of Transformers: Age of Extinction: sculptor gang boss
Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Boyhood (2014) R The buzz from critics on this Richard Linklater film is hitting a fever pitch. The film about a boy growing up, was shot over a 12 year time period. The film stars Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and Elijah Smith. Boyhood Website
Labels: Boyhood, Ivory Tower, Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Obvious Child, Optimus Prime, Transformers, Transformers: Age of Extinction, We Are the Best
My View: Jersey Boys (2014) R The film tells the story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks who become the bestselling singing group, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. There are so many things that are wrong with this movie. First, this is a movie with songs, not a musical (even though it’s based on the long-running Broadway musical). What I mean by that is, in a musical a character breaks out into song, usually to express what is happening or how they are feeling. In this film, each song is done when they perform in front of an audience (state fair or Ed Sullivan show), or they are in a recording studio. The film is incredibly choppy, and the narrative between songs jumps around the timeline very quickly. One minute one of the characters is happily married, the next scene his marriage is in trouble due to him sleeping around and his wife becoming an alcoholic. The characters narrate the film while talking to the camera, which can work in certain films (like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) but in this film, it works to make the film slow down and rarely gives us any insight to what is happening. The film has an R rating, solely due to the language in the film. It’s a film where the Mob is involved heavily with the band, but there is almost no violence or sex. There is an incredibly creepy moment in the film when Valli, trying to comfort his daughter, sings "My Eyes Adored You." Finally, while John Lloyd Young comes close to singing like Frankie Valli, he has no charisma on screen, something the real Valli had just standing on stage. All more frustrating is, during the closing credits, there is a rousing musical number with the whole cast singing and dancing in the streets of New Jersey, showing the potential of this film. I wish someone creative, like Martin Scorsese, would have directed this film. Instead, it’s Clint Eastwood, who plays it too close to the vest and gives us a boring film with songs. My Rating: Cable Jersey Boys Website
Indiefest: The Grand Seduction (2014) PG-13 A small fishing village must get a lucrative business contract to escape financial ruin, but their odds are slim as a town doctor is needed to land the contract. The problem is they've been searching for years for a doctor, and no one has taken the bait. After the mayor skips town, resident Murray French (Brendan Gleeson) takes it upon himself to find his village a doctor. The town is able to get a doctor to come but only for thirty days, now they must convince him that this town is paradise. This is a delightful film to watch, a kind of combination of Northern Exposure meets Waking Ned Devine. Taylor Kitsch (yes, that Taylor Kitsch) is perfect as the big city doctor that the town is trying to woo. Brendan Gleeson is brilliant as the fisherman who has a plan to save the town. This is one of those films that you will want to buy to watch when you need a laugh. It's incredibly well done and a joy to watch. My Rating: Full Price The Grand Seduction Website
Forgotten Film: Murderball (2005) R This is a documentary about a group of young men who are quadriplegics who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs. The men are trying to make it to the Paralympics in Athens. It’s a rough sport and the men in this documentary hold nothing back, whether talking about the injuries, their sex life or how they compete in a grueling, tough sport. It’s an inspiring film that makes you appreciate life and all it has to offer. My Rating: Full Price Murderball Fan Site
In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): Dolphin Tale 2 (2014) PG I liked the first film, but it’s very hard to capture the magic twice. Dolphin Tale 2 Website
In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blue Ray): The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) R Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes) is one of the best concierges in the world, and he works at the famous Grand Budapest Hotel. He hires Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori) as a lobby boy. Now, Gustave and Zero are about to go on a great adventure. An absolute joyride of a film that takes a Wes Anderson (the director) type of film and adds the Marx Brothers to it. Fiennes is hilarious in the role of the stuck up, pompous concierge with a heart of gold. Revolori, as the “Lobby Boy,” perfectly works off of the energy of Fiennes creating great chemistry between them. An absolute delight of a film. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again The Grand Budapest Hotel Website
Weird Credits: From the credits of Jersey Boys: pig wrangler
Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Life Itself (2013) R Documentary on one of my heroes, the Pulitzer Prize winning Roger Ebert. Ebert was an incredibly talented writer who could make a film review seem like a work of a master artist. Ebert was a flawed man, who battled many problems, but ultimately, he was a man who loved life. I am guessing I will shed a tear or two watching this film. Life Itself Website
Labels: Brenden Gleesom, Dolphin Tale 2, Frankie Valli, Jersey Boys, John David Young, Murderball, The Four Seasons, the Grand Seduction, The Last Seduction
My View: 22 Jump Street (2014) R The boys are back! Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) have left high school behind and now are ready to go undercover at the hallowed halls of a local university. Now that they are big men on campus, will their friendship survive? I wasn’t a huge fan of the first film, but I did like some of the comedic moments, especially when some of the TV cast showed up. I was mildly amused by this film but was put off by the number of jokes making fun of how homosexual Schmidt and Jenko’s relationship seems to be. Too often the film went for the easy joke and sometimes it felt like we were watching a live action cartoon. At one point I swear I heard the Benny Hill theme music. I did enjoy the performance of Jillian Bell, who plays a roommate with an attitude. I think some people will enjoy this movie, but I can say I only liked it. There is a funny sequence during the first part of the closing credits, and there is a very small bonus scene at the end of all the credits. My Rating: Bargain Matinee 22 Jump Street Website
Family Faire: How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) PG It’s been five years since Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless the dragon saved the day and created peace between the dragons and the Vikings. Hiccup and Toothless stumble upon a faraway cave that houses hundreds of new wild dragons. The two friends discover that there is evil brewing as there is a Viking named, Drago (Djimon Hounsou), that plans on conquering the world. I loved the first film and I very happy to say that the sequel is it’s equal, and due to the excellent animation, maybe even better. The storyline moves at a quick pace, and the characters are fun and well developed, and the animation is incredibly detailed and colorful. It’s film that kids and adults will both love, possibly seeing it several times. The film also has a great message about friendship, family and taking responsibility. Go see this film in 3-D, as it uses the technology to great advantage throughout the film, especially during the flying sequences. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again How to Train Your Dragon 2 Website
Forgotten Film: Cat Ballou (1965) A young woman (Jane Fonda) wants her murdered father avenged. She hires a gunfighter (Lee Marvin) to fight her battles but she doesn’t realize that there is one problem, the gunfighter is a drunk. This is a hilarious comedy that makes fun of all the arch-typical western stereotypes. Fonda is excellent as the girl who thinks just about everything in the west is amazing. Marvin is brilliant as the boozing gunfighter, Kid Shellen, making this film so much fun to watch. My Rating: Full Price Cat Ballou Info
In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): Step Up: All In (2014) PG-13 Dancers from the previous films compete in a dance off in Las Vegas. I think I will sit this one out. Step Up: All In Facebook page
In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blue Ray): Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) PG-13 Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) is a junior analyst for the CIA. When he uncovers evidence of an imminent terrorist attack, he is sent to Moscow to continue his investigation. He encounters Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh) who is intent on taking down the world’s economy. I enjoyed this action film, especially the interplay between Pine and Kevin Costner, who recruits Pine’s character into the CIA. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Website
Weird Credits: From the credits of 22 Jump Street: Football coordinator
Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Snowpiercer (2014) R In the future, almost all life on Earth has perished. The only people still alive are on a train that travels across the globe. The film sounds really weird but the trailer makes it look awesome. Snowpiercer Website
Labels: 22 Jump Street, Cat Ballou, Channing Tatum, Chris Pine, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Jay Baruchel, Jillian Bell, Jonah Hill, Kenneth Branagh, Step Up: All In
My View: The Fault in Our Stars (2014) PG-13 Gus (Ansel Elgort) is a cancer survivor with a prosthetic leg. Hazel (Shailene Woodley) has cancer, and her constant companion is an oxygen tank. They meet at a cancer support group and fall in love. Just how long will this relationship last? Get out your box of tissues (you will need a full box), and get ready for an excellent story of how thrilling first loves can be and how life can be so unfair. Woodley, in her best performance to-date, is magical as the girl fighting cancer with her attitude and her heart. Elgort is perfectly cast as the boy with a great sense of humor who falls hard for Hazel. Their chemistry is amazing to watch, and there is a real connection between the two. While cancer is present in almost every scene (almost as its own character), the real heart of the story is about two people finding each other and accepting that they must make every moment count. My only complaint (and it’s a small one) is that there were moments in the film where I got choked up, but there never was that big, hard hitting emotional spot, just a whole bunch of little ones. My Rating: Full Price The Fault in Our Stars Website
Indiefest: Cold in July (2014) R Awakened in the middle of the night, Richard Dane (Michael C. Hall) kills an unarmed intruder in his home. When the dead man’s father (Sam Shepard) shows up, Richard feels threatened. So he hires a private detective (Don Johnson) to protect him and his family, but things just get more and more complicated. I loved this suspenseful film that had numerous twists and turns with one big twist that I didn’t see coming. Hall does an excellent job of playing a man who gets deeper and deeper into a situation that he isn’t equipped to handle. Shepard is perfect as a man who could explode at any moment. I loved Don Johnson as the outrageous P.I., chewing up scenery with gusto. This is a brilliant film that keeps you on your toes. My Rating: Full Price Cold in July Website
Indiefest: Words and Pictures (2014) PG-13 Dina Delsanto (Juliette Binoche) is an artist who has developed rheumatoid arthritis. She needs help on a daily basis to get around, so she moves to a new town and begins teaching at a prestigious private high school. She instantly clashes with the English teacher, Jack Marcus (Clive Owen), an alcoholic writer who hasn’t written anything in years. Now the question is which is more meaningful…words or pictures? Binoche and Owen are let down by the script, which starts out strong but ends up being predictable and heavy-handed. The film works best during the first half where the two characters are debating, but as the film progresses, and the two become more than just colleagues, their chemistry seems to fizzle. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Words and Pictures Website
Forgotten Film: Klute (1971) R John Klute (Donald Sutherland) is a Private Investigator who is hired to find out what happened to a businessman who has been missing for six months. His only clue - a handwritten obscene letter written to a Manhattan call girl (Jane Fonda) by the missing man. Now, Klute is part of a cat and mouse game where no one can be trusted and his life may be in danger. This is an interesting film where you really don’t know what is going on or whom you can trust. Sutherland is very different in this role, playing a man who isn’t too sure of himself or his abilities. Fonda is absolutely gorgeous and is perfect in the part of the call girl who is in way over her head. It’s a film that will keep you guessing until the very end. My Rating: Full Price Klute Info
In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray): Son of God (2014) PG-13 The story of Jesus (Diogo Morgado) from his humble beginnings, his lifelong teaching, his crucifixion and to his resurrection. Morgado is admirable in the role and has a pleasing presence on the screen with the perfect amount of charisma the part needs. I felt that while Son of God isn’t a bad film, it just doesn’t bring anything new to the story of Jesus. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Son of God Website
Weird Credits: From the credits of The Fault in Our Stars: Textile Artist
Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Wish I Was Here (2014) Zach Braff is a father who, at age 35, is still trying to find his way. His life is changed when he takes his kids out of private school and begins home schooling them. I really enjoyed Braff’s first film that he wrote and directed, Garden State (2004), so I can’t wait for this one. Wish I Was Here Website
Labels: Ansel Elgort, Clive Owen, Cold in July, Don Johnson, Juliette Binoche, Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, Shailene Woodley, Son of God, The Fault in Our Stars, Wish I Was Here, Words and Pictures, Zac Braff


Nominations now open for both S.C. Arts Awards
Nominations are now open to honor persons or organizations in South Carolina who exhibit the highest levels of achievement, influence, or support of arts and folklife with the South Carolina Arts Awards.
South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts
The South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is accepting nominations for the South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts, which recognizes persons or organizations in South Carolina who exhibit outstanding achievement or support of the arts. The Governor’s Awards use a simple, online nomination process, and all it takes to make a nomination is one letter, which should describe the nominee’s exemplary contributions to the arts in South Carolina in these categories: Artist, Individual, Arts in Education, Government, Business/Foundation, and Organization. A nomination letter should address any characteristics included in the category descriptions. The nomination letters are due Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
For complete nomination guidelines or more information about the South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts, visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or contact Senior Deputy Director Milly Hough: [email protected] or 803.734.8698.
Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards
The SCAC, with McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina, honors the state’s exceptional folklife and traditional arts practitioners and advocates with the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards. The South Carolina General Assembly created the awards in 1987 to recognize lifetime achievement in the traditional arts and presents them annually to honor the work of stewarding and furthering the traditional arts significant to communities throughout the state.
McKissick Museum is collecting nominations until Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET. For additional information and advisement, contact museum Executive Director Jane Przybysz: [email protected] or 803.777.7251.
The South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards are presented at the South Carolina Arts Awards ceremony in the spring. Nine distinguished recipients were recognized in May 2021 for exceptional achievements in, support of, or advocacy for the arts at a professional produced virtual ceremony. Details about the 2022 South Carolina Arts Awards will be announced later.
About the South Carolina Arts Commission
The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is to promote equitable access to the arts and support the cultivation of creativity in South Carolina. We envision a South Carolina where the arts are valued and all people benefit from a variety of creative experiences.
A state agency created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the SCAC works to increase public participation in the arts by providing grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in three key areas: arts education, community arts development, and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the SCAC is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts, and other sources.
Previous Post: Joe Wilson Bus Tour 2021
Next Post: Ed White endorses Tifani Moore for LR5 School Board


O’er the Fields
November 23, 2018 /in Flash Prose, Flash Prose, Winter-Spring 2019 / by Andie Francis
It was true it was Christmas. It was my first day in Phnom Penh. My boyfriend bought our tickets for Cheong Ek, a genocide memorial site. Yes, perhaps I was an artist when I agreed. My boyfriend adjusted the headphones, his best friend took a Klonopin.
The tour began with facts. A curator’s voice told us that in four years, an estimated 1.5 million Cambodians died under Pol Pot’s regime, many of them in “killing fields.” I listened to this section twice. My stomach tensed up as if a ball were being thrown at me, again and again.
Tourists gravitated toward a monkey pod tree (the “Killing Tree”), which executioners used to beat children to death in front of their mothers. The sun suspended from its pendulum rod. The air was a taut sheet. Before we left for Cambodia, my boyfriend suggested we unpack the Christmas tree. What for? I asked.
Beneath the Killing Tree, fragments of bone and red cloth had surfaced on the dirt paths. In another killing field 100 miles south of Phnom Penh, local villagers have raided bones looking for gold jewelry to sell for food. Days later, we won’t think twice when ordering Tomb Raider cocktails in Siem Reap. A mediocre drink made of Cointreau, lime juice and tonic water, it was invented for Angelina Jolie, a refreshment after a long day on set raiding the tombs of Angkor Wat. We slurp them down and buy Christmas gifts in the open-air market of Psar Chaa: embroidered flats, earrings, and sundry baubles.
The truth is, I heard my boyfriend and his friend laugh about the red fabric materializing on the path’s surface. He mentioned how his mother used to plant red fabric in the chimney flue to simulate Santa’s tattered ass. I always thought she got the fabric from JoAnn’s, he said. I told them to shut up and finished the audio tour on my own, falling purposely behind. My boyfriend’s best friend said to me, laughing, I’ve been here too many times.
The tour led me to another monkey pod tree known as the Magic Tree. It was used to hang a loudspeaker. Khmer Rouge had blasted music from the speaker to drown out the sounds of victims being executed at night. The pock-marked fields behind the Magic Tree were mass graves. There were signs telling us how many victims were buried without heads, that many were naked. I was asked how I felt by another woman tourist. The graves were surrounded by wooden fences with friendship bracelets knotted to them. From the bushes, a boy asked me for money, his feet resting on a lower rung of the fence that guarded the mass graves. I did.
As I stood at these landmarks, I no longer wanted to go out for Christmas. Still, we ate lemongrass curry with rice noodles and Angkor beer at a Cambodian restaurant in a French colonial building. We visited a bar where the DJ, who had an impressive record collection, agreed to play our obvious request: “Holiday in Cambodia” by the Dead Kennedys. We took a picture next to a Santa mannequin. At another bar, we were meant to lose games of Connect Four to bar hostesses. And we did. Every time we lost, we owed a “ladies drink” to our competitor. Turns out, they pocketed a dollar off the top. I had no idea what I was doing there. When we arrived back at our hotel bar, they played different versions of “Jingle Bells” on repeat. I wanted to hear “o’er the fields we go” without the “ha-ha-ha.”
In the memorial stupa, there were 9,000 skulls stacked one on top of the other. Signs told us which heads were injured by which tool: hoe, axe, hook knife. Red and blue stickers told us male or female, under twenty years old. The tour ended with a roomful of portraits. The Khmer Rouge took a photograph of each prisoner both alive and dead. There was an image of a woman prisoner with her baby. I wanted to have something to say when I met my boyfriend and his best friend outside. Something smart, careful. It could have been any one of us, and yet I knew that wasn’t true. The faces from the photographs were once the faces on those skulls. Instead, I said nothing. It was just me and the pendulum sun, finding a slight way to disappear, a way back to the hotel.
Andie Francis is the author of the chapbook I Am Trying to Show You My Matchbook Collection (CutBank Books 2015). She holds an MFA from The University of Arizona, and is an assistant poetry editor for DIAGRAM. Her work appears in Berkeley Poetry Review, Cimarron Review, Columbia Poetry Review, Greensboro Review, Portland Review, TAMMY, and elsewhere.
Photo Credit: Lawrence Lenhart
https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png 0 0 Sara Voigt https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Sara Voigt2018-11-23 11:33:142018-11-24 11:37:13O’er the Fields


Agilis Biotherapeutics’ AADC Gene Therapy Ready for Submission to FDA
by Joana Carvalho | February 19, 2019
Only 18 months after its initial licensing, Agilis Biotherapeutics‘ gene therapy for aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency has been deemed ready for submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Given its rare disease status, with roughly 120 cases of AADC deficiency described to date, this is a “remarkable pace of successful drug development,” researchers say in the case study, “Acceleration of rare disease therapeutic development: a case study of AGIL-AADC,” published in Drug Discovery Today.
AADC deficiency is a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the DDC gene, which provides instructions to make the AADC enzyme. This enzyme is necessary for the production of neurotransmitters — chemical substances that allow communication between nerve cells — in the brain.
However, when AADC malfunctions, infants may experience severe developmental delays and movement impairments that usually emerge during the first year of life and remain forever.
One of the most promising therapeutic avenues for AADC patients is gene therapy, because it enables the correction of faulty genes in a specific and efficient manner.
Agilis — now part of PTC Therapeutics — in collaboration with the National Taiwan University (NTU) developed a new type of gene therapy (AGIL-AADC) aimed to increase the amount of AADC in the brains of patients with AADC deficiency. It uses an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to deliver healthy copies of the gene, in an attempt to normalize the production of neurotransmitters and improve patients’ neurological function.
“Once the Agilis team established the license agreement for AGIL-AADC with NTU in January 2016, it was clear that a considerable amount of time and resources would need to be invested to gain FDA approval,” the researchers wrote.
This involved the formation of a partnership between Agilis and the Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) program of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to facilitate the development of AGIL-AADC, and the announcements of promising and accurate data from clinical trials for AGIL-AADC.
The first proof-of-concept compassionate study for AGIL-AADC, including eight children younger than 8 years old with AADC, was the first evidence that long-term gene therapy might improve neurotransmitters’ production and children’s motor function.
This was followed by an open-label Phase 1/2 trial (NCT01395641) undertaken in Taiwan involving a total of 10 patients under 8 years old that confirmed AGIL-AADC was safe and highly effective for children with severe AADC deficiency.
“By July 2017, after a year of intensive work requiring sourcing data to the case records, database auditing, and further statistical analysis, a comprehensive data package was presented to an FDA review panel, which judged AGIL-AADC to be [ready for a biologics license application] ready. In merely 18 months, AGIL-AADC has been accelerated through a translational ‘Valley of Death’ and is now positioned for FDA submission and review and potential U.S. approval,” the investigators wrote.
“This case study of Agilis demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships and international collaboration orchestrated by a committed and focused small private biotech. With the proper alignment of stakeholders, the challenges of rare disease drug development can be addressed more successfully, and life-saving therapies need not fall through the cracks,” they concluded.
PTC is planning to submit a request for FDA approval in 2019 and begin AGIL-AADC’s commercialization upon approval.
Joana Carvalho Joana holds a BSc in Biology, a MSc in Evolutionary and Developmental Biology and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal. Her work has been focused on the impact of non-canonical Wnt signaling in the collective behavior of endothelial cells — cells that made up the lining of blood vessels — found in the umbilical cord of newborns.
AGIL-AADC, Agilis Therapeutics, biologics license application, BLA, FDA, gene therapy, PTC Therapeutics


What country is r. o. c.?
Russia was banned from the Olympics when sanctioned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after it was accused of running a state-backed doping program. Russia has been allowed to get around this by competing under R.O.C., which stands for Russian Olympic Committee.
William MacLeod
What is r. o. c. country?
What country is abbreviated r. o. c.?
Which country is abbreviated r. o. c.?
What country is p. r. c.?
What country is r. p. c.?


officer randolph holder
Suspect in custody after NYPD cop fatally shot in the head
Suspect in custody after NYPD shot, killed
EAST HARLEM, N.Y. -- A career criminal wanted by police in the shooting of a gang member last month is expected to be charged in the deadly shooting of NYPD Officer Randolph Holder on a pedestrian bridge after stealing a bike in East Harlem on Tuesday night, investigators said.
Police have identified Tyrone Howard, 30, as the suspect in custody. Howard has multiple prior arrests, they said. Howard had also been wanted in connection with a Sept. 1 shooting in Manhattan, said James O'Neill, the NYPD's chief of department. Investigators suspected Howard had shot at a member of the East Army gang, but he wasn't arrested because he skipped out on court dates and police couldn't track him down at his home, O'Neill said.
Family and friends paying respects at family home of fallen NYPD officer #RandolphHolder in Far Rockaway. pic.twitter.com/5HRCFvOOyn
— CeFaan Kim (@CeFaanKim) October 21, 2015
On Tuesday night, Holder and his partner responded to a report of shots being fired at around 8:30 p.m. near a public housing development at 102nd Street. They saw people shooting at each other, and asked for assistance. According to the NYPD, many officers responded.
Police said Howard fled toward the FDR Drive promenade where he stole a bike and headed north. Holder and his partner caught up to the suspect on a pedestrian overpass that spans the FDR at 120th Street. Police said Howard fired and Holder was struck in the front of the head. Holder's partner returned fire, police said. Howard fled down a river path near the highway, tossing his gun and ammunition along the way, according to police.
PHOTOS: NYPD officer shot, killed in East Harlem
NYPD officer shot in East Harlem
An NYPD officer was shot Tuesday night after he responded to shots fired and chased a suspect to a footbridge at the FDR Drive.
During a search, police apprehended Howard, who had been wounded, at East 125th Street. The suspect was taken to New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and has been released into police custody.
A gun and a bicycle were recovered at the bridge, police said. Divers found a loaded magazine from a semiautomatic pistol in the Harlem River. Ballistics were recovered on the FDR Drive.
The three other men are in custody in connection with the initial shots that were fired, preceding the officer's shooting. Those shots were fired from up to three separate weapons, investigators said.
Holder, 33, was assigned to PSA 5, which polices the city's public housing developments. He was a five-year veteran and native of Guyana.
VIDEO: Officer killed was member of NYPD for 5 years
Officer killed has been member of NYPD for 5 years
Holder, 33, was assigned to the New York City Police Department's PSA 5, which polices the city's public housing developments.
"Our hearts are heavy and we offer our thoughts and prayers to his family who are experiencing unimaginable pain as we saw when we met with them earlier this evening," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
"Say a prayer that this family will get through this emptiness that they will always have," said Pat Lynch, Patrolmen's Benevolent Association. "New York City police officers everyday go out and carry themselves like superheroes but the reality is when we're attacked we bleed, when we bleed we die and when we die we cry."
VIDEO: NYPD names Tyrone Howard as suspect in shooting death of officer
NYPD names suspect in shooting death of officer
The New York City Police Department has named the suspect in the fatal shooting of an NYPD officer.
In honor of Holder, all flags in New York state and in New Jersey were lowered to half-staff immediately until the day of Holder's interment.
Nationwide, 100 officers have died in the line of duty so far in 2015. NYPD Officer Brian Moore, 25, was killed on May 9 during a patrol. A suspect was charged with murder. And at the end of 2014, on Dec. 20, officers Wenjian Liu, 32, and Rafael Ramos, 40 were ambushed and killed by a man who said he wanted to kill some cops in Brooklyn. The suspect killed himself in a nearby subway station.
Dozens of Holder's fellow officers stood outside the hospital early Wednesday and saluted as the ambulance carrying their fallen colleague left. Afterward, many embraced one another.
"Tonight, he did what every other officer in the NYPD does when the call comes - he ran toward danger," Bratton said. "It was the last time he will respond to that call."
Click here for full coverage on the fatal shooting of NYPD Officer Randolph Holder.
new yorkpolice officer killedcrimearrestnypdofficer randolph holdershootingpolice officer shotu.s. & worldofficer killed


Coaldale man charged with sexual assault of teen
Registered sex offender Trevor Pritchard charged
update January 25, 2017:
The Coaldale RCMP are continuing with their investigation of Trevor Pritchard, of Coaldale, Alberta. Two additional victims have since been identified. Pritchard will appear in Lethbridge Provincial Court on Jan. 25, 2017. At that time the following additional charges will be heard:
Sexual Assault Contrary to Section 271 of the Criminal Code
Sexual Assault with a weapon Contrary to Section 272(1)(a) of the Criminal Code
Sexual touching of a person under the age of 16 years Contrary to Section 151 of the Criminal Code
Communicate with a person under 18 years of age to commit a sexual related offence Contrary to Section 172. 1(1)(b) of the Criminal Code
RCMP Alberta - On the morning of January 18, 2017 the Coaldale RCMP were informed of a sexual assault of a 15 year old female at a residence in Coaldale on Tuesday, January 17, 2017.
The initial complaint was lodged with the Lethbridge Regional Police Service and then turned over to the Coaldale RCMP. With the assistance of the Lethbridge Police Service and ALERT Internet Child Exploitation ("ICE") team, a search warrant was executed at a Coaldale residence in the early evening yesterday, Jan 18. During the service of the search warrant one man was arrested and taken into RCMP custody.
32 year-old Trevor Pritchard, of Coaldale, who is a registered sex offender, has been charged with six criminal offences. They include:
For a sexual purpose unlawfully touch a person under 16 years of age Contrary to section 151 of the Criminal Code
Abduction of a Person under the age of 16 Contrary to Section 280(1) of the Criminal Code
Utter threats Contrary to Section 264.1 (1) (a) of the Criminal Code.
Communicate with a person under 16 years of age to commit a sexual related offence Contrary to Section 172.1 (1) b) of the Criminal Code
Communicate with a person under 18 years of age to commit a sexual related offence Contrary to Section 172. 1(1) (a) of the Criminal Code
Trevor Pritchard has been remanded into custody and will make his next appearance in Lethbridge Provincial Court on January 25, 2017 at 9:30 am.
If you have any information about this matter, or believe you have any information about any other offences related to this matter, please contact the Coaldale RCMP at 403-329-5080.
If you want to remain anonymous, you can contact crime stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), by internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by SMS (www.crimestoppers.ab.ca for instructions). You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers, and if you provide information to Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest, the recovery of stolen property, and/or the seizure of illicit drugs, you may be eligible for a cash reward. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display and the identity of the caller will remain anonymous.


BREAKING: Donald Trump Invited All Living Presidents To His Inauguration, Guess How Many Are Attending?
One month out, Jimmy Carter is the only former president to RSVP to Donald Trump’s inauguration, while Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are putting off their decision until the new year.
The Clintons have been keeping a low profile since the election and have made no decisions about whether to attend, according to a person familiar with the planning.
Bush’s spokesman said that GWB will not announce whether he will attend until the new year, while a source familiar with the matter said Bush is also still weighing whether to show up. George W. Bush had tweeted out a statement of congratulations to Trump after the election, but neither he nor his father endorsed Trump, who often mocked his brother Jeb throughout the GOP primary.
George H.W. Bush has confirmed that he will not be at the inauguration, according to his spokesman, Jim McGrath, who cited the 41st president’s age, 92, as the reason why he will skip.
Following tradition, all former presidents are invited to attend the ceremony on Jan. 20 when Trump will be sworn in. But not all living presidents have consistently attended the inaugurations of their successors.
President Barack Obama in 2009 enjoyed the presence of all four living presidents— both Bushes, Carter and Clinton — at his first inauguration, but the Bushes skipped Obama’s second event in 2013, citing George H.W. Bush’s compromised health.
Source: Truthmonitor
Related Topics:Donald TrumpNews