Alicia Keys Debuts ‘We Are Here’ [VIDEO]
By Danielle Young, Hello Beautiful
Alicia Keys released her video for “We Are Here” on her Facebook page today. In the video, Keys can be seen rocking the braided and beaded hairstyle that we all met her with, from her first video, “Fallin’.”Keys took to social media to tease the video several times over the last few days, saying “This is how I’ve been feeling” when she shared a snippet on Instagram.
MUST READ: Nicki Minaj + Iggy Azalea To Go Head-To-Head At The 2014 BET Hip-Hop Awards
The sound of the tune is rooted in Keys’ typical anthem style, but is riddled with calls to action for people to start talking about tragedies like Gaza, Israel, Nigeria and more. In an interview with AP, Keys shared details of her new album, saying, “What I know for a fact is it’s the best music I’ve ever done in my life yet and it’s really exciting to be able to have this kind of growth, this type of opportunity.”
The day I wrote this song, I was sitting in a circle of people of all ages and we were asked, “Why are you here.” Why am I here?? This really hit me on a deep level. I realized no one had ever asked me that question before. As I prepare to give birth to a new child, I can’t help and think about the world I’m bringing my baby into. No matter where we come from, when we see the state of the world today, we can all feel the growing frustration and desire to make a difference. And we all have a voice – we just need to know how to make it heard.
It is time to end all forms of racial injustice for our black brothers and sisters and all people of color. I believe in an end to the prison industrial complex in America and a renewed justice system that is based on fairness and truth. I believe in universal global health care based on Integrative Medicine, so that our bodies are acknowledged and treated as one system, and we can help control the spread of diseases like AIDS, Malaria, TB and Ebola. I believe we have an ability to end poverty, oppression, and hopelessness that often breeds despair, terror, and violence. I believe in common sense gun laws that serve to protect children and families and society from unnecessary violence.
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alicia keys We are Here song


Get Up Dates Daily > Blog > Entertainment > Meg Ryan’s Love Life Has Been Full Of Ups And Downs, But She Refuses To Settle For Less Than She Deserves
Meg Ryan’s Love Life Has Been Full Of Ups And Downs, But She Refuses To Settle For Less Than She Deserves
Entertainment 64 Views Posted by Susan Rodriguez November 30, 2022
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It is hard to figure out why Meg Ryan has not yet gotten an Oscar nod. The coveted gold statuette has eluded her thus far. She has wowed audiences for years in crowd-pleasing films like Top Gun (1986), When Harry Met Sally (1989), and You’ve Got Mail (1998).
Ryan has dated famous men such as John Mellencamp and Russell Crowe. She was married to fellow actor Dennis Quaid for a decade. Fans are curious about whether Meg Ryan currently has a husband or if she is romantically involved with anyone at the moment.
We checked it out and this is what we discovered.
Ryan Was Married To Dennis Quaid From 1991 To 2001
(Dan Callister/Online USA)
Ryan and Quaid met when they were filming Innerspace in 1987. The pair started dating when they were making another film the following year, D.O.A. They were envied for many reasons: great looks, successful Hollywood careers, endless charisma, and what seemed at the time to be the prospect of a happy future together.
They got married in 1991 and had a son, Jack, on April 24, 1992.
This couple who outwardly had it all separated in 2000. The news came as a huge surprise to many. A longtime friend of Ryan’s told People she was “flabbergasted.”
People noted that someone said they saw Ryan on a flight to London with Russell Crowe, with whom she was making a film called Proof of Life. According to this eyewitness, they were behaving too intimately to be just pals, with Crowe allegedly “kissing her on the neck and stroking her hair.”
Those who knew Ryan and Quaid well said they had led a quiet, no-frills family life and loved it that way. Quaid did the cooking. They were the antithesis of what you might expect from a superstar Tinseltown couple.
Some speculated that Crowe was the cause of the tension in the Quaids’ marriage. People reported that the British media was on the verge of making Ryan’s and Crowe’s attraction public when Quaid’s friends alerted him to the bombshell news that was about to drop. Quaid was said to be deeply jarred by it.
“He was devastated. He almost started crying,” said an unnamed source. He was also worried about what their split would do to their son.
Their reps denied that anything was afoot between Crowe and Ryan, but those who saw them interacting told a different story. One claimed they were “cuddling, hugging, kissing.”
There was more trouble in paradise. On the set of the film Any Given Sunday in 1999, some women reportedly said that Quaid was allegedly acting in an unwelcome manner with them, “touching them and grabbing their butts.”
Quaid denied a woman’s assertion that he kissed her in a restroom. People who knew him said they doubted these women’s stories.
Ryan’s and Quaid’s divorce was finalized in July 2001. In 2016, their son, Jack (an actor himself), said that it was rough on him when he was a child to watch the very public demise of his parents’ marriage.
On the podcast Allegedly with Matthew Cole Weiss, Jack explained, “It’s hard to ignore when you’re at a grocery store and you’re checking out and you look at [magazines] … and there’s a photo of them with a little paper rip graphic between them. It’s a hard deal.”
Ryan put the ball back in Quaid’s court when she claimed that he cheated on her while they were married. “Dennis was not faithful to me for a very long time,” Ryan said (per The Sydney Morning Herald), “and that was very painful.”
Ryan told Oprah Winfrey in 2006 that her marriage to Quaid was “very unhealthy.” “It was pretty much not a happening marriage for a long time. I probably should have left much earlier.”
Another factor that led to the couple’s split was the stress of seemingly competing careers in the same industry. In 2018, Quaid told Today that when Ryan’s career seemed to eclipse his, things got more difficult. Nevertheless, Quaid said that his relationship with Ryan was the “most successful” one of his life.
She Dated Russell Crowe After Co-Starring In Proof of Life In 2000
(Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images)
As for Crowe, Ryan shared with Winfrey that in her opinion, he was “not a home-wrecker.” Ryan said, “I did not leave my marriage for Russell Crowe. My marriage was not working.” They dated briefly and Ryan still spoke appreciatively of him long after.
Ryan Adopted Daughter Daisy True In 2006
In January 2006, Ryan adopted a little girl from China. Her rep told People that it was not something she wanted to discuss publicly.
She And John Mellencamp Were In A Relationship Twice
(Tinseltown via shutterstock/Larry Busacca via Getty Images)
After Crowe, Ryan had another relationship with someone prominent in the entertainment industry: singer John Mellencamp. According to People, they reportedly began dating in late 2010, but they supposedly broke it off in 2014 because Mellencamp was unwilling to give up his Indiana roots.
There must have still been a romantic spark smoldering between them though, because in 2017, Ryan and Mellencamp rekindled things. They announced their engagement in 2018, with Ryan posting one word on Instagram: “Engaged.”
They ultimately called their nuptials off. According to The Things, a source said, “They love each other, but there are disagreements which can become issues.”
Meg Ryan has yet to find the right man who can give her life a perfect romantic-comedy-style ending. We’re rooting for this lovable star whose romantic life has had many starts and stops.
Susan Rodriguez November 30, 2022
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Monica Lewinsky Unwillingly Became Famous 25 Years Ago This Week
Monica Lewinsky Unwillingly Became Famous 25 Years Ago This Week January 26, 2023


Matt Wedel
Live From the Artist’s Studio: Sculptor Matt Wedel Via L.A. Louver
Shana Nys Dambrot March 30, 2020
Their openings are always on a Wednesday, but in the new version of time and space, your next visit to L.A. Louver Gallery should be Tuesday morning. At 11am Pacific Time on Tuesday, March 3t, the vaunted Venice art emporium goes live on their Instagram with a remote studio visit to the ceramics workshop of gallery artist Matt Wedel.
Although known for his often large-scale and exquisitely, lumpily surreal and art-historically engaged sculptures of alien plant life and terrestrial beings, for the moment Wedel has been re-exploring the less avant-garde history of the pottery traditions he grew up with. He’s been making a series of personable, accessible and affordable — but no less colorful and eccentric — small pots he’s calling “Face Bowls” in a tribute to both the personality of clay and the people we are missing in these times of isolation.
Matt Wedel, Face Bowls (courtesy of the artist and L.A. Louver)
As the artist states, “I love the directness of the pinch pot. They are unencumbered by art which humbles them as objects. When they are held, you can feel the hand of the maker…Similar to a potter, I am in love with the labor of making. It is the exploration of thought through form and the constant search for clarity about the world. Each work is like a puzzle piece to a larger story that is unfolding. They are markers of thought in a process of knowing.”
Tune in Tuesday morning for more of the conversation, and don’t be surprised if it leaves you inspired. For more information, follow the L.A. Louver blog, Instagram and Twitter.
Matt Wedel, Face Bowl (courtesy of the artist and L.A. Louver)


Hybrid Freight and Production Ship
Recycled Plastics
Hydrogen energy involves the use of hydrogen and/or hydrogen-containing compounds to generate energy to be supplied to all practical uses needed with high energy efficiency.
Researching hydrogen energy for ships, cars and trains
to increase the sustainability of our planet: its oceans and seas, the land and the soil, and most importantly, its future.
Next stop, hydrogen-powered trains
For our shareholders and investors, we are committed to our values today and in the future: reliability, responsibility, transparency and innovative strength. We at Planet Clean Recycle Industries Corp. know that only with know-how, systems and many years of experience can the opportunities of tomorrow be identified, evaluated and exploited today.
Hydrogen-powered trains
In the midst of the climate crisis, the demand for decarbonisation across transport industries has grown.
In order for hydrogen power to be truly sustainable, other methods of producing it that don’t rely on fossil fuels would need to become mainstream.
Electrolysis creates hydrogen by separating oxygen from water using an electric current. That current can be created using energy from renewable energy sources, but it has yet to be done outside of small test demonstrations. In order to be a truly green form of travel, the hydrogen would need to be created and stored using renewable energy sources, like off-shore wind farms and solar grids, rather than fossil fuels.
There are benefits to passengers too. Hydrogen-powered trains, like electric trains, are also incredibly quiet compared to their diesel counterparts. And unlike electric trains, they are more resilient to network-wide disruption. A hydrogen powered train could switch over to its fuel cells if the electricity lines went down, for example.
The end of car battery technology?
Hydrogen-powered cars
All around the world, governments are implementing policies to promote electric vehicles to reduce oil consumption, climate-related emissions, and improve local air quality. Most of the attention has been dedicated to plug-in electric vehicles.
The secret of the hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle lies in its battery, which is able to generate electricity through a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen.
Hydrogen cars are electric vehicles that are powered by a fuel cell supplied with dihydrogen (H2). The gas, stored under pressure in dedicated tanks, comes into contact with the dioxygen (O2) which is contained in the surrounding air inside the cell. An oxidation reaction takes place here, producing electricity and water vapor (H2O).
Is Hydrogen Energy a model for the future of the shipping industry?
Marine transport emits 940 million tonnes of CO2 annually and is responsible for 2.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, thanks to the dirty oil and diesel that's burned for propulsion. PlanetClean will run ships powered by hydrogen energy and emitting only clean water in its wake, whilst processing PVC plastic granules from the recycled plastics that have been collected worldwide.
Hydrogen-powered ships
Hydrogen 'can power virtually all container ships crossing the Pacific' - The fuel that could transform shipping!
Developers across the world are for the first time testing the use of hydrogen to power ships as the maritime industry races to find technologies to cut emissions and confidence grows the fuel is safe to use commercially.
To reach goals for the shipping industry set by the United Nations, industry leaders say the first net-zero ships must enter the global fleet by 2030. Ships powered by green hydrogen could help meet the target.
Made from electrolysis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity from renewable energy, green hydrogen is emissions free.
A hydrogen-powered, sustainable future starts with us. Looking to invest? Click here to register your interest.
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Commons: 5 April 1977
Business Of The House
Volume 929: debated on Tuesday 5 April 1977
Mr. Carlisle
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I inquire, while the Lord President is here, and since there seems to be some doubt about the matter, whether the proposed debate on Mr. Agee and Mr. Hosenball will take place tonight? Can you assist us, Mr. Speaker?
Mr. Newens
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I understand that notice of appeal to the House of Lords has been given today, and in that case I take it that there is unlikely to be any debate because the matter would be sub judice. Can it be confirmed whether that is the situation and whether it will apply equally to both Mr. Agee and Mr. Hosenball? While on that point of order, I also ask whether, when the debate eventually takes place, we can try to clear the situation because it is very confusing when people do not know what the situation is and when debates are continually cancelled at short notice.
The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
(Mr. Michael Foot)
In view of the appeal that has been made, the debate will not take place tonight. It would obviously be hopeless to proceed with the debate in this situation. We proposed the debate in response to requests from many of my hon. Friends, and if we had not done so we might have been laid open to the charge that we were not seeking an opportunity for debate.
I give an assurance to my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Newens) that of course we shall seek to arrange a debate, as we have promised, at a time that is convenient to the House. I shall do my best to notify hon. Members who have shown a special interest in the matter, to give them some indication beforehand.


New Coronavirus Safety Measures Pose Challenges For The Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing
By Mikaela Lefrak
Published April 29, 2020 at 11:44 AM AKDT
Mikaela Lefrak
Mikaela Lefrak is WAMU’s Arts and Culture reporter. Before moving into that role, she worked as WAMU’s news producer for Morning Edition.Lefrak is a Northern Virginia native and a graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont. She received a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University, where she had the honor of working as the graduate assistant to renowned New York Times media columnist David Carr.Prior to working at WAMU, Lefrak was an editor at The New Republic, where she produced politics and culture podcasts. She has also produced at PRI’s The World and WGBH Boston, and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Oakland, California.
See stories by Mikaela Lefrak


The Novel Challenge
David W Stewart, Author
I’m into a rewrite of Angel of Mortality after receiving comments from my developmental editor. Simultaneously, I’m working on the first draft of the second volume and the outline for Book 3. I believe it’s important to write on them in parallel to keep track of the time and synchronize the plots. Of course, each volume also must read as a complete story in its own right regardless of whether the reader has read either of the other two books.
I’ve noticed two points from the editor’s comments. First, in science fiction, readers want details. How did the scientist perform her experiments? How does she expand the scientific applications? Second, subplots need recognition and completion. Nothing is more frustrating than to have the novelist introduce a dilemma and then neglect to solve it.
In providing details, it is important not to give a newspaper description. The main character must experience it and the novelist must create an image. My editor compared it to hearing a movie without watching the picture. The vision is filtered through the point-of-view character’s mind, so it is essential to be in that character’s head.
I have changed my idea of what constitutes a subplot. Any matter that requires the attention of the main characters constitutes a subplot, even if it’s brief or delayed. As such, it should have much the same structure as a main plot, i.e. a beginning, a middle, and an end. Also, it must contribute to the principal story and eventually fold into the main plot. In my story, there is a subplot involving Raisa Ilyushkin’s time in Moscoe when she had an affair with Pyotr Kosterlovovich, a prominent TASS journalist. Pyotr shows up again in Raisa’s life when she is put in charge of stopping the nanobot plague. Eventually, Raisa confronts him in Russia.
Ars Gratia Artis
A novelist is an artist in words and sees the world through his own experiences.–real, imagined, or virtual, happening to others. As with any art, the artist pleases himself first, letting the creative juices flow and producing an original story complete and comprehensible in his mind. A thing of beauty.
An editor analyzes this work from the viewpoint of a reader, much as an art or music critic beholds a painting or listens to a symphony. What pleases the artist may not find an audience with the public. Occasionally, the artist goes on to establish himself and finds his own audience, but almost always, some corrections are made, in technique, content, or presentation.
How does she satisfy the expectations of the reader but retain her creativity? I believe it is an iterative process between what she wants to say and how she says it. If the sole purpose of the novel is entertainment, she might believe that how she says it is paramount, as in writing humor. But no one wants to hear the same jokes over and over.
As he rewrites and edits, his message, story, and presentation will be clearer, until he arrives at the closest he can achieve toward his Picasso or Beethoven. It won’t guarantee a best seller, especially in this era of e-books and sensationalist literature, but the author will be able to go on knowing he has a grasp of the realities of writing creatively.
After the First Draft
You’ve finished the first draft of your manuscript. One hundred thousand words carefully constructed over the last twelve months. Now, what happens?
It’s probably a good idea to set it aside for a while. There’s no rule I know of for how long. When you come back to it, read it through. Odds are, you’ll stil love it, but you’ll notice places where it slows down, gets off track, or isn’t interesting. Ask yourself, why?
I usually overdo descriptions of food and location in the first draft. It’s fun when I’m writing and discovering, but it often doesn’t add to the plot or characterization. Is your piece heavy on narrative, endless dialogue with nothing going on? Just make notes. You’ll come back to it. What about filter words like: to hear, to think, to touch, to wonder, and a dozen more? Words that pull the reader out of the character’s actions–that tell instead of showing.
As you get into the first edit and revision, you’ll discover much about writing you didn’t know before. How do you show character emotions? Discover not what you would think or do, but how your character would respond.. Know your characters not as words on a page but as living, thinking entities–speaking not for you but for themselves.
Now, dig into the structure and form of each sentence–varying length and words, finding the lyrics and making sure each statement is clear. Do the paragraphs have form–beginning, middle, and end–even if the paragraph is only a sentence? Do your scenes have style, a clear point of view, time frame, location, and relevance to plot and character arcs.
Are your chapters complete within themselves? Do they make sense in that they start with certain conditions and they end with well defined new conditions that move the plot along. Is the story a story? Does it have a theme in that it has a definite purpose that fulfills your objective–humor, moral, adventure, intrigue–whatever you intended? Is it a page turner?
Only after you’ve answered all these requirements, plus a decent grammar check, are you ready to hand it over to beta readers.
Completing the story
Just as a shaggy dog joke isn’t funny if the teller forgets the punchline, a novel isn’t complete if it doesn’t finish the main story. This requires knowing what is the story.
Three people walk into a bar is not a story and sets few expectations. A Rabbi, a Priest, and a Monk walk into a bar isn’t a story but it sets certain expectations. The first sentence of my novel, Angel of Mortality: “All her life, Dr. Raisa Ilyushkin loved tiny things that performed great miracles.” is also the last line. Somewhere in the 85,000 words between the opening and closing something must occur that elucidates the meaning behind that statement.
The novel includes monsters, plagues, marriage, and global politics but what completes the story is that the protagonist, Raisa Ilyushkin sees the same message in a different light. Tiny things and great miracles take on a new meaning to Raisa and to the reader. Like Raisa, we form an attachment to these tiny things, intelligent nanobots that make up continent-spanning robots–the great miracle.
Meanwhile, Raisa evolves from a hermit-like lab rat to an outgoing global leader, beloved for her understanding and compassion. To finish the story, I must satisfy the reader that Raisa’s evolution is complete and the tiny things have indeed completed a great miracle.
Starting a Frame Novella
A frame story is exactly what it sounds like, a tale or series of tales bounded by an encompassing story. I am choosing to write Julie’s Story as a framed narrative for several reasons:
(1) Julie is the narrator and the subject. By telling her story in bits and pieces from the distancing perspective of death, she can move from the present to the past in an experiential manner.
(2) By acting as the framing narrator, she can communicate with Bonnie, the woman she has possessed, in a conversational tone.
(3) By framing Julie’s story within the mystery of the present (What happened to her daughter?) I can create suspense.
This is the opening section:
Cody’s on the terrace. Older, handsome, grey at the temples, wearing a sports coat, and two-hundred-dollar shirt. “So,” he says, “you’re Bonnie and want to know what happened to Julie’s baby?”
I scream. “I’m Julie! What happened to our daughter?”
He laughs, a Mephistophelean howl. “Julie’s dead, and our daughter? She’s probably a whore.”
Evil spirits surround him. “You sold her and have adoption papers. Your lawyer told me.”
The demons stop swirling. “So, you’ve come back.” He approaches. “Why didn’t Marilyn tell you?”
As if you care. “She died of a brain hemorrhage.”
He was looking at Bonnie’s body. “I can offer you bourbon, Coke. We can look at photographs.”
I follow down to a cellar, made into a gentleman’s lounge. “Make mine a Cuba libre. Old times’ sake.”
“Myer’s Original Dark Rum.” He holds up the bottle. “Kept it here just for you.” He adds the Coke, lime, and ice and hands it to me. He makes himself a Chivas and soda, leaves, and comes back with a photo album. “Open it. It’s our youth.”
Me and Rosie playing with a beach ball on Daytona sand. 1984, thirteen, nothing mattered. We tied on bikinis, played, and found a mark―a meal, drinks, and a bed. Two girls at a bargain price with no pimps, no drugs, no overhead.
My fake ID said I was Lisa Hamilton, eighteen, a student at Ohio State. No y’all, or yessir, say hi instead of hey. No one gave a shit.]
Julie’s Story
As you can see, there are three unidentified characters within the narrative–Marilyn, Bonnie, and Rosie–indicating there is a second frame within the frame. What went on in the immediate past as compared with what occurred in the distant past, so the story begins at the seventy-five percent mark–the beginning of the end.
I’m making it a novella because I don’t believe the story will require more than thirty-five thousand words. Framing a story is a new challenge for me. I haven’t finished outlining it yet, so that’s the next step.
The Moment of Truth
Open any novel to the middle and read the content. Somehow, at this point, the protagonist has a revelation. Through the first half of the story, our hero has worked her fanny off chasing a false goal. Things didn’t pan out the way she expected but suddenly it hits her–there’s something she has to do, something she’s needed to do all along but has only seen vaguely.
Now, she must get to work, not chasing will-o’-the-wisps, but getting to the core of the issue. In my work in progress (WIP), Raisa has been in a reactive mode ever since the plague in Mombasa. She blamed Ai-mei, then al-Shabaab, and then the Transnational Crime Syndicate, but now the International Court of Justice has summoned her to account and she feels guilty.
Actually, no one is blaming her, but now she realizes she has been fighting back and not fighting forward–retreating instead of advancing. Armed with knowledge of who is the true enemy and the will to use her knowledge to defeat Nikolai Kabulov’s scheme to destroy civilization, she can develop a superior organism that can destroy any nanobot plague and advance civilization to a new future.
How does it all end? There’s a bright side and a dark side to everything. With a baby on the way, Raisa wants to make sure her daughter lives in a better world than that into which she was born.
Multiple Points of View
In my previous four novels, I stayed with the recommended four point of view characters: protagonist, antagonist, love interest, and confidant. In my current work in progress (WIP), The Kabulov Conspiracy (TKC), I found it necessary to add point-of-view characters who spend a short period of time on stage (since they die in the scene) but serve a profound purpose in the novel.
Readers don’t want to witness carnage without purpose, but in TKC, people will die by the billions and it is necessary to ensure the reader is empathetic to their demise. In several scenes, I introduce a sympathetic character–a cleaning lady in a soccer stadium, a dock worker in Mombasa, a child in the Philippines, and others who contract the plague Kabulov is spreading and die, but who put a face and a personality to the event.
As each minor character comes on the scene, I try and show how interconnected we are, one to another, throughout the world. While the plague and its solution take place on a monumental scale, there are still individuals involved as its victims, not just row upon row of faceless names. Following the life story for each of them would make the novel much too long, but a brief glance at who they were and what they were doing gives us a realistic perspective.
I’ll try and make it work.
We refer to arts such as dance, music, and theater as performance arts, but writing, painting, musical composition, and other art forms are also performance arts even though not performed directly in front of an audience. The solitary performance of the writer begins with the concept and ends with publication of the novel, short story, or article. Like other arts, once the author finishes the opus, it completes the exhibition. The result may exist in material form, just as a dance performance may be on videotape, but the performance is over.
I liked what I heard the famous ballet dancer, Svetlana Zakharova say, that the best performances are during preparation, back in the studio where the dancer feels freer to make bold moves without fear of an occasional stumble. How many times in writing have I written something much more lyrical or expressive than what I include in the novel because it doesn’t fit the finished work. The rare times when one can capture those passages in a way that fits the overall composition is when one feels a sense of accomplishment.
Even if our first novel, or second, or third…or sixth novel is not what we wish it might have been, we must continue to the next performance. This time, we may not stumble or muff that high note.
“Final” drafts
The word final often doesn’t apply to writing. When you finish that first draft and type
as a writer, you know it isn’t the last time you’ll be there. After putting your manuscript away for a while, you’ll begin rewrite. The first rewrite is agonizing as you discover the loose ends, blind alleys, and the blandness of it all, lacking emotion and sensuality. In cleaning it up, you discover a new story, filled with deeper characters, intricate plot twists, and scenes you missed in writing the first draft. Once again, you type:
But, it’s not, is it? In that rewrite, something emerged, a deeper meaning for your story, that elusive greater message, the theme. A simple story about a scientist who invents a device that can kill billions becomes a journey. Now is the time to climb into the souls of your characters–where they live, how they think, what they feel. The rainbow of your story becomes clear and the theme, character, plot, and description all follow the same path–starting at the horizon and ending at the pot of gold. You type:
and send it to an editor. When it comes back, you ask yourself how many red pens that woman must own and return to the keyboard. Eventually, you will publish something, but for you. it will never be the final draft as the characters continue to live with you for the rest of your life.
Inside your characters
I’m one of those writers who lets my character do the acting. Quite often, I’m not sure what particular character will do and am often surprised by their actions. When I’m describing the who, what, where, when, and why, the scene is quickly boring. I must get inside the body and mind of the character and let him or her see, feel, and respond to the situation. If I can lose my ego and become the character, the scene flows well and is authentic. This isn’t always easy to do.
Of course the character is my invention, so she will have my thoughts as the genesis of her will, but as a story progresses, she personifies her role and becomes an actor on the stage, with unique patterns of behavior and judgement. As an example, Take Ai-mei, the villain’s accomplice in The Ruby Spider Conspiracy. She believes fervently that all the world’s troubles result from overpopulation and the only solution is to kill off ninety percent of the people on earth. Crazy, you say. Not to her.
Ai-mei has only a few POV appearances in the book, but when she is on-stage, I must enter the mind of this woman and identify with her concerns and prejudices. I see the people she has seen suffering and struggling, living in overcrowded slums, unable to get enough food, medical attention, or education. I’m angry at a world that allows this and keeps bringing more children into this veil of tears.
Damir, on the other hand is not concerned with any of this. he smuggled weapons to both sides of many conflicts and was eventually caught. He retained his freedom by going to work for international security firms that smuggle weapons to nations favored by the United Nations. He lives dangerously, but has been infatuated with Raisa from the time he first met her. His main goal in the story is to marry Raisa.
Raisa, the antagonist, is driven by guilt. She created the tool that allows manufacturing the nanobot plagues that kill billions. When used as weapons, these nanobot cultures are capable of
Subplots February 1, 2021
Ars Gratia Artis September 19, 2020
After the First Draft February 22, 2020
Completing the story January 1, 2020
Starting a Frame Novella August 13, 2019
http://davidwitheringtonstewart.com/about.html
David W Stewart
David Witherington Stewart, Author
Meanwhile Back at the Ranch


RiverCell Consortium announces Successful Demonstration of Advent Serene Fuel Cells to the Maritime Sector
Posted on December 20, 2021 by Advent Technologies
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Advent Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADN) (“Advent”) today announced that its fuel cell unit for the Maritime Sector – developed within the frame of the RiverCell Consortium – has passed safety testing, as well as a safety assessment completed by DNV, one of the world’s leading classification societies.
RiverCell, a demonstration project supported by a consortium of partners, was initiated in 2015 and is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport and led by Meyer Werft, it consists of a range of experienced partners throughout the maritime sector, including DNV, HADAG, Helm Proman Methanol, Neptun Werft, Pella Sietas, Technische Universität Berlin, Viking River Technical Cruises, and Advent.
The project is dedicated to the design and development of a fuel cell hybrid system for inland vessels, and its realization has provided valuable insights in terms of the suitability, practical use, and economic efficiency of hybrid powertrains. In addition to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, the hybrid concept – featuring energy storage combined with sustainable fuel cell-powered energy production – demonstrated an increase to both safety and efficiency in shipping.
As part of the demonstration, a section of a river cruise vessel was set up on dryland at Neptun Werft, in Rostock, Germany. There, the prototype of Advent’s Serene marine fuel cell unit was successfully integrated into a modern hybrid DC electric energy grid, which was equipped with all relevant ship systems, including battery storage as well as a conventional diesel genset.
With current regulations still based on the traditional use of diesel-powered energy sources, another core objective of the demonstrations has been to encourage the development of new global regulatory frameworks for the shipping sector, thus paving the way for future use of sustainable technologies.
Commenting on the project, RiverCell’s Project Manager, Ragnar Christenson from Meyer Werft, stated. “The maritime industry needs to find new ways to reduce all its emissions. Not only in the long run, but starting immediately, the shipping industry needs to deploy sustainable technologies and in particular speed up the change to renewable fuel sources. By RiverCell, we have demonstrated how fuel cell technology can be a safe, clean and efficient alternative to today’s diesel gensets in marine use. We have also been able to demonstrate how hydrogen for fuel cells, in the form of methanol, can be safely and efficiently stored on ships. The HT PEM fuel cells developed and manufactured by Advent Technologies can use methanol, carrier of hydrogen, as the fuel source, and we consider methanol one of the most promising and practical future fuels for the shipping sector. At Meyer Werft, we are happy to pioneer alongside our partners with our demonstrations of fuel cell technology, both to gain a competitive edge but also to influence global standards, paving the way for this sustainable alternative.”
Advent’s Senior Vice President, Morten Hougaard Sørensen, similarly highlighted the importance of the project and its potential influence on future standards: “Fuel cell technologies to replace diesel gensets for inland and sea-going vessels will significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Using methanol produced from natural gas offers reduction of local pollution (NOx, SOx emissions), and methanol produced from renewable sources can substantially contribute to reducing GHG emissions from shipping. In recent years, interest in methanol as a fuel for the shipping industry has grown significantly, but the industry is also waiting for the final regulatory frameworks to come into place before committing to large-scale investments. Now, with our prototype design of the marine fuel cell unit successfully passing its safety testing, and the safety assessment successfully completed with DNV, we hope to see this data included alongside equivalent standards using the technology, so the industry understands that fuel cells are both efficient, safe, and practical in use. And on that basis, we look forward to continuing our journey with Meyer Werft and lots of new customers in the industry. At Advent, we believe that only together can we build a better future”.
Advent Technologies Holdings, Inc. is a U.S. corporation that develops, manufactures, and assembles complete fuel cell systems, and the critical components for fuel cells in the renewable energy sector. Advent is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with offices in California, Greece, Denmark, Germany, and the Philippines. With more than 100 patents issued for its fuel cell technology, Advent holds the IP for next-generation HT-PEM that enable various fuels to function at high temperatures under extreme conditions – offering a flexible “Any Fuel. Anywhere.” option for the automotive, aviation, defense, oil and gas, marine, and power generation sectors. For more information, visit www.advent.energy.
This press release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “plan,” “could,” “may,” “will,” “believe,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “goal,” “project,” and other words of similar meaning. Each forward-looking statement contained in this press release is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statement. Applicable risks and uncertainties include, among others, the Company’s ability to maintain the listing of the Company’s common stock on Nasdaq; future financial performance; public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; impact from the outcome of any known and unknown litigation; ability to forecast and maintain an adequate rate of revenue growth and appropriately plan its expenses; expectations regarding future expenditures; future mix of revenue and effect on gross margins; attraction and retention of qualified directors, officers, employees and key personnel; ability to compete effectively in a competitive industry; ability to protect and enhance our corporate reputation and brand; expectations concerning our relationships and actions with our technology partners and other third parties; impact from future regulatory, judicial and legislative changes to the industry; ability to locate and acquire complementary technologies or services and integrate those into the Company’s business; future arrangements with, or investments in, other entities or associations; and intense competition and competitive pressure from other companies worldwide in the industries in which the Company will operate; and the risks identified under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 20, 2021, as well as the other information we file with the SEC. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. You are encouraged to read our filings with the SEC, available at www.sec.gov, for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this document, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any of these statements. Our business is subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, including those referenced above. Investors, potential investors, and others should give careful consideration to these risks and uncertainties.
Advent Technologies Signs Memorandum of Understanding with BASF to Secure Supply Chain for Large Scale Projects
Advent Technologies Announces Signing of Distribution and Service Agreement with Calscan Solutions


Roger Clemens Reveals Which Ex-President He’d Love To Golf With
Adofo-Mensah, O’Connell Were Successful In Year 1, But Vikings Need Much More Going Forward
Selema Masekela On X Games’ Past, Its Present, And His Journey Back After 10 Years Away
How Being Injured Is Making Tyrese Haliburton’s All-Star Case Stronger
New England Patriots Officially Hire Bill O’Brien As Offensive Coordinator And Quarterbacks Coach
IMSA Season Kicks Off With Tremendous Storylines In Rolex 24 At Daytona
Bears Positioned To Upgrade At Defensive Line, Wide Receiver
ForbesBusinessSportsMoney
Lou Gehrig Autographed Baseball Mitt Goes For $287,500 At Auction
Maury Brown
2020 Natl Sportswriter Of The Year Nominee, BBWAA, MLB, Motorsports
Jul 15, 2014, 04:53pm EDT |
A Lou Gehrig autographed baseball mitt c. 1935 went for $287,500 on Tuesday as part of the MLB All-Star FanFest in Minneapolis. The auction was held by at Hunt Auctions.
The glove was given by Lou Gehrig to Howard Brost Henderson in the mid 1930s after a visit by Gehrig at the Henderson family home in Bronxville, NY. Mr. Henderson has kept the glove in his possession for close to 80 years until now consigning it in the auction.
“I was very lucky to have known Lou Gehrig as a young man growing up. He was a friend as well as a famous baseball player. For the past 80 years my family and I have enjoyed sharing the story of how I acquired the autographed glove with friends. The glove was the first item I moved from my boyhood home to the home I shared with my bride 66 years ago. To the new owner of the glove I hope you enjoy owning this piece of baseball history. Lou Gehrig will always be recognized as one of the greats in baseball. A big thank you to the team at Hunt Auctions for making this sale a reality,” Howard Henderson.
Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees, cropped from a posed picture of 1937 Major League Baseball... [+] All-Stars in Washington, DC. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“Lou Gehrig’s name remains to date one of the more revered in the history of American Sport. The price obtained today for the Lou Gehrig baseman’s mitt was a clear reminder of the incredible demand for memorabilia related to his storied career,” David Hunt, President of Hunt Auctions.
The glove has additional significance this year as it marks the 75th anniversary of Gehrig’s infamous “Luckiest man on the face of the earth” speech made on July 4, 1939. The event was “Lou Gehrig Day" at Yankee Stadium where he was recognized after being diagnosed two weeks earlier amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or as it is more commonly known now as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
In addition to the Gehrig glove, a Roy Campanella Hall of Fame induction ring sold for $86,250 and a Jackie Robinson bat sold for $80,500. Many items related to the career of Minnesota Twins players were sold among them a 1958 Harmon Killebrew Washington Senators professional model home jersey with a price of $40,250.
Autographed Lou Gehrig mitt (front)
Autographed Lou Gehrig mitt (back)
Images courtesy of Hunt Auctions


Home / Pittsburgh / Something More Pastoral
Something More Pastoral
Donald Wuerl is one of the most accomplished and influential churchmen of the last half-century—a time of great seismic shifts in society and in the Church. Ordained a priest in the 1960s, he served as a Vatican official during the pontificate of Pope Paul VI. Ordained a bishop by Pope John Paul II, he came to lead two major American sees. Created a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI, he emerged as a world leader in Catholic thought and pastoral practice. He has played key roles in several Roman synods. He remains a close and trusted advisor of Pope Francis.
This book is an account of his pastoral years, his years as bishop and archbishop. He has lived as a public figure for most of his life; and even among public figures he has been known for his professional transparency. Yet he has made his reputation not by bombast, grand gestures, or provocative public statements. He has chosen instead to work quietly and work hard, to unify, to gain consensus, and to serve the Catholic Church and its faith.
Something More Pastoral quantity
SKU: 9780692587423 Categories: Biography, Pittsburgh
This book shines a light on his quiet work in the last three decades—work accomplished in the churches, in the fields, all across the world, and over coffee breaks in meetings of bishops and cardinals.
As a bishop, archbishop, and cardinal, Donald Wuerl has learned from great mentors. He has learned from his own successes and his own mistakes. And he has emerged as a great leader and example for anyone who desires a life of service—anyone looking for “something more pastoral.”
The Saints at the Chapel: Thrilling Tales of History’s Holiest Heroes
Praying for Freckles


On December 17, 2022 By Will VDIn Uncategorized
The song “How Much a Dollar Cost” is featured on Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy award winning album, “To Pimp a Butterfly.” This album dives deep into the recesses of racial oppression and materialism as well as serving as an anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement. Songs such as “Alright” and “Hood Politics” are both notable examples of the powerful message Lamar sends, but “How Much a Dollar Cost” stands out amongst the rest.
The song focuses on a specific incident that Lamar, the speaker, found himself in at a gas station in South Africa. The song is a combination of Lamar’s internal thoughts and conflicts and an interaction with a persistent homeless man, who asked him for 10 rand (one US dollar). Throughout the song, Lamar ponders the true value of money and why people such as himself make such a big deal out of it. His questions and wonderings all contribute to a bigger, deeper question: Can money cost someone their place in heaven? The song begins with a description of the environment Lamar is in and how he feels in this specific instance. In order to convey the sense that Lamar has a feeling in his gut that something is wrong, he uses the metaphor of a parasite in his stomach.
Parasites in my stomach keep me with a gut feeling, y’all
Gotta see how I’m chillin’ once I park this luxury car
Hopping out feeling big as Mutombo
Parasites are well known for their detrimental effects on their hosts, who gain nothing from the parasites being attached to them. The parasites in this case are Kendrick’s sins that are feeding off of his soul, which is described as his stomach. This line very creatively and powerfully demonstrates the feeling of guilt that people get when they are aware of any wrong doing on their part. The reference to Mutombo shows the vain attitude that Lamar has at the beginning of the song, even though he was driving past many homeless and poor people. This excerpt foreshadows the following verses to come, which includes Kendrick facing the homeless man that sparks a profound internal realization.
He’s starin’ at me in disbelief
My temper is buildin’, he’s starin’ at me, I grab my key
He’s starin’ at me, I started the car, then I tried to leave
And somethin’ told me to keep it in park until I could see
The reason why he was mad at a stranger
Like I was supposed to save him
Like I’m the reason he’s homeless and askin’ me for a favor
He’s starin’ at me, his eyes followed me with no laser
He’s starin’ at me, I notice that his stare is contagious
‘Cause now I’m starin’ back at him, feelin’ some type of disrespect
If I could throw a bat at him, it’d be aimin’ at his neck
I never understood someone beggin’ for goods
Askin’ for handouts, takin’ it if they could
And this particular person just had it down pat
Starin’ at me for the longest until he finally asked
“Have you ever opened up Exodus 14?
A humble man is all that we ever need”
Tell me, how much a dollar cost?
In this verse, Lamar pours effort into the details of the interaction he has and sets the final verse up for a climactic ending. The repetition of the phrase “he’s starin’ at me” emphasizes the power that the homeless man had over him in that moment. Kendrick could have easily ignored this man, but something urges him to stay. He becomes intrigued and angry and expresses his desire to make the man stop what he was doing. Lamar’s thoughts are interrupted by the homeless man asking him if he has ever read Exodus 14, a biblical story that includes God choosing Moses to lead his people through the Red Sea. This describes the power that one man in an influential position can have on people that look up to them. Kendrick knows that he is a man in that position and is reminded of the importance of staying humble. This line is also the first clue that the homeless man represents God. From this point on, Kendrick starts to have the realization that seems to be a divine intervention.
Guilt trippin’ and feelin’ resentment
I never met a transient that demanded attention
They got me frustrated, indecisive and power trippin’
Sour emotions got me lookin’ at the universe different
I should distance myself, I should keep it relentless
My selfishness is what got me here, who the fuck I’m kiddin’?
So I’ma tell you like I told the last bum
Crumbs and pennies, I need all of mines
And I recognize this type of panhandlin’ all the time
I got better judgment, I know when n***a’s hustlin’, keep in mind
When I was strugglin’, I did compromise, now I comprehend
I smell Grandpa’s old medicine, reekin’ from your skin
Moonshine and gin, n***a you’re babblin’, your words ain’t flatterin’
I’m imaginin’ Denzel but lookin’ at O’Neal
In this section of the final verse, Lamar starts to have a realization that he is wrong in his thinking and begins to ask himself why he is getting so angry over something so small. Nevertheless, he continues to come up with excuses and recognizes that his selfishness caused him to become wealthy. At the end of this excerpt, he ironically alludes to the fact that when he was struggling himself, he would have given the man some money, which exemplifies the effect being rich has had on him. He uses another excuse of alcoholism and tries to validate his claims by remembering when his grandpa had a drinking problem. He mentions Denzel (Washington) and O’Neil (Shaquille), which is a reference to the 1998 film “He Got Game”, a film in which Denzel Washington did not take Shaquille O’Neil seriously as an actor just as Kendrick isn’t taking this homeless man seriously either. The song ends with a climactic ending that reveals the true identity of the homeless man.
And I’m insensitive, and I lack empathy
He looked at me and said, “Your potential is bittersweet”
I looked at him and said, “Every nickel is mines to keep”
He looked at me and said, “Know the truth, it’ll set you free
You’re lookin’ at the Messiah, the son of Jehovah, the higher power
The choir that spoke the word, the Holy Spirit
The nerve of Nazareth, and I’ll tell you just how much a dollar cost
The price of having a spot in Heaven, embrace your loss—I am God”
Lamar’s ego takes a hit at the beginning of the excerpt when the homeless man calls his potential bittersweet. Kendrick is provided with a global platform that can affect people in many positive ways, but that is tainted by his greed and lack of humility. The dialogue also alludes to another biblical verse in which Jesus decides who will enter the gates of Heaven. Kendrick has a revelation that causes a rebirth within him. He refused to lend the man a dollar before he realized that he was God incarnate. Kendrick’s unwillingness to give the man (God) a dollar costs him his spot in Heaven.
There are many possibilities as to how much a dollar truly costs. For the homeless man, a dollar meant everything. To Kendrick, a dollar meant nothing. This was a test to see whether or not Kendrick would give anything that God gave him back to those who truly needed it. This song took a situation that many people reading this are familiar with and, through the use of many powerful metaphors, made the listener contemplate how they choose to act and evaluate their true level of selflessness.


Congress could be running out of time for GDPR-style federal privacy law
While there’s now widespread consensus among tech giants on the need for a GDPR-style federal privacy law in the US, progress has been slow, and some are now concerned that Congress could be running out of time.
When Europe first implemented the gold-standard GDPR privacy law, Apple was one of the first companies to pledge to offer similar protections to its customers globally, not just to EU citizens …
However, the company went on to argue that it’s not enough to rely on companies to voluntarily do the right thing and that the US needs its own version of GDPR.
Others have since joined the call, including Microsoft, Google, and even Facebook. This is less surprising than it might seem even for companies where users are the product: it’s better for a company to know ahead of time what it can and can’t do than to make business decisions based on practices which may later be outlawed.
There is bipartisan support for federal privacy legislation, but an Axios report today notes that little progress has been made to date.
The most closely-watched effort to produce a national privacy law is a working group with six members of the Senate Commerce Committee, traditionally a leader on internet issues.
Members of the group had indicated that they hoped to have produced a proposal by Memorial Day, sources said.
That milestone has now come and gone — although the group has added influential members, a possible sign of progress — with multiple sources telling Axios they expect to see a draft proposal this summer […]
Other lawmakers have also failed to produce privacy proposals.
The Senate Judiciary Committee sent letters earlier this year to companies asking about their data collection practices, according to a source. But there’s no indication of plans to move forward with a specific bill.
Democrats had signaled privacy legislation would be a priority when they retook the House last year. But major House committees haven’t moved forward with a bill, either.
There seem to be three main sticking points. First, ensuring that the law doesn’t place too great a burden on small businesses, who are not as well placed as large companies to absorb compliance costs. Second, disagreement between Republicans and Democrats on the role of the FTC. Third, concern among Democrats in particular that the federal government would be overriding privacy laws already being created at the state level.
The piece does, however, note concern about the clock ticking on a GDPR-style federal privacy law.
Reaching consensus on bipartisan legislation is historically more difficult in an election year, so policymakers intent on crafting a stricter standard for the likes of Google and Facebook are running out of time.
In Europe, GDPR just had its first anniversary, with a total of €56M ($62M) in fines issued to date. As consumer concerns grow, even Apple has had to boost its privacy standards, and there is a focus now on the sharing of personal data by iPhone apps.
Privacy is a growing concern in today's world. Follow along with all our coverage related to privacy, security, and more in our guide.


District court dismissed all charges
Bishop Juhana Pohjola in front of the Helsinki District Court on 24 January 2022.
Helsinki District Court issued a decision on 30 March 2022 at 1:00pm regarding the charges of incitement against a group of people, “hate speech”, brought against Päivi Räsänen, Member of Parliament, and Bishop Juhana Pohjola. The three-judge panel unanimously delivered a judgment of acquittal and dismissed all charges.
– “The District Court’s decision was to be expected. This is not only a victory for us, but for freedom of speech and religion in Finland and beyond. In seeking to criminalize Christian teachings on sexuality, the prosecution cast a shadow of fear over society. It was important to receive a strong signal from the District Court defending our fundamental rights as citizens and Christians. It was essential we heard from the court that we have not committed a crime of incitement, because we have always denounced defamatory speech. On the contrary, we have taught the concept of humanity and marriage in accord with natural law and the Bible. This is what we have taught and will always preach as a Church, both in private and in public. While I rejoice over this decision, I nonetheless find it problematic that in its deliberations the District Court considered Päivi Räsänen’s booklet “Male and female He created them” to contain offensive speech, even though it does not consider that Räsänen’s writing was denigrative as outlined in the intentions of the Criminal Code,” Pohjola commented on the decision.
Helsinki District Court heard the prosecution’s case against Dr. Räsänen and the Rev. Dr. Pohjola in two hearings, 24 January and 14 February 2022. Bishop Pohjola was charged as editor-in-chief responsible for the publication and distribution of the booklet Räsänen wrote “Male and female He created them”. According to the prosecutor, the pamphlet denigrated and defamed homosexuals. The prosecutor had demanded 60 day-fines for Pohjola and a EUR 10,000 corporate fine for Luther Foundation Finland.
Bishop Pohjola’s lawyer Jyrki Anttinen commented on the District Court’s decision:
– “The case was decided on the basis of an assessment of the evidence, taking into account the background and context of the writing. The booklet was not written to insult or defame, but to defend a religious view of marriage. The District Court held that the quotations were not in themselves disputed, but that they could not, in a broad sense, be interpreted to the detriment of Päivi Räsänen.
The District Court held that passages from the writing could be considered offensive, but were not of such severity as to violate the equality or dignity of homosexuals or to arouse contempt or hatred. Thus, Päivi Räsänen’s writing did not insult homosexuals and Juhana Pohjola was not guilty of criminal conduct. The claim for punishment against the Luther Foundation must also be dismissed.
The rationale in the District Court’s decision must be examined in more detail, but in principle I do not entirely agree with the District Court on the general offensiveness of the passages in the writings in the indictment.”
The Bible trials have received a lot of attention both at home and abroad. There have been many expressions of support, both privately and publicly, throughout the process.
– “I would like to thank all of those who have provided support and encouragement during this long process. There has been a tremendous outpouring of intercession from all around the world. Ultimately, this a spiritual battle and a matter concerning the Gospel of Christ,” continued Pohjola.
The prosecutor has the possibility to appeal the decision to the Appellate Court, so the decision of the District Court is not yet final.
Sami Niemi
Secretary of the Diocese
Hämeenlinna ,
Prosecutor places appeal with Helsinki Appellate Court
Blog: What am I grateful for following the verdict of the District Court?


The Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree is designed for individuals seeking employment in state, federal, or municipal government, non-profit organizations, and business, trade, or labor associations. The MPP degree is a great option for students who want to continue their education at the graduate level or for fully-employed individuals interested in career advancement, professional development, or a career change.
The program's graduates will:
Gain a knowledge of the policy process, public management, and public finance with analytical and research skills in applied policy analysis and specialized knowledge in a "concentration area" such as public management or environmental policy;
Develop the ability to reason and analyze from both a normative and problem-solving perspective;
Develop technical methodological skills; and,
Develop substantive policy or management expertise in one concentration area.
The Department of Public Policy also offers a Environmental Policy Certificate, Educational Policy Certificate and Public Management Certificate.
Click here for more information on the Master of Public Policy.
Registration is administered through Online & Continuing Education at UMass Dartmouth. Students will be invoiced. Please see Fee Schedule below.
Tuition $1,659
Technology Fee $150
College Fee $51
Library Access Fee $18
Registration Fee (One time per semester) $30
Total Per Course $1,908
* Courses can vary from one to six credits; this total represents a standard 3 credit course
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has earned several awards for its online programs including:
First UMass approved as a SARA Institution in Massachusetts – September 12, 2018
UMass Dartmouth is ranked as a Tier 1 National Research University - U.S. News & World Report
Ranked 3rd for best online colleges in Massachusetts - College Choice, Affordable Colleges Online
The College of Nursing is listed among the "Best Graduate Schools" in the U.S., 98th of 1,000 - U.S. News & World Report
Ranked 10th in the nation for best online bachelor's degree in accounting - College Choice
Ranked 11th for online MBA in healthcare management programs - The Best Schools
Ranked 6th of 33 Massachusetts schools for affordability of online programs - College Choice
Ranked 26th nationally for the MS in Healthcare Management offered by Charlton College of Business - Master's Program Guide
Excellence in Online Teaching - Sloan-C Excellence Awards
Ranked 7th nationally for most affordable online colleges for bachelor's degrees - College Choice
Ranked 10th for best online master's programs in public policy nationwide - Best Colleges
Ranked in the top 11% nationally for best value college, based on return on investment. - Payscale
In the top 10 for undergraduate accounting programs in Massachusetts - Accounting Degree Review
Online MBA program ranked in the top 33% nationwide - U.S. News & World Report
Designated a Military Friendly School ® with leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience - Military Friendly
1. Earned Baccalaureate Degree- All applicants to the Master of Public Policy (MPP) must have an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited 4-year college or university in the United States or comparable non-U.S. degree/diploma from a recognized foreign institution of higher education at the time of matriculation. Undergraduate seniors may apply in their final semester with expectation that they will have graduated prior to enrolling in MPP courses.
2. Graduate School Application for US Citizens/International Applicants - All applicants to the Master's of Public Policy must complete and submit UMass Dartmouth's Graduate School Application electronically or by mail.
3. Statement of Purpose (Essay) - The MPP at UMass Dartmouth requires an essay of 600-900 words explaining the applicant's interest in the program and purpose for applying to the program. Graduate study objectives, previous policy-related or public management experience, and undergraduate preparation for the course of study. The applicants should also submit resumes or a curriculum vita.
4. Other Materials Required for Application to the Master of Public Policy
a: Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT): Applicants to the Master of Public Policy must submit GRE (general test), or GMAT scores taken within 5 years of the application. Official score reports must come directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). [UMass Dartmouth's GRE Code for reporting scores is 3786].
b: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth does not require a TOEFL from U.S. citizens or citizens of countries where English is the official language (i.e., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa). Applicants whose native language in not English must demonstrate that they are proficient in English. English proficiency can be demonstrated by taking the TOEFL, which is administered worldwide.
A $60.00 application fee is needed at the time of processing. You will not be able to submit your application without credit card payment of the non-refundable application fee at the time of submission. We currently accept Visa and MasterCard. The process should take approximately 10 minutes.
Your UMass Dartmouth education is an investment in your future. There are a number of ways to finance your education including grants, scholarships, and loans. Your workplace may offer reimbursement for education if you check with the Human Resources Department where you work.
To be eligible for grants and loans, students must be enrolled in a degree or certificate program, and be taking at least 6 credits per semester.
FAFSA application
You must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year to receive UMassD need-based education loans and grants. You must be enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program, and taking at least 6 credits per semester.
By submitting your completed FAFSA, you may be eligible for a number of need-based grants or loans. Learn more about need-based aid
Professor and Student Research
UMass Dartmouth Public Policy Professor and online graduate student collaborate to publish peer-reviewed article
Chad J. McGuire, an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Graduate Online Environmental Policy Certificate Program (EPCP); and Helen Perivier, an online graduate student currently enrolled in the EPCP, have successfully collaborated on a research article to be published in the February 2011 issue of the International Journal of Sustainable Development. Click to read a preview of the article.
Online & Continuing Education
Criminal Justice and Legal
Fine Arts, Design and Communications


New Image Shows the Rugged Landscape of Comet 67P
The landscape of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/C-G), captured by the Rosetta spacecraft before crashing on the surface. Credit: ESA/Rosetta
In March of 2004, the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft blasted off from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. After ten years, by November of 2014, the spacecraft rendezvoused with its target – Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/C-G). Over the more than two years that followed, the spacecraft remained in orbit of this comet, gathering information on its surface, interior, and gas and dust environment.
And on September 30th, 2016, Rosetta came closer than ever to the surface of 67P/C-G and concluded its mission with a controlled impact onto the surface. Since that time, scientists have still been processing all the data the spacecraft collected during its mission. This included some awe-inspiring photographs of the comet’s surface that were obtained shortly after the spacecraft made its rendezvous with 67P/C-G.
The photograph shown at top was taken on September 22nd, 2014, when the spacecraft was at a distance of 28.2 km (17.5 mi) from the center of the comet – roughly 26.2 km (16.3 mi) from the surface. This image, which shows a portion of the comet’s surface, was processed by amateur astronomer Jacint Roger Perez by combining three images taken in different wavelengths by the OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on Rosetta.
The image is significant in part because it captured some of 67P/C-G’s more prominent surface features. For example, to the center and left of the frame is Seth, one of the geological regions on the larger of the two comet lobes that is characterized by layered terraces. This region declines towards the smoother Hapi region, the boulder-strewn region which forms the “neck” of the comet that connects the two lobes.
In the background, one can see bits of the Babi and Aker regions, both of which are located on the large lobe of 67P/C-G. In the sharper, lower right area of the image is the Aswan cliff, a 134 meter-high (440 foot) scarp separating the Seth and Hapi regions. Shortly before the image was taken, a chunk of this scarp collapsed as a result of the comet reaching perihelion – it’s closest distance to the Sun – on August 13th, 2015.
Basically, as the comet drew closer to the Sun, its temperature increased, causing an outburst of gas and dust that caused a piece of the shelf to break off. Observations performed by Rosetta at the time not only showed the section where this happened, but was able to get a look at the comet’s pristine, icy interior as a result. It also allowed scientists to make the first definitive link between an outburst and a crumbling cliff face on a comet.
This latest image to come from Rosetta is also significant because it demonstrates the vital role that amateur astronomers are playing in the new era of space exploration. Much like the Juno mission, the processing of images is being handled more and more by skilled enthusiasts, freeing up mission scientists to process other mission data.
Rosetta images showing the cliff collapse on 67/C-G, before and after. Credit: ESA/Rosetta
But most of all, the image manages to capture the accomplishments of that historic mission. For starters, Rosetta was the first spacecraft to orbit a comet’s nucleus or fly alongside a comet as it approached the inner Solar System. It was also the first spacecraft to see how the warmth of our Sun transforms the surface of frozen comets up close.
The mission was also the first to dispatch a robotic lander (Philae) to a comet nucleus, which took place on November 27th, 2014. While the lander bumpy landing, it still managed to obtain images from a comet’s surface. And even though the mission ended two years ago (the anniversary of which was last Sunday), scientists continue to find gems in all the data it sent back.
On top of that, the Rosetta mission will also help inform future missions to study comets. Be sure to check out this ESA video from the 49th Rosetta science workshop (which took place from May 28th to June 1st, 2018 ), where Rosetta project scientist Matt Taylor discusses how the mission’s results will help guide future exploration:
Further Reading: ESA
Matt Williams is a space journalist and science communicator for Universe Today and Interesting Engineering. He's also a science fiction author, podcaster (Stories from Space), and Taekwon-Do instructor who lives on Vancouver Island with his wife and family.
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Capetown is a dramatic Late Victorian (circa 1895) antique bar brooch that was converted into a ring in the 1940s. This 14k yellow gold ring is designed using three vertically set Round natural sapphires with a total weight of approximately 0.55ct. Each deep blue sapphire is surrounded by a glittering halo of Old Mine Cut diamonds, twenty-four in total, with an estimated weight of 0.70ct. This unusual ring radiates from the classic combination of sapphires and diamonds. The ring is currently a size 7 and can be sized to fit.
Much of the popular Victorian jewelry was inspired by Queen Victoria’s style. For example, birthstones were popular in engagement rings because Victoria wore hers with an emerald. The Victorian era is further divided into Early (1837–1860), Mid (1860–1885), and Late (1890–1901) periods, reflecting changes in Victoria’s life and personal style. Early and late Victorian period jewelry is often described as having a romantic look, but mid-Victorian style is darker and more sentimental, reflecting Victoria’s personal period of mourning after the loss of her husband and mother.


north carolina. state board of health. (12)
schuster, rudolf mathias, 1921- (10)
north carolina pharmaceutical association.; north carolina pharmaceutical association. proceedings of the annual meeting.; north carolina pharmaceutical association. year book.; north carolina. board of pharmacy. annual report. (8)
clark, henry t. (henry toole), 1917- (3)
north carolina neuropsychiatric association.; north carolina. dept. of mental health.; university of north carolina at chapel hill. dept. of psychiatry. (3)
university of north carolina at chapel hill. school of medicine. (3)
university of north carolina at chapel hill. school of medicine.; medical alumni association (university of north carolina at chapel hill) (3)
9 x 15 cm. (3)
35mm (24 x 36mm / 15/16 x 1 7/16 in.) (1)
buttons (information artifacts) (1)
color mounted slide (1)
sheet music (1)
dentistry -- congresses.; societies, dental -- congresses. (8)
north carolina pharmaceutical association -- periodicals. (8)
pharmacists -- north carolina -- periodicals. (8)
pharmacy -- periodicals. (8)
public health -- north carolina -- periodicals. (8)
dentistry -- north carolina -- periodicals.; societies, dental -- north carolina -- periodicals. (6)
All fields: Superimposed
Health occupations schools--North Carolina.; Academic medical centers--North Carolina.
120 INTERVIEW 9 July 17, 1996 FRANCES WEAVER: This is an interview with Dr. Henry Toole Clark, Jr., first administrator of The Division of Health Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The interview is taking place in Dr....
Medical students--North Carolina.; Medical students--New York (State)
17 INTERVIEW 2 November 16,1990 FRANCES WEAVER: This is an interview with Dr. Henry Toole Clark, Jr., former administrator of the Division of Health Affairs of the University of North Carolina. The interview is taking place in Dr. Clark's home on...
Sir Walter Hotel
Hearts (Symbols);Aerial views;Aerial photographs;Business districts
Chapel Hill (N.C.); Health occupations schools--North Carolina.; Academic medical centers--North Carolina.
67 INTERVIEW 5 February 13, 1992 FRANCES WEAVER: This is an interview with Dr. Henry Toole Clark, Jr., first administrator of the Division of Health Affairs at the University of North Carolina. The interview is taking place in Dr. Clark's home on...
[Bussel and Knoring (publishers) WWI Russian postcards]
Shows domestic Christmas scene in a small room: a young wife, back turned toward viewer, prays beneath an icon, her young daughter standing nearby and looking at a small Christmas tree on a small table, shown simultaneously with a circular picture...


Life & Travel/
I Attended Usher’s Las Vegas Show And This Is What Happened/
Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Dolby Live at Park MGM
I Attended Usher’s Las Vegas Show And This Is What Happened
This would be my first time experiencing the fullness of Usher and it gave everything and more.
xoStaff
Life & TravelI Tried ItCulture & Entertainment
Ah, Las Vegas! The city of lights, magic and show-stopping performances. And one of those performances that can be added to the list of legendary is from none other than Usher Raymond IV.
The world-renowned artist, who is known simply as Usher, only further solidified his legendary status after putting on a top-tier show night after night to sold-out audiences. I had the opportunity to finally experience what everyone was talking about. While I am no stranger to witnessing the “Superstar” singer’s greatness live (I attended his 2004 Truth tour which followed his highly regarded and Grammy award-winning album Confessions), this would be my first time experiencing the fullness of Usher as a father and icon.
The Las Vegas desert heat quickly disappeared after I walked into the Dolby Live theater at the Park MGM where his Usher: My Way Las Vegas residency was held. As my friends and I sat down to wait for the show, suddenly a male figure took to the stage.
The DJ announced that the male figure was looking for ladies to join him on stage to turn up in the meantime. Little did we know, the last woman that graced the stage would break out into a seductive dance with the male figure, which kicked off the show. More dancers trickled onto the stage and finally, the man that many people traveled far and wide arrived, which sparked thunderous applause from the audience.
As Usher performed hit after hit, he also told a story through each song using his dancers to illustrate his words. It was definitely giving Vegas while also mixed with what we love about the 44-year-old: undeniable talent, charming personality, and sex appeal. There’s a portion in the show where he gives a nod to his Atlanta roots by skating and having exotic dancers perform mind-blowing tricks on the pole. The icon’s smooth dance moves on and off the skates had the audience in a trance as he sang every note effortlessly. We felt every emotion as he took us from his club bangers like “Love In This Club” and “I Don’t Mind” to his popular ballads “Climax” and “Burn.”
He even shared a vulnerable moment with his fans as he reflected on his remarkable nearly 30 years in the game and even teased a new song. Usher’s “My Way” show took his audience on a musical journey that was filled with the highs and lows of love, but overall he reminded everyone why he’s the G.O.A.T. Here’s why:
There’s been a lot of discussions around who should be crowned the king of R&B and it’s safe to say that Usher’s epic Las Vegas run laid that debate to rest. His vocals are just as pristine as they were when he captivated everyone with his debut self-titled album and he’s one of the few artists with excellent breath control while performing.
Usher continues to dance into our hearts with his hypnotic steps that make the ladies swoon. From his signature glide across the floor to more seductive and risqué movements and impressive 8-counts, the decorated talent is in a class of his own.
It’s Vegas baby! So, there’s no such thing as ordinary when it comes to putting on a show and Usher made sure to give the world something to talk about. His “My Way” show was well-produced and well-thought-out. The effort he put in to create a fun, unique experience while also catering to his fans was noticeable and appreciated.
Usher didn’t just get on stage to sing and dance, he created many moments for the audience to remember such as skating, pole dancing, pouring water on his bare chest (whew!), the recreation of his viral “watch this” bit from Tiny Desk and last but not least, the crowd participation.
Featured image by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Dolby Live at Park MGM


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More Information on the Triumph Daytona 600
The Triumph Daytona 600 is a name given to two different motorcycles.
The first model was sport bike manufactured in 1983 by Triumph Motorcycles out of their Meriden factory that was claimed to do over 100 miles per hour but fell within a lower insurance price bracket than the preceding 650cc Triumph TR65 Thunderbird in order to attract younger buyers. Although simply a shorter-stroked, twin-carburettored version of their earlier 650 cc Triumph TR65 Thunderbird but with an 8.5:1 compression ratio, it was exhibited as a new model for their 1983 range at the 1982 motorcycle show at the National Exhibition Centre. Unique for that year's home market models, it featured rear set foot rests and a plastic 'ducktail' rear end over the short chromed rear mudguard from the Triumph T140 TSX. Although sporting a front disc brake, the model retained the drum rear brake of the TR65 Thunderbird.
Two prototypes were made, one electric start version for the press and shows, the other a kick start version for factory road-testing; the latter, the only one left after the Meriden factory closed in 1983, was, from 2010, displayed at the London Motorcycle Museum.
The new Triumph company based at Hinckley, which was started after the original Triumph company went into administration, has made a far better known and more numerous Daytona 600. It is powered by a liquid-cooled 599 cc (36.6 cu in) four-cylinder in-line engine and was superseded by the Daytona 650 from 2005.
Triumph Tiger Daytona
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Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas: The Best of What's Next By Jeff Milo July 1, 2014
Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas: Secret Evil Review By Jim Vorel August 19, 2014
Photos: Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas - Seattle, Washington By Paste Staff December 23, 2014
Watch Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas' New Video for "Don't Take My Man to Idaho" By Bryan Rolli July 29, 2015
Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas - Daytrotter Session - Sep 25, 2013 September 25, 2013
Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas - Daytrotter Session - Aug 3, 2014 August 3, 2014


Management of the Distributed Learning Environment for a National Education Institution in Brazil
Advanced, user-friendly platform that grows to fit ongoing learning requirements of a major, multi-campus educational organization
A large and leading educational institution in Brazil, with 1,304 learning centers and schools operating in two organizations across 27 states, offering a multitude of programs and serving millions of students.
The Challenges
The organization faced several significant challenges affecting its operations and processes:
– The institution offered similar courses in different centers, each with different content. Due to lack of central management, the courses created in one center were not available to the others. Enormous effort and resources were spent in retrieving course content from various systems, each with its own proprietary interface and processes.
– Existing systems lacked support for advanced learning features, such as collaborative learning, project-based learning, support of remote laboratories and simulators and live (online) classes, which is a mandatory requirement for large distributed educational systems.
– Existing systems lacked support for advanced administrative processes such as workflow self-registration, e-commerce, budget, project and workplan management, autonomous portals development and advanced staff administration, which is a solid requirement for large distributed educational systems.
– Lack of integration with other systems, which were required by regulations.
– Lack of a central 360⁰ view and alerts for learning and administrative processes, and the ability to intervene in a timely manner.
– The need for system operations support with state-level independence, utilizing advanced hardware and communication infrastructure that the customer had already invested heavily in.
– The institution was not reaching its full potential due to an inability to provide learning programs to users in remote areas and lack of qualified teachers.
The client sought a comprehensive solution to support content creation and publishing; integrate advanced learning aids (such as project-based learning and live classes); administrate educational processes; permit all parties, including secretaries, teachers, students and content creators to work on the same platform; and yet allow for independent operation and system hosting at the regional level.
After a long and thorough bidding process, the client chose the Blossom platform to manage its distributed learning environment in a much more efficient and cost-effective manner, with the capability of reaching hundreds of thousands of more users.
Promoting uniformity of content, courses and schools’ independence:
While adhering to corporate policies and being hosted on different server farms, each school can now monetize itself, using its own portal, logo, and repository of content. The school’s independence is mediated by corporate administrators who centrally monitor the creation, sharing and maintenance of content.
Encouraging teachers to combine online and social learning in their teaching methods:
Using Blossom’s advanced interactive learning and content features, the students can now interact and collaborate with peers and teachers online. Via the platform’s project, research and learning tools, teaching staff can boost the level of user engagement and acquire more students from remote locations who were previously unable to participate in learning programs.
Overcoming the elephant in the room – Migration and integration from and with dozens of systems
Most of the 27 states had one or two systems already in use, and some used other information systems which could not be disposed of, due to regulatory reasons, and therefore needed to be integrated into the new platform. With Blossom’s smart migration tools and dynamic API, the client could easily integrate with other systems and migrate all the needed data, so that users could continue to work without being affected by the change.