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<< Dear Tejaswini, Hari Om! Loved today’s write-up. In the cacophony of opinions, advice or expectations ….the voice of our own Atma kripa is often left unheard. The complex grid of changing energies in which we live moment to moment….and the final resolve that our karmic journey should and can be ours alone…. This is the summum bonum of Jyotish. Well-said!! Wishing you a blessed Navaratri! Warm regards, Vishakha Another beautifully written article! Great ma’am! Hello maam. Extensive article on so many levels…. Cleared out a lot for most(I think) Was reading an observation ( presumably quoted first by a single astrologer then subsequently copy pasted by couple of dozen more as is the norm these days) … That any graha in cancer sign or any planet in 4 th house( house of comfort) means you can’t be doing much work , you must sit back n literally chill because it’s opposite to tenth house of profession and work. If you do go out to exert yourself apparently that’s worst thing native can do. I personally found it extremely absurd because I pulled out several charts and I didn’t see it apply anywhere. A top us female chef rose to the top in the dasha of 4 th house planet. Two top tech entrepreneur of the world established their companies in their 4 th house planet dasha. M. K. Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri were leading hectic political lives during planets placed in ‘cancer sign’ dasha. I have seen charts of people who lost jobs when running dasha of planets placed in Capricorn or tenth house Hence the supposed above dictum made no sense to me. I don’t think the single dictum of this nature can decide it. Please guide maam. Hi there One dictum cant b applied everywhere like this. There have to b patterns in main chart, D9 and other relevant DC fr a tangible result Namaste Ma’am Great article as always, i was actually thinking of all the different scenarios you’ve explained and this article showed up at the right time – and it sums up well. Very aptly said and explained, a single planetary placement or conjunction says a lot and is important to weigh things properly and know where to apply these concepts Hi Tejaswiniji Very fascinating article. Recently I’ve started doing dhyan with soham and I feel like I get very angry/aggressive after doing this japa. Also, I sleep less at night when I do soham, often get scary dreams of ghosts and stuff like that. (Like last night I saw this old lady ghost touching me between the eyebrows and I could not see anything.) Could it be that the mantra’s energies are not suiting me or is all this psychological and I’m reading too much into it. Regards. Hi there Every living being does soham with every breath. Being aware of it is the simplest yet the most profound sadhana. If u are not sure about it, if u dont want to, dont do it. Maybe ur past life karma are not allowing u to. Thank you for the reply. Very interesting what you said about the karma, can you please elaborate it? What type of karmas can deny a specific type of sadhana? Hi Tejaswini-ji, Over the last 20 years, I read a lot of spiritual books, biographies of saints, vedanta and astrology. But slowly it dawned that without a personal experience of God, this will remain a theory. Finally the lockdown and some deep personal issues, enabled me to start sincerely with my personal sadhana. Have been following your wonderful and insightful blog for more than a year. Your writings on Devi, Mantras and Homa have been very useful, since you write from a position of realization and not intellectual understanding. Have been doing a daily japa of Navarana mantra and weekly homa using some sections from Devi Saptashati . I dont have a guru, nor any abilities to sense energies. Sometimes it feels, very mechanical. Do you have any suggestions that can help one understand, if the prayers reach Mother. I realize that a year of sadhana, means nothing at all. How does one become worthy of having an awareness of her infinite grace? Sincerely PS: Apologies, for the double post. Not sure, if the last one was submitted . Hi there Everyone has an internal guru at the third eye. If intention is strong enough an instant of focus is enough. Ask Her this question and request Her to tell u the answer in any way she thinks fit. Eg dreams or some event Namaste Mam, When looking at the chart from the Moon’s perspective, do we still use the Bhava-chalit concept? If so, do we need to consider the degree of the Moon as the exact centre of the house just like the Ascendant? Thank you! Hi there Yes. And also frm every planet too fr planet-wise charts if u want to see how they work Superb write up!!! Loved all the clear examples given… especially the one on Saturn/Mars aspects…😃 literally cracked me up…😀 Just love the way you present ideas!! Your mercury (probably dharmesh himself) & 9th house (to take your students along, with so much interest) must be strong!! Way to go Madamji…. onward & upward..🙏🙏 Harih Om🙏 Hari Om, My ask might not be specifically relevant to this post, however want to know your view as you have expertise in understanding how this universe runs and who we are. Can a person/ soul who desires for liberation or moksh think that I am beyond impact of planets although they are giving results of karma by controlling 5 elements in the meat/body? The reason why I am asking this is, if birth chart of soul taken there can be numerous charts as chart varies with each birth and place where soul is taking birth, example soul taking birth in brahma lok after living body on earth, so there may be no impact of all 7 planets in brahma lok ( I am ignoring rahu and ketu as they are not real planets, rahu Maya is reason for birth and ketu for moksh). Can a person who wishes reaching vaikunt/kailash or merging in brahma jyothi can ignore all impacts of planets and just rely on guru who takes to ultimate? Hi there this does happen, the awareness goes so subtle that the effects of the graha on the physical body are not perceived as ‘change’, the only ones who are in this state are the Jivan mukt ie the Satguru. wrote on jivan mukti nirgun moksh etc, use the index page we do not ‘take birth’ in Brahma lok, wrote on sagun mukti, krama mukti, devayan, the lok that you go to after physical death, use the index page how can you ignore Rahu Ketu? in any analysis of the spiritual these two and the two luminaries have paramount roles one has to rely on the Guru, else how will one reach the Self? if you want to go to Kailas Vaikunth Brahmalok etc then you can also rely on your deities. LikeLiked by 1 person Madamji, of the 4 trikonas, if the moksha trikona scores the maximum score/rupas , does that indicate significant spiritual evolution for the native? Are there any standard numbers/ measures / proportion for these trikonas’ strength to know the level of evolution possible in this life? Many thanks for the guidance 🙏 Harih Om🙏 Hi there a strong moksh trikon does help but unless you have a strong dharma trikon you will not find it so easy to start the path, LikeLiked by 1 person Thank you so very much for the encouraging, fortifying & reassuring response, Tejaswini ji!🙏🙏🙏 I hope & believe determination/intention/will plays an equally important role in pursuing the path 🙏 Mam You seem to be a very wise woman and I love reading your blog too. May I ask why don’t you want to do a good deed by adopting a stray dog and nurturing one? You’ll be changing their life and getting more blessings too. Hi there i may seem to be wise or not, it is your perception of me. it is again nothing to do with who i am. i know what karma was linked to me and i have done it. done it to the limits of which no one can even imagine. do not suggest things for me to do, as you do not know what i do or have to do. if you think that this act is a good deed, do it yourself. even writing this blog, it is a direction from my Satguru. when i was about 20yrs old, he specifically directed me to pass on all that he has told me, and in English. if you are reading it, its coz my Satguru’s wish. LikeLiked by 1 person Hari Om, thanks for your views. I am not expert of astrology, so not fully aware to comment on Rahu and Ketu, so my bad comment. If possible and if you are okay to, can you write something about how atma pradakshan helps to get rid of sins as I read somewhere that atma pradakshna helps soul. Madam can men wear gold rings for ears,is their any benefit astrologically. Hi there yes. but wear in both ears lobes at the center. it will help your pineal gland and thus the entire body/mind. Karnabhed is a sanskar, a compulsory thing for all followers of Sanatan dharma. we Marathi people pierce the earlobes of a 16day baby, boys and girls. men in my family wear gold rings/kundal or diamonds. Namaste mam, Can we do mantra jaap, while we sit on bed? Or should we always use aasan? can mantra jaap be done while walking, travelling, in bathroom, sleeping in bed, cooking ? When I say mantra, it could be sohum, om namo maha hanumate namaha, sri sukta, siddha kunjika stotra, vishnu sahasranaama, bhagavad gita shloka. Can we say mantra when we get up early in the morning before Shuddhi. Please advice. Hi there Soham can b done all the time Before shuddhi only Gajendramoksha Namaste mam, Thank you for the advice. Hello ma’am, How can we interpret interaction of planet in terms of chakra? Like if Saturn is aspecting sun then what it means to muladhar chakra and crown chakra? Hi there ‘Chakra’ is an over hyped word. Most people have neither felt nor seen it and cannot really do anything about it. No one really understands them. focus on the basics first. If u are doing some sadhana it will be shown to u. Wrote a few posts on these topics. Hello maaam You have given so many examples for ppl to read and interpret it out for themselves. I have powerful sun in kendra and powerful placement of yogkarak saturn. One of the translation of that though for me personally is that I treat people equally. Whether it maybe janitor of my work/ study place or the director or head. Its beyond me to differentiate people based on status or money. So the result is the ‘ lower ranked employees’ think am most polite person to deal with, the heads of departments think am overly self respecting and unbending with authority😀 … Though I treat both categories exact same way. Not more not less. Respected Madam, Thanks so much for this post. Countless readers have already mentioned that the knowledge you share is precious, I am one of them. I have read many replies in addition to the post that have really touched me, which prompted me to actually write a humble post request, of course to your entire convenience. I have read your post on Forgive yourself to heal yourself, which has helped me so much. If it is possible for you Madam, could you share your valuable insights on healing from psychological trauma ? Some traumatic events occur in life that leave people broken, and I have known people who were bereft of their will to live after this event, I myself have experienced such deep events, and the memories of abuse keep coming back. I apologize for my bother, and I understand very well your busy schedule, I feel so lost, hence I thought I could ask for your valuable insights. Dhanyawad with folded hands Madam. Namaste Hi there keep doing your mantra, that is the only thing that will eventually help clear out the issue from the roots its all about the perspective, if your mind remains stuck in the pain of the situation it will keep on poisoning your life. so train it to focus on the mantra, it heals itself Namaste ma’am. I’m a learner and often make mistakes like most of the people learning astrology do – coming to wrong conclusions. I’m thinking of consolidating points related to various house placements and signs for ascendants – and they would be accurate key points; i’ve learnt till now. Is there a good book that i can refer that describes the results of planets going into various houses and signs ? (maybe my question is too broad) Hi there i have listed out the references and most of the useful authors in the page ‘books’ see what suits your mind Dear Tejaswini, I had to comment here as the comment section on the specific article was closed. I have Jupiter aspecting Venus in 4/10 axis respectively (difference of 5 degrees) in D1, with Ketu’s aspect on Venus and Rahu and Jupiter mutual aspect. I wanted to read a bit more about this mutual aspect of Jupiter and Venus and I was looking for textual sources to help me understand this particular aspect better. Could you point me towards this direction? Interestingly, I also have my Moon in Scorpio, Rahu in the 8th in Sagittarius and Saturn in 9th in Capricorn with Ascendent Venus. My moon is in the 9th house in Sagittarius in my D9 chart and both Jupiter and Venus are exalted in D9. At the moment I’m looking for some spiritual direction through astrology and meditation but it is not so easy. Would you have some guidance for me? Lastly this is a wonderfully written blog and one that I keep coming back to regularly. I have learnt a lot from it and am still learning from it. I want to express my gratitude towards you. Kudos! Delightfully yours, P Namaste Respected Madam, If you are born in a particular religion I’m assuming there is some karma attached to that culture/deities. What happens when people start resonating with a different culture/deity? I’m not talking about forced conversions – I mean people just feel attached and feel the innate pull to another culture different than their birth one and start doing pujas, chanting and worship etc. Where can we see this from a birth chart? If you are following something foreign although willingly, is Rahu related on top of it being a 9th house matter? Thank you for everything! Hi there Sanatan dharma is not a religion. People who do not follow dharma have damaged rahu jupiter 9th house/lord sagittarius sign etc. Trigger would b the dasha/transit. And 12th house is the attraction to foreign cultures. Namaste Mam, I wish to perform the Navavarna Mantra jaap for 9 lakh times as per your instructions in the Navavarna Mantra blog post. May I begin on the coming Friday (tomorrow)? I feel I have the pronunciation correct. Will I be guided by the divine in case I’m doing something incorrectly, unknowingly? Thank you! Hi there U have to request the Divine and its a Ugra mantra. Hello madam, In one of your posts you said that you have came to Tirupati,I felt happy during reading that post I’m from Tirupati,Here Pooja’s are done on Saturday. Madam does saturn and Lord Venkateshwara are related Hi. I am Tula Lagna and going through Mangal mahadasha. My Mangal is in 12th house. I was advised to recite Mangal beej mantra. However somebody told me that since Mangal is Markesh.. better to avoid making it more powerful. So I should stop chanting Mangal beej mantra. I am confused. Pls share your views. Hi there U decide fr yrself or get a second opinion. I wrote about the concept of markesh in a post, read it if u want. He is the 2nd 7th lord so is responsible fr so many other things than just deciding time of physical exit. Frm my point of view he is auspicious. Hello Madam, some people say that first antardasha period of a mahadasha period will not be good even if it is natural benefic.for example venus antardasha in venus mahadasha. Please give your valuable opinion regarding this. Hi there if the planet is a auspicious one for your chart then it will be a very good time. but if he is a malefic for your chart, then yes, double his energy will make you cry bitter tears For me the the first Antardasha period of the Mahadasha of my 6th house planet -who is a functional malefic for me – began beautifully. But by the time it was ending, it was very, very painful. By grace of Parabrahma, I overcame that trauma, but at time I went thru a very difficult time for several months. OK.That seems to be the most sensible answer for this question.Thank You Very Much. Dearest Tejaswiniji, Wishing you and your family a shubh Navratri🙏🏻Thanks very much for this post….explained so well👍🏻♥️ I was laughing when I was reading about the Saturn & Mars example😁 All are good examples 👍🏻 Am forever grateful to you for this blog1🙏🏻 Keep them coming♥️ Lots of love and gratitude Dear madam, Wishing you and your loved ones an auspicious Navratri and shubha Pujas. I wanted to mention that there are so many aspects to consider as you have mentioned, but for me a few of your earlier posts and just 2 comments you had made about my natal chart placements have been enough to get me through some very tough times in the last few months…. and help me make some tough decisions. Thank you so much for everything. I hope you have a wonderful celebration in this festival time 🙂 Regards. You’ve given a very nice example of aspects. I’d a question for a while – suppose moon is afflicted with Nodes or Saturn and suppose the native suffers from anxiety disorder or some complicated mental health issue will mars’s aspect on moon help strengthen moon or rather make it more terrified; like you mentioned “threaten violence” (from someone who is well read says it aggravates problems) – i’m assuming when mars is a yogkarak or benefic it would help it’s friend moon come out of anxiety or any emotional trouble posed by strengthening. Hi there Wrote on natures of planets. If yogkarak saturn or mars affect the moon or the cancer sign they will have their kroor effect on the moon/ mind but in the long term it will prove to b auspicious. Just coz they r yogkarak doesn’t mean tht they go saumya. But yes they will give shubh results eventually

Dimension Jump XX by Seb Patrick Saturday The sheer amount of stuff that happens on a single Saturday at Dimension Jump would put an entire weekend at other conventions to shame. It's immediately up bright and early for those who've managed to snaffle tickets to this morning's photoshoot sessions - with the opportunity to pose alongside a quite incredible lineup. Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Robert Llewellyn, Norman Lovett, Hattie Hayridge, Chloë Annett and Doug Naylor are all in the room - something that hasn't even ever actually happened during the filming of a Red Dwarf episode. The resulting photographs will surely take pride of place over wedding and baby photos in the households of many of the fans present. In the meantime, while we wait for the main hall events to kick off, those who aren't queuing for photos can choose to get their first look at the merchandise room - a fantastic opportunity to plug any gaps in collections, as well as visit with the actual, original screen-used Starbug brought along by Mike Tucker - or simply hang out in the hall watching videos of episodes and bonus features that play inbetween panels. There are so many guests to get through this weekend that rather than there being two Q&A sessions on Saturday morning as per usual, we've got three. The first sees a two-for-the-price-of-one on Hollies, as Norman Lovett and Hattie Hayridge - both long-established as comfortable with a mic in their hands and an audience in front of them - take to the stage. Unsurprisingly, Norman is asked to reflect on returning to the show for Series XII's Skipper. "When I saw myself in Series XII, I just looked at myself and thought... What the f**k? But someone online went Oh, he's so ollllldddddd! With all the Ls and Ds! When I saw that, it hurt me to see it. But I'll get over it. It was just one person, it was very cruel... but he'll be dead eventually!" A question is asked about whether the shift from Norman to Hattie in playing the character was a forerunner to many of the debates currently going on around trans issues. "We were ahead of the game!" says Hattie. "I don't even like to think about it, 'cos I didn't want to leave," says Norman. "But look what's happened since: a sexual revolution!" "The change in gender wasn't part of what was written," adds Hattie. "I had to audition [despite having played Hilly]. They auditioned men and women when I went along." "They said to me they were going to get a completely different character," grumbles Norman. "But they didn't, did they? They got a female version of me!" "You haven't done 30 years at all, have you?" says Norman, needling his opposite number about the anniversary celebrations. "I started in '88!" shoots back Hattie. "So, you've done 29 years?" "I am 29 years old, yeah!" While Norman shares his opinions on the development of Red Dwarf-referencing American sitcom behemoth The Big Bang Theory (if you're interested, it's that he thinks it went downhill after Sheldon and Amy got physical), and Hattie tells a story about a fish market, the Q&A is over far too soon - as things have to get swiftly moving straight on to the next event. And with Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Robert Llewellyn and Chloë Annett making up the biggest panel ever to take to a DJ stage at once, what an event it is. They're only missing Danny John-Jules, who can't make the Saturday festivities due to his appearance in Strictly, but who has been announced as making a surprise Sunday appearance to complete the full set of lead cast members. Not that he's entirely absent from the Q&A, with the others taking the opportunity to laugh about his habit for... not always being exactly where required during filming. "There was a scene [on Series XII] where Chris, Craig and I were in front of the audience remembering our lines, getting it right in take one," explains Robert. "And then we turn around, waiting for Danny to make his big entrance, and we hear Yeah, guy, I'll be there at 10.30 - on his phone, on the microphone!" Craig: "I've probably spent, if you add it all up, about two years of my life waiting for Danny John-Jules." #DJXX#RedDwarf— Red Dwarf (@RedDwarfHQ) October 6, 2018 Asked about unanswered questions or unfinished plotlines the cast would like to see picked up on in future series, Craig says that he'd "like Lister to actually get to Fiji!" Robert's not so sure: "I know if we got to Fiji there'd have to be a scene where I had to carry a tray along a beach in the incredible heat, in my costume. Sirs, whose idea was it to shoot in f**king Fiji?" Don't worry, though, Craig assures him: "The budget would only stretch to Southport!" As for plotlines that the cast have wanted to do but which haven't happened, Robert mentions again his "baby Kryten" idea that's come up in Q&As before. "I wanted to do a music video," says Craig. "With Kryten on drums, me on the guitar, Chris on keyboards, and Danny on bass." "Keyboards is a bit dull, isn't it?" says an affronted Chris. A great question from a young audience member - whose presence sees Robert apologise for having "used some bad words" - sees the gang recall the most far-flung places they've been recognised. "In A&E!" replies Chloë. Chris was recognised in Barcelona - but for The Brittas Empire - while Craig recounts trying to help a friend who had been hit by a van in Brixton, only to have an onlooker say "Hey! You're that guy! Have you got a bit of paper?" Robert, however, trumps everyone by telling a story of being in Australia's Curtin Springs. "It's a filling station about four thousand miles from anywhere else. An Australian gentleman was complaining about the heat. He went, Mate, aren't you the bloke out of Red Dwarf with the funny head?" Chris: "[If not for Red Dwarf] I might be a Renault salesman. I went for a job at Renault in Chiswick once. Didn't get it!" #DJXX— Red Dwarf (@RedDwarfHQ) October 6, 2018 A thoughtful question posed to Chris is that if he were to read the scripts for Brittas Empire and Red Dwarf now, which one would he choose to do? The answer is diplomatic, as he explains that while he was in his 20s, the enjoyment of Red Dwarf was in reading such fast-paced, gag-heavy scripts, whereas Brittas ones were slow burners. "But now," he says, "I'd still say Red Dwarf... because it's the backbone of my career!" "It really has been a career defining role," says Craig. "All of the things in my career, none of them would have happened if I hadn't played Dave Lister in Red Dwarf. People ask me if I worry about being typecast. But if you're going to be typecast as Dave Lister... there's worse people to be!" "Sometimes Lister has to be the emotional anchor," says Craig, when asked if there's ever anything about the scripts on a character level that the cast take issue with. "I sometimes wish he could get to be more funny more often... but he's the anchor of the whole show." Asked about their most fun moments on the show, the cast think back fondly to the most recent series. "I think XI and XII was some of the most fun we've had on the show," says Craig. "The chemistry was really good," agrees Robert. "And the storylines as well," Craig continues. "A lot of the stuff we did back in the day was science fiction that's now become science fact. And we felt that the stuff in Series XI and XII was science fiction that might become science fact in the future." You suspect that the quartet could happily sit on stage chatting back and forth for several hours - but the clock is still a-ticking, and we've got another important guest to line up. So they're ushered away, and on comes Ian Boldsworth - Dave-era warm-up extraordinaire and Series XII guest - to introduce a very special Q&A with co-creator Doug Naylor. Ian kicks things off by asking Doug how he became interested in writing - with the tale of a childhood family purchase of a remote cottage resulting in extreme boredom essentially the long and short of the answer. What's more, the cottage in question was the same location in which the original pilot Red Dwarf script was written... Having served as the warmup man on the show himself, Ian is interested in finding out more about the dynamic between being entrenched in the making of the show, and seeing the reactions of the audience when presented to them. "It's really strange," says Doug, "[on the earlier series] the only feedback you ever got - because it was before social media - was friends calling, and family calling, and that was it. And because I'm not an actor, nobody recognised us - so we got no feedback! "And then when the Fan Club came along, and said they wanted to form a club, we were like... really? Why? There are fans out there, they said. What, like ten of you? No, there's more than that! And obviously people were watching it, but you didn't really add one and one up." "There's a huge commitment on the Fan Club's part," says Ian, "that almost feels like a love affair. Kind of a symbiotic relationship?" "Yeah, I think that's right," replies Doug. "When UKTV resurrected it, that was because people watched the repeats. They wanted to do what appeared to be a little clip show, then I persuaded them to let me write some scripts for it. But the budget was so minute. But then again, because the figures were great, we were able to resurrect it for another series." "How does it feel to know that the show has that massive groundswell of support?" asks Ian. "Because I'm convinced that even if the show hadn't come back, this convention would still be happening now." "Absolutely," agrees Doug. Ian then swerves the conversation on to the upcoming Blu-rays, where Doug confirms the news of their release date being pushed back to January 2019 - and that there'll be 19 discs of content. But this also comes with a tale of some original model shot film reels being discovered on eBay, with it having transpired that they had been taken out of a skip! "How far ahead do you write the show?" asks Ian, to which Doug replies "always ahead of the recording of the show!" Elaborating a little further, he does admit that that can be "scarily near to the start of the show", but also that one of the strengths of Red Dwarf is that the cast "don't mind being given extra laugh lines up to the day before the record". Both agree that the honing of something based on what's gleaned during the actual recording sessions are to the benefit, rather than the detriment. "I have a whole bank of story ideas, and I dip into that depending on what I need," explains Doug, to the question of whether there's an ongoing Red Dwarf story in his head. "I hate the idea of a blank page - where I've got no ideas at all, but I have to just sit there and think of something. So I'd rather write something where I don't necessarily quite know where it's going, but I have a starting point - so I'm doing, say, a sleeping quarters scene where Lister's run out of water or something, and then even if I don't know where it's leading, at least I feel like I'm doing something." Doug further explains that individual episodes stem from a wide range of factors - from budget, to cast size, to effects availability, including the time that Back to Reality essentially came from the effects team requesting to try out a new way of shooting underwater footage. Turning over to the audience for questions, one fan begins by thanking Doug for "whatever part of your soul you've donated to Red Dwarf." "Just before you go on," replies Doug, "can I just say thanks to all you guys, and the amazing job the Fan Club have done - not just this weekend, but for years and years. Because without you, we wouldn't be able to make Red Dwarf, and we're humbled and grateful that we're still allowed to make it, and have been for the last thirty years. "And we've had loads of brilliant people and crews over the years, but I've also got to thank Rob, for all the work we did together for many years, and Paul Jackson who sold it, Peter Ridsdale-Scott in Manchester, who had the extraordinary insight that he believed it was going to be a hit, and Ed Bye, who did such a fantastic job across all those series. And of course the four main guys, who've been amazing, and Hattie, and Norman, and Chloë, and everyone else. I just want to thank all those people: thank you!" "He'll probably thank me in private later," adds Ian. On the question itself, Doug is asked if he had any inkling that the show would be something that could run for thirty years. "I thought it was going to be a much bigger hit than it was immediately," he replies. "But this was before we shot it, and before I saw the set! The deal was, it was going to look cool - if we were going to do sci-fi, it wasn't going to look like Blake's 7, it wasn't going to look cheap. And we spoke to Ed, and he said, it's going to look like a submarine. So I thought, fantastic, it'll be this fantastic grey submarine thing. Of course, I didn't realise that submarines looked like grey wood!" Ian then remarks how funny it is that a set that was initially disliked by the crew has now taken on such iconic status that during the filming of Skipper, there was huge excitement and emotion among the audience at seeing it again. Sadly, Ian goes on to explain, he himself rushed down to get a photo of the set after shooting only to find it had already been dismantled! "It was a strange situation," says Doug, "because I had to keep going to the set designer, Don't make it any better!" Doug is asked how he's overcome such issues as writer's block and self-doubt over the years. "I generally deal with them by not writing," replies Doug. "It's a really useful solution! One of the things you can't replicate is a deadline - a deadline where you know that if you don't write something, you're finished, totally humiliated, end of your career. It really forces you to write - because you either quit, or you do it. But it's hard to do that before you've broken in." "As for self-doubt, everyone has self-doubt. Willy Russell, the Liverpudlian playwright, he had incredible self-doubt - but he wrote hit play after hit play. In the end, he had those deadlines, and he had to write something, and he came out somehow." "Do you know in your head where Kochanski is?" Doug is asked - with Ian speculating over whether or not the fan in the crowd asking is actually Chloë Annett. "Yes I do," is the reply. "I'm not telling you, but I do know where she is!" The final question, aptly enough, concerns the future of the show. "We're working very, very hard to achieve that," says Doug. "But at the moment that's all I can say. UKTV have been amazing, they've been very supportive, and there's a huge energy to do it. And hopefully the issues that need to be resolved will be resolved soon." @DougRDNaylor Thanks for being gracious & lovely. Thank you for grinding thru long nights & innumerable obstacles to bring my favorite, fractured space fairy tale to life. Your legacy is an engine of endless joy. You have no idea how much it has moved me. #RedDwarf#DJXXpic.twitter.com/gmiEkt1BvD— ⓡⒺⓖⒶâ“�â’¿â“�â“Žâ“” (@ReganJaye) October 10, 2018 After such an epic set of Q&As, you could be forgiven for thinking that would be it for the day - but no, we're only at lunchtime. That means that some lucky fans get to head off for the weekend's first Coffee Lounge, in which those who managed to snaffle the limited number of tickets available to get to hang out with the day's guests in a more relaxed, informal environment. Each table gets a couple of guests, and after a few minutes at a time they rotate to the next one - it's kind of like speed dating, only with the stars of your favourite TV show. 'Just between us mechs...' #djxx#reddwarfpic.twitter.com/YhrSo4VtLn— Andrew Baker-Daley (@MagicBullet1985) October 6, 2018 Over the course of Saturday afternoon, the business is all about the autograph sessions - with several hours required to ensure that everyone with a ticket can get their personal items signed by every available guest. But for anyone not queuing for autographs at a given time, the DJ Olympics are taking place in the main hall. The Olympics have evolved over the years, with several fun carnival-style games inspired by the show offering attendees the opportunity to rack up the best score of the day and win a fabulous prize on Sunday. The new addition this year is a Siliconia -inspired grabber machine, which quickly attracts the longest queue in the room as players try to pick up lovely little 3D-printed models of Starbug, Lister, the Holly Hop Drive and more. Eventually, the autographs are done and the games have played their last. Which means, that when everyone's had the chance to go and have some dinner and get refreshed, it's time for... Saturday night.

I wrapped up 2018 and brought in the new year with a huge voyage featuring one of the most aggressive and jam-packed schedules that I’ve ever put together. Here’s a quick recap: Fun with Geography: The Path Geographically, this was one of the most interesting and complex routes I’d ever assembled. I’d start in Cairo and then head out of Africa, to Saudi Arabia, before swinging back into the African continent and making a big, U-shaped path, starting in the Northeast through Sudan and Eritrea, then heading south through Kenya and Somalia. Then it was west, into Chad, followed by a swoop further southwest, to cleanup a bunch of West African countries I’d yet to see: Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Benin. The left side of the “U” continued to build upward, as I headed back North through Niger and finally to the tip-top of Morocco. This is where the fun really began: taking the brand new Al Boraq high-speed rail from Rabat to Tangier. Next, I’d head to the Spanish territory (located in Morocco) of Ceuta, by taxi, where I’d spend New Year’s Eve. New Year’s day I’d jump continents by ferry—an hour journey crossing the straight of Gibraltar and landing in Algericas, Spain…suddenly I was in Europe! I’d tackle the Rock of Gibraltar before heading to Madrid by train for my final flight home. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (and Buses and Boats) All this, using planes, trains, buses, cars and boats…and miraculously, none of them were canceled or even delayed significantly. That in itself was a miracle. I got really, really lucky; for if just one flight would have canceled, the entire trip would have been disrupted, like dominoes, all crashing down at once. I was also blessed with amazing weather, though varying, the entire time! Not once was I rained out…this was especially fortunate, since part of my voyage was in Europe, in the winter. 1. Egypt (country 111) This stop goes into my Extreme Layovers category: I originally had a full day scheduled in Cairo to see the pyramids, but a last minute addition to my itinerary gave me just six hours in this majestic country. Nonetheless, I left the airport for a tour of the world famous Giza pyramids. One problem: it was still dark! FULL STORY HERE. 2. Saudi Arabia (country 112) Just months ago, it was one of the most difficult nations in the world to visit: The Saudis simply didn’t allow tourists to enter. But suddenly, they busted their front doors wide open to let visitors in for only for a special racing event. I figured I’d better go now, in case this was my only chance. Being part of the first group of tourists able to experience the country was awesome; I just wish I had longer to stay. FULL STORY HERE. 3. Sudan (113) Seeing the Meroë pyramids made up for me missing Cairo in the daylight. The expedition was just incredible and the timing was perfect, as protests to oust the president commenced a day after I left. FULL STORY HERE. 4. Eritrea (114) A serious contender for my favorite country in all of Africa, I was like a kid at Disneyland for the first time, as I experienced so much amazing Italian architecture from the early 1900s; most in great condition. I wandered for hours on end, navigating Asmara’s endless streets and corridors full of such interesting history, while the people smiled and waved. Great vibes here. FULL STORY HERE. 5. Somalia (repeat) While I’d been to the calmer autonomous region of Somaliland (Somalilanders don’t consider their region part of Somalia at all), Mogadishu was the real deal: where Black Hawk Down happened and the location of continued, common and countless suicide bombings. I stayed in a compound more secure than the Pentagon and only ventured outside briefly, inside an armored car and accompanied by a special ops security team of eight men and lots of big guns. Probably the most dangerous place I’ve ever visited. FULL STORY HERE. 6. Kenya (repeat) I had to overnight in Nairobi twice in order to make the Mogadishu trip happen. On my night in Kenya after Mogadishu I treated myself to an amazing massage as a reward for making it out of Somalia alive. It was one of the best I’ve ever had! FULL STORY HERE. 7. Chad (115) Chad seemed like a cool country, but photos weren’t allowed. Security was extra tight, as French President Macron was in town. The city was on high alert with soldiers on every corner. I liked Chad a lot—just wish I could have explored more freely. FULL STORY HERE. 8. Cameroon (116) This was the one stop that I didn’t enjoy. The city of Douala was hot, hazy and dirty; and the people looked pissed off and not very happy to see me. I don’t want to judge an entire country over one short stay in one city, but I couldn’t wait to leave. FULL STORY HERE. 9. Equatorial Guinea (117) Have you even heard of Equatorial Guinea? Probably not. I was really looking forward to this stop, because: 1) It’s such a small and unheard of nation, 2) It’s extremely tough to get a visa for Equatorial Guinea unless you’re American (I got lucky this time!), and, 3) They speak Spanish there! So bizarre, right?! I had a blast wandering the town, speaking Spanish with the residents and sneaking some quick photos, as pictures are also against the law here. FULL STORY HERE. 10. Gabon (118) Gabon was cool, and a significant upgrade from Cameroon (I had to travel back for an overnight in Cameroon after Equatorial Guinea). The modern and cosmopolitan seaside city of Libreville didn’t offer a ton to see and do, but was super chill and had a cool vibe. FULL STORY HERE. 11. Benin (119) The city of Cotonou turned up the fun on this trip big time! From an awesome stroll at what’s now my favorite market in Africa, to a visit to the incredible Ganvie water village, not only did I see cool things in Benin, but the people were absolutely wonderful and welcoming. I felt the love in Benin! FULL STORY HERE. 12. Niger (120) Sadly, the highlight of Niger was the bizarre but luxurious Chinese hotel that I stayed at—full of Chinese guests and even Chinese staff. Go figure! It was cool staying at such a nice hotel, but I couldn’t catch the vibe of Niger to save my life, and it wasn’t because of a lack of trying. A 3.5 hour road trip to see some giraffes wasn’t worth it and my city tour was anything but interesting. Sorry Niger. FULL STORY HERE. 13. Morocco (repeat) This was my third time in Morocco, and my best trip there yet! This time I stayed right in the heart of the Medina (walled city) of Rabat, before seeing Tangier, which was a whole different vibe. The energy and scenery of Morocco never disappoints. FULL STORY HERE. 14. Spanish Morocco (belongs to Spain) Who knew you could be in Spain and in Africa at the same time? Spanish Morocco consists of the autonomous cities of Melilla and Ceuta, which are exclaves of Morocco, physically on the continent of Africa. I spent New Year’s Eve in Ceuta, mystified by its beauty, and did my best to process the fact that I was in Spain and Africa all at once. I may or may have not eaten New Year’s dinner at a McDonald’s built like a stone castle. FULL STORY HERE. 15. Gibraltar (belongs to UK) Gibraltar was definitely one of the top three highlights of this trip. I’ve heard about the Rock of Gibraltar in history books, music and movies my entire life; now I was staring at it! The climb up and down did kick my butt, but it was worth it: mingling with the hundreds of friendly monkeys at the top of the rock was one of the neatest things I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. FULL STORY HERE. 16. Spain (repeat) I’d been to Barcelona, Vigo, and La Coruna; but this was my first time in Madrid, and it was a great choice for my flight home. Arriving by rail from Gibraltar, I’d spend the afternoon admiring monuments and phenomenal architecture while nibbling on some great Spanish food and even my favorite (and hard to find) American cereal. I’ll explain later. FULL STORY COMING SOON. I’m back home now, thankful for a fun, and most of all safe voyage. Over the next few weeks I’ll be rolling out individual blogs for each of the countries mentioned above; I hope you’ll check back! FUN FACT: I flew from San Diego to Cairo, and from Madrid back to San Diego, in business class, for FREE! Here’s info on how I fly for free. 22 thoughts on “22 days, 16 Countries, 4 Continents: December 2018 Trip Recap” Was so fun to follow your stories on your trip! Minor correction, though – The capital of Cameroon is actually Yaoundé. Douala is the largest city in the country, though, and main international port. 🙂 FIXED! Thank you so much!!! You are a rock star of energy! amazing all of the logistics worked out. And I feel the same way about Niamey. Safe travels in 2019! Loved your Niamey blog. Weird hotel. Mine’s coming soon, would love for you to read! Safe travels to you in 2019 and I hope we meet up soon! I saw so many Country Counters on this last trip, it was crazy! Great blog. Wow, very impressive. What a cultural ambassador you aren’t our own country. I wish more people would take on such adventures. I thought was well traveled. Not even close to what you have experienced. And you see the raw and painful aspects of the world. May God bless you on your cultural journey. Mónica. Thanks Monica! I appreciate your kind words and support. I hope you’ll explore more of this website–some pretty beautiful places in the world, especially some that many wouldn’t expect. Thanks for coming by! if it’s against the law to take photos…that would make me a bit nervous. What do they have to hide? Or maybe i’m just paranoid. Glad you are home safe. Yes. It usually has to do with security. Many of these nations are a little unstable. Between terrorism and a threat of a coup/overthrow, yes, they do seem to be a little paranoid…but probably for good reason. Pingback: (Kind of) Seeing the Pyramids in the Dark: An Adventurous Overnight Layover in Cairo – Ramblin' Randy Pingback: Open Sesame: Getting Into Saudi Arabia at Last! – Ramblin' Randy Pingback: Exploring Eritrea – Ramblin' Randy Pingback: Don’t Tell Mom I’m in Mogadishu – Ramblin' Randy Pingback: Kenya – Ramblin' Randy Pingback: Chad is Rad – Ramblin' Randy Pingback: Cameroon? You mean Camer-RUDE! – Ramblin' Randy Pingback: What the Heck is an Equatorial Guinea? – Ramblin' Randy Pingback: In the Zone: Gabon – Ramblin' Randy Pingback: Let’s Go to Cotonou! 24 Hours in Benin – Ramblin' Randy Pingback: Niger with Attitude – Ramblin' Randy

- . If there was ever a time when public education needed defenders, it's now. If there was a day when teachers needed support, it's today. The great American experiment of a free public education for all children—rich and poor, black and white, fluent y todavia aprendiendo, children like yours and mine—is under attack, but this experiment is safe with us. Texas public schools will still be here for our grandchildren's children, if only because you and I will redouble our efforts to defend them from the whims of politicians and tycoons. Some people love to point to our highest-funded schools and say "Look how much we spend!" then point to our lowest-funded schools in order to say "Look how poorly they perform." It's an effective rhetorical trick that fools the mistrustful, but the truth is that when Texas distributes educational resources inequitably, average spending means nothing. Our average spending doesn’t enlighten: it obfuscates, it hides our unjustifiable spending gaps. Public education must not take the blame for this relentless inequity that has been a hallmark of Texas education for too long, for our nationwide sin of concentrating have-nots in one class of schools and concentrating our dollars disproportionately in another. Teachers didn't create inequity; politicians did. Teachers are working hard to overcome the academic corrosion of statutory unfairness. Justice today cries out, but it doesn't cry out for school vouchers or opportunity scholarships. It cries out for actual opportunity. Justice cries out for urban and rural schoolchildren to no longer be funded like second-class citizens in the state of Texas. We can't have uniform expectations for achievement without uniform expectations for funding. Low-funded schools are far more likely to be low-performing than high-funded schools. Kids don't need to find a way out of failing schools—love needs to find a way in! Adequate school funding needs to make its way out of our tree-lined suburbs where our schools are succeeding and shower its multi-generational blessings on less fortunate children in zip codes where property values are limited but children's potential is not. There is a simple experiment some math mind could easily do. For each five hundred dollars of per pupil spending across Texas's inequitable Target Revenue scale, calculate the probability that a majority of that school's children will succeed on a given objective measure of academic achievement. I invite the data divas to run these calculations and let us know: what is the mathematical likelihood that a student in a Texas school with a Target Revenue of $4000 will outperform a student in a Texas school with a Target Revenue of $8000 on the STAAR test? See, I don't object to accountability; I object passionately to our habit of gleefully marshalling accountability for the condemnation of poor instruction and then cynically holding it back from condemning our unjust funding mechanics. I choose to believe that justice is not yet dead in Texas. I believe that our pride and our faith in a just Heaven above will not let us much longer tolerate unequal treatment of beautiful children with futures before them that need nothing more than a guarantee from brave Texans that more promising tomorrows for them will see the light day. Now is not the time for the fake, cheap justice of school vouchers. Now is the time for the genuine justice of adequately and equitably funding the public schools in our toughest neighborhoods and our poorest farm towns—schools owned by Texas, operated by local, democratically-elected officials in the name of Texas. Now is the time to make sure these beacons of the Lone Star spirit shine brightly, even in the most forlorn corners of our state. Now is the time to keep the promises we made in our constitution, promises to every Texan, red and yellow, black and white. They ARE precious, they ARE equally created and wondrously formed, and these children deserve nothing less than an adequate investment in their potential. The state of Texas and its leaders must follow the example of our Maker and shower all children with a love that does not account for who their parents are or what side of the tracks they're from. It's been said that the character of a people is shown best in how they treat their children. The public school in the inner city is the clearest snapshot there is of who we are as Texans. Will we invest in the needy as much as or more than we invest in those who come from plenty? The disheartening answer so far during my lifetime has been a resounding "No, we don't have it in us." Session after session, our leaders flail and ultimately punt on dealing with the wildfire of inequity that consumes thousands of children every year, the fire that is continually burning, continually turning futures to ash. Bad teachers aren't the culprit that is destroying the fabric of Texas society; indefensible policy is. And it is in our power to stop it. We need balm in our slums, along our border, and in our fading farm towns; but the balm isn't free. Yet every time we speak of need, the reply is, "Throwing money at the problem won't help." Well, neither will taking money away from the problem. (And if money doesn't help, then why are we giving tax breaks to job creators?) The tragic thing is we throw less money at our problem schools than we do at the gleaming exemplars in our suburbs. Sadly, this disingenuous philosophy has led the most hard-hearted among us to conclude that if money doesn’t matter, then neither do fairness and equity. Money doesn’t matter, they seem to believe, so why not let wealthy Texans have more of it in their public schools? Because it’s morally wrong, that’s why, and because it harms our state's future by forming an intergenerational army of the cheaper-educated and less-well-prepared. "Throwing money," they sneer, as if these beautiful children are beggars kneeling in the street asking for a pittance. The politicians need to understand that we, the regular Texans who raise and educate our kids here, don't want anyone to throw their precious money at anything. We want them—want all of us together as Texans—to invest. Invest in children. Invest in their futures, because their future is OUR future. Invest, politician, like the people of Texas invested in you, when they paid for your education back before it was trendy to despise schoolteachers. I know you are scared to tell your supporters hard truths like 'you get what you pay for' in education. I know you are scared not to sing the lobbyist-approved canticles from the orthodox hymnbook of disinvestment in people. But if you don't maintain the tractor, it breaks down. The future of Texas demands the balm of a quality education for all children. Paying a reasonable amount of taxes in order to educate other people’s children is my glad patriotic duty; it is my happy repayment to a state that has been good to me, my willing investment in its bright tomorrows. For two years a growing army of regular people have fought against a Trojan horse of testing-and-labeling, fought against the weaponized data of children parsed primarily to erode people's faith in public education, assembled in the harshest light possible to prime the pump in an effort to convert a public service into a lucrative private enterprise. This system has worked poorly for improving schools, but it has worked quite well for its true, diabolical purpose. But in Texas some are finally fighting against the pretend science of accountability; fighting and winning. They will continue their fight, I predict. They will reject gimmicks; they will throw out the money changers from our temples of learning: they will chase away the test proliferators and accountability finaglers. They will tell them to take their disingenuous numbers games and their data-driven destruction back to Enron. Today’s education defenders have claimed the proud mantle of Mirabeau B. Lamar and are even now telling the politicians loudly and constantly that Texas demands a free, high-quality public education for ALL the children in this state. These proud and loud Texans were heard when they raised a hue and cry and called and spoke and wrote about testing over the past two years. Maybe they’ll also be heard when they say that when there's a school that's failing, the answer is not to walk away from it. The answer is to rush toward it, to race in with master teachers and administrators and programs and resources, not with reams of paperwork and the ‘crack of a distant whip.’ Rush in with healers inside and outside the school. Texas should view a school with low test scores not simplistically as an indictment of a teaching staff but rather as a symptom of a community in crisis. A struggling school is the outward sign of our undiagnosed social trauma. What better early warning system do we have that something has gone wrong, that families and children are struggling, than a troubled school? We should respond with overwhelming support, not overwhelming blame. We shouldn’t tout shiny lifeboats of choice for 5% of our kids while the masses sink in public schools we've opted not to support equitably. We should confess here and now that we have funded certain schools—the schools of our poor, to be honest, where common-sense tells us we should be investing more—with less money for many, many years. We've reflexively blamed our funding unfairness on the imperfection of property taxes instead of on these callouses on our hearts. The truth is that we could have funded these schools equitably at any time, and we chose not to. We chose instead to threaten them with labels like ‘low-performing.’ Based on our sad tradition of blatant scholastic injustice, we are the ones who deserve an unkind label. A politician should never get away with underfunding a school, then calling it low-performing, and then giving it away. This pattern is a still photo of a state running away from its constitutional obligations. We must not allow today's schemers to break our forefather's promises. This product of our forefather's wisdom, generosity, and courage—schools owned and operated by local communities, and open to children of all colors and all creeds—must not wither on our watch. This life may tear us here in Texas in two, as our conservative roots grow deep in the ground and make us strong and resolute, and our progressive branches reach up to the heavens and make us tender and hopeful. Let us be both, demanding rigor but not forgetting relationships; expecting achievement, but not sacrificing community in order to get it. Our Friday night lights and our hundred year old school mascots are touchstones of community; they must be defended from the bulldozers of efficiency that have been loosed by ambitious politicians. Finally, let us admit once and for all that the unmentionable favoritism behind Target Revenue's unequal treatment of God's children is offensive to Him. If we don't confront this blatant inequity in our lifetimes, it will surely mar the way we're remembered in our grandchildren's history books. If you enjoyed reading this article by John Kuhn, don't forget to register for our annual conference where he will be the Keynote Speaker!

[ < < previous | index | next >> ] We're having a short break after a morning spent walking down to the Larcomar Entertainment Centre at the west end of Avenue Jose Larcos - the opposite direction to the way we went yesterday. This is a large complex of shops, cinemas, video game arcades, restaurants, and other amusements on the cliff top overlooking the rocky beach and ocean far below. We took some photos of the mist on the sea, then browsed the shops for a while. Later the mist cleared enough to barely make out the horizon and a stretch of coast to the south appeared, curbing around to an imposing headland with an enormous hill of exposed rock and dirt on it. The hill dwarfed the houses which clung to its lower flanks. The really amazing thing was how bare it was, with not a single bit of vegetation visible on it. After spending an hour or two there, we walked the few blocks back to our hotel. The plan is to go soon to get a simple lunch of bread, salad, and fruit from the supermarket, then pick up our laundry and wait for the beginning of the tour meeting at 14:00. For breakfast today we began with our first malaria tablet, since we head into the Amazon jungle tomorrow. We washed it down with cereal, yoghurt, bread, and fruit. We've just gone to get some bread rolls, cheese, more water, and some plantain chips. We ate simple sandwiches in a small mall near the supermarket, fending off pigeons as we sat on the bench. We got dark rye rolls, which were good, and wholemeal rolls, which were very crunchy and not as good. I don't know what sort of cheese it was, but it came in 7 or 8 slices for 5 soles - it was nice. We also got some small biscuit-like rolls, which M. declared almondy and good - I'm saving mine for later. Walking back to the hotel, we popped in at the laundry to pick up our clothes. It was just before 13:00 and our receipt said to pick up at 13:00. I figured it would be ready, but the guy said, "Cinco minutos!" So we waited a bit and the clothes came out still hot, so I guess when the ticket said 13:00, it really meant 13:00. At the hotel, we bumped into Edwin again - he remembered our laundry and commented on the bag we were carrying, "You have clean clothes now!" He asked if all had gone well yesterday and if we'd enjoyed the Museo de Oro. We said yes and thanked him again for his help. It's been an action-packed afternoon! We went down to the lobby around 13:30 to meet our tour group and leader. We were a bit early for the 14:00 meeting and met some other early-birds beforehand. Our guide, Alejandrina, arrived and assembled us in the restaurant for the introductory talk. Our group is 12 people: me and M., Zaina and Zeeshan (young sisters from Sydney), Andrew (a hockey player, also from Sydney), Lyn and Gary (from London), Phan and Jian (from Kuala Lumpur, mother and son), Dan-yi (a.k.a. Olivia, from Vancouver, originally China), and Laura and Kim from Halifax. We actually found out over dinner later, Zaina lives in Wollstonecraft, just a few streets from us! Amazingly enough, not a single American in our tour group again. The meeting went for about 1.5 hours, with Alejandrina explaining everything we'd be doing, then going over safety precautions in detail. She is a native Quechua-speaking Inca descendent from Cusco, working her dream job as a tour guide - she told us quite a bit of her life story and asked us to call her Ale ("Allie"). At 15:45, we assembled for a taxi trip into central Lima. Ale negotiated prices with drivers she hailed on the street and piled us four to a cab, instructing the drivers to drop us off at the catacombs of San Francisco. Twenty minutes later we discovered that the centre of Lima had been blocked off to all traffic and our driver wanted to let us out with a burst of Spanish, of which the only word I understood was "dos", and I guessed he meant the catacombs were two blocks away and we would have to walk. Nobody else in our cab spoke a word of Spanish, so there was nothing for it but to pile out and begin walking. We were with Lyn and Gary, and we discovered that the reason for the street closure was that Good Friday services were in progress and the streets were packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people! We realised finding the catacombs would be the easy part - what would be harder would be finding the other members of our tour group, who would be arriving in two or three other taxis and be dropped off somewhere a few blocks from our designated meeting spot, and most of whom spoke no Spanish whatsoever. After asking a couple of police/security guys, we successfully located the entrance to the catacombs, though the last guy was initially insistent on telling us that they weren't open today, rather than where it actually was. The entrance was inside the courtyard of a large church - the Basilica de San Francisco - which was thronging with people. We staked out a position, then I went for a walk around the area to try to spot any of our other group members. Miraculously, I found Laura and Kim, and Phan and Jian, then went to retrieve M. and Lyn and Gary, so we could wait outside the churchyard, where it was a bit less crowded. With no other real option, we just waited there with our eyes peeled for a few minutes until Ale appeared and exclaimed how good we were to have found the catacombs. She'd left the others back where the taxis had dropped us off, and took us back there so we were finally all reunited. Ale then led us to the Plaza Mayor - the central square of Lima. This was packed even more densely with people, all facing the main cathedral which fronted the square. A couple of minutes after we'd arrived, cheering broke out and we looked to see a large gold and wood icon or reliquary appearing on the steps of the Cathedral of Lima, being carried out of the doors. It was an amazing spectacle and we were fortunate to be in the city at exactly the right time and day of the year to see it: Good Friday in a strongly Catholic country. We made our way slowly across the middle of the square, keeping careful eyes on one another to avoid getting separated in the pulsing crowd. Somehow we managed it, reaching the far corner where a procession of idols and a large reliquary was slowly making its way on a circuit of the square. We crossed behind this and walked along a street until we emerged at an open area beside the Rímac River, with a wide concrete footbridge across it (the Puente de Piedra). Ale said not to cross the bridge, as the far side was a very bad neighbourhood (Rímac) and we would probably return with no clothes! Above this dangerous area rose a large hill, the highest point in Lima - it was bare and brown, with nothing growing on it but clusters of houses on the lower flanks. Near here were numerous street vendors selling various sweets. Ale had said that tradition demands worshippers eat a special series of items on Good Friday - six different savoury dishes followed by six different sweet dishes. The vendors provided a wide selection to satisfy this need amongst the thousands of people. We found a vendor selling arroz con leche, rice with milk, and arroz zambito, the same with brown sugar plus a thick goopy fruit jelly substance that was dark red in colour. We tried all of them within our group at a cost of 1.50 soles a cup. I had the brown sugar rice and tried a bit of Phan's jelly. It was all pretty good. That done, we walked through the crowded streets again to Plaza San Martín, where we entered El Bolivarcito - the "Cathedral of Pisco" - a fancy looking bar tiled with marble to get some drinks. Ale said we needed to try the pisco sours, which came in two sizes - Classico, which was a smallish glass, and Catedrale, which was a large cocktail glass that held maybe a bit more than two Classicos. Most of us ordered Classicos, except Jian who got a Catedrale, one of the Z. girls who just had water, and Laura and Kim who said their heads were still hurting from ones they had at lunch and got beers instead. This pisco sour was much, much stronger than the one I'd had at Luigi's two nights ago. Ale said the tradition is to tip some of your drink on the ground for Mother Earth first, however this place was fancy enough, with marble floors, that we weren't allowed to do it. After finishing as much of our drinks as we could manage, we left to get taxis back to Parque Kennedy for dinner. Ale hailed and negotiated prices with them, but the second one she hailed ended up running afoul of a transit police officer, who was ushering traffic along and was not happy with the taxi stopping to pick up passengers. The officer even checked the driver's licence. After that, no taxis would stop for us there, so Ale walked the four remaining members of our group 20 metres or so - enough to be away from the transit police - and stopped a cab there. She was deep in arguing a price with the driver when a cop saw us and there was a burst of furious Spanish between Ale and the driver and then she said, "Everyone in! Quickly!" We piled in, including Ale, making a squashy four in the back seat, and the driver quickly sped off before the cop could stop him. At Parque Kennedy, we reassembled again, with little drama this time, and walked the short distance to one of the restaurants behind the main church there. There we had our first group dinner, covered in the cost of the tour. The waiter brought complimentary pisco sours(!), smaller than the Classicos earlier and not as strong. Ale suggested trying either the ceviche or tacu-tacu con marisco, being both seafood, since we were near the coast, and specialties of Peru. I tried the tacu-tacu, M. got some spinach ravioli, and Zeshaan actually tried a dish with alpaca meat. She let me try some, and it was a bit gamey like venison - nice. The tacu tacu was good, a mix of seafood in a slightly spicy sauce, served with rice and beans, mixed together and served in a moulded shape of a fish. Following this, several of us had dessert, some of the others had crepes or cake, while I had a sundae which was okay - average ice cream really. After dinner we walked back to our hotel, stopping for a few minutes at the supermarket to let some people buy water, then it was straight to the hotel to sleep for about seven hours before an early start to get our flight to Puerto Maldonado tomorrow. [ < < previous | index | next >> ]

Tasmota Ready Smart Home Devices - No flashing and without the Cloud! (Don't forget the 30% coupon code towards the end of this post!) UPDATE 2020/11/01 - Notice posted on their website: Notice: The product purchased ealier than 20th Oct are 2m bin which is not compaitble wih official Tasmota OTA server. After 20th Oct 2020, the product changed to standard 1m bin and fully compatible with official Tasmota OTA server You heard correctly. No flashing, no jumper wires, no soldering, no Tuya Convert, etc., take the smart bulb, switch, plug, etc., out of the box, plug it in and it is ready to go! The device will be in access point mode ready to add to your Wi-Fi network. ESPHome users can easily apply their own configuration to use them as well! But why do we need this? Can't we just flash our own devices? Absolutely! If you have the skills and know how to flash the all of your devices then this might not be for you. Do you just want something ready to go? Keep reading, more and more smart home devices such as Smart Bulbs and Smart Plugs are almost impossible to flash via soldering/jig methods due to the pins not being accessible. Then let's not forget, many smart devices have moved to RTL based chipsets that can't be flashed with Tasmota/ESPHome at all. A company name ATHOM Technology is bringing several devices to the table to help break down the barriers of having a true smart home that isn't dependent on the cloud and possibly some company selling your data. It reminds me of the exciting times where we could first start buying computers with Linux installed and didn't have to pay for the Windows license! I've looked at several of the products in this run and while one glaring issue I have upfront is the lack of open pin headers like you might see on a Shelly1 switch, you do have to keep in mind that things will only get better as hardware runs continue to improve and we voice our opinions with the company. With that said, I was pleasantly surprised with the RGB+CCT (5 channel color) smart bulb brightness. I do plan on doing a full review video of several of them but I have been delayed in my schedule with the current Hurricane Laura recovery efforts. Instead of wasting more time for the ones that want to check this out right now, I'm doing this blog post to share a coupon code for 30% off on their store at just put in DIGIBLURDIY as the promo code. UPDATE: There are only 100 coupons available, once I get confirmation they are done, I'll edit this post. Stay tuned to the digiblurDIY YouTube channel.... Upgrade procedures to the latest Tasmota (if you have a 2M or 4M flash-thanks @BigChief) . Go to the console and issue reset 5 template 255 Copy this template to a temporary location then issue this command: Module 19 Go ahead and upload the latest tasmota.gz file or tasmota-lite.gz file via the firmware upgrade button in the GUI. Do not use minimal. This is always the last resort file to use and isn't needed here. Once it is upgraded go back to the console and issue Reset 5 Apply your template again from above. thanks for the discount... I bought 2 light switches, but I couldn't tell if they are std decora size, do you know? Yes, the regular switches fit in decora faceplates. Just got my switches and I can confirm they do not fit anything std decora... What 'regular switches are you referring to? I thought these that you mentioned would fit, but they are in no way adaptable for the decora switches.. I don't see anything else I could buy that would be different? Did you buy these? if so, can you tell me the model number or something?.. I am kinda depressed, it was a good buy until they arrived and now I can't use them. Did you buy the Decora or the glass ones? to finalize this in case someone else ever reads this, I bought the EU version, so that is why they don't fit. The description never said EU anywhere and I assumed they would fit here in US but they did not. Very cool! I picked up a few of the bulbs since my skills are not that great to disassemble and flash them like unlike other things. Sounds like the brightness is decent. Ordered a 4-pack. Looking forward to the your video. I don't mind flashing but wire, but bulbs can be a challenge. Easier this way and support thier open-source approach. Win-win in my mind. Are they anything to do with ATHOM as in homey - athom.com? If they are.. thats odd that they are promoting local only since they went cloud only last year on the Homey device.. but then this looks like a rip off their name Looks like different names according to the websites - Athom B.V. vs ATHOM technology co.,ltd Caution about upgrading to the latest Tasmota, at least with the bulbs. I got mine and they are very decent and bright, although they say 600lm they compare or are better than a couple of 810lm I have (or I have crappy bulbs - haha). I followed the steps above to attempt to get it to the "full" Tasmota and appear to have bricked one. All it does is flash on and off despite setting it to generic (19) before uploading the tasmota.bin.gz. Not willing to try the other, but may open this one up for a wire flash to try and recover it. Edit, I was able to fast-power-cycle recover it! It is on the latest Tasmota too. I'm a little wary of doing the second one still, but my confidence is a bit higher now. Awesome job! Yes I too was impressed by the little bulb. They were supposed to fix that 1meg flash issue. Glad to hear the power recovery works! Thanks for sharing! "Athom" as a company name is already trademarked by Athom B.V. who is famous for making their "Homey" home automation hub. Very cliche of a Chinese company simply copying the name of an existing company already famous in the home automation market. They should expect a cease and desist letter ordering them to stop using the "Athom" as soon as Athom B.V. finds out. Looks like they are different according to each others websites. Pretty close though. Athom B.V. vs ATHOM technology co.,ltd This is great! Tasmota is becoming mainstream! Are these switches capable of dimming? No, I haven't seen a dimmer yet. I hate be the dumb one here but can anyone point me to an example lights.yaml for getting the colors to work for this bulb. I've only ever used the Wyze bulbs in HA. Just to let everyone know my experience with this company is very bad and I would not recommend them at all. They were very bad in negotiating a replacement when they had poor descriptions of items I bought. I would rather just put Tasmota on myself than deal with them. Teach us which bulbs to use and how to do it to drive the point home. if you are talking to me, I don't know why... I was placing a general reply here about the company... You said, " I would rather just put Tasmota on myself than deal with them." So I thought you might know how to put Tasmota on some other bulb. Maybe something that's easier to deal with. I know the 60watt Lohas bulbs are still doable via Tuya-convert. @digiblueDIY Can you show how to get the bulb setup in HomeAssistant ? From my earlier comment, "I hate be the dumb one here but can anyone point me to an example lights.yaml for getting the colors to work for this bulb. I've only ever used the Wyze bulbs in HA." Add it to mqtt and then run auto discovery with the setoption19 1 command on the console. I know this is an old post now, but I just got 2 of Athom's new 15W RGB bulbs. They are really bright, obviously more so the whites than the colors, but wow. The diffuser is also much bigger than a standard bulb which I think helps with the light brightness, so beware. It is probably close to a G40 you'd have in a bathroom fixture. But, it does still fit in our standard table lamps that use hasps. No more special tricks to flash their stuff to stock Tasmota either, just click Firmware Upgrade and you'll get the latest right from the repository (same with their 7W bulbs which I got 4 of). They are probably worth a mention on the next livestream. I also have two of the new ones and yes, I did want to do a little video/stream on them as they fixed all the issues they had. Glad to see they listened, and even did the little start up test on the bulbs. Very nice! Athom devices are very conveniente and affordable. Recommended I'm looking to get some of the Athom 15w bulbs, but I can't find them. Do you know if they stopped making them, or if they're just out of stock. Thanks! Looks like they are just out of stock on AliExpress. Yep, out of stock, logistics issues like with all electronics right now. I was trying to flash a sonoff bridge 433 with Tasmota and by mistake I erase the board .Now I 'm trying to flash and nothing works .Any idea how to solve? Rgds Flash the full Tasmota.bin file on it.

History & Rumors The tape has made the rounds, passed from the hands of one vampire to another, spread by nomads the length and breadth of the United States. It’s thankfully grainy, the green and white of a cop car’s front video camera. Even if you don’t know what you’re seeing, it’s alarming. It starts out as a standard State Trooper stop, though the guy who does the approach seems pretty cautious, pretty nervous. He gets up to the truck, starts talking, and then his whole posture changes. It’s a little bit of a jump, like you do when you’re startled — a double take, like when you see something but can’t make sense of it. There’s a physical stutter, the fumbling and uncertainty that happens when a brain is trying to figure out five things at once while the body insists on doing something Eventually, the training wins out and he goes for the gun, but too late. Something black comes out the window, blurry in bad light and low resolution, a smear of pixels. Then you see the trooper’s striped pants legs kicking as the whole top of his body gets pulled into the truck window. His gun’s in his hand and it goes off into the blacktop, but his biceps are pinned and he can’t bring it to bear. His partner bolts for the truck, moving in and out of the frame, ending up out, off on the passenger side. The kicking legs stop. You just see muzzle flashes, the whole screen whiting out three times and then that black blur comes out the passenger side. You can freeze it, you can blow it up, you can try all your video lab resolution tricks, but nothing’s doing. It’s a shadow on a low-res videotape. It goes toward the shooting gun, and then there’s not much happening for what seems like a long, long time. (Forty-two seconds, in fact.) At last, the climax. A woman swaggers back to the truck — black jeans, black duster or jacket with silver medallions, black cowboy boots and hat over long black hair. There’s no color in the image, but somehow you just know everything’s black. You don’t see her face — her hair sweeps in to hide it and the camera’s too far anyhow. The body moves with arrogant grace, swinging an ass you could bounce a quarter off, and yet… when she reaches out to haul herself into the open passenger-side door, the arm doesn’t move quite right. There’s plenty of power, from the ease with which she swings up and shoves the dead first trooper out the window, but the arm was… too short, oddly proportioned or stiff or something. The troopers were responding to a report that a woman had assaulted a man and stolen his pickup truck. When the two cops were found, they were dead. The first’s throat was torn out, presumably by something with a point but no edge, like an icepick or a cargo hook. He’s assumed to have bled out on the floor mat of the stolen truck. The second suffered acrushing blow to his pistol arm and one to his ribcage. Thecoroner’s report speculates that he died of shock, since the blood loss from the stab wound under his sternum was all postmortem. One queer thing: a quantity of crow feathers were found, clutched in the second Trooper’s left hand. The Kindred know what happened, of course. The Unholy happened. Since apocryphal tales of her “first appearance,” Princes have called blood hunts on her. Smart tyrants try to keep track of her the way mortals track hurricanes. It’s good to anticipate its arrival, not because you can stop it or fight, but because you can hunker down. She’s not a perfect enigma, of course. No one who’s piqued the curiosity of so many Mekhet and Nosferatu could keep everything hidden. Her clan (Gangrel) is known, and a few of her childer have been identified. In 1983 she visited a Carthian court, politely introduced herself to the Prince and behaved herself for the two weeks she was there — seeming not to notice when the local Auspex expert found pretexts to handle her property. They didn’t learn much that way anyhow. They were able to confirm that her disfigurements are severe, though apparently limited to her arms. In 1891 she even got her mind read, though the elder who did it went torpid without fully explaining what he saw; his coded notes on the subject were stolen in 1927. Carthian historians can show you a picture from 1859, a woman named Amelia Dunwood who suddenly departed for the western states early in the Civil War and promptly vanished from all record. Their theory, that Dunwood was a spy dispatched to keep California from entering the war in any meaningful way, seems pretty solid. Their assertion that she was Embraced and became the Unholy seems less of a sure thing. The Lancea Sanctum, on the other hand, insists that the Unholy was Embraced at least a hundred years before Honest Abe Lincoln was even a gleam in his daddy’s eye. They have evidence (or they say they have evidence, though you have to be pretty high up in the hierarchy to see it or even hear what it is) that she was a native shaman with a Raven spirit as her totem. The Ordo Dracul believes much the same thing, only their twist is that (like Tepes) she was personally cursed and is a fundamental, non-Embraced vampire. Even less plausible to mortal ears is the Circle theory that she was once an actual crow, turned human by the Black Arts and then Embraced. Her avian mutations are the result of her unspoiled animal spirit trying to throw off a curse intended for humankind. Oh, and they insist that she was Embraced long before the white men ever arrived in the Americas. As for the Invictus, they don’t really give a damn who she was and where she came from. If she’s too crazy to remember that stuff, it doesn’t provide any kind of hold over her. They’d like her eliminated, but until they can harness a pack of Lupines or an Abrams tank for the job, they’re happy to just appease her, deflect her and try to do damage control. Her fellow wanderers? They know a little more about her and a little less. They know she likes cocaine, that she carries a pair of pearl-handled revolvers she can’t shoot any more, they know she hunts alone but sometimes shows up for the last night of a rally. They know that she drinks human blood solely for the fun of it, and that a vampire who submits meekly to her fangs will not be killed — usually. The wiser nomads reckon she’s found Golconda, that she is perfectly at peace with her damnation. The younger among them shudder at what this implies. (Vampire: the Requiem - Nomads pg 109-111) Description: The Unholy cuts a tall figure. She’s 5’10” in cowboy boots, but she seems taller. She’s slender — shapely from the collarbones down — but she seems huge, like she fills up the whole room. She dresses like a cowboy. Not like someone who’s following country western fashion, she dresses like someone who rides horses and punches cattle for a living — worn, faded jeans, practical pointy-toed boots with just a little bit of flair around the stitching, a denim shirt under a jacket that’s leather or Levis. The black hat, always. Her arms are deformed along avian lines. They’re slender and crook in the wrong places and her hands have shrunken into claws. She can handle simple tools, but anything that really demands an opposable thumb or a stable grip is going to give her trouble. The undersides of her arms and the tops of her forearms sport scrofulous black feathers. The feathers growing in her hair are better formed and glossier. With some beads, they almost look decorative. (Vampire: the Requiem - Nomads pg 109-111) Clan: Gangrel Sire: Unknown Covenant: Unknown Bloodline: You'll have to ask her if you can Location: Nomad Status: Unknown Titles: Unknown Status: Unknown Coteries: Unknown Lineage Childer * Exodus Celestine - Deceased * Luther "Lou" Garvey - Deceased Grandchilder * Dallas - Deceased * Raven - Deceased * Bartholomew "Bat" Reynolds * Dominion * Amalie Shirley * Rose Nevar * Many… Great-Grandchilder * Derek Riven * Vincent Celestine * Kyle Yamashiro - Deceased * Rico Barbosa * Roderick Maxwell Stahl - Deceased * Sarah "Hope" O'Neally * Chilli * Lena * Many… Rumors (Feel free to add whatever you've heard from the rumor mill about The Unholy to this section of the wiki.) * The Unholy is a rampant diablerist. * The Unholy loves bunnies. * The Unholy hunts down diablerists amongst the Gangrel. * She has sired a number of childer, though one of them is anathema to the rest and has been hunted a number of times. * She is or once was Anoushka, bride of Vlad Tepes. * The Unholy has a secret master known as 'The Holy' * The Unholy was once a traveling companion of a war monger named Kolinkar, though a dispute over the spoils split the two up and they have been fighting ever since. * Rumor has it she has the ability to force the use of Protean in Gangrel. * Rumor has it the Unholy has a plan for the Ravenscarred. * Is said to be very fond of Rose Nevar, having gone so far as to have spared her life on numerous occassions. * Parnellia Perkins was destroyed at the Unholy's claws. * It is said The Unholy has been seeking out Timothy Dacey from Seattle for reasons unknown. A few speculate there is something about him that intersts her or intrigues her. * The Kreisler followed the Unholy to a Gangrel gathering to document her outfit. * When it is time to have the "Painter's In" it's time to get out of any city that the Unholy is even rumoured to have been in. * Ask the Unholy how to make a 'Holy Bartender' … * Rumored to have killed Leoninus and desecrated the Lancea Church he was in. * Is allegedly being hunted by Cardinal Valeron Mayne Belotto… * It's rumored that a small sect of European Kindred worship the Unholy as a living Goddess… * The Gangrel of Tampa FL celebrate January 12 as The Unholy's brithday, the second most important date on the gangrel calendar * The Unholy ran afoul of Jazz one night. They watched a movie and played some checkers. * The Unholy has only ever been forced to flee from combat by two individuals: Urvi and Dr James BuffaloRun * Diablerized her childe Exodus Celestine and his Childe Raven the alternate account of the story is that she ripped them limb from limb and ate their flesh. Either way its horrifying. * Rose Nevar has looked through The Unholy's eyes, what she saw there she keeps to herself. Soundtrack Love Song For A Vampire by Anne Lennox

V? Ivanchuk just won the strong Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, conceding only two draws to finish on 9/10 with a 2968 performance. The win moves the brilliant but erratic Ukrainian grandmaster into 5th place on the live chess rating list. Before the event began Ivanchuk was interviewed by Danilo Mokrik for Zaxid.net, and gave a frank and charming insight into his chess career and life. Although we’ve always guessed, for instance, that Ivanchuk is fanatical about chess and struggles with nerves, it’s a thrill to hear his own take on the situation. He reveals his continuing ambitions, and… well, only Ivanchuk could answer a question about the computerisation of chess by revealing how he became addicted to on-line checkers! Vassily Ivanchuk: I can still become World Champion in classical chess For more than 20 years now you’ve been in the absolute elite of world chess. During that time many of the players from your generation – and even those younger than you – have lost their place and been overshadowed, but you’ve held on at the top. What’s the secret? Maybe it’s the fact that I still retain a great interest in chess – an interest at the level of fanaticism. I still find it interesting to sit and examine games, learn new openings and endeavour better to understand the peculiarities of my opponents’ styles. I still have the desire to fight, and perhaps ambitions that haven’t quite been satisfied. So I still feel I have the motivation I need to get ready again and again for a serious struggle. Despite the fact that you’re no longer among the youngest of chess players, you still play a lot – no less than many of your younger colleagues. Don’t you get tired? To. So now you’re giving yourself a little more time to rest? Yes, a little more, but that isn’t always beneficial. It matters what you do instead of playing. I feel the need for active recreation – I’ve even thought about buying myself skates and going ice-skating, and spending more time in the fresh air. There are still lots of beautiful places in Western Ukraine that I haven’t been to, like Morshin and Bukovel. I want, somehow, to spend my time more actively. So how do you maintain your physical shape? That’s also important for a chess player… When it’s warmer I play tennis. Otherwise I exercise, and sometimes go to the gym, though unfortunately not that often. I’m going to try to do that more frequently. I feel it’s necessary. And how much time do you find to spend on chess? It’s hard to say, because chess, and the way you train for it, is quite unusual. For example, it’s not even obligatory to sit at a computer or a chessboard.. How do you feel about the fact that many chess players and commentators call you a genius? It’s hard to say how I feel… Sometimes, perhaps, it gives me an extra incentive to put in more work, but at other times, as they say, success goes to your head. Then you don’t always objectively accept defeats, but instead think, “How’s that possible? How could I make such bad moves?” and I’m not always able to recover quickly. In fact it’s not only about the games themselves, but also the time between games. For me the big problem is the latter – waiting, getting butterflies in your stomach, expectation and nerves. For that reason, perhaps, it’s better for me to play in rapid chess tournaments which end after a day or two: you play 26 blitz games in one day, and that’s it – you can forget about it, like a nightmare, and start something else. But not all tournaments are arranged like that, and I also want to play classical chess – which means you have to prepare and withstand the tension between games. It’s particularly difficult when the tournament’s an important one, and it’s not going as well as you’d like. In general, do you have any particular ways in which you warm up for events? For example, the Olympic Shooting Champion Oleksandr Petriv revealed in an interview that he warmed up for the Olympic events with the help of a CD of UPA songs. (Translator’s note: UPA is the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. Petriv’s interview, in Ukrainian, is here at zaxid.net) Of course there are, but it all depends on my mood. There’s nothing I always do. When it comes to getting ready for a game an awful lot also depends on the personality of my opponent – you don’t just play, but you have an opponent facing you, and that’s a struggle. So I don’t think you can effectively get yourself ready for a game without taking that factor into account. With shooting it’s a little different – you have to shoot, and while you’re doing that no-one interferes with you. Chess is nevertheless a struggle of personalities, so comparisons with shooting are probably not very appropriate. If you want to compare chess with other types of sport, then it should be with those where there’s a one-on-one struggle – like tennis, boxing or fencing. That’s where I’d look for an analogy of how to get ready for the struggle. I’d rather listen to those sportsmen – I think I’d be able to find something of use for myself. Maybe you have some special ritual when preparing for a game, a superstition? They say, for example, that at the tournament in Linares, Spain you played in the kit of FC Real (Madrid), because you had good results in it. There’s nothing constant. Dress-codes, for example, don’t really worry me, but it’s better when there isn’t one. At times even without a dress-code I arrive for a game in a suit and tie. I think that should be a person’s free choice. In Nanjing in 2008 we all had to play in outfits provided by the organisers – the funny thing was that they hadn’t got the sizes right. I appealed to them especially so that they’d allow me to wear my own trousers because theirs were simply too big for me. Trousers, unlike the jacket, are something that you don’t take off during the game. The organisers took it seriously and allowed me to come and play in my own trousers, though they clarified that they had to be a dark colour. You talked about your unsatisfied ambitions. The main one is probably becoming World Champion in classical chess? Not exactly becoming World Champion in classical chess… That’s only one tournament. Of course, I’d like to succeed in it, but somehow I feel that over the course of my chess career that desire itself has put some pressure on me, preventing me from concentrating on other tournaments, and causing anxiety. I still think I can become World Champion, but only on the condition that I look at that championship and the qualifying for it as normal tournaments – nothing special. Then I’ll be able to prepare. I know myself – if a tournament is very important, then that’s it, I can’t prepare for it – neither at the computer nor at the chessboard. When the tension drops a little then the desire to play chess returns and new ideas appear. Why is it like that? I don’t know. In the last qualifying cycle for the World Championship you played in the 2009 World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk and lost in the last-32 to the young and not-so-well-known Philippine player Wesley So. Was that also the result of emotional pressure? Well, I was already really tired there. Before that I’d played in the Tal Memorial in Moscow and also in the blitz, so you could say I wasn’t as fresh as I could be. I really did feel under emotional pressure. But specifically during that match with So there were some non-chess goings on. As far as I recall, after 12-13 moves in the first game I liked the position and thought I had a certain advantage – but at that moment I suddenly became unwell. I had heartburn and went to the medical point, asking them to give me some sort of activated carbon to bring me back to my senses. It took about 15 minutes, and I returned and went for play where I wasn’t taking any risks – I had a draw and, it seems, there should also have been a win. But my opponent made some only moves to hold on, and found moves that you wouldn’t expect to be there, but they were. I then had a choice – to go for a draw or to play more sharply. And I decided to take a risk, which I’d say was actually justified from a chess point of view, because objectively my chances of winning were in no way worse than my opponent’s. But I was already quite significantly behind on time at that point and, perhaps, given that the match consisted of only two games, I should have had the common sense to take a draw – especially with the less than ideal way I was feeling that day. I probably paid too little attention to my condition. As for the second game, it wasn’t entirely clear who was outplaying who. At first I was a little worse, but I converted that worse position into a big advantage and then – almost into a win. And I can’t understand why I didn’t win – there was time… By all logic I should have won, but I didn’t. The game ended in a draw, and that was the end of the match for me. After that match you made an emotional declaration, that you later withdrew, that you were quitting chess… You know how it is with journalists… I didn’t say that. Of course, they didn’t understand me correctly. I said something like I was tired and I wanted to rest. That was then highly embellished, and all of these “sensational news reports” appeared. Something like that had never even entered my head. I was just a little shocked. But in general, over the course of your whole career, have you ever had a strong desire to quit chess and do something else? There were times when I was very upset, I felt overwhelmed, or an enormous fatigue. But quitting completely… Even if I did do that, why would I want to shout about it to the whole world? Well, Kasparov did… That’s a matter for him. I think that if at some moment I seriously decided not to play, then I simply wouldn’t arrange to take part in any tournaments for a certain period of time – for example, half a year. After that time I’d consider what I wanted to do next. Why should I declare something that I’m going to do in 6 months, or a year, whether I’ll play or not? As for Kasparov, there were elements of putting on a show. Personally I’m not planning on doing anything like that. Some time ago your colleague in the world chess elite, Boris Gelfand, noted that it was as if the World Chess Federation (FIDE) deliberately excluded you from the World Championship cycle. For example, in 2005, when it put together the line-up for the tournament in San Luis, you weren’t included. In 2007 the Federation took into account the only three-year-old rating that wouldn’t allow you to take part. Did you notice such bias – and if so, did you try to fight it in any way? (Translator’s note: that was in Gelfand’s answers to reader questions at Crestbook. I translated sections of it here.) It’s a philosophical question. I did have the feeling that I could have played in San Luis in that tournament which Topalov won. And, perhaps, I should have stood up for my rights. But back then I took part in lots of tournaments and performed so successfully that, it seems, I managed to win seven tournaments in a row. Moreover, I felt very good. So I was playing in tournaments continually, getting good results, victories and a bunch of ideas. And on the one hand people would approach me and say, “Look, what is this, you have to do something, you need to be included in the World Championship!” But, on the other hand, I had the fear that if I began to deal with it then I’d lose that internal harmony which was the thing that was allowing me to win. That’s why I took the decision that I’d forget about it, let them do what they wanted. I had my own tournaments and I’d show what I was capable of. And it went perfectly, so I’m not going to regret it. I can’t say that there’s any particular prejudice against me – at least at the moment, although such things do exist. For example, FIDE declared that if one of the participants in the current World Championship qualifying cycle withdraws then there are two reserve candidates – Dmitry Jakovenko and Wang Yue. That’s a little strange, as there are people higher up on the rating list, and not only me. Nakamura has a higher rating, as does Karjakin, and others. Wang Yue at that point was 13th on the world rating list, Jakovenko – 17th. You can’t say that’s being done against me personally, but indirectly it’s against my interests. Obviously someone lobbied for the interests of other people in FIDE, that’s the only way I can explain it. They’re certainly very strong chess players – young and talented – but FIDE hasn’t provided any clear arguments as to why they should be the first candidates. And that’s something you see happening quite often. Such institutions as managers and image-makers are currently in fashion. Of course, there are also people in FIDE who defend some people’s interests against the interests of other chess players. It’s no wonder – that’s the world in which we live. I try not to indulge in illusions and to calmly accept things the way they are. In your opinion is it generally positive for chess that at the last FIDE Congress Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was again elected president, or would it have been better if they’d elected Anatoly Karpov? It’s hard to say what would have happened if Karpov had been elected. Personally I supported Ilyumzhinov, and it strikes me that for now Ilyumzhinov is the best option. But do you care about chess politics and politics in general? I can’t say that those are topics that really interest me, but I also can’t say that I don’t follow it at all. If something’s written or said then I listen and draw conclusions for myself. But taking an active role in politics – no. Has no-one tried to persuade you to get involved in politics? Sportsmen in public politics – it’s fashionable nowadays… No, they haven’t tried, and they were right, because they realised that it wasn’t for me. I’m not even a member of any party. So let’s return to your area – chess. In addition to the World Championship title there’s another summit that you haven’t climbed – first position on the official FIDE rating list. Have you set yourself such a goal? Once, in 1991, I was second on the rating list to Kasparov. That means I need to get to the top, I need to work on it. I agree. Are ratings important for you in principle? Yes, they’re important – and not only for me, as they give you the chance to receive invitations to good tournaments. At the moment the first position is held by the young chess player Magnus Carlsen… …who, incidentally, has recently started to lose more often than before. But he also wins! A very important aspect of Carlsen’s success is his resilience after defeats. Of course, like any chess player he prefers winning, but if something like that happens then he quickly gets out of that “groggy” state, to use the boxing terminology. (Translator’s note: Ivanchuk uses the English word.) That doesn’t go so well for me. Really? In your last tournament at Reggio Emilia you lost two games in a row, but then you won two immediately – so you were able to withstand the blow. Somehow I held on, but I need to work on it. Believe me, it’s not my strong point. There’s progress, but it’s better not to lose at all. Last year, I played in the tournament in Nice and I managed not to lose a single game. That’s the ideal option. This year, by the way, we’re playing in Nice again. They say it’ll be the last such tournament. It’s been held each year, since 1992. I managed to win the first tournament when there wasn’t yet a blindfold competition, and then last year I shared first place with Carlsen. I think it’ll be necessary to prepare and end the cycle well. What do you think about the fact that for 90 years already people have been talking about the “draw death” of chess – saying that games between strong chess players most often end in draws and that the game itself is essentially drawn? That’s where the idea of creating new forms of chess came from. There was “Capablanca Chess”, which changed the form of the board and added two new pieces – the chancellor, which moves like a knight and a rook, and the archbishop, which moves like a knight and a bishop. That’s essentially very similar to “Janus Chess” – where the Janus piece moves like a bishop and a knight. Robert Fischer also started to work on his own chess, “Fischer Chess”, as a substitute for classical chess, under the pretext that in classical chess the openings had already been studied too well to keep playing them. I played in two “Fischer Chess” tournaments, and it’s an interesting game. Under the influence of that I had the idea of creating my own form of chess. I thought that if Capablanca and Fischer were able to propose something, then why shouldn’t I? In particular, I thought up the term “ricochet” – a double attack on the king and queen that wins the game. I can tell you that I realised how difficult it is to think up a new game. In addition, I now clearly understand that although the ideas for the rules of that game were supposedly mine, I was really helped by a lot of people: they asked questions and I had to improve everything. (Translator’s note: Ivanchuk’s proposal was first published as a 2009 New Year’s “joke” in Russian at ChessPro, and then months later in English at Chessbase as an April Fool’s bluff.) But I don’t have any fixed idea that classical chess has exhausted itself. I believe that other types of chess are nevertheless just for fun. You can see that classical chess hasn’t exhausted itself even just by looking at the games from a super-tournament – you’ll find a huge number of mistakes are made by even the best chess players – never mind the rest… So that means the game is essentially difficult, and even more so as new discoveries appear constantly, particularly with help from computers. For example, no-one could previously have imagined that the queen ending with extra g and h pawns is, it turns out, a draw! Incidentally, what’s your opinion on the computerisation of chess and the fact that quite a long time ago machines surpassed the strength of human play? It’s hard to give a clear answer, just as it’s also hard to talk about the role of computers in life in general. The computer helps a lot, but at the same time it creates a mass of temptations which are hard to combat. I’ve gone through a bunch of different computer addictions. The last one was playing checkers. I would simply go onto the site and play checkers for hours on end, until you no longer get up from your desk, and have square eyes (Translator’s note: literally – “a square head”). Just today, before coming to this interview, I went onto the site and played a game, lost and told myself: “That’s it! I won’t play checkers anymore! It’s over!” I sensed it was a good sign that I lost the game, and I’m grateful to my opponent for winning. But I don’t play chess on the internet. Obviously I treat chess as something more serious, and therefore I don’t play internet blitz. I know there are grandmasters who play there, but I think it would only do me harm. Nevertheless, while walking in the park during the tournament in Sofia in 2009 you sat down at a bench to play with some amateurs… It happens. If someone asks me to play a game then it’s not hard for me to give them that pleasure. And what hobbies do you have? I’ve studied various foreign languages. I know English, Spanish, Turkish – though I haven’t had any chance to speak Turkish recently. I understand Polish quite well, but it’s hard to speak it properly – for example, “Grzegorz” isn’t the easiest of things to pronounce. I also read various interesting books, I go to the theatre and I simply go to interesting places. I really love visiting the book market at the Fedorov monument – I can spend hours there, marvelling at the books and meeting people.. The chess journalist Yury Vasiliev said that during one tournament you really got into a certain TV series… That’s true. At first it was “Tatiana’s Day”, and then “A Woman Without a Past”. I was a fan of those. True, it’s silly, but you get enthusiasms like that, where something draws you in, and although you realise it’s rubbish and unnecessary – it pulls you in like a magnet. Of course, in my childhood I developed a lot of similar fanaticisms. When I get interested in something, when I get drawn in – I do one thing and nothing else for hours on end. Now, when chess fatigue sets in, or the fatigue of stress during events, then on a subconscious level I look for some sort of substitute. To my cost, of course, I always find something, and then it takes me a huge amount of effort to stop – as with checkers. You talked about a lack of socialising with people. Don’t you have any friends among top chess players, people you phone even in breaks between tournaments? No, unless there’s some sort of business. But as friends – no. There has to be a certain distance between competitors. And are there chess players you find it unpleasant to play, who either at the board, or beyond it, allow themselves to behave incorrectly towards you? There are some, but only isolated cases. I’ve had cases of particular people behaving in an ugly manner towards me, but I try to see the positive side of everyone, including those people. And fortunately there’s no-one who continually behaves uncouthly, unsportingly or unethically towards me. I try not to focus on it and, if something happens, I try to forgive them and get on with things. Currently I don’t have any problems with anyone. You’ve played and continue to play in tournaments all around the world. Are there any places you particularly like to return to? Or, alternatively, perhaps you’ve visited places to take part in tournaments and realised that you’d never want to go back there? I’ve never decided that there’s somewhere I wouldn’t want to return to at all. I really love going back to Havana, which gives me great pleasure. I love being in Linares and also Wijk-aan-Zee. It’s curious that I’ve also started to like Khanty-Mansiysk. In fact I always liked it, but until last year’s Chess Olympiad I hadn’t played very well there. China’s interesting in its own way – I’ve been to various places there. In Beijing, for instance, there was no tournament, but I ended up staying quite a long time. Armenia is in general a chess country and I really like spending time there. Each time I arrive I feel a special inspiration – whether in Yerevan or in Jermuk. However, for some reason I haven’t played so well in Karabakh – they’ve had some conflicts there and maybe that influenced my game. Are you planning on writing a book about your chess career? For now your first and only book is a collection of games from the super-tournament in Linares in 1991… Then there was “Vassily Ivanchuk’s Chess Novelties”. That’s not entirely my book, but it wasn’t written without my participation. There’s actually more material about me there than in the book on Linares. But that’s just a tentative draft. In future I’m planning on attempting something more serious and fundamental, with a detailed analysis of games. Of course, that requires a lot of time. I think you need to write such analysis without the help of a computer, leaving yourself the right to make mistakes. Now anyone can turn on a computer, but readers are interested in knowing the thoughts of the grandmaster himself, his feelings and how he hesitated during the games. A year’s gone by since you said you were planning to open a chess school in Ternopil. At the moment that project, in your own words, “is dead”. What happened? There were some purely organisational problems which need to be solved. Everything’s not ready yet, but I think it will happen in future. However, the main thing for me just now is competing in tournaments. Source: Danilo Mokrik, Zaxid.net Postscript: Ivanchuk on TV I originally heard about the interview translated above from a post entitled “One of Ivanchuk’s best interviews” at the Russian blog of Ukrainian GM and chess journalist, Mikhail Golubev. Not so long ago he also linked to a TV program on the Ukrainian TV station, Inter, which featured the victorious Ukrainian chess team after the Khanty-Mansiysk Olympiad. I mentioned that in a comment below the last Ivanchuk interview I translated, but I think it’s also worth including here. Of course the video isn’t in English, and in fact switches freely between Ukrainian (spoken by Ivanchuk and the presenter) and Russian (spoken by almost everyone else). Still, Ivanchuk fans will certainly find something to enjoy. A few points: - The studio guests include Ivanchuk’s teammates Pavel Eljanov and Alexander Moiseenko, and team captain, Leonid Tymoshenko. There are also clips of Eljanov’s wife, and Ruslan Ponomariov’s father being interviewed. - On the incident after the Wesley So match mentioned in the interview above – Ivanchuk says he couldn’t remember saying he wanted to quit chess. Tymoshenko, however, says that Ivanchuk did say that but that when he returned to Lviv, and saw his own chess set and familiar faces, “he returned to us again” – which got a round of applause from the studio audience! - Don’t miss Ivanchuk at 5:57 doing his shopping at a market in Lviv. At 40:23 he’s by a church talking about how many of his novelties were thought up while listening to prayers (and you can guess what he’s wondering when he gestures to the heavens!). 14 responses to “Vassily Ivanchuk: I can still become World Champion”. This is the good stuff. I like the way that Ivanchuk’s brain seems to order things. And what a man he is! Incredibly creative genius and it appears to me that he has a great sense of self in that he realizes his behavior and qualities clearly, although that of course doesn’t mean that he, or anybody else, could control himself(always/ever?). You get a feeling that Ivanchuk is a straight honest person, in a way very pure. A good man, I like him. Many thanks. Ivanchuk seems to be one of the most interesting subjects for interviews, and a thoughtful and passionate man. gosh I can see an Ivanchuk book becoming an instant classic on the level of Zurich 1953 by Bronstein Really wonderful material. I agree with all the commenters. Thank you Colin. yes, an interesting guy, straightforward, decent, passionate about chess – i really enjoyed this interview. thanks to the translator. Ivanchuk! Thanks Mishanp! This is of a higher quality than Chucky’s English-language interviews. Very interesting. This interview dispels the “eccentric Ivanchuk” stereotype/myth; as other commentators have noted, he basically comes across as an intelligent, thoughtful man. Thanks Mishanp. Fabulous. This man’s love for chess, it makes me feel happy. Finally we get to hear Ivanchuk speaking in his first language. I think his English is pretty weak, and that was adding to his “eccentric personality” image. Here he comes off as an honest guy with common sense, who is very much aware of his weaknesses (problems in dealing with tension) as much as his strengths (well, being a chess genius!). It’s sad to see him out of this WC cycle, I hope he can stick around at the highest levels and give a shot in the next one. I would LOVE to see a book by Chucky! DO IT!!! As much as I like Ivanchuk ha has no real chance to become World Champion. He is simply too old. All the problems that he is having should have been solved many years ago. Now I think its just too late. Its easier to deal with psychological problems when you are 18 than when you are 40… Don’t get me wrong I know he is a genius (well I don’t really know that, I’m too poor to judge – but I believe other players from elite). Problem is that to become WC its not enough to make good moves. You need good health, strong nerves and a lot of will to win. I just think ha hasn’t got all that. I agree with “Win” as he thought logically. But Logics are made by Human and reality so we may wait with this great player. Thanks to the translator and all. This is great article, and the interview takes you deep into Ivanchuk’s mind. Ivanchuk just defeated Carlsen in Qualifiers, creating a big upset. He’s like me, I like him! I sincerely hope with all my heart that He becomes the World Champion one day, fulfilling his dream, and more importantly my dream!

It’s 3 hours and 7 minutes now since a team scored any points against us – 187 minutes of rugby without conceding either a try or a penalty goal. Another record in the making – or even made, perhaps? Longer if you add on the various amounts of injury time involved. Whilst yesterday’s win against Loughborough Students equalled Coventry’s longest ever run of consecutive wins, 18 in total back in the 2014/15 season, I wouldn’t mind betting that Coventry’s somewhat parsimonious approach to defence at the moment means as much, if not more, to the coaches than the beating of any records. When Rory Banks crossed the line in the 54th minute to score the second and final try (unconverted I hasten to add) in Bishop’s Stortford’s narrow defeat to Cov back on 8th October, little did I imagine that Fylde and Loughborough wouldn’t score a single point between them in the next two games. Week in, week out, the coaches have regularly referred to the importance of Cov retaining their discipline and, once again, for much of yesterday’s game that’s is exactly what Cov did. The penalty count was again low, with perhaps the only real niggle being the additional 10m we gave away in the second half, presumably after someone had said something after we we’d been penalised around the half way line. The additional 10m and the subsequent kick to the corner meant that were were suddenly defending a lineout just 5m from our own try line. Better sides might have made us pay for that…but with our defence as strong as it currently is, maybe they wouldn’t. Certainly that’s not something that the coaches will want to see creeping into Cov’s game in the coming weeks. If they run a system of fines for in-game misdemeanours, then someone might be heavily out-of-pocket as a result of that one… Joking apart – do they…fine players for in-game indiscretions, that is? I know there are fines for arriving late to training and the like, but other than that…? That would be an interesting one for a Supporters’ Club evening – I rather imagine there might be one or two fairly amusing anecdotes surrounding the whole area of fines. Chatting with supporters before the game in the area of the main stand where we sit, I don’t think anyone really knew what to expect from Loughborough. With so many Leicester Academy players involved, and many of them different from those who had played for Loughborough the week before, Rowland Winter had said on Thursday that it would be hard for the team to prepare for the game in quite the same as it would against a club with a fairly static squad of players. Knowns you can plan for, unknowns are much harder. The coaches had analysed the plays and knew what to expect in terms of the execution of possible game plans, but they couldn’t go into the minutiae of, for instance, how the props bind or how our props could exploit their opponents weaknesses. No tapes and no hard evidence to go on. It just made life that little bit harder. However, Rowland Winter, Louis Deacon and Nick Walsh had clearly prepared the team well and in the first half in particular, Cov did virtually everything that could have been expected of them. Playing into the wind, and a strong wind it was too, Coventry put in a pretty near faultless performance. Cov kept ball in hand and were patient in possession and with what must have been almost monotonous regularity, if you were a Loughborough supporter that is, Cov was able to force gaps to open up and move the ball forward without the need to kick. And often from the Loughborough restart. At times, early on, Loughborough looked like a side who weren’t used to playing together and in the opening half they struggled to find any continuity and when they did get the ball, they looked as if they were somewhat bereft of ideas as to what to do with it. To be fair though, much of this was down to the quality of Coventry’s back row in particular. Makaafi (and later Povoas), Preece and Daynes chased and harried for the whole 80 minutes and put Loughborough under so much pressure that they were unable to keep hold of enough ball, especially in the first half, to threaten our line. In the second half, when Loughborough found themselves with a greater percentage of possession, Coventry were happy to hold them between our 22 and the half way line and they just tackled the soul out of them. Cov’s defensive line was rarely broken and there was always a second defender there should the first line of defence be broken. In the end, Loughborough had just the one real opportunity to score, midway through the second half when a long, looped pass out wide on the left went forward with our defence nowhere to be seen. Coventry’s forwards were magnificent and whilst I don’t want to influence the outcome of this blog’s ‘Man of the Match’ poll in any way, the voting is far more evenly spread this week than in any other previous poll. If you look at the Messageboard, the players that have caught the eye appear to be the back row, together with George Oram and Scott Tolmie. And it’s kind of hard not to agree with that. This was very much a forwards-driven win. Scott is in a fine run of form at the moment and whilst he’ll get plenty of praise for the tries he’s scoring, his game his about so much more. His work rate is phenomenal and he gets himself into positions that few other hookers manage, which of course is one of the reasons he scores so many tries. I thought we’d really miss Matt Price this season, but Scott has really stepped up to the plate… George Oram carries the ball well for such a big man and rather like Tom Poole, he appears to bring an added degree of physicality to the game. He’s a real workhorse and whoever he has partnered, either Gray or Dacres, he’s performed well. Once Tom Poole and Tom Jubb are back (Tom P hopefully early in the new year), Rowland Winter will be able to rotate his locks and so that they’ll be that much fresher and fitter once injuries and fatigue kick in elsewhere in National One, as they always tends to do. For me though, Brett Daynes rightly deserved the plaudits on the day. He edged the MoM award in my opinion, with Jack Preece a close second. Earlier in the season I labelled Brett ‘Supersub’, given his tendency to come off the bench and take the game by the scruff of the neck and add that extra impetus that’s so useful in the final 30 minutes or so. Maybe now, with the two starts he’s made in the last two games, that’s a bit unfair. The fact that the coaches feel they can afford to leave Luke Narraway out of the starting line-up, or even the match day squad, two weeks’ running speaks volumes for the faith they have in Brett. Obviously, having the players of the calibre of Jack Preece and Latu Makaafi alongside him helps, but I was delighted the sponsors rewarded his efforts with the official ‘Man of the Match’ award after the game. He’s a great clubman and as he was when he was last here, a very popular player amongst the supporters who are always guaranteed to appreciate any player who always gives of his all. For rather different reasons, Latu Makaafi is another crowd favourite. His looks, his sheer physique, his ability to fire up the crowd with his bulwark-like defense and his constant desire to run straight and hard, and often through, the opposition defences, have made him a real crowd-pleaser. When he came off to be replaced by Olly Povoas, there were supporters on their feet applauding and he got a massive cheer which he generously acknowledged (something that always go down a storm with the Cov faithful). There was talk of the Supporters’ Club buying up a job lot of Makaafi-like wigs to wear. Heck, whilst I’m not often given to such public displays of frivolity, even I would be tempted to wear one. And whilst still on the forwards, I thought the scrum held up well today after what had been a relatively quiet couple of weeks by its own exemplary standards. The front row ended the game completely dominating the Loughborough pack – one in the eye for Boris, that one. With both Phil Boulton and Andy Brown out, you might expect Cov to be short of props at this level, but in Titchard-Jones and young Luc Jeannot they have two players who don’t look at all misplaced. In particular, Luc has shown just what a good prospect he is and in the last two games when he has come off the bench Cov has gone on to produce two massive defensive scrums, both of which have resulted in penalties and the chance to clear our lines. When Brown and Boutlon return, perhaps we won’t see quite so much of Luc, but he has shown that he is more than equal to the task of stepping up to the senior squad when he is needed and he is clearly has the potential to have more and more of a part to play in Cov’s continuing improvement over the next few seasons should he choose to stay. With Luc, Cameron Gray, Kwaku Asiedu, James Neal, Joe Lane, Isaac McNulty and the like, the Development Squad is already on the way to becoming what we all hoped it would, a conveyor belt of young talent that will eventually break into the first team. Brendan Burke and Matt Price appear to be doing a great job… The backs had a quiet game by their standards, but they were required to defend in numbers at times during the second half and I thought Heath Stevens led by example, tackling his socks off (has anyone else noticed how the colours in the socks have already run – the white has a very bluish hue to it now?). James Neal looked sharper this week and defended well and Will Maisey took his try well. Having Max Trimble come on for a few minutes at the end was a bonus and he almost scored after a fine run. Doubtless, he’ll be in contention, together with Rob Knox, for a start before too long. Frazer Dingwall (thank, Paul), making his Coventry debut, fitted in seamlessly and looked sharp at times, making a couple of incisive breaks, and he was also strong in the tackle. In a more open game, I imagine he’d be the ideal foil for Stevens or Tuitupou whilst Grove is still out. Whereas Loughborough missed a lot of their important tackles, Cov’s defence was a potent force and with Jack Preece and others scavenging at every opportunity, Cov showed how defence can become a form of attack in its own right. As expected, Loughborough came on strong in the final quater and had plenty of possession. The last 20 minutes was a good test of Cov’s resolve and even with all the changes coming off the bench, there was no loss of shape or form, something that could be so important when we face the likes of Ampthill, Plymouth and Darlington in a few weeks’ time. Cov’s second half performance slipped a little, enough to cause one or two decent try-scoring opportunities to be wasted, with some inaccuracies in passing and handling creeping in to their game. That’s probably a bit unfair, given the conditions and the fact that for so much of the game Cov did all that was asked of it. A couple of overcooked kicks that took the ball over Loughbough’s dead ball line and brought play back into our own half which was disappointing, but with the wind as strong as it was, Cov could be forgiven for that Even though Cov failed to dominate the scoreboard quite as much as they did against Fylde, I’d be tempted to rank this as the better performance of the two given the opposition were something of a step up from a Fylde side that is just as young, but even less experienced as that of Loughborough. Indeed, whilst chatting to a Cov supporter after the came, one of Loughborough players mentioned that the Cov game had been the toughest and most physical game Loughborough had played so far this season and ‘on a different level’. Given that Loughborough has already played Ampthill, Plymouth and Darlington, that’s rewarding to know. If we keep on making improvements and the confidence and belief continues to grow, we should still be there or thereabouts at Christmas. And at that point, once the first round of games has been completed, only then do I think it’s fair to say it really is game on. I left the ground yesterday relieved more than excited. This was a potentially tricky game against a side about whom we didn’t know a great deal, despite them having had such a poor start to the season. If Tigers’ continue to provide additional help and support both in terms of coaching and players, Loughborough will improve and I’m sure they’re going to win a few games in the coming weeks and months. On now to Cambridge and the chance for Cov to surpass that current record of consecutive wins. It would certainly be a good place to do it, but Cambridge will be facing us on the back of an away win against Ampthill, something few teams have managed to achieve in recent seasons. There’s still time to enjoy this weekend’s win before worrying about next Saturday though. Well done, Cov. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you were at the game yesterday, and you haven’t already voted in the ‘Man of the Match’ poll, then please do give it a go… all being well, I’ll include the results in Monday’s post. Thank you in advance. 13 thought on “Students taught a lesson in defence as Cov provide another masterclass #187” It would be an honour! Yes…absolutely right. It’s Matoto’s defensive skills that have stood out for me rather than his attacking flair so far. A very useful addition to the squad. Brilliant – I love stats like that. Can I quote you in a post?! I was wandering how rare is it stop the opposition from scoring??? So I scanned the season so far… 264 games played in The Premiership, Championship, N1, N2N and N2S. In 260 of them, both teams got on the scoreboard (98.5% of the time). Out of the 4 ‘nils’, we’ve inflicted 2 of them in consecutive weeks! I hope my wife doesn’t realise I spend time thinking about these things 😂 Hi Paul, Yes…I mentioned Heath but for the last couple of games Matoto has been really strong defensively – how he saved an almost certain Fylde try last week I’m still not sure. HI Bob, I’ve done exactly the same thing with Will’s name in the past – glad I’m in such good company! I think there have been a couple of players this season guilty of that…Heath can sometimes go it alone a little too often, as well as Knoxy, but fortunately such is the strength of the side – more often that not we leave their 2 with some points, something that just isn’t the case at the moment as far as the opposition is concerned. Picky is good for the most part…a sign that there isn’t too much else wrong. I think you’re right in that the forwards dominated this game. However, I think a mention should go to both Heath and Matoto who yesterday were very strong in both defence and attack. Good win, on to Cambridge where a stiffer test awaits Hi Bob. I too remember Simon Maisey, but I think you mean Will. Like you, I have sometimes shouted at games a couple of times this season, well done Simon, I think it’s my age!, Hi Tim, another great report from my first port of call after a Cov game. Tragedy that a local paper reports on Moseley game when their local team is a beacon of light in the locality. One point made by the fans around me was that not for the first time Simon Maisey makes a great break, caught before the try line but does not appear to be aware of support around him and is grounded when a pass would have resulted in a try. (Picky but thats the nature of the game when you are reaching for the stars) Thanks Kevin – corrected one error…awarded a try to Matoto that he almost scored! The play led to the lineout from which Makaafi scored his second – whoops! Hi Warren – thanks for clearing the Daynes incident up…there was a feeling where we were that Latu’s reaction was the result of having his hair pulled in the tackle…he clearly wasn’t a happy bunny whatever the reason! Totally agree about the need to avoid any forms of indiscipline that could cost us dear in closer games. However, in recent weeks we have been far more disciplined overall which augers well. A good win to keep the momentum going, and looking forward to a great game next week. I think the 10 metres given away was when Brett Daynes(?) threw the ball away after an LS restart ball bounced off of a Cov player – which he caught and a knock on was given. Earlier, Latu also bounced the ball away after a knock on decision was given against him (would have been roughly in front of the part of the stand where you sit). As we saw a few weeks ago with Ben Palmer given a yellow for kicking the ball away (although in his defence I think he just meant to trundle the ball off his foot when the whistle was blown but caught it wrong), Cov players must keep their composure, if the 10 metres was given away to one of the better teams we may well have been in trouble. It’s great that our penalty count is down, but the possibility of losing points to needless things like the wrong words or a silly action will definitely hurt more – especially in a tight game. Another fine report that complements the official ones very nicely……

Fantastic Ocean View Condo - Great Seasonal Rates You sent a message to this owner. - Minimum stay:Contact owner - Internet:Yes - Pets considered:No - Wheel chair accessible:Yes Ocean Park condo description Top-floor, luxury condominium in Ocean Park on the quiet north end of Amelia Island. Property connects to Fort Clinch State Park in rear and faces a terrific ocean view. You can see Cumberland Island to the North and shipping lanes out of Fernandina Beach and St. Mary's. Hike in the park year round or play on the beach. Large (1400 square feet) condominium is elegantly decorated and includes full kitchen. Everything's furnished - towels, linens, even beach towels. Furnishings include king-size bed in master and queen-size bed in second bedroom, plus sleeper queen bed in large sectional couch. Tastefully decorated with artwork throughout. Unit feature lots of storage, full laundry room, and keypad/remote locked spacious garage. Keywords: Condominium Property Type - Condo Accommodation Type - Vacation Rental Suitability - Minimum Age Limit For Renters: Must be at least 21 years of age to rent....moreless - Pets Not Allowed - Wheelchair Accessible - Limited Accessibility - Non Smoking Only Bedrooms: 2 Bedrooms, Sleeps 6, Beds for 4-6 Kitchen & Dining - Ice Maker - Microwave - Refrigerator - Dishwasher - Cooking Utensils - Kitchen Amenities - Washing Machine: Laundry room inside the condo. Detergent and fabric softener provided...moreless - Garage: Private, locked garage with remote garage door opener provided...moreless - Air Conditioning Other Amenities Entertainment - Shared Hot Tub - CD Player - DVD Player - VCR - Satellite / Cable Communications - Wireless Internet - Telephone Pool & Spa - Communal Pool Location & View - Ocean View Activities - Fishing - Cycling - Swimming - Hiking - Tennis - Surfing - Kayaking - Sailing - Golf - Restaurants - Shopping - Health/Beauty Spa - Cinemas - Antiquing - Wildlife Viewing - Miniature Golf - Shelling - Sight Seeing ReviewsWrite a review Better than the pictures! Better than the pictures! Every year from my daughter's birthday we watch the sunrise at the beach. This was the perfect place to have a little mini vacation and to celebrate our daughters 13th birthday. Michele's condo in Ocean Park met and exceeded our expectations! The place was very clean, spacious and welcoming. The owner has thought of everything possible. Although it is not beachfront property, it is only a block away and wagons are provided to help you bring the beach chairs, beach towels, cooler and other beach supplies that you need that are provided at the condo. We loved sitting on the balcony and looking at the ocean each night. The pool area was perfect for a little pool party and the owners there was very nice. The owner was very accommodating an extremely helpful. I would also like to thank Shannon for being a great point of contact and making sure the condo was spotless upon arrival. My family and I would love for this to become an annual vacation spot! - Guest Super K girls (United States) - Date of stay 07/20/13 - Review Submitted 07/26/13 Recommended for: Romantic getaway, sightseeing, people with disabilities, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, adventure seekers. Owner response: I really enjoy getting feedback from our guests. Shannon works hard to ensure each guest arrives to find everything in order and to respond to any concerns that might arise during a guests' visit. I have always found the condo with its view and proximity to the ocean to be a very peaceful and relaxing place, so it is nice to know that our guests feel the same way. Also, we love having return guests! Hope to see you again soon. Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0 summer vacation summer vacation One of the best places we have ever stayed. We will definetely becime regulars - Guest larry (Waycross, ga.) - Date of stay 07/08/12 - Review Submitted 07/14/12 Recommended for: Romantic getaway, sightseeing, families with young children. Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0 Georgia/Virginia folks Georgia/Virginia folks The condo was extremely nice. Very clean, roomy and close to everything! Have already looked at booking it again for next year . - Guest Jr (Virginia) - Date of stay 07/01/12 - Review Submitted 07/07/12 Recommended for: Age 55+, families with young children. Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0 Excellent value! Great location! Excellent value! Great location! This was our first time to stay at Ocean Park, and the condo was just amazing. Very clean, convenient to downtown and beaches, and well stocked (not only with supplies, but beach toys, umbrellas, towels, etc)! We came down with my wife's parents, and we all loved the condo. We will definitely consider staying here again. Great communication from the owner. Everything was easy! I would definitely recommend this condo to anyone and everyone. - Guest BigOrangeBanker (Nashville, TN (Mt. Juliet)) - Date of stay 07/05/11 - Review Submitted 07/18/11 Recommended for: Romantic getaway, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway. Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0 Wonderful - Again! Wonderful - Again! Enjoyed our stay so very much - again. Already booked for our October visit again in 2011. The place is so convenient to all the good restaurants and to the beach. Wish we had more time to stay there but looking forward to our return. Also, have booked for our grandaughter and her hubby for their honeymoon in September. I know they'll love the place as much as we do. - Guest Dollie and Ed (McDonough, GA) - Date of stay 10/28/10 - Review Submitted 02/05/11 Recommended for: Romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, families with young children. Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2 Wonderful June trip Wonderful June trip We had a wonderful family vacation! The condo was so clean and had everything we possibly could have needed. The chairs and umbrella, wagon, beach toys were so great to have at our disposal. Thank you so much for making our beach trip memorable. - Guest country music (nashville, tn) - Date of stay 06/26/10 - Review Submitted 07/03/10 Recommended for: Romantic getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, girls getaway. Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1 -: 0/0 -: 1/1 - Guest comment entered by owner Thank you so much for another wonderful visit! Everything is perfect - went for a bike ride, run at the Greenway, and of course, many beach walks. We even squeezed in some golf. Appreciate it! - Guest Joe and Mary - Date of stay 03/28/10 - Review Submitted 05/24/10 Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1 - Guest comment entered by owner Once again, we enjoyed a most pleasurable stay at your condo. It's so nice to have all the conveniences of home, plus the gorgeous view. You truly make us feel welcome and we are looking forward to our next stay here. - Guest Ed and Dollie - Date of stay 11/01/09 - Review Submitted 05/24/10 Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1 RatesCurrency Conversion Sep-Mar .. $150/night .. $ 900/week Apr-Aug .. $200/night .. $1200/week Sales Tax of 11.0% is added to total expense Minimum Stay of three days $200 deposit with reservation refunded within 2 days after Why the Owner Chose Ocean Park: Many people ask, 'Why did someone from Southern California choose a vacation home in Fernandina Beach?' After visiting family in the Fernandina Beach area, we realized we had found the perfect spot for a vacation home. We love the beach and the relaxed friendly atmosphere of our hometown, but not the crowds and the traffic. Fernandina Beach has great access to the beach, a fascinating history, and a relaxed pace. The locals are very friendly and always willing to chat. Fernandina Beach has easy access to Jacksonville's activities, and is a quick drive to Jacksonville (JAX) airport. The Unique Benefits at this Condo: Unique benefits of our property include the top floor location, on the quiet north end of the building. The condo has a wonderful view of the ocean and the beach and is a short (less than 5 minutes) walk to the beach. Main Beach and Sandy Bottoms Restaurant are a quick walk across the street. Herons, egrets, and cormorants congregate by the pond, and occasionally deer feed on the property in the evening. Sometimes the gopher tortoises wander through the property. - Primary: (714) 606-5004 (c) (California, USA) - Secondary: + Photos View the ocean in comfort from the living room Prepare meals in the fully equipped kitchen The Second Bedroom Enjoy the view from the comfortable patio overlooking the ocean The laundry is just to the left of the entry shown here A lovely view from the patio Fort Clinch, a Civil War era fort is adjacent to the property Shrimp Boats at the harbor in Fernandina Enjoy a relaxed meal in the dining area Master Bedroom The second bathroom Enjoy the sparkling pool and BBQ area The Amelia Island Lighthouse is only a mile away on Egan's Creek Enjoy a nice walk on the ocean at Main Beach Floor plan There have been visitors to this page since the counter was last reset in . This listing was first published here in 2002. Date last modified - Sunday, December 01, 2013 advertisement

TRT Considerations For Men Under 30 By Jay Campbell December 20th, 2016 A man’s youth is the time in life when he’s at his physical prime and doesn’t have any TRT considerations. He’s full of energy and his body is capable of incredible feats. He’s firing on all cylinders, and his veins are flowing with testosterone. He wants to succeed, meet women and generally enjoy life. At least this is how things used to be… In theory we should be healthier and fitter than our predecessors. We live in the internet age where information is available at our fingertips. Despite this young men around the world are weaker and sicker than ever. What went wrong? Today the average male eats a daily assortment of sugar-laden crap. Processed food that is specifically designed to be addictive. We have amazing technology that simplifies our lives. However, our over-reliance on technology has rendered us a sedentary society. We’d rather drive 3 blocks to the mall than take a 10 minute walk. Our bodies are bombarded everyday with toxins from all angles. They range from bPAs in plastics, chemicals in the water supply to car exhaust fumes. We live in a society where young men don’t really know their place. Masculinity is scorned and young men lack rites of passage into adulthood. They’re unable to express their sense of masculinity. So they resort to alchol and drugs. All of these factors combine to wreak havoc on young men’s testosterone production. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. We’re living the perfect storm. A situation where unprecedented levels of young men are becoming victims of low testosterone. This is the epidemic you never heard about and one you never will. Maybe you’re thinking, ‘If it was this big we would have heard about it by now!’ Wake up and smell the coffee. The media lies and has its own agenda. Society tells you to get on with it and stop bitching about your problems. Doctors are busy and when they do see you, they’ll just tell you you’re just depressed. The government doesn’t want a society of young men who can think for themselves. No one has your back – you must look out for yourself. If you are a male under 30 the odds are stacked against you. The solution in many cases is to go on Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). But should you go on TRT as a young man? The following are some TRT considerations to help you decide. #Baselines The first consideration for any young man is to establish his baselines. This is concept I learned from my friend and mentor Jay Campbell. To make meaningful changes to your health you must establish a set point. As a young man this means getting blood work done once a year. The reason to get regular blood work done is twofold. First, it’s to anticipate any issues that may arise in the future. So you’re not blindsided, living a life of abject misery brought on by low T. Secondly, this data will present a case to your doctor in the future should you need to go on TRT. Many doctors are dismissive of young men undergoing TRT due to their age. But who can deny a smart man who’s done his homework? Finally, this is simply good practice. It’s fundamental to take ownership of your health and not rely on anyone else. I started TRT at the age of 28. While it was a big decision to make, it was also straightforward. I had blood work going back 2 years showing the dramatic decline in my testosterone. Therefore, I knew I was doing the right thing. The following are recommended blood tests to take: - Testosterone, Free and Total - Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 - Estradiol - Thyroid panel - Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) - Basic Metabolic Panel - Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) - Prolactin - Homocysteine - Luteinizing Hormone (LH) - Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) I won’t go into all of these because they’re covered extensively in The Definitive Testosterone Replacement Therapy MANual. Nonetheless, it’s vital to know how much free and total testosterone you have in your body. For example you have high total testosterone. But you may have a very low amount of free testosterone – i.e. available for your body to use. Vitamin D is a vital precursor to many bodily functions. Indeed, there are several studies correlating vitamin D production with testosterone. If you spend most of your day indoors , chances are you are deficient in Vitamin D. Similarly, estradiol while often seen as a female hormone is fundamental to libido and bone mineral density among others. This information constitutes a basic compass reading that will tell you’re where you’re at. The bottom line: get your testosterone levels checked once a year and establish your baseline. How Do You Feel? Testosterone blood tests are an indicator to your state of being. However, the deciding factor for going on TRT should be the way you feel. This metric trumps everything else. YOU are the one that lives in your body every day. Lab tests typically have a testosterone reference range anywhere from 350 ng/dl to 1200 ng/dl. If your result falls within this range you’re considered ‘normal.’ The problem is that the reference range isn’t adjusted for age. That means you may have the testosterone levels of an 80 year old at 25 and feel like garbage. Yet your doctor still considers you normal! Similarly you may have lower testosterone levels than average but feel fine. That’s why the way you feel is critical to a diagnosis of low testosterone. The following are symptoms of low testosterone: - Mental fog or lack of focus - Indecisiveness - Lack of energy - Decreased work performance - Lack of libido - Decrease in strength - Decreased enjoyment of life - Noticeable change in behaviour If you experience any of the above 4 symptoms then you should consider further tests. Restore Testosterone Naturally vs TRT Now you’ve established your testosterone levels. Your results indicate that you’re in the low or low-normal range (whatever that is). You’re now faced a uncomfortable decision. Do you attempt to boost your testosterone naturally? Or do you choose to go on TRT for the rest of your life? Let’s examine both points. Clearly, the natural route is the ideal solution. It’s preferable to rely on you body’s own production of testosterone vs an external source. In order to improve your natural testosterone production you have to lead a testosterone-friendly lifestyle. You may think you have a great diet and exercise. But your blood results may tell you otherwise. This is why getting blood tests are a must. You may need to start leading a healthier lifestyle to reduce body fat. Adipose tissue (body fat) has a negative effect on your testosterone levels through the aromatase enzyme. This enzyme converts excess testosterone into estrogen. And it is more abundant in fat tissue. Therefore, the higher your body fat, the more likely you are to have excess estrogen. Think beer belly and man boobs.If you have high body fat and a poor diet, you may benefit from losing weight and see your testosterone levels recover. You may have a great diet, train regularly and do everything right. Yet your testosterone levels are still in the gutter. This is what happened to me. Going on TRT should be the last resort for any young man after exhausting all avenues. It is not a decision to be taken lightly. Once you start TRT, you’re on it for life. No trial period included. Nonetheless, don’t allow yourself to be fooled – TRT is for life but so is low testosterone. Humans beings are masters of self-deception and we can rationalize almost anything. If you have test results and symptoms confirming a diagnosis then you have low T. Period. Putting your head in the sand will not make it go away. A life of anxiety, depression, no sex drive and lack of energy is no life at all. The incredible benefits of TRT are not overstated. And they’re available for men with the courage to see through What Do You Believe? At some point in his life every young man dreams of realizing his full potential as a human being. However, the prevalence of low testosterone is costing men health and money. The good news is, TRT is an incredible tool to help you realize you full potential as a young man. However, you may reject it outright despite the fact you’re in dire need! The chief reason for this is limiting beliefs. Limiting beliefs that are literally holding you back from becoming the man you’ve dreamt of. The following are some beliefs that may prevent you from going on TRT. TRT is the same as taking anabolic steroids Undergoing TRT and taking anabolic steroids are worlds apart. TRT is a legal prescription medicine administered under the guidance of a qualified physician. Anabolic steroids are illegally obtained drugs taken in supra physiologic doses. What’s more, testosterone is a hormone NOT a drug!! Don’t be shamed into thinking that using TRT is cheating and the same as anabolic steroids. You must always listen to the doctor. You won’t be able to have kids TRT does reduce your sperm count. But there are a number of solutions for young men concerned about fertility on TRT. Firstly you can get your sperm frozen before treatment. This is a surefire way to avoid problems later. There are also a number of fertility medications available. They include clomid, hmG and hCG. When administered by an experienced TRT physician they can prove effective. My own fears of infertility on were non-existent. This was because I knew Jay had successfully fathered 2 children while on TRT. Final Thoughts There is no clear cut answer whether you should go on TRT as a young man under 30. It all depends on your individual situation. And you must always consult with a qualified physician to make a diagnosis. I regularly receive questions about TRT from young men, and I always urge them to read Jay’s book. This is not purely for promotional purposes because I write for this site. The book does a brilliant job at addressing young men’s concerns. It is vital to establish a solid foundation of knowledge to make informed decisions. We mistakenly believe a simple Google search will answer all our questions. Author Anthony Napoleon labelled this phenomenon the ‘Google IQ’: “Knowing how you arrived at the correct answer is at least, if not more important, than the answer itself.” It’s precisely because so few understand TRT is the reason you need to know it. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! The symptoms of low testosterone can slowly creep up on you. Until one day they hit you like a ton of bricks. You must not let that happen. Would you go into a military operation without prior preparation? Of course not! Navy seals prepare relentlessly for whatever is thrown at them. You must treat your health the same way. Get your blood work done and always be one step ahead. You may be asking yourself: Why me? Why now? No amount of self-pity, soul-searching or denial will make it go away. Just because you’re young and it shouldn’t be happening to you doesn’t mean it isn’t. It no longer matters if you’re 19 or 29. The game has now changed and young men of all ages are effected from low T. You may not have any TRT considerations now, but you will have to deal with it at some point. The phenomenon of low testosterone is happening here and now. Just go to the mall or sit down in a restaurant and look at all the men afflicted. It’s as if their life force has been sucked out of them. History is full of great men who succeeded against the odds. What separated them from the rest was their willingness to be different. TRT is at the forefront of science and has not yet gained widespread acceptance. In years to come hormone replacement will be as routine as going to the dentist. Do you want to wait until society says it’s ok? Or are you going to grab the bull by the horns and carve out your own future?

Lawmakers push to keep Obama's health care pledge WASHINGTON . "If You Like Your Plan Keep It" Hillary Clinton in 2016 ... Oh, there's another little tidbit. If you sign up for this, there are 5 other Federal agencies sharing your information that have nothing to do with health care. You sign away all your HIPAA privacy protections. Look it up, HIPAA.. The lies are deep. The more you know.. Just an FYI, I went to healthcare.gov just to take a look. That site loaded about 20 or so cookies from God knows where into my browser. If you don't like the NSA spying, don't go anywhere near these exchange sites. And if you have been to these sites, delete all your cookies STAT. The simple truth is the current person holding the office of POTUS is a socialist, liar, and master manipulator who hates America and Americans and all we stand for (and will obviously let ANY of us die without a second thought). If in doubt, just watch 2016.... anyone who watches this and still thinks Obama is good for America needs to have their head examined. What these republicans fail to understand is that the "ends justify the means" when democrats are in charge. It doesn't matter if 100 million people lose their health coverage because socialized medicine will be the end product. Just like it doesn't matter if "green" energy is inefficient & expensive, government will invest in it because it furthers the enviro-Nazi agenda. An age-old truism; How can you tell when a politician is lying?  Their lips are moving! I don't care how much a failure this whole thing is, I still support it 100% because I'm not a racist. Good luck with that! The person responsible for Obamacare is the one who should be feeling the heat! He made promises, then couldn't keep them. Is this any different that his red line in the sand regarding Syria? NO! And we have 3 more years of this self-deluded, clueless nincompoop before we will probably get worse: the hilarious Hillary. By the time these folks are finished, we will no longer be anywhere near a third world country! Congratulation, electorate! Hope you all enjoy the next several decades!   Why are republicans trying to help him, just let the people suffer. Let them feel the pain and let them remember who put this hurt on them. Very interesting that the word Democrat never appears in this article even though both parties are pushing delay legislation. Hey, Jimmy Carter, not only are you not the worst president in history now, you are falling further behind obama at a rapid rate. HIs arrogance even had the guts to get in front of reporters and lie again about keeping your coverage. That guy is completely out of touch and needs to be impeached as soon as possible. Then he and his cohorts can be tried for allowing the murders of  Americans in Benghazi. to little to late. So, if they allow people to keep inadequate plans, who'll pay for their healthcare when the coverage is exhausted, or the condition isn't covered? @yesiam  The only difference between Hillary and obozo is that one of them wears a dress. Other than that slight difference, you can't tell them apart because they are completely interchangeable. @yesiam More of the same. I liked the old way politicians lied, not directly to your face. @Gatone I am an American what have you done for me lately.??? @Gatone They have been doing this for years... @Gatone That's odd.  When I went there it only needed my zip code and age group: 50+ or 49 and under.  So I surfed a bit and wrote down a few I might consider.  But I still have insurance so I will wait.  Then I will use the phone-in method as  I refuse to enter personal info on a computer. @Gatone I'm sure the regime didn't install adware or spyware with their supercookies......and they definitely aren't tracking your web surfing behavior........... @Gatone Cookies don't "spy" on you. They are used to store data and have legitimate uses, especially on a site where you sign up for a service or purchase goods. @UglyTruth OK so what does white power have to offer then.??? @TimBurrMany understand precisely what's going on. How do you sell socialism, through lies and deception. Good old Zeke Emanuel spells it right out, "you have to get the collective (central committee) over the individual". They're trying to wipe out Individual Freedom. That's a direct threat (clear and present danger) to the Constitution. @TimBurr They also fail to understand that the gubmint knows what the 'hairy unwashed' needs because they are too stoopid to know. @PDX Dave But sarha was wearing a skirt...?? oh wait never mind.... @feral ... I'm assuming you are being sarcastic.... @Where's Tracksuit Al Sharpton? Ya any dem in a red leaning state right now is really sweating bullets on how to distance themselves from this train wreck and the lying Obama without looking like a total lying hypocrite themselves so they can stay in power after 2014 elections.  Going to be interesting to see who can pull it off... Can we try Bush for international war crimes first? @Shadow how a about a vote of no confidence? hhe has breached the Trust of the American people. @Lips We will. Just like now, when the morons rely on the ER for their Primary Care Physicians. Who are you too say what is inadequate or not? That's not your call. @TimBurr @yesiam God help us if another liberal Dem , especially the "hero" of Benghazi , get into office. We will end up being the worlds b**ch . @yesiam @Gatone Not your personal /private health history. @TimBurr the NSA is. They are trapping all traffic. @JohnQ.Public I know what cookies do and what they are capable of. I call them "cooties". @yesiam @UglyTruth See? That is the typical and utterly stupid response from liberals when someone tells them the truth about their beloved leader. Anything bad against Obama makes you a racist. In fact, you calling me a racist for not liking this lame mockery of leadership is racist in itself, and also un-American. It is our duty as citizens to question our leaders, and when they're not performing, get rid of them in favor of better leaders. Once liberals start pulling the race card, they might as well admit that they've lost the argument. Name calling is the last resort of the desperate @Gatone @TimBurr Oh No fredom for corporations to steal billions from Americans with BS healthcare.. Oh No this law will stop that... We can't allow that because corporations are people too.. Just not the good people....... @Where's Tracksuit Al Sharpton? Why not try John  Kennedy for war crimes for Viet Nam? Or the Bay of Pigs. Same situation ,different political Party. @Where's Tracksuit Al Sharpton? Typical democRAT response: when you can NOT defend obammer....bring up GW Bush. Are you in love with George like yesiam? He just can't forget him either. @Rob C 503 Just going by why the law was created to begin with. @Rob C 503 If it permits people to avoid paying for the health care they receive, it is, in fact, inadequate. @Gatone @TimBurr So they know when you go to the porn shop.?? @UglyTruth @yesiam There is nothing racist about calling out a liar and a failure . Not sure where race came into this unless the accuser is racist?? @mmeiko264 It's only murder when he is in office then.???? @Where's Tracksuit Al Sharpton? You cant fight a war overseas and use American law as a governing factor. the only reason water boarding was stopped is because liberals thought that making someone think they are drowning was worse than bamboo under the fingernails. John Yoo. We tortured people under Bush. It was open and flagrant too. Ha. There was a memo signed by a random nobody lawyer named John Yoo. See, it's legal. @Lips @TerminalVelocity @Rob C 503 Well that is not my problem. Your boobs are not my problem. The junkies that OD are not my problem. Me and my family are my problem. It is my right to choose that health care is right for MY family,  not the Government.  I will pay for my health care , you pay for yours. If the others cant pay for their own , natural selection takes over and the human race gets more robust. But then again , the POSPOTUS and the liberals of this country would rather penalize a the hard working people  to provide medical care for those who choose to not work and to throw their lives away. Remember 1 in 5 people in Oregon are on welfare, Kind of sad ,huh. @TerminalVelocity @Lips @Rob C 503 You don't get a discount at Burger King for holding the lettuce, holding the mayo. You pay for my mammogram, and I pay for your prostate exam. If your insurance company is reputable, like mine is, you will, or do, receive premium cuts if you pass an annual health assessment. Your logic is the old logic, which is why this law was enacted. Which is why people with preexisting conditions or are high risk, couldn't get coverage. Which is why their ''no coverage'' care falls in all of our laps. I'd rather pay a little now, for their care, then pay out the ass, later. Or they could all just die, with no care at all. @Lips @Rob C 503 Yes ever man should have maternity coverage and sex change coverage and every women should be paying a premium for my prostate care.... Insurance is a risk coverage pool and should be based on your risks like any other insurance. So just like car insurance the risks for men may be different from women and those who are obese or smoke etc... Once you through out the concept of risk coverage pool we are at the socialized medicine point where you just pay a huge sum of money to cover everything in the world even if it does not apply to you and then get what ever healthcare those in charge feel your warranted. Not a system I want to be in.... Would that not mean bronze level insurance is inadequate?

Paul Moreira is an acclaimed French filmmaker. Yet even before his latest documentary “Ukraine, les masques de la révolution” [Ukraine: Masks of the Revolution] was premiered on February 1st by Canal+ he already faced fierce criticism having provoked outrage both in Ukraine and France. You can read an English translation of Moreira’s response to his critics here and watch the film embedded below: Ulrich Heyden is a German journalist and author. Since 1992, he has been a freelance correspondent in Moscow for German media, including for Telepolis. He was co-producer of the 45-minute documentary film (sub-titled in English) released in February 2015 and entitled “Wildfire: The Odessa atrocities of May 2, 2014″. This film again interviews eyewitnesses of the arson attack on the Trade Union House in Odessa which left 48 people dead on that day, and asks whether the massacre was a pre-planned operation to quell opposition to the new government that came into power two months earlier following the “Euromaidan revolution”. Most prominent of those alleged to have orchestrated events is neo-Nazi Andrey Parubiy, a co-founder of the Social Nationalist Party of Ukraine and leader of the “self-defence forces” of the Maidan, who was afterwards invited as a guest to Ottawa and Washington and more recently was welcomed by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London. * Before continuing, I would also like to direct attention to an alternative article – one published back in March 2014 by antiwar.com shortly after the massacre in Independence Square And here to read an extended post also from March 2004 in which I analysed the facts and misinformation as available at the time of Maid [February 3rd], and was followed on Thursday by his first deputy, Yulia Kovaliv, and the rest of his team. Two deputy ministers and Ukraine’s trade representative have also resigned. The parliament has reportedly begun debating whether to accept the resignations. writes Alec Luhn in an article entitled “Economic minister’s resignation plunges Ukraine into a new crisis” published by the Guardian in February. The same piece continues:. 2 A fortnight later and the crisis took another turn when President Petro Poroshenko asked Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk to resign, saying “he has lost the support of the governing coalition”:. 3 From a BBC article published on February 16th which includes this image: What the original caption to this BBC image fails to point out is that “the nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party” pictured is neo-Nazi. At the time of the Maidan, Arseny Yatsenyuk (or “Yats”) had been the preferred choice of Victoria Nuland and the US State Department. 4 Then, once Yatsenyuk was appointed Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister, Washington’s man quickly asserted himself, saying: . 5 The kamikaze mission Yatsenyuk had in mind involved the unleashing of Greek-style austerity measures, served up very much to the satisfaction of the IMF and EU. So welcome to hell indeed! But Yatsenyuk was already paying a hefty price for leading Ukraine on his admitted “suicide mission” and soon became one of the most despised elected leaders anywhere in the world. Worse, he made himself unpopular inside the Verkhovna Rada, and particularly so after he branded opposition MPs “morons” during a debate last December. Their response was a now familiar one – a periodic Rada brawl ensued (Yats is the one with the bouquet!): On April 14th, Yatsenyuk, Nuland’s favourite and head of the Open Ukraine Foundation, which is in turn partnered by Nato, the US State Department, Chatham House, and the National Endowment for Democracy among other organizations 6, was finally forced out of office. He had been Prime Minister for a little over two years. A month later, on May 20th, under the banner “National requirement – no surrender”, thousands of troops from the far-right Azov Brigade (one of the militias leading the battle against anti-Kiev separatists) gathered on the streets of Kiev and surrounded the Rada to demand an end to the Minsk accord and to block concessions allowing local elections in Donbass. Unsurprisingly, the western media turned a blind eye to events, but you can find an extraordinarily downplayed account in Ukraine Today beneath the tagline “Activists set off firecrackers but no clashes reported”: According to Ukraine’s police, nearly 2,000 people took part in the rally, whereas organizers said about 8,000 activists were brought together. The march resulted in a rally outside Ukraine’s Parliament building (Verkhovna Rada). The protest was held in a peaceful manner, but from time to time the activists would set off firecrackers and flares. 7 Meanwhile, Russia Today reported:. Quoting Biletsky, as cited by RIA Novosti, saying: .” 8 Then, a few days later on May 25th, an even more shocking event took place:. Although the single major media outlet in the western world that actually reported on the story was The Times of Israel. The report continues: The minute was observed on May 25, the 90th anniversary of Petliura’s assassination in Paris. National television channels interrupted their programs and broadcast the image of a burning candle for 60 seconds, Ukraine’s Federal News Agency reported. Adding:. 9 Click here to read the full report in The Times of Israel. Meanwhile, on the same day [May 25th], again slipping silently under the radar of the vast majority of the western mainstream media – failing to attract the attention of journalists at the BBC, the Guardian and The Independent – was a breaking story of more immediate Ukrainian atrocities: The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) has suspended its visit to Ukraine after being denied access to places in several parts of the country where it suspects people are being deprived of their liberty by the Security Service of Ukraine, the SBU. ,” said Sir Malcolm Evans, head of the four-member delegation. The statement released by the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture,,” said Sir Malcolm 10 Which brings us to last Friday [June 3rd], when the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a 53-page report detailing violations of human rights committed by both sides in the conflict. The International Business Times broke the silence and reported: The Ukrainian spy agency the SBU is torturing pro-Russian rebel sympathisers and as the conflict in the east of Ukraine rages on, Kiev is demonstrating an entrenched disregard for human rights, the United Nations has said. For the first time, revelations have emerged of a Ukrainian government-backed torture regime and the UN details five secret government detention centres. The report also outlines prisoner abuse and murders by pro-Russian rebel groups. 11 The same article also links to The Times, seemingly the single major western newspaper to report on this UN report: for… 12 But to read the rest of the report which is entitled “Kiev allows torture and runs secret jails, says UN”, you will need to log in. So here is part of the preliminary statement of the United Nation’s report (all bold highlights are added): Since mid-2014, OHCHR has, recorded some 1,500 accounts from victims, witnesses and relatives. These accounts show that all parties are responsible for human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law. Above all, these testimonies – and the civilian casualty data collected – demonstrate that civilians have paid the greatest price for this conflict. [p6 §2] Since the start of the security operation, hundreds of people accused of involvement in or affiliation with the armed groups have been detained and charged under existing counter-terrorism provisions. Individuals detained by Ukrainian authorities in connection with the armed conflict have been tortured and ill-treated, and continue to face systematic violations of their due process and fair trial rights. In many cases, criminal proceedings against individuals charged with terrorism offenses have brought the lack of independence and impartiality of the judiciary and legal profession into harsh relief. Further, in conducting the security operation and armed conflict, Ukrainian authorities have often run afoul of the principle of non-discrimination through adopting policies that distinguish, exclude, and restrict access to fundamental freedoms and socio-economic rights to persons living in the conflict-affected area. The Government has applied special measures to the conflict zone, lowering human rights protection guarantees and derogating from a number of international treaty obligations. [p6–7 §4] Reprinted below is a further selection that details a few of the worst abuses and atrocities committed by the Ukrainian police, army, secret service (SBU) and other groups affiliated to the Ukrainian government including neo-Nazi brigades such as the so-called ‘Azov Battalion’. One note of caution before continuing: the report primarily distinguishes between Ukrainian government forces and “the armed groups”, which is the chosen label used to distinguish anti-Kiev rebel forces. However, given that no formal distinction is made in the report, we are left to infer that every mention of “armed groups” attaches only to the rebel groups and never to forces allied with the government. Since the war has largely been fought by “armed groups” on both sides (Azov and related far-wing militia spearheading the pro-government offensive), as a choice of phraseology, this unfortunately permits an unnecessary degree of ambiguity: The armed conflict between the Government of Ukraine and the armed groups of the ‘Donetsk people’s republic’ and ‘Luhansk people’s republic’ continues to be fought without due regard for civilian protection. [p9 §13] Ukrainian armed forces and armed groups continue to lay landmines, including anti-personnel mines, despite Ukraine’s obligations as a State party to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Credible estimates indicate that mines contaminate large areas of agricultural land in east Ukraine, often in areas which are poorly marked, near roads and surrounding civilian areas. This has resulted in civilians being killed and maimed, often while walking to their homes and fields. These risks are particularly acute for people living in towns and settlements near the contact line, as well as the 23,000 people who cross the contact line every day. [p9 §14] Water filtration stations and other essential infrastructure have been damaged in hostilities in the shelling of densely-populated civilian areas, as the parties to the conflict have failed to take all feasible precautions in attacks to protect and prevent the destruction of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population. [p10 §15] Ukrainian armed forces and armed groups have appropriated residential property of local residents for military use… In many cases, this has forced the owners or residents to leave their homes and in some cases, their communities. [p10 §16] Due to ongoing heavy shelling in the western outskirts of Donetsk near the contact line, some residents still use bomb shelters on a regular basis, sleeping in damp, damaged basements on a nightly basis. [p11 §19] On 27 April 2016, civilians waiting to cross a checkpoint in Olenivka village, on the road between Mariupol and Donetsk city, were hit by shelling at night. Four civilians were killed and eight others injured. According to OSCE crater analysis, the mortar rounds were fired from the west-south-westerly direction. This indicates the responsibility of the Ukrainian armed forces. [p11 §20] As of 1 April 2016, 3,687 criminal cases had been initiated by the National Police of Ukraine into cases of missing people in Donetsk and Luhansk regions since the beginning of the security operation. Besides, 2,755 criminal investigations into abductions or kidnappings had been initiated. The whereabouts of the majority of the missing or abducted persons have been established; hundreds of people, however, remain missing or believed to be in detention (recognized or secret) by the armed groups or Ukrainian authorities. [p13 §26] Since 1 April 2014, 1,351 unidentified bodies have been recovered in Government-controlled territories of the conflict zone. As of 1 April 2016, 523 of these bodies have been identified while 828 were pending identification. The armed groups have also publicly reported on a number of unidentified bodies in morgues or buried in unmarked graves on the territories they control. In early April 2016, a dozen of bodies of Ukrainian servicemen and members of armed groups were recovered in the Government-controlled territories and in the territories controlled by the armed groups. There are still many bodies of fallen soldiers and members of armed groups that have not yet been recovered. In the ‘Donetsk people’s republic’, at least 430 families are looking for their missing relatives. [p13 §27] OHCHR received allegations of enforced disappearances, arbitrary and incommunicado detention, torture and ill-treatment committed by Ukrainian law enforcement. Among these were over 20 cases of arbitrary detention and ill-treatment. [p14 §30] The majority of cases documented during the reporting period concerned incidents in the conflict zone. While the cases from 2014 and early 2015 suggest that volunteer battalions (often in conjunction with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU)) were frequent perpetrators, information from the late 2015 and early 2016 mostly implicate SBU. Many of these cases concern incommunicado detention in unofficial detention facilities where torture and ill-treatment are persistently used as means to extract confessions or information, or to intimidate or punish the victim. SBU continued to deny practicing secret or incommunicado detention, the mere existence of unofficial detention facilities, and the whereabouts and fate of individuals who were forcibly disappeared. SBU officials continue to maintain that allegations documented by OHCHR are “unfounded insinuations” made by criminals trying to portray themselves as victims. [p14 §31] On 20 February 2016, a Mariupol resident was transferred to Donetsk as part of a simultaneous release of detainees. Since March 2015, he had been held incommunicado at the Kharkiv SBU. He was apprehended in Mariupol on 28 January 2015 and kept in an illegal detention facility. There, he was reportedly severely tortured and electrocuted by three men who wanted him to identify supporters of the ‘Donetsk people’s republic’ in Mariupol. [p14 §32]. [p20 §59] Oleh Kalashnikov, an opposition politician from the Party of Regions affiliated with President Yanukovych, was assassinated on 15 April 2015. After one year, no suspects have been identified and there has been no progress in the investigation. Similarly, the killing of chief editor of Segodnya newspaper, Oles Buzyna, on 16 April 2015, continues to be investigated. Buzyna was a critic of the Maidan protests and a proponent of close ties between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The investigation into his killing, which has been going on for over a year, has been marred by procedural irregularities. The case has not yet been submitted to court. Two suspects arrested on 18 June 2015 were released from detention in December 2015, subject to summonses to appear in court. In April 2015 the Minister of Internal Affairs stated that he would personally oversee investigations into the death of Oleh Kalashnikov and Oles Buzyna. OHCHR observes a lack of progress in criminal cases involving persons affiliated with or perceived as political and ideological supporters of the Government of President Yanukovych. It is essential for justice to be impartial and to hold those responsible for the killings to account. [p23 §70] Then we have the massacre in Odessa a little more than two years ago on May 2nd, 2014: OHCHR is also concerned about the lack of progress in the investigation into the House of Trade Unions fire and the failure of the fire brigade to respond. It took the Office of the Prosecutor General almost six months to open a criminal investigation into the negligence of the State Emergency Service of Odesa region and another five months to charge its head under article 135 (leaving in danger) of the Criminal Code. On 1 March 2016, the suspect fled after his deputy and two other subordinates were detained by the police on the same charges. He has since been put on a wanted list. [p25 §79] OHCHR welcomes the progress made in the investigation into failure of the police to ensure public safety on 2 May 2014. On 26 February, the Office of the Prosecutor General filed an indictment against former Head of Odesa Regional Police, Petro Lutsiuk. He is accused of committing crimes under articles 136 (failure to provide assistance to people whose life is in danger), 364 (abuse of authority or office) and 366 (forgery in office) of the Criminal Code. He is also accused of not implementing a special plan (‘Volna’ – wave) aimed at counteracting public disorder at mass assemblies and gatherings, which led to the death of 48 people and injuries of more than 200. He is also accused of intentionally leaving people in danger. However, as of the date of this report, the court has not completed the preliminary hearing due to procedural delays caused by the absence of the parties to the trial and failure to duly notify all victims about the date of the court hearing. The relatives of victims of the violence and the defendant’s lawyers denounced the poor quality of the indictment in the case and have requested that the court return it to the prosecution for revision. [p25 §80] The full report can be found here:. Click here to read a slightly later post from April 2014 entitled “never let a good Ukrainian crisis go to waste…” in which I investigate the underlying motives for the West’s involvement in the overthrow of Yanukovych. * 1 From an article entitled “What Color is Ukraine’s ‘Color Revolution’?” written by Justin Raimondo, published by antiwar.com on March 12, 2014. 2 From an article entitled “Economic minister’s resignation plunges Ukraine into new crisis” written by Alec Luhn, published in the Guardian on February 4, 2016. 3 From an article entitled “Ukraine crisis: Poroshenko asks PM Yatsenyuk to resign” published by BBC news on February 16, 2016.. […] In the tapes, Nuland and Pyatt discuss the upheavals in Ukraine, and Yanukovych’s offer last month to make the. [bold emphasis added] From an article entitled “Angela Merkel: Victoria Nuland’s remarks on EU are unacceptable” written by Ed Pilkington, Luke Harding “and agencies”, published in the Guardian on February 7, 2014. 5 From an article entitled “Ukraine crisis: Yatsenyuk is PM-designate, Kiev Maidan told” published by BBC news on February 26, 2014. 6 7 From an article entitled “Azov Battalion marches in Kyiv against local elections in Donbas (video, photos)” published in Ukraine Today on May 21, 2016. 8 From an article entitled “1000s of Ukraine nationalists vow to oust Poroshenko administration over Donbass elections” published by Russia Today on May 20, 2016. 9 From an article entitled “Ukraine honors nationalist whose troops killed 50,000 Jews” published in The Times of Israel on May 31, 2016. 10 From a statement entitled “UN torture prevention body suspends Ukraine visit citing obstruction” released May 25, 2016. 11 From an article entitled “Ukraine’s spy agency torturing pro-Russian sympathisers in the Donbass alleges United Nations” written by Brendan Cole, published in the International Business Times on June 3, 2016. 12 From an article entitled “Kiev allows torture and runs secret jails, says UN” written by Maxim Tucker, published in The Times on June 3, 2016.

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This style of combat training helped develop the strength, reflexes, endurance and courage that Viking warriors needed to survive in combat. Glima also builds self confidence and for Norse children, Glima training usually began at around 6 or 7 years of age. Glima self-defense training was the foundation of a Viking warrior and these techniques are still practiced today in Scandinavia, Europe, North America, and South America. Glima is mentioned in the Prose Edda in the book of Gylfaginning when the Æsir god Thor took his journey to Utgards-Loki and was defeated in a wrestling match by the female jötunn Elli (Old Norse “Elli” means “old age”). Yes, Thor was beaten by an old woman in hand to hand unarmed combat…but there’s more to the story as to why. (read the attempted a hold, and then Thor became totty on his feet, and their tuggings were very hard. A depiction of Elli wrestling Thor (1919) by Robert Engels. Yet it was not long before Thor fell to his knee, on one foot. Then Útgarda-Loki went up and bade them cease the wrestling, saying that Thor should not need to challenge more men of his body-guard to wrestling. Glima is so important to Norse society, Thor is also the god of wrestling. As with people of every age and nationality, the Norse loved sports. Glima was not just used for self defense and combat, but was also a sport. Wherever Vikings gathered, Glima was a big part of the entertainment. It was the most widespread sport in the Viking Age and there were several variations of Scandinavian folk wrestling, such as: Lausatök, Hryggspenna, and Brokartök. Glima is practiced by men and women of all ages. The original Norwegian settlers in Iceland took Viking wrestling and the Glima combat systems with them, according to the Jónsbók law book from 1325 AD. In the Icelandic medieval book of laws known as Grágás (Gray Goose Laws), which refers to a collection of earlier Norwegian laws, there were rules for wrestling. The Icelandic populace has taken very good care of their Norwegian heritage, and Glima there is almost unchanged since Viking times. The skilled variants of Glíma wrestling, called Brokartök, Hryggspenna, and Lausatök, have complex rules with competitors divided into several classes based on strength and skill. Brokartök (Trouser-grip) Brokartök is by far the most widespread form of glima in Iceland and Sweden and it is this version of glima that is Iceland’s national sport. The Brokartök form of glima favors technique over strength. Each of the two wrestlers wear a special belt around the waist and separate additional belts on the lower thighs of each leg, which connect to the main belt with vertical straps. A fixed grip is then taken with one hand in the belt and the other in the trousers at thigh height. From this position the glima-wrestler attempts to trip and throw his opponent. In this style of glima, a thrown wrestler may attempt to land on his feet and hands and if he succeeds in doing so he has not lost the fall. The winning condition in this type of glima is to make the opponent touch the ground with an area of the body between the elbow and the knee. There are four points that differentiate Brokartök from other forms of. The core of the system are eight main brögð (techniques) which form the basic training for approximately 50 ways to execute a throw or takedown. Brokartök glíma is different from all other ethnic grips in three ways: - Upprétt staða Pursuers shall remain upright. The positioning in many of the ethnic grips sports often resembles a setsquare but in Brokartök glíma that is called ousting or “bol” and is banned. - Stígandinn Brokartök glíma involves steps, which involves contestants stepping forth and back like they are dancing in a clockwise motion. Stígandi is one of the characteristics of Glíma and designed to avoid a standstill and create opportunities for offence and attack. - Níð It is forbidden in Brokartök glíma to tail your opponent to the floor or push your opponent down with force. That is considered to be unsportsmanlike and opposing the nature of Glíma as a sport for honorable sportsmen and women. The Brokartök glíma sportsman or sportswoman shall conquer his or her opponent with a Glíma grip so well implemented that it suffices in a “bylta”, which forces your opponent to fall to the ground without any further action. The concept “níð” does not exist in other ethnic grip sports. Hryggspenna (Backhold wrestling) Hryggspenna is more similar to other styles of wrestling and is considered to be more a test of strength than of technique. In Hryggspenna the opponents take hold of each other’s upper body and whoever touches the ground with any part of the body except the feet has lost. Lausatök (Loose-Grip or Free-Grip) Lausatök is the most widespread form of Glima practiced and there are regular competitions of this form of Glima, such as the Norwegian Glima Championship. In Lausatök Loose-Grip wrestling, the contestants may use the holds they wish. Lausatök, or Løse-tak in Norwegian, is quite aggressive and differs in many ways from the other styles of Viking wrestling. This style was banned in Iceland for a period of about 100 years before being taken up again recently, within the last generation. Lausatök, or Løse-tak in Norwegian, is quite aggressive and differs in many ways from the other styles of Viking wrestling. Lausatök comes in two forms: A version for self-defense or combat and a version for friendly competition. In both, all kinds of wrestling techniques are allowed, but in the friendly version they are still taught to be executed in a way so they won’t cause the opponent injury. In such a friendly match the winner is considered the one who is standing tall while the other is lying on the ground. This means that if both the opponents fall to the ground together the match will continue on the ground by the use of techniques to keep the other down while getting up. Excessive use of techniques aimed at deliberately injuring an opponent is frowned upon in sport Lausatök glíma. It is enough to use glima techniques that send an opponent to the floor, to inflict ‘pain’ on the floor, to ‘slap’ and opponent as opposed to ‘punch’ and kicks aimed at shocking an opponent rather than breaking bones. Such actions are considered níð; unsportsmanlike and opposing the nature of Glíma as a sport for honorable sportsmen and women. The concept “níð” does not exist in other ethnic grip sports. Old Norse: nīð (Old English: nīþ) was a term for a social stigma implying the loss of honor and the status of a villain. A person affected with the stigma is a nīðing (Old Norse: níðingr, Old English: nīðing, nīðgæst). Surrounding glima is a code of honor called drengskapur that calls for fairness, respect for and caring about the security of one’s training partners. You do not injure your opponent in the training and glima as a sport. Lausatök glima for combat and self-defense was the basis for the Vikings fighting expertise and also includes techniques against weapons. In order to have a structured form of unarmed combatives against striking weapons, the Vikings had to know how to use a variety of weapons, such as sword, axe, spear, seax, long seax, stick and knife. The foundation for the use of these weapons is found in Lausatök combat glima. As Brokartök is the most widespread form of Glima in Iceland and Sweden, Lausatök is by far the most widespread form of Glima practiced in Norway, Europe and North America. There are regular competitions in this form of Glima such as the Norwegian Glima Championship. In Lausatök Loose-Grip wrestling, the contestants may use the holds they wish and it is practiced both outdoors and indoors year round in Scandinavia. Glíma as a sport has also gone by the name of Scandinavian Wrestling and Viking Wrestling (Vikingbryting). Sources: - Gylfaginning - Prose Edda (complete) - Jana K Schulman, The Laws of Later Iceland: Jónsbók: The Icelandic Text According to MS AM 351 fol. Skálholtsbók eldri. With an English Translation, Introduction and Notes (2010). - Grágás (Gray Goose Laws) .>

- The report contains detailed information about Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. that gives an unrivalled in-depth knowledge about internal business-environment of the company: data about the owners, senior executives, locations, subsidiaries, markets, products, and company history. - Another part of the report is a SWOT-analysis carried out for Consolidated Water Co. Ltd.. It involves specifying the objective of the company's business and identifies the different factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieving that objective. SWOT-analysis helps to understand company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and possible threats against it. - The Consolidated Water Consolidated Water Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. business. About Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. develops and operates seawater desalination plants and water distribution systems in areas where naturally occurring supplies of potable water are scarce or nonexistent. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, the company operates 16 reverse osmosis desalination plants and provides services to its customers in the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, and Bermuda: Subsidiaries Cayman Water Company Limited (Cayman Water): Cayman Water operates under a retail license granted by the Cayman Islands government to provide water to customers with in a prescribed service area on Grand Cayman that includes the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas in the Cayman Islands. Cayman Water owns and operates four desalination plants on Grand Cayman. Ocean Conversion (Cayman) Limited (OC-Cayman): OC-Cayman provides bulk water under various licenses and agreements to the Water Authority-Cayman, a government-owned utility and regulatory agency, which distributes the water to properties located outside its exclusive retail license service area in Grand Cayman. OC-Cayman operates three desalination plants owned by the Water Authority-Cayman. Consolidated Water (Bahamas) Limited (CW-Bahamas): The company owns a 90.9% equity interest in CW-Bahamas, which provides bulk water under long-term contracts to the Water and Sewerage Corporation of The Bahamas, a government agency. Consolidated Water (Belize) Limited (CW-Belize): The company owns CW-Belize, which has an exclusive contract to provide bulk water to Belize Water Services Ltd., a water distributor that serves residential, commercial and tourist properties in Ambergris Caye, Belize. Aquilex, Inc: Aquilex, Inc., a United States company, provides financial, engineering and supply chain management support services to its subsidiaries and affiliates. Ocean Conversion (BVI) Ltd. (OC-BVI): The company owns 50% interest in OC-BVI, a British Virgin Islands company, which sells bulk water on a month-to-month basis to the Government of The British Virgin Islands Water and Sewage Department. DesalCo Limited (DesalCo): The company acquired DesalCo, a Cayman Islands company, which provides management, engineering and construction services for desalination projects. Consolidated Water (Bermuda) Limited (CW-Bermuda): Consolidated Water (Bermuda) Limited (CW-Bermuda) entered into a design, build and sale agreement with the Government of Bermuda for a desalination plant to be built in two phases at Tynes Bay along the northern coast of Bermuda. Operations The companys segments include Retail Water Operations, Bulk Water Operations, and Services Operations. Retail Water Operations This segment supplies water to end-users, including residential, commercial and government customers. It sells water through its retail operations to various residential and commercial customers through its wholly owned subsidiary Cayman Water, which operates under a license issued to it by the Cayman Islands government. Pursuant to the license, the company has the right to produce potable water and distribute it by pipeline to its licensed service area, which consists of the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas of Grand Cayman, two of the three most populated areas in the Cayman Islands. Customers: The company enters into standard contracts with hotels, condominiums and other properties located in its existing licensed area to provide potable water. In the Seven Mile Beach area, its primary customers are the hotels and condominium complexes that serve the tourist industry. In the West Bay area, its primary customers are residential homes. Bulk Water Operations This segment serves customers in the Cayman Islands, Belize, the British Virgin Islands and The Bahamas. Bulk Water Operations in the Cayman Islands The company sells bulk water in the Cayman Islands through its wholly-owned subsidiary OC-Cayman. The company operates four reverse osmosis seawater conversion plants in Grand Cayman that are owned by the Water Authority-Cayman: the Red Gate Road, Lower Valley, North Sound and North Side Water Works plants. The plants. CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD. COMPANY PROFILE 1.1. Key facts 1.2. Financial Performance 1.3. Key Executives 1.4. Ownership and Major Holders 1.5. Company History 2. CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD. BUSINESS OVERVIEW 2.1. Business Description 2.2. Major Products and Services 2.3. Markets and Sales Activities 2.4. Locations, Subsidiaries, Operating Units 3. CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD. SWOT ANALYSIS 3.1. Overview 3.2. Strengths 3.3. Weaknesses 3.4. Opportunities 3.5. Threats 4. CONSOLIDATED WATER. CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD. COMPETITORS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 5.1. Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Direct Competitors 5.2. Comparison of Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. and Direct Competitors Financial Ratios 5.3. Comparison of Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. and Direct Competitors Stock Charts 5.4. Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Industry Analysis 5.4.1. Utilities Industry Snapshot 5.4.2. Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Industry Position Analysis 6. CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD. NEWS & EVENTS 6.1. News & PR Activity Analysis 6.2. IR Corporate News 6.3. Marketing News 6.4. Corporate Events 7. CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD. EXPERTS REVIEW1 7.1. Experts Opinion 7.2. Experts Estimates 8. CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD. ENHANCED SWOT ANALYSIS2 9. CAYMAN ISLANDS PESTEL ANALYSIS2 9.1. Political Factors 9.2. Economic Factors 9.3. Social Factors 9.4. Technological Factors 9.5. Environmental Factors 9.6. Legal Factors 10. CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD. IFE, EFE, IE MATRICES2 10.1. Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix 10.2. External Factor Evaluation Matrix 10.3. Internal External Matrix 11. CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD. PORTER FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS2 12. CONSOLIDATED WATER CO. LTD. VRIO ANALYSIS2 APPENDIX: RATIO DEFINITIONS LIST OF TABLES Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Key Facts Profitability Management Effectiveness Income Statement Key Figures Balance Sheet Key Figures Cash Flow Statement Key Figures Financial Performance Abbreviation Guide Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Key Executives Key Executives Biographies1 Key Executives Compensations1 Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Major Shareholders Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. History Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Products Revenues by Segment Revenues by Region Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Offices and Representations Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. SWOT Analysis Yearly Income Statement Including Trends Income Statement Latest 4 Quarters Including Trends Yearly Balance Sheet Including Trends Balance Sheet Latest 4 Quarters Including Trends Yearly Cash Flow Including Trends Cash Flow Latest 4 Quarters Including Trends Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Profitability Ratios Margin Analysis Ratios Asset Turnover Ratios Credit Ratios Long-Term Solvency Ratios Financial Ratios Growth Over Prior Year Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Capital Market Snapshot Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Direct Competitors Key Facts Direct Competitors Profitability Ratios Direct Competitors Margin Analysis Ratios Direct Competitors Asset Turnover Ratios Direct Competitors Credit Ratios Direct Competitors Long-Term Solvency Ratios Utilities Industry Statistics Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Industry Position Company vs. Industry Income Statement Analysis Company vs. Industry Balance Sheet Analysis Company vs. Industry Cash Flow Analysis Company vs. Industry Ratios Comparison Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Consensus Recommendations1 Analyst Recommendation Summary1 Price Target Summary1 Experts Recommendation Trends1 Revenue Estimates Analysis1 Earnings Estimates Analysis1 Historical Surprises1 Revenue Estimates Trend1 Earnings Estimates Trend1 Revenue Revisions1 LIST OF FIGURES Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Annual Revenues in Comparison with Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Profit Profit Margin Chart Operating Margin Chart Return on Equity (ROE) Chart Return on Assets (ROA) Chart Debt to Equity Chart Current Ratio Chart Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. 1-year Stock Charts Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. 5-year Stock Charts Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. vs. Main Indexes 1-year Stock Chart Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. vs. Direct Competitors 1-year Stock Charts Consolidated Water?

Figures Abstract Background Interferon-induced 35-kDa protein (IFP35) plays important roles in antiviral defense and the progression of some skin cancer diseases. It can be induced by interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in multiple human cells. However, the mechanisms by which IFN-γ contributes to IFP35 induction remain to be elucidated. Methods/Principal Findings We identified the transcription start sites of IFP35 by 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and cloned the promoter of IFP35. Sequence analysis and luciferase assays revealed two GC boxes and an IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE) in the 5′-γ-dependent expression of IFP35, whereas depletion of IRF-2 had little effect on IFN-γ-inducible IFP35 expression. Moreover, IRF-1 was recruited to the ISRE site in IFP35 promoter in IFN-γ treated HeLa cells, as demonstrated by electrophoretic mobility shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Conclusions/Significance These findings provide the first evidence that IRF-1 and IRF-2 are involved in constitutive IFP35 expression in HeLa cells, while IRF-1 also activates IFP35 expression in an IFN-γ-inducible manner. Our data therefore identified a new IRF-1 and IRF-2 target gene, which may expand our current understanding of the versatile functions of IRF-1 and IRF-2. Citation: Yang W, Tan J, Liu R, Cui X, Ma Q, Geng Y, et al. (2012) Interferon-γ Upregulates Expression of IFP35 Gene in HeLa Cells via Interferon Regulatory Factor-1. PLoS ONE 7(12): e50932. Editor: Luwen Zhang, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, United States of America Received: July 12, 2012; Accepted: October 25, 2012; Published: December 4, (30900068, 81071343) and the 973 Project (2010CB534907). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Introduction Interferon (IFN)-induced 35-kDa protein (IFP35), an IFN-induced protein, was first isolated through differential screening of a cDNA library in IFN-γ treated HeLa cells. IFN-γ can induce IFP35 expression in various cells, including fibroblasts, monocytes/macrophages, and epithelial cells [1]. In addition, expression of IFP35 is also differentially regulated in the T cells of Sezary-γ is a cytokine that plays important roles in a variety of biological processes including antiviral responses, anti-tumorigenesis, proinflammatory reactions and atherogenesis [8]. Signals of IFN-γ are transduced via two kinds of consensus sequences for IFN--γ stimulation, IRF-1 is transcriptionally regulated by STAT1 homodimer, which directs transcription of IRF-1 via the GAS element in the promoter [18]. As a transcriptional activator, IRF-1 directly binds to the ISRE that was found in the promoters of some IFN-regulated genes, including ISG20 [19], RANTES/CC15 [20] and LMP7 [21], and regulates their expression. IRF-2 was originally identified as a factor binding to the same recognition site as IRF-1 and was assumed to suppress the function of IRF-1 [17]. However, IRF2 also possesses a latent activation domain, and it was shown to activate several genes such as histone H4 [22] and gp91 [23]. (A) The ATG translational start site is underlined and the A is designed as +1. Arrowheads indicate the transcriptional start sites. The putative cis-elements are boxed. (B) Schematic representation of six 5′ upstream region deletions of IFP35 gene. (C) Schematic representation of the core promoter region of pGL-359. The mutations were constructed as indicated. (D) HeLa cells were transfected with the indicated promoter constructs. Luciferase assays were performed 48 h after transfection. β-gal activity was measured as a normalization control for the luciferase activity. (E) HeLa cells were transfected with the indicated wild type or mutant pGL-359 constructs. Luciferase assays were performed 48 h after transfection. It was reported that the mRNA and protein levels of IFP35 could be induced by IFN-γ [1]. However, it has not yet been determined which elements and factors are involved in the induction of IFP35 expression by IFN-γ. In this study, we have identified a functional ISRE in the IFP35 promoter located at –181 bp from the start codon. Furthermore, we show that IRF-1 directly binds to this site and mediates IFN-γ-dependent transcriptional activation of IFP35 in HeLa cells. Results Isolation and Characterization of IFP35 Promoter To obtain insights into the process of IFN-γ induction of the IFP35 gene, it is essential to characterize the IFP35 promoter. We first mapped the transcriptional start site of IFP35 by 5′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) PCR. The PCR products were cloned into pMD18-T and sequenced. The sequences of the 10 clones obtained from the 5′-RACE products revealed two transcriptional start sites, located 163 (6 clones) and 183 (4 clones) nucleotides upstream of the translational start site, respectively (Fig. 1A). We then cloned the 5′ upstream region of the start sites (pGL-2025) and performed sequence analysis. The analysis using the TFSEARCH ver.1.3 revealed that the IFP35 promoter lacks canonical TATA and CAAT boxes. On the other hand, two conservative GC boxes (GC1 box and GC2 box) and a potential ISRE were found in the promoter region (Fig. 1A). (A) HeLa cells were transfected with pGL-210 or pGL-359 and stimulated with IFN-γ (10 ng/ml) for different time periods. The response to IFN-γ is presented as fold induction relative to pGL3-Basic. (B) HeLa cells were stimulated with IFN-γ (10 ng/ml) for different time periods. The expression of IFP35 and α-tubulin was monitored by Western blot analysis. (C) HeLa cells were transfected with the pGL3-Basic, pGL-210 or pGL-210mISRE constructs. At 36 h after transfecion, cells were incubated with medium alone or with IFN-γ (10 ng/ml) for 12 h before luciferase assays were performed. (A and B) HeLa cells were co-transfected with pGL-210 and the indicated expression plasmids. Luciferase assay was performed 48 h after transfection. (C and D) HeLa cells were transfected with the indicated expression plasmids. At 48 h after transfection, whole cell extracts were prepared and analyzed by Western blot. α-tubulin serves as an internal standard for normalization. (E and F) 293T cells were transfected with the indicated expression plasmids. Luciferase assay was performed 48 h after transfection. (G and H) 293T cells were transfected with the indicated expression plasmids. Western blot analysis was performed 48 h after transfection. (A) HeLa cells were transfected with shIRF-1 or shCON. At 36 h after transfection, cells were incubated for 12 h in the presence or absence of IFN-γ (10 ng/ml). Immunoblotting was then performed to examine the protein levels of IFP35, IRF-1 and α-tubulin. (B) The experiments were similarly performed as in (A) except that HeLa cells were transfected with shIRF-2 and shCONr. (C and D) HeLa cells were co-transfected with pGL-210 and the indicated shRNA expression plasmids.. (E) HeLa cells were transfected with shCON or shIRF-1. At 36 h after transfection, cells were incubated for 12 h in the presence or absence of IFN-γ (10 ng/ml) before real-time PCR was performed. Data are the mean and standard error from three experiments. *P<0.05. (F) The experiments were similarly performed as in (E) except that IFP35 mRNA level was analyzed. To determine the cis-acting regulatory elements involved in the basal activity of IFP35 promoter, promoter fragments with different length were generated and cloned into the pGL3-Basic vector (Fig. 1B). HeLa cells were transiently transfected with these reporter plasmids, and the relative luciferase activity was measured 48 h post transfection. As shown in Fig. 1D, basal transcription from all 4 constructs with deletions from −2025 to −359 appeared normal, but further deletion to position −230 (with the GC2 box deleted) resulted in a decrease of basal transcription activity of nearly 60%, and additional deletion to position −210 (with the GC1 box also deleted) resulted in a decrease of basal transcriptional activity of nearly 94%, only leaving a 8.75-fold increase in luciferase activity as compared to the control vector without a promoter sequence. (A) pGL-210 or pGL-210mISRE was co-transfected with the empty vector or the IRF-1 expression plasmid into HeLa cells. Luciferase assays were performed at 48 h after transfection. Data are the mean and standard error from three experiments. (B) Schematic diagram of the probes used in EMSA assay. (C) EMSA was performed with GST or GST–IRF-1. Digoxigenin-labeled S93 or S93m were used as probes. Arrowheads indicate DNA–protein complexes. (D) EMSA was performed with GST or GST–IRF-1. Digoxigenin-labeled 3×ISRE or 3×ISREm were used as probes. Arrowheads indicate DNA–protein complexes. (A) HeLa cells were either untreated or treated with IFN-γ (10 ng/ml) for 12 h. Nuclear extracts prepared from these cells were subjected to EMSA. The competitor represents 40×excess cold 3×ISRE. (B) Nuclear extracts (4 µg) from HeLa cells unstimulated or stimulated with IFN-γ (10 ng/ml) for 12 h were subjected to EMSA by using 3×ISRE probe. Supershift assays were performed by preincubating the nuclear extracts with 2 µg anti-IRF-1 or anti-IRF-3. The specific IRF-1 complex and supershifted complex were indicated by arrows. The free probes have run out of the gel. (C) HeLa cells were either untreated or treated with IFN-γ (10 ng/ml) for 12 h and processed for ChIP assays by using anti-IRF-1, anti-IRF-3 or control IgG. Precipitated DNA encompassing the IFP35 ISRE was then assayed by PCR. The negative control indicates a genomic fragment (+976 to +1337, relative to the translation start site) downstream of IL-7 promoter. (D) The experiment was similarly performed as in (C) except that anti-IRF-1 and anti-IRF-2 were used. (A) pGL-210 was co-transfected with shSTAT1 or shCONr into HeLa cells.. (B) HeLa cells stably expressing either shSTAT1 or shCONr were transfected with pCDNA3.1 or pCDNA3.1-IRF-1. At 36 h after transfection, cells were treated with IFN-γ (10 ng/ml) for 12 h before immunoblotting was performed. (C) HeLa cells were treated with IFN-γ (10 ng/ml) for 12 h and processed for ChIP assays by using control IgG, anti-IRF-1 or anti-STAT1. The negative control indicates a genomic fragment (+976 to +1337, relative to the translation start site) downstream of IL-7 promoter. HeLa cells were transfected with the expression plasmids encoding IRF-1, IRF-2 and constitutively active forms of IRF-3, IRF-5 and IRF-7. At 48 h after transfection, whole cell extracts were prepared and Western blot analysis was performed with antibodies as indicated. To further verify whether the two GC boxes and potential ISRE element are involved in the basal transcription of IFP35, we constructed several promoter mutants on the backbone of pGL-359 (Fig. 1C). As shown in Fig. 1E, mutations in the GC boxes decreased pGL-359 promoter activity by 51.02% (GC1 mutation) and 49.47% (GC2 mutation). Mutations in the ISRE decreased the basal activity of pGL-359 even to a lower level (by 82.87%). Furthermore, the mutation of two GC boxes and ISRE could synergistically reduce pGL-359 promoter activity (Fig. 1E, column 6, 7, 8). When all three elements were mutated, pGL-359 completely lost the promoter activity when compared to the empty vector, suggesting that all the three elements were essential for basal transcription of IFP35 in HeLa cells. ISRE Consensus Binding Site is Critical for IFN-γ Induced IFP35 Promoter Activity In order to determine the IFN-γ responsiveness of IFP35 promoter, HeLa cells were transfected with pGL-210 or pGL-359, and then treated with IFN-γ for different time periods. As shown in Fig. 2A, the luciferase activity of pGL-210 and pGL-359 increased after 4 h of IFN-γ stimulation and reached the maximum level after 17 h of treatment. To compare the time course of the induction of the reporter construct and the induction of IFP35 protein upon IFN-γ treatment, we performed Western blot assay for IFP35 protein in HeLa cells treated with IFN-γ for different time periods. The amount of IFP35 protein also increased after 4 h of stimulation and reached the maximum level at 17 h in parallel to that of the promoter induction (Fig. 2B), suggesting that both pGL-210 and pGL-359 can account for the induction of IFP35 protein. Additionally, it revealed that pGL-210 had significantly higher luciferase fold induction as compared with pGL-359, we speculated that some factors binding at −210 to −359 may partially inhibit the function of ISRE. Therefore, we conducted the following experiments using the pGL-210 promoter construct to focus on factors that activate ISRE. The results above indicate that a potential ISRE site is present in IFP35 promoter (Fig. 1D). To identify whether this ISRE was responsible for IFN-γ induction of pGL-210 activity, we mutated the ISRE on pGL-210. The mutated construct, named pGL-210mISRE, completely lacked IFN-γ responsiveness upon transfection into HeLa cells, suggesting that the ISRE site is functional and critical for the induction of IFP35 promoter by IFN-γ (Fig. 2C). IRF-1 and IRF-2 Activate IFP35 Promoter and Increase IFP35 Expression Members of the IRF family can bind to ISRE and exert transcriptional regulation of the target genes [14]. To determine which IRF family member activates the IFP35 promoter via ISRE, we co-transfected pGL-210 with plasmids expressing IRF-1, IRF-2, IRF-3, IRF-5 or IRF-7 to HeLa and 293T cells, and examined pGL-210 promoter activity. It was found that over-expression of IRF-1 led to a dramatic increase in pGL-210 promoter activity in both HeLa and 293T cells (Fig. 3A, 3B, 3E and 3F). Although IRF-2 and IRF-7 both slightly activated pGL-210 in HeLa cells, only IRF-2 significantly activated pGL-210 in 293T cells (7.7-fold) (Fig. 3A, 3B, 3E and 3F). To further determine which IRF activates the endogenous IFP35 expression, Western blot analyses were performed. As expected, the IFP35 protein level was dramatically increased by IRF-1 in 293T and HeLa cells. IRF-2 also led to a moderate upregulation of IFP35 expression in both cell lines, whereas other IRFs exerted no effect (Fig. 3C, 3D, 3G and 3H). IRF-1 and IRF-2 Differentially Upregulate IFP35 Expression Upon IFN-γ Treatment Our results above suggested that IRF-1 and IRF-2 are potential activators of IFP35. To determine whether IRF-1 and IRF-2 are involved in IFN-γ inducible IFP35 expression, we depleted IRF-1 and IRF-2 by shRNA in HeLa cells. As shown in Fig. 4A, when HeLa cells were transiently transfected with shIRF-1, both basal and IFN-γ-induced expression of IRF-1 were effectively suppressed. Consistent with this result, in cells transfected with shIRF-1, basal and IFN-γ-induced IFP35 protein expression was obviously inhibited. In contrast, silencing IRF-2 expression resulted in the suppression of basal IFP35 expression, but not the IFN-γ-inducible expression (Fig. 4B). In luciferase assay, we observed that basal promoter activity of pGL-210 was inhibited in cells depleted of IRF-1 (by 44%) or IRF-2 (by 71%). In addition, in cells transfected with shIRF-1, IFN-γ-dependent pGL-210 induction is reduced by 43%, whereas no inhibition was seen in cells depleted of IRF-2 (Fig. 4C and 4D). We further demonstrated that shIRF-1 decreased IFP35 mRNA level in both unstimulated (by 34%) and IFN-γ-stimulated cells (by 41%) (Fig. 4F). The IRF-1 knockdown efficiency is shown in Fig. 4E. Collectively, these data indicate that IRF-1 is involved in both basal and IFN-γ-induced IFP35 expression, while IRF-2 predominantly maintains the constitutive expression of IFP35. IRF-1 is Recruited to the ISRE Site of IFP35 Promoter Upon IFN-γ Treatment To further verify whether IRF-1 can activate IFP35 promoter via binding to ISRE, we co-transfected IRF-1 with pGL-210 or pGL-210mISRE into HeLa cells. The ISRE mutant (pGL-210mISRE) completely abolished the induction by IRF-1 (Fig. 5A), indicating the important role of this element in IRF-1-mediated IFP35 transcription. To further analyze the involvement of this ISRE motif, we used the probes containing this element (S93 and 3×ISRE) (Fig. 5B) and purified GST or GST-IRF-1 proteins for EMSA. A single shifted band was detected when the probes was incubated with purified GST-IRF-1 protein, whereas no band was detected when purified GST protein was added. The band was abolished by addition of 100-fold concentrations of unlabelled probes as the competitors (Fig. 5C and 5D). In contrast, when S93 and 3×ISRE were mutated, no complex was formed (Fig. 5C and 5D). These findings suggest that IRF-1 directly binds to the IFP35 promoter and regulates its activity. We next investigated whether endogenous IRF-1 bound to the ISRE site of IFP35 promoter after IFN-γ treatment in vitro. For this purpose, we performed gel supershift analysis. A single shifted band was detected when 3×ISRE was incubated with nuclear extracts derived from IFN-γ-stimulated HeLa cells (Fig. 6A, lane 2), and this band was competed by 40× excess unlabeled ISRE (Fig. 6A, lane 3). Supershift analysis revealed that the shifted band was recognized by anti-IRF-1 antibody (Fig. 6B, lane 3), but not by anti-IRF-3 antibody (Fig. 6B, lane 4). To further verify the interaction between endogenous IRF-1 and IFP35 promoter, ChIP assay was performed. PCR primers were used to amplify DNA fragment corresponding to the region −370 to −45 (relative to the translation start site), which contains the ISRE site encompassing from −181 to −170 (relative to the translation start site). As shown in Fig. 6C & 6D, IRF-1 and IRF-2 bound to the IFP35 promoter in the absence of IFN-γ stimulation, whereas control IgG and anti-IRF-3 did not immunoprecipitate any factor bound to the IFP35 promoter, indicating that the occupancy of IRF-1 and IRF-2 on the promoter was specific. Additionally, we observed that IRF-1 but not IRF-2 was further recruited to IFP35 promoter after IFN-γ treatment (Fig. 6D), suggesting that IFP35 promoter is constitutively occupied by IRF-1 and IRF-2, and the interaction with IRF-1 is further enhanced upon IFN-γ treatment. Besides, it was reported that IRF-1 and IRF-2 could not bind to the region far downstream of IL-7 promoter (+976 to +1337, relative to the translation start site) [24]. Therefore, this fragment was amplified as a negative control in our ChIP assay to certify that binding of IRF-1 and IRF-2 to IFP35 promoter was specific (Fig. 6D). STAT1 is Involved in IFP35 Induction by IFN-γ The expression of IRF-1 is regulated by STAT1 homodimer upon IFN-γ treatment [18]. Thus, we speculate that knock down of STAT1 may decrease IRF-1 induction by IFN-γ, which may further inhibit IFN-γ-dependent IFP35 expression. As shown in Fig. 7A, shSTAT1 decreased IFN-γ-induced pGL-210 activity by 28%. Furthermore, HeLa cells stably expressing STAT1-target or control shRNA were treated with IFN-γ for 12 h. Western blot revealed that IRF-1 and IFP35 induction by IFN-γ was inhibited in cells stably expressing shSTAT1, and this inhibition was rescued by IRF-1 over-expression (Fig. 7B). These results demonstrated that STAT1 plays a role in IFN-γ-mediated IFP35 induction. To exclude the possibility that STAT1 may directly regulate IFP35 expression by binding to IFP35 promoter, we performed ChIP assay. As shown in Fig. 7C, STAT1 did not bind to our defined IFP35 promoter in IFN-γ-treated HeLa cells. These results clearly confirmed our speculation that IFN-γ induces IRF-1 expression via STAT1, and the enhanced IRF-1 expression further lead to an increase of IFP35 expression. Constitutively Active IRF-3 and IRF-7 Upregulate IFP35 Expression in HeLa Cells IRF-3, IRF-5 and IRF-7 are direct transducers of virus-mediated signalling and play an essential role in the expression of cytokines and chemokines. In unstimulated cells, they are predominantly present in the cytoplasm in inactive forms. Following pathogenic infection, they are phosphorylated and translocate into the nucleus where they regulate transcription by binding to the promoter regions of target genes [15]. From the results presented above, we found that over-expression of IRF-7 can slightly activate IFP35 promoter. However, IRF-7 is predominantly induced by type I IFN, but not IFN-γ [25]. In addition, it needs to be post-translationally modified by stimulators, such as virus infection. Thus, we speculate that IRF-7 may not be a key regulator in IFN-γ-inducible IFP35 expression, although we cannot rule out the possibility that active IRF-7 may still contribute to IFP35 expression. To test this possibility, we transfected constitutively active IRF-3, IRF-5 and IRF-7 into HeLa cells [26], [27]. Interestingly, both constitutively active IRF-3 and IRF-7 dramatically upregulated IFP35 protein level, whereas constitutively active IRF-5 exerted little effect on IFP35 expression (Fig. 8). These results indicated that IRF-3 and IRF-7 may also be potential IFP35 activators. Discussion IFP35 was first isolated as an IFN-induced protein [1]. As an IFN-stimulated gene, IFP35 can confer resistance to BFV infection in HeLa cells [7]. Besides, it is observed that expression of IFP35 is significantly down-regulated in the T cells of Sezary Syndrome patients, indicating that IFP35 may be implicated in tumor suppression [3]. The molecular function of IFP35 mandates a detailed study of its expression regulation. In the present study, we set out to examine the mechanism of IFN-γ-induced upregulation of IFP35 expression. We initially characterized the transcription start sites of IFP35 and cloned the IFP35 promoter. Similar to many other IFN-induced genes, such as Sp100 [28], GBP [9], and IFITM1 [29], our results revealed that transcription from the IFP35 promoter is also initiated at heterogeneous transcription start sites. Analysis of the IFP35 promoter revealed two GC boxes and an ISRE site, but no consensus sequence for a canonical TATA box. This is not completely surprising, as utilization of multiple transcription start sites is frequently observed in the regulation of genes whose promoters are driven by GC boxes instead of TATA boxes [30]. In addition, the use of a TATA-less promoter may contribute to cell type-specific expression of IFP35, and therefore define the specific cell types that respond to a systemic IFN signal. For example, cells expressing different levels or different relative contribution of the Sp family of transcription factors, which are known to bind to GC boxes, may exhibit different basal and induced activities of IFP35 promoter. This hypothesis will need to be tested in future investigations. ISREs control the expression of most IFN-α regulated genes and some IFN-γ regulated genes. ISRE is also known to be involved in constitutive expression of some ISGs including TAP2 and ISG20 [19], [31]. Our results revealed that mutagenesis of the ISRE in IFP35 promoter greatly decreased its basal activity and completely abolished its response to IFN-γ, indicating that this ISRE is also involved in both constitutive and IFN-induced transcription. Recent evidence indicates that IRF-1 and IRF-2 may bind to the same promoter region and cooperatively activate gene transcription [24], [32]. In our study, we found that both IRF-1 and IRF-2 bound to the IFP35 promoter, suggesting that they may cooperate in the regulation of IFP35 expression. However, the basal expression of IRF-2 was not affected by IFN-γ treatment, suggesting that IRF-2 alone was not sufficient to activate IFP35 expression. In contrast, IRF-1 expression was significantly increased upon IFN-γ treatment. Thus, these results further indicated that IRF-1 not only controls the constitutive IFP35 expression, but also plays a predominant role in IFN-γ dependent IFP35 expression. IRF-1 is reported to be upregulated by IFN-γ and serves as a secondary transcriptional activator of many IFN-γ regulated genes via the ISRE site. It plays various roles in multiple biological processes by regulating downstream genes involved in antiviral defense (e.g., ISG20 [19] and PKR [33]), apoptosis (e.g., Caspase 8 [34]), and inflammation (e.g., IL-7 [24] and RANTES/CC15 [20]). In this study, our results revealed that IFN-γ and IRF-1 were able to stimulate IFP35 expression via the ISRE site. This led us to propose that IFN-γ activates IFP35 by enhanced recruitment of IRF-1 to the IFP35 ISRE site, which was confirmed by using multiple approaches. First, IRF-1 is recruited to the ISRE site of IFP35 promoter in vitro after IFN-γ treatment in HeLa cells, as demonstrated by gel supershift experiments. Second, IRF-1 could bind to the IFP35 promoter, and treatment with IFN-γ increased the amount of IRF-1 recruited to IFP35 promoter, as demonstrated by ChIP experiment. Third, blocking IRF-1 expression by using a siRNA strategy inhibits the induction of IFP35 synthesis by IFN-γ. Phosphorylated STAT1 homodimer is reported to activate genes by directly binding to GAS of the promoters upon IFN-γ treatment [35], [36]. However, we did not find GAS in IFP35 promoter, and our ChIP assay demonstrated that STAT1 did not associate with our defined IFP35 promoter upon IFN-γ treatment. Thus, a direct influence of STAT1 on the IFP35 expression is unlikely. On the contrary, our results revealed that knock down of STAT1 decreased IRF-1 expression, along with decreased IFP35 expression. This supports our hypothesis that STAT1 is essential for IRF-1 activation and the enhanced IRF-1 expression is sufficient to increase IFP35 expression. In our study, we also tested the effect of IRF-3, IRF-5 and IRF-7 on IFP35 expression. IRF-3, IRF-5 and IRF-7 are known to play essential roles in virus-induced type I IFN gene expression. Although IRF-3 is cells [26], [27]. Our results revealed that constitutively active IRF-3 and IRF-7 significantly increased IFP35 protein level. Although further investigations are needed to determine whether the IRFs are acting directly by binding to IFP35 promoter or indirectly through induction of type I IFN, the results did give us some hints that IFP35 may be modulated in multiple ways under certain circumstances, such as virus infection. In summary, this study demonstrates that IFP35 expression induced by IFN-γ can be regulated at the transcriptional level. This transcriptional regulation by IFN-γ is the result of the recruitment of the transcription factor IRF-1 to the ISRE site in the IFP35 promoter. However, whether other factors are also involved in IFN-γ induction of IFP35 expression still needs further investigations. Materials and Methods Materials IFN-γ was purchased from Millipore. Antibodies against IRF-1, IRF-2, IRF-3, and horseradish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibodies (Santa Cruz Biotechnology); STAT1 (Cell signaling); Myc (Millipore) and α-tubulin (Sigma) were purchased from the indicated sources. Antibody against IFP35 was generated by immunization of mice with His-IFP35 fusion protein. GST and the GST-IRF-1 fusion protein were purified with glutathione-Sepharose beads (GE Healthcare), and His-IFP35 fusion protein was purified with the nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid agarose chromatography (GE Healthcare). Protein concentrations were determined by Bradford method. Plasmids Construction The 5′-flanking region of the IFP35 gene (1,908 bp in length) was amplified by PCR from genomic DNA isolated from HeLa cells. The progressive 5′-deletion constructs pGL-2025, pGL-1206, pGL-517, pGL-359 (GenBank accession number: JX878502), pGL-230 and pGL-210 of IFP35 promoter were created by PCR using primers listed in table 1. pGL-359 mutant plasmids were generated by site-directed mutagenesis kit (Toyobo) and primers used were listed in table 1 (mISREf and mISREr for ISRE mutation; mGCf1 and mGCr1 for GC box1 mutation; mGCf2 and mGCr2 for GC box2 mutation). The mammalian expression plasmids pCMV-HA-IRF-1, pCDNA3.1-IRF-3, pCDNA3.1-IRF-5 and pCDNA3.1-IRF-7 were obtained from Pamela I. Österlund (National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland) [41]. pCDNA3.1-IRF-1, pCDNA3.1-IRF-2, pCMV-myc-IRF-1, pCMV-myc-IRF-3, pCMV-myc-IRF-5 and pCMV-myc-IRF-7 plasmids were constructed by insertion of cDNA into the pCDNA3.1 (+) or pCMV-Tag3B vectors. GST-IRF-1 was generated by inserting IRF-1 cDNA into the pGEX-6p-1 vector. pFLAG-IRF-3(5D), pFLAG-IRF-5(7D) and pFLAG-IRF-7(4D) were kindly provided by Rongtuan Lin (McGill University, Montreal, Canada). shIRF-1 and shCON were constructed using pBSU6 vector in accordance with the manufacturer’s protocols. The control shRNA, shCON was designed based on the sequence: 5′-AATTCTCCGAACGTGTCACGT-3′, without specific target in cells [42]. The IRF-1 target sequence was: 5′-GGGGTACCTACTCAATGAACCT-3′. shCONr, shIRF-2 and shSTAT1 were constructed using the pSIREN-RetroQ vector (Clontech). Target sequence for shCONr was the same as shCON. Target sequence for STAT1 was: 5′-GGAAAAGCAAGCGTAATC. T-3′; IRF-2∶5′-GCAAGAACCAGTTGAGTCA-3′. The sequences of all of the constructs were confirmed by sequencing. Cell Culture and Transfection HeLa and 293T cells (maintained in our lab) were grown in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (Gibco, Gaithersburg, MD, USA) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum at 37°C in humidified air containing 5% CO2. Transfection was carried out with polyethyleneimine (PEI) reagent (Polysciences) [43]. Generation of Stable shRNA-expressing HeLa Cells For generation of VSV-G pseudo-typed retrovirus, 293T cells were transfected with shSTAT1 or shCONr along with plasmids encoding gag-pol and VSV-G proteins. Supernatants were harvested after 48 h. HeLa cells were infected with the retroviruses by spinning for 30 min at 1,500 rpm, in presence of 5 µg/ml polybrene. The virus was removed 12 h after the infection and fresh medium was added. At 48 h after infection, cells were selected with 2 µg/ml puromycin. 5′-Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE) 5′-RACE was used to characterize the 5′-end of IFP35 transcript (Ambion Firstchoice RLM-RACE Kit in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions). Total RNA was extracted from HeLa cells with Qiagen RNeasy Mini Kit. Nested PCR was carried out with two pairs of primers. The outer and inner RACE sense primers were provided by the kit, the sequence of the gene-specific primer used for the first round PCR was: 5′-GCCACTTTGGGGTCATCAAAGGT-3′, and primer used for the second round of PCR was: 5′-GGCACTGAAAATGGGACCTTGTCTTTG-3′. PCR products were cloned into the pMD18-T vector for analysis and DNA sequencing. Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays EMSA was carried out using DIG Gel Shift Kit (Roche). Probes for S93 (−210 to −118, relative to the translation start site) and S93m were generated by PCR from pGL-210 and pGL-210mISRE. 3×ISRE (5′-CGCGTCACGGAAATGAAAGTGGAAATGAAAGTGGAA ATGAAAGTGGAC-3′) and 3×ISREm (5′-CGCGTCACGGACATGACAGTGGACATGAC AGTGGACATGACAGTGGAC-3′) were synthesized and annealed with the complementary strand. The purified GST, GST-IRF-1 or Nuclear extracts were incubated with digoxigenin (DIG)-labelled probe in binding buffer for 20 min at room temperature, the DNA–protein complexes were separated on 6% non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel and subjected to visualization by anti-DIG-AP antibody according to the protocol. Supershift assays were performed by incubating nuclear extracts with 2 µg of anti-IRF-1 or anti-IRF-3 for 30 min on ice before addition of the labelled probe. The reaction mixtures were then electrophoresed and processed as describe above. Quantitative Real-time RT-PCR Total RNA was extracted from cells using the Qiagen RNeasy Mini Kit. Real-time RT-PCR was conducted with the SYBR green real-time PCR mastermix (Toyobo) on the IQ5 Multicolor real-time PCR Detection system (Bio-Rad). The PCR primers used were, GAPDH: sense, 5′-AACAGCGACACCCACTCCTC-3′ and anti-sense, 5′-CATACCAGGAAATGAGC. TTGACAA-3′; IFP35: sense, 5′-AACGGAGGTGGCGATGTGGAC-3′ and anti-sense, 5′-CACTGTGAACTGGCCGATTTGG-3′; IRF-1: sense, 5′-GCCCTCCACCTCTGAAGCTA. CAAC-3′ and anti-sense, 5′-TCTGTGAAGACACGCTGTAGACTC-3′. The expression level of IFP35 and IRF-1 was normalized to GAPDH by using the 2−ΔΔCT method [44]. Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) Assay HeLa cells were treated or untreated with IFN-γ for 12 h. The ChIP procedure was performed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions (Millipore), except that the eluted DNA was precipitated by phenol-chloroform extraction and ethanol precipitation in the presence of glycogen, which significantly increases the efficiency of extracted DNA [45], [46]. PCR primers used for amplifying the IFP35 promoter were: sense, 5′-CTACCAATGGGCTT. GTCGGAGATT-3′ and anti-sense: 5′-CACAGTGGCAGAATTCACAGCAAC-3′. Primers used for the negative control were: sense, 5′-GCTCTTTCTTTTGATGGCTACTCCG-3′ and anti-sense, 5′-TAGCCCATGATTCATATAACTGTGC-3′ [24]. Immunoblotting Cells were lysed and proteins were separated by 12% SDS-PAGE (polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis). The gels were subsequently blotted onto polyvinylidene difluoride membrane (Millipore). The membranes were blocked and incubated with primary antibodies and then with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibodies. Specific proteins were visualized with enhanced chemiluminescence detection reagent (Millipore). Acknowledgments We thank Rongtuan Lin (Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada) for providing the pFLAG-IRF-3(5D), pFLAG-IRF-5(7D), pFLAG-IRF-7(4D) plasmids and Pamela I. 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A Brief History of Liberalism I must start this with declaring political independence; I sit on neither the right nor left side of the fence and if I had to describe my political stance to those who see in black and white I would say I was a right-wing liberal which may sound like an oxymoron to some, but I like to think of it as the best of both worlds. For example I am against monarchies, be they absolute or constitutional, and I’m all for responsible gun ownership, but I am also for same sex-marriage and I am pro-choice. I use the American form of politics in this article because it is the most recognised and talked about and also American liberals are the main perpetrators of this article’s point, but I do include the whole left side of politics in this. A great deal, but not all, atheists tend to be liberal-minded, I think this is something deep in liberalism that views liberty as pre-social rather than republicanism that sees true liberty as the product of society. Republicans, despite being anti-big government, tend to feel more comfortable under heavy rules and tradition preferring to stick as close to the constitution as humanly possible, rather than seeing it as a more flexible living model that can be altered to fit modern life. Which also explains why a large amount of Republicans identify themselves as religious, many of which go further to call themselves devout, as the bible is at its core a set of rules. The man who fathered liberalism and also made significant contributions to classical republicanism was called John Locke; a man who sought equality and freedom for all…except atheists. Oddly enough Mr Locke saw atheists as a menace and that the denial of God might lead to the breakdown of society which seems a bit hypocritical to me. Often people quote John Locke as some revolutionary thinker, which of course he was, and the world is better after he lived in it but I think a man who cries for tolerance for “everyone except…” perhaps should have his values reevaluated. Many liberals have taken John Locke’s mentality unfortunately and have taken a disliking to a certain group. John Locke didn’t like atheists and liberals don’t seem to like critics of Islam many of which are also atheists, so not much has changed in the liberal perspective in the last three-hundred years. Anyway that’s enough about history. On to my provocative point… An Example of Liberal Bias Last year in Russia a law was passed that can basically be called an anti-homosexual law, a dreadful piece of foolery that limits the rights of the LGBT community. Now when this came into light the left exploded; we saw boycotts, marches, celebrity outcry, twitter rants, Facebook campaigns, documentaries and even political pressure. All, and rightly so, for a vague homosexual propaganda law. I couldn’t help but become rather puzzled; I was under the impression that no-one cared about cultures outside their own nation because Islamic theocracies had been doing a lot worse for a lot longer. In most Islamic nations homosexuality is not tolerated at all. I am not talking about some ambiguous bill here I am talking about “thou shalt not fuck another man” clear as day. Of all the Muslim majority nations only a few have legalised same-sex relations while the rest have outright condemned homosexuality as a criminal act. The following countries even punish homosexuality with the death penalty; Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and the UAE. One might have thought the ever tolerance-seeking liberals might have objected to this, after such a strong reaction to Russia, but no. I try to find criticism of it from the left but all I find in response is cultural relativism, something apparently not afforded to the Russians. Can you not see the hypocrisy here? I have no idea why they feel so comfortable speaking out against Russia for doing less than what Islamic theocracies have been doing for ages. When Uganda proposed its anti-homosexuality bills the world turned its back on it, Obama threatened to cut funding for goodness sake. Why is Christian madness a less taboo thing to tackle? Literally thousands of LGBT people have been killed in Iran alone since 1979, but oddly enough that does not make MSNBC. Why Do Liberals Defend Islam? I have no idea. Short answer I know, but I could not tell you why this occurs; perhaps it is colonial guilt? Maybe it is just an “I’m more tolerant than you” game, but whatever it is I don’t know the source of it. I can tell you that one of the great thinkers and speakers of our time, Ayaan Hirsi Ali was refused an honour at Brandeis University in Michigan. The university offered Ali the opportunity to visit them but cancelled on her saying that they could not overlook her past comments regarding Islam as they go against the university’s core values. I would have thought a university would have done their research on Ali before offering her an honorary degree; she is best known for her criticism of Islam but the university must have missed that when they invited her over. As I’ve often said; free speech isn’t free if it comes with a hefty bill. Liberals seem to want to go out of their way to appear tolerant of other cultures, which is admittedly the core principle of liberalism, but in doing so they ignorantly defend something that at this moment and time needs reformation, not defending. They use hollow arguments like “the vast majority of Muslims are non-violent law abiding people,” which is true but we atheists are not attacking individual Muslims, we are attacking an ideology. Another dull battle-cry of the left is to accuse critics of Islam of racism; this is highly effective because Islam was born, and is overwhelming practiced in, the Middle East so this tactic works well in deafening the easily satisfied masses. This accusation is of course completely ridiculous because not only is Islam not a race, it is an ideology and is therefore open to criticism. There is, especially nowadays, plenty of variation on both sides of the argument; there are many western Muslims and Middle Eastern critics of Islam. But it does make me wonder when and where this race card can be played; if I start criticising Buddhism for the wackier aspects in that religion, would that make me a racist too? You know, because Buddhism was born in Asia and the majority of followers are South East Asian. So if I started dismantling Buddhism on things like karma, would that make me a racist? I’m just not sure how to play this game and what is racist and what isn’t. Always surprising to me that most liberals don’t quite realise that the exact, and I mean the complete polar opposite, of a liberal nation, is an Islamic theocracy. Saudi Arabia is a liberal’s nightmare; women aren’t allowed to drive or vote, homosexuals are murdered by the state, Saudi Arabia has the seventh highest number of guns per capita in the world, and there is no freedom of religion. If you asked a liberal to describe his version of a hellish country, he would unwittingly describe the birth nation of Islam, Saudi Arabia. Cultural Relativism Despite popular belief the Qur’an is no more violent than the bible, some might say it is even less violent in places, but Islam today is going through what Christianity did 700 years ago. Europeans used to kill people for homosexuality too; they used to castrate, dismember and burn them. But that was in the thirteenth century and our morality has since evolved. It is true that various nations still persecute homosexuals in some way, but we aren’t bludgeoning them to death with big fucking rocks while being supported by our governments, so I think we can claim the moral high ground here. Yes homophobia is a global problem but only in Muslim theocracies is it met with execution sanctioned by the government. In their strong desire to see every culture as equal, some liberals have missed the fact that a culture that throws stones at women who have an affair is not equal to one that doesn’t. It is not racist to say so; it is simply logical and I call into question the morality of anyone who defends such an act. The only liberal argument to counter this is “only a few countries practice this…” as if that somehow acquits the argument. It does not, by the way, nor is it just a few countries. For the record I am not talking about every liberal. Many liberals are very quick to point at all injustice, people like Bill Maher for example. I don’t agree with everything he says; in fact he sometimes infuriates me but at least he is consistent. He knows what liberalism means and he supports it even to the boos of his own audience. Speaking of Bill Maher, he got into trouble a while back by seemingly showing support for Israel with people calling him a Zionist, apparently ignorant of his well-known critical and mocking stance of Judaism. The war between Israel and Palestine attracts such attention because it’s essentially a heavyweight boxer (Israel) taking on a 140lb belligerent ballet dancer (Palestine), so I can see why some people react with frowns and wagging fingers when Israel reacts to the pitiful attempts with heavy, bone-crushing blows. But I heard an expression on this that I think suits it very well and it is this… “If you take away Palestine’s guns there would be no war but if you took away Israel’s guns there would be no Israel” I think this is fairly accurate and no I am not a Zionist. Judaism is just as fucking ridiculous as the others. But liberals condemn this Israeli-Palestine conflict with such zeal, stating that since 29/10/2000 around 9000 Palestinians have been killed. It is true and I condemn it but the only thing killing more Muslims than Israel and its allies is other Muslims. Islamic civil war is commonplace in many countries; there are wars going on now that have lost favour with the Western media and so are not being shown save a few juicy bits occasionally but are still raging costing ten times the lives lost seen in Palestine. In the case of the Somali civil war, Al-Shabaab have committed atrocities in that region with over 500,000 casualties since it began in 1991. The Islamic insurgency in Nigeria has claimed 22,000+ lives since its beginnings in 1999 but I can’t for the life of me find any protest marches or media blow-up. Only snippets of these events make it to news with such campaigns as the “Bring back our girls,” which was very popular for a while though ultimately did not achieve anything at all other than to provide a convenient slogan for President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election. Most of the world’s ongoing conflicts, except for the Mexican Drug war and this Ukrainian situation, have Islam on one side of the opposition but no-one seems to want to recognise that. We westerners get involved in these conflicts but we do not start them. The Sunni-Shia conflict started over a thousand years before the United States was even born so this “blame the west” mentality is getting very tiresome. I am not saying that we in the west are goody-two shoes because of course we aren’t; we have slaughtered and enslaved and we have benefited from the misfortunes of poorer nations but we are not solely responsible for what goes on in the Middle East and Africa. They need to take some responsibility for their actions and stop looking to the west as the big bad rich man who turns brother against brother for his own greedy purposes. Do we supply certain nations with weapons? Yes we do but if someone buys me a hammer for Christmas and I go out and bludgeon someone to death with it should they be charged as well? I am not saying that Islam is the sole cause of the violence as all humans are inherently tribal and violent, but Islam certainly does not live up to its name of the religion of peace. With twenty-five of the forty-three currently on-going conflicts involving Islam I find it difficult to equate Islam with peace. I Will Now Defend Islam As it Should be Defended Islam was not always like this; the Golden Age of Islam achieved more in its 600 years than Islam today could even dream of. Quotes like "the ink of a scholar is more holy than the blood of a martyr" represented the ideology of many Muslims back then. Men like Abul ʿAla Al-Maʿarri, a blind atheist poet and personal hero of mine, were revered and people flocked to him to learn and debate, but nowadays he would be hounded and killed like what they tried to do with Salman Rusdhie; which was proven when a jihadist group beheaded Al-Ma ‘arri’s statue in Syria. The Arabians advanced science far beyond anything we had here in the west; without men like Alhazen and Avicenna we would not have the technology or the scientific understanding we have today. The Guinness World Records recognizes the University of Al Karaouine (in Morocco) founded in 859, as the world's oldest degree-granting university. But Richard Dawkins was right, as controversial as it was, there are more Nobel Prize winners from Trinity College than there are Muslim recipients. Though I have to believe if the Nobel Prize was around in the year 800 we would see an all-Muslim lineup. I find it very easy to sing the praises of Islam in the Middle Ages but I cannot, and will not, defend Islam as it is today. Islam today is a swarm of anti-intellectual, anti-free speech, anti-human rights and, much to the chagrin of the great men who lived during the Golden Age, anti-progression and anti-science. It doesn’t deserve defending, just like Christianity didn’t deserve anyone defending it during the Crusades or the Inquisition; it needs to modernise and adapt as other religions have. It is not truly the beliefs but the believers that determine a religion’s threat; Islam is no more vicious than Christianity but today’s believers interpret the violent passages as literal and so carry out this violence without critical thought. Admittedly passages like “kill the unbelievers where you find them” do not leave much to the imagination and if I had my way the whole damn book would be kindling for a new age without the constraints of religion but unfortunately for me Islam is not going anywhere any time soon, so the best I can do is pry the least violent response that I can until man is done with it. Most holy books are violent because they were written in violent times but it is how we interpret them that decides their societal value and at the moment Islam needs to change its tune. I leave you with a poem from Al-Ma ‘arri which if he said today would be met with a prison sentence: The Prophets, too, among us come to teach, Are one with those who from the pulpit preach; They pray, and slay, and pass away, and yet Our ills are as the pebbles on the beach. Islam does not have a monopoly on truth Al-Ma'arri

The Sounds of Summer Opening Day is nearly upon us and since I realize that you’ve never come to this space to find a simple breakdown of the roster (and I’m certainly not going to start with this particular with this roster, which could change so quickly) before Opening Day, you may come here for something that’s become a bit of a tradition in these parts to lighten the mood before Game #1 – the annual suggestion of music to accompany each Indians’ player to the plate or to the mound. After an off-season of conjecture, a Spring Training of dissection, and before a season of heavy lifting, this little exercise in frivolity always serves to break up the tension and perhaps provide a little bit of “firing up” to those in need. If you’d like, you can check out the history of this series in a series of links from suggestions from a few years ago (and even I’m surprised to see that I’ve been doing this since 2006) as well as checking out last year’s suggestions. Also, Castrovince provided last year’s actual songs, in case you’re interested, and his Bruce-centric suggestions for 2012 should be hitting in 3…2…1. . In the interest of brevity (for once in this space), I kept it to the lineup, the rotation, and a couple of members of the bullpen. Unfortunately, the untimely death of 107.3 has hindered my ability to really look “with it” in terms of current music, since it was the only way that a married father of three could even pretend to be up on current music and songs. Since the demise of 107.3, my listening in the car has veered towards podcasts and jazz piano, so since I’m not sure how many different Theolonius Monk songs are going to be appropriate to fire up the masses, I relied on some oldies (but goodies) and some of my favorite current songs to accompany YOUR Cleveland Indians to the plate or the mound. With all of that said, let’s strike up the band and light this candle… Carlos Santana – “Everlasting Light”, The Black Keys Starting off, I’ll eschew (again) the obviousness of a Carlos Santana (guitarist) song for Carlos Santana (catcher) while acknowledging that a player that is known (in these parts) as The Axe Man needs a guitar riff to accompany him to the plate. Who better to provide that than Northeast Ohio’s own The Black Keys? Certainly, this isn’t the last time they’ll appear on this list (and not just because I own this shirt that the Keys’ drummer Patrick Carney has been known to wear), but listen to that opening drum beat and that riff and imagine Santana’s little strut up to the plate (and he does strut) to set the tone for the player that should be the Indians’ best offensive player this year. Throw the idea of the song title, “Everlasting Light” in the context of Santana’s bat perhaps being a beacon in an ocean of shadows in the lineup and The Axe Man has his walking music. Casey Kotchman – “Betterman”, Pearl Jam While Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” merited some consideration, given the credit that Kotchman’s improved vision has had in explaining his 2011 numbers at the plate, the choice for Kotchman is the song that accompanies the player like Kotchman that seems to occupy a spot on the Tribe roster every year. For whatever reason, this song usually ends up with 1B (Broussard was given this song in 2006), but once again, short of any real compelling option at 1B, the Indians will go with Kotchman (and his glove) because…well, because they couldn’t (once again) find a “Betterman” to hold down 1B. Jason Kipnis – “Give it All”, Rise Against Yes, Adele is the easy pick here given Kipnis’ vocal…um, stylings this Spring, but this outfit from Kipnis’ home town of Chicago provide the soundtrack that mirrors Kipnis’ hustle and effort on the field. Perhaps 2012 is the year that Indians’ fans become accustomed to (and enamored by) Kipnis’ “ability” to go from 1st to 3rd on a single, but a frenetic tune would certainly seem appropriate. It’s been written quite a bit this off-season (here and elsewhere) that the maturation and development of Kipnis this year is going to go a long way towards the Indians’ offensive effectiveness and that it’s not hard to envision his style of play becoming the embodiment of what this team can be and much of that is focused on exactly what Rise Against extols – to “Give it All”. Asdrubal Cabrera – “Just Got Paid”, Johnny Kemp Since there is an (unwritten) rule that a song from the old “NBA Superstars” video has to be used in this compilation…because “NBA Superstars” was a “fusion of music and sports like never before”, Droobs gets the song that accompanied the video montage of Kenny “Sky” Walker winning the 1989 Dunk Contest (with a cameo of Ron Harper sporting the ol’ Blue and Orange as a participant) that is apropos in light of the news of Cabrera’s extension. Since the details haven’t been completely revealed yet, I’m waiting to see if there are any options on top of the 2-year contract that runs through 2014. Earlier in the off-season, a possible extension was the subject of a lengthy post and linked to the original idea from September that the Indians could extend Asdrubal and pay Cabrera a guaranteed salary of $24M through 2014, with some club options and guaranteed dollars to refuse those club options. If you add Asdrubal’s 2012 salary (via arbitration) to dollars in the 2-year extension that’s being bandied about, it looks like Cabrera will earn about $21M for the next 3 years ($4.55 in 2012 and the $16.5M extension)…now, how he plays having “just got paid” is another topic altogether. Jack Hannahan – “Roll Away Your Stone”, Mumford & Sons If he can come up to Gaelic Storm’s “Kiss Me I’m Irish” last year, we’ll stay on that island with Mumford and Sons’ romp. Though I could pull the old snarky Wilson Phillips “Hold On” (the old “Ryan Garko Memorial Award”) as Hannahan attempts to stay the everyday 3B as long as possible, I’m going positive here and if you’re wondering why this song applies, check these lyrics out after the ol’ STOMP on the kickdrum mid-song, leading to Marcus Mumford shouting out thusly: Stars hide your fires, These are my desires And I will give them up to you this time around And so, I’ll be found with my stakes stuck in this ground Marking the territory of this newly impassioned soul To me, the “stakes stuck in this ground / Marking the territory” line is great in light of Hannahan’s history in MLB and this representing his chance to lay his claim on the hot corner in Cleveland. While I may not be fully on board with Supermanahan as the everyday 3B, the chorus is pretty apropos for a surprise everyday player at the age of 32, looking to mark his “territory”. Shelley Duncan – “I’m Still Standing”, Elton John Though I thought I’d be including “The Comeback Kid” from Brett Deneen for one Grady Sizemore in this slot, Duncan finds himself in the Opening Day starting lineup…and not for a lack of trying to find other options by the Indians. Despite giving MANY others ample opportunity to take Duncan’s spot and even entertaining the idea that Bobby Abreu represented an upgrade (and he may have, if the Angels had picked up the tab), Duncan finds himself as the only player still standing in a LF “scrum” that could only be described as “messy”. While I’m sure that a ditty by Elton John (and the outfits he wears in the video make this worthwhile) is not what Duncan would consider to be apropos for his 1st Opening Day start in MLB (at the age of 32), perhaps his sense of humor allows him to recognize the situation for what it is and no song more accurately depicts Duncan’s current standing in the lineup…tenuous as it still may be. Mike Brantley – “How Soon is Now”, The Smiths While it is true that may not be good karma to give the song that I suggested for one Matt MaTola last year for the other principal player received in return for our former aCCe, Brantley is now 25 years old and if he’s ever going to project as anything much more than a “poor man’s Coco Crisp” (in that most people see him as a high-OBP, high SB guy…when he just hasn’t been to this point), this is the season that he’s going to have to assert himself. Oh, and he’s going to have to prove that he can stay healthy for a whole season as the “arrival” of the Mike Brantley that many anticipated having already happened would be a welcome surprise in 2012, or else Brantley is going to find himself in a diminished role going forward. Shin-Soo Choo – “Don’t Forget Me”, Red Hot Chili Peppers As steady as The BLC was from mid-2008 to the end of 2011, most are discounting him returning to form for the 2012 season – a development that would go a long way to meriting some confidence in the Tribe’s offense this season. While RHCP slowly build up to the middle of this song (and this video is from their show at The Q, the guitar solo in the middle is worthy of some walking music for a player that’s looking for the folks in Cleveland – and around MLB – to remember who he was before his nightmarish 2011 season. Travis Hafner – “Best of You”, Foo Fighters In what will almost unquestionably be Travis Hafner’s final season in an Indians’ uniform, this introspective anthem reminds us that we’ve seen Hafner at his best, his worst, and sometimes not at all. As Hafner’s extension ends after this season, it’s hard to remember that Hafner’s extension was for FOUR years and in light of these 10-year deals being meted out to players in their late-20’s/early-30’s (at MUCH higher annual salaries), it is amazing how Hafner’s deal was just for four years. Regardless and through it all, Hafner has soldiered through major injury in attempts to contribute to the best of his ability, with the results evoking both feelings of anger (that this stuff only happens in Cleveland) and sadness. As he takes his curtain call all season, let’s hope that we get the “best” of him more often than not. Justin Masterson – “Steady, As She Goes”, The Raconteurs As strange as it is to realize, given the uncertainty surrounding Masterson’s best “role” going into 2011, he emerged from the 2012 as the rock at the top of the rotation, relying on a “steady” diet of two fastballs. While hitters know that one of those two pitches is coming (and please let’s not have the “Masterson threw only TWO non-fastballs in a game” stories this year since he throws two different fastballs), Masterson remained effective at the top of the rotation. For the Indians to succeed in 2012, Justin Credible will have to stay just as “steady” at the top of the rotation, particularly given the “unsettled” state of the spots that follow him. Ubaldo Jimenez – “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, U2 If Ubaldo seemed like a man adrift last season, the events of this past weekend put into clearer focus a player that not only is searching for the pitcher that he once was, but is allowing petty elements of his past to affect him in the present tense. While this whole Ubaldo v. Rox “issue” seems childish at best (“he hit me”…“he called me a name”) in which nobody really looks good, Ubaldo really looks the worst, a point that AC nailed pretty succinctly. Regardless, approaching the 2012 season, Ubaldo finds himself not only looking for who he once was – the pitcher that strode to the mound in that magical 2010 season – but also wondering who he now is. With so much riding on Ubaldo’s right arm for the Tribe’s 2012 campaign, let’s all hope that the finds what he’s looking for in short order. Derek Lowe – “Turn the Page”, Bob Seger The veteran hurler gets a song from his fellow native son of Dearborn, Michigan as Seger sings, “Here I am / On the road again / There I am / Up on the stage / There I go / Playing the star again / There I go / Turn the page”. At this point in his career, Lowe has seen most, if not all, of what an MLB player is going to see and experience and if this feels like Lowe’s last chance to be out “one the road again” and “up on the stage”, realize that it probably is. Whether Lowe has the staying power of Seger and his Silver Bullet Band (particularly in a town like Cleveland that can’t “Turn the Page” in terms of music, where 98.5 WNCX still spins Seger on a more-than-regular basis) remains to be seen, but at least the Michael Stanley Band fans will enjoy the dulcet tones of Seger as Lowe warms up while telling everyone around them that MSB was/is just as good as Bob Seger, who (they’ll tell you) was/is Dearborn’s Michael Stanley. Josh Tomlin – “The Underdog”, Spoon For years, Josh Tomlin toiled in obscurity in the Minor Leagues, overshadowed by players that threw harder or looked more imposing and had a more obvious path to MLB. For ½ of a season in 2011, Josh Tomlin emerged from those shadows to be a cog in the rotation for a 1st place team and while his 2nd half caused some of the questions that have always existed about him to bubble to the surface, it would seem that Tomlin would almost prefer it that way – with him filling the role of the underdog, overlooked and underappreciated. Fauxberto Hernandez – “Man in the Mirror”, Michael Jackson Since Castrovince placed early dibs on Bruce’s “Brilliant Disguise”, I’ll go with another introspective song about identities as #55 probably had more than a few moments in the past few years looking at the “Man in the Mirror” and now that he’s been caught, it certainly is time for him to “make a change”. Whether that “change” involves becoming a better pitcher or harkening back to those halcyon 2007 days remains to be seen…as does when that answer is even going to come on the North Coast. Vinnie Pestano – “Runnin’ With the Devil”, Van Halen Everything about this song screams bullpen intro song… From the build-up of what sounds like car horns to the boom-boom-boom-boom opening bass line that almost sounds like a knocking on a (bullpen) door to drums and guitar kicking in, it’s hard not to imagine the bullpen door bursting open as David Lee Roth issues his primal scream while Vinnie Pestano begins his sprint to the mound. If they could somehow edit out the goofy lyrics and just go with the music and the chorus, this is a song that could become Pestano’s own as he (perhaps) grows into a future closer. Chris Perez – “Howlin’ For You”, The Black Keys Since we started with the Black Keys, we’re ending there as well as the pride of Firestone High School belt out this anthem that can accompany the Tribe closer from the bullpen. Without getting too deep into the idea that the hirsute Perez looks a bit like a werewolf, I’m going with this one because if the bass line from “Seven Nation Army” can take over college football stadiums from time to time, imagine a packed Jacobs Field singing along with Dan Auerbach in the “da-da-da-DA-da / da-da-da-DA-da” as Perez warms up. It may not be “Wild Thing” from the movies, but that sing-along chorus and the fact that the second verse is “Throw the ball / To the stick / Swing and miss and a / Catcher’s mitt / Strike two” gets this into the rotation. So there you have it, bookended by The Black Keys, some music to provide the score for what is (hopefully) a summer to remember on the North Coast. And though I know it’s another tradition to lay out the season predictions in a massive missive and in excruciating detail (here’s last year’s effort), realize that there are just too many variables to even take an educated guess at what is about to happen, with the season at our doorstep. If pressed to venture a guess, I think that the offense is going to struggle, the bullpen is going to be leaned on too heavily early on because of uncertainty in the rotation (and particularly in the back-end) which could cause the bullpen to falter down the stretch, and that by the time the reinforcements (Chiz, Hagadone, CC Lee, Barnes, maybe Austin Adams, etc.), the Indians are going to be hoping that they’re not about to be lapped by the Tigers in the AL Central. A season around .500 (and maybe a little above it) looks about right with the Indians making a 2nd half push, prodded on by their young talent starting to settle in, but with the Tribe ending the season attempting to hold off another team whose young talent looks to be settling in (the Royals) for 2nd place in the AL Central. In the end, I think that they’ll hold off the Royals and retain 2nd place in the division, finishing out of the money for the Wild Card berths (both of them), but playing meaningful baseball games (because of those 2 Wild Card berths) through Labor Day. The curtain is rising on the 2012 season…it’s time to sit back and enjoy the show. 6 comments: This article is one of my favorite rites of spring. Thanks Paulie. No full season prediction as usual this year? well done, but i am truly disappointed by the lack of arcade fire. how bout "month of may" for grady when he comes back...in the month of july. Keenej, After watching my last couple full-season predictions fall by the wayside by mid-April (and knowing how much time went into them), I'm passing on it this year. Cy, As I said, my "with it" factor in terms of current music has never been lower. If you're looking for someone to sing some songs from "Word World" or "The Muppets", I am your man.: 1st -- Tigers -- 91-71 2nd -- Indians --83-79 3rd -- Royals -- 78-84 4th -- Chi Sox -- 76-86 5th -- Twins -- 72-90 Still no "Maneater" by Hall and Oates? What gives?

Just testing this YouTube blog feature out. It’s nothing new, but I’ve never used it before and wanted to see how easy it was. Pretty easy. Just testing this YouTube blog feature out. It’s nothing new, but I’ve never used it before and wanted to see how easy it was. Pretty easy. If you’ve been following me on Twitter for the past couple of hours, then you know that my life is over. I lost my debit card at the post office yesterday and some asshole took it and used it to buy gas. And that’s just what we can see online. Who knows what else they charged online or went to Walmart and bought. You didn’t know that when you run debit cards at Walmart that they don’t ask for a pin number? Well, they don’t. The card has been reported stolen and it’s been cancelled, but the damage has been done. How much we won’t know until we go and talk to the bank today. Now we have to file a police report and everything. I’m a mixture of disappointed, pissed, horrified, devastated, and just plain worn out by the entire situation. Most of all though, I’m just pissed. Pissed at myself or being stupid enough to let it fall from my fingers and not realize it right away. BTW: this has NEVER happened before and I’m usually good at putting it right back in my purse. Didn’t have my purse yesterday and took the card in bare-handed. That’s what I get, I guess. I live in a very tiny community, so I know pretty much everyone around here. We’re so small that it takes about 1 minute to drive from one end to the other. And we all pass each other at the post office, which was the scene of the crime, so I’ve probably seen whoever took it a million times before. The card was used two minutes up the road at the gas station. That means that I probably know the asshole who found the card and wasn’t decent enough to give it to the postmaster or return it to the bank. I have now made it my life’s mission to find this person and ruin their frickin’ life. I hope whatever they charged was worth it, because I’m about to rain all kinds of Hell down on their ass. Yeah, my dumb ass lost it, but you didn’t have to use it, but you did. And now, I can’t pay my rent or buy groceries. My husband doesn’t get paid for another two weeks and I don’t get paid for another week. We are screwed because of your thieving ass. You better hope gas was all that you bought. So, my advice to you…dear reader…is to keep your debit card safe. Don’t be a dumbass like me and lose it. And my advice to whoever took it…well…I will find you and beat you within an inch of your life. It won’t be hard. Took a trip out to the Savannah Wildlife Refuge day before yesterday and despite the heat and God awful humidity, it was a really lovely time. We sat and listened to the bugs sing and we chatted about everything under the sun. Then we watched the sun go down and drove home. It was a good weekend. You can check the pictures out here: Update: Problem has been fixed. It was CommentLuv…which has been disabled. I’m getting emails from readers saying that when they try to leave a comment, they’re getting a message about cookies and javascript. Not sure what is going on. It looks to be a browser problem, but I’m checking it out now. As soon as I do, I’ll let you guys know what the deal is. You can certainly try to leave a comment. If you’re successful, let me know which browser you’re using so I can narrow the problem down. Or…if you already know what the problem could be because I can’t find anything online…email me please: gennieb – at- gmail.com Gracias. I’ve always been a fan of CMT’s “Crossroads”,which for those of you who have never seen the series, brings together a country act and an iconic rock singer or band. In the past, amazing artists have been paired together such as Wynonna Judd and Heart, Elton John and Ryan Adams, Lindsay Buckingham and Little Big Town, Melissa Etheridge and Dolly Parton, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and Steve Earle and Rosanne Cash, just to name a favorite few. The newest “CMT Crossroads” features Georgia boy Jason Aldean and one of my all-time favorite singers, Bryan Adams. Now, I’m not what you would call a typical country fan, preferring older country stars like George Strait and Johnny Cash to Tim McGraw, and Americana and Folksy artists like Kathleen Edwards, Neko Case, and Gillian Welch to the Faith Hills and Martina McBrides of the genre. I admit it, I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to music. I know what I like and what I don’t. And if I don’t, I tend to thumb my nose up at artists who sell out to the pop crowd and abandon their hardcore fans for a little fame and money. I’m looking at you Faith. I think you should just keep it real and be honest about your music, whatever genre it may be. If you have to bleach your hair and start doing Cover Girl commercials to sell a few albums which aren’t very good to begin with, well then you should take a break and re-evaluate where you want to be. But that’s another post altogether, so I’ll try to get back to the point. In all the country “fluff”, I’ve found that I really enjoy Jason Aldean. He’s got a little more rock in his country, which appeals to me, and he actually sings songs with substance and real life. He’s got a distinct voice that sets him apart from the other country guys out there. So when I found out that he was doing “Crossroads” with Bryan Adams, I jumped up and down with pure joy. I listened to Jason sing “Heaven” with tears in my eyes, thinking of the first time I heard Bryan Adams sing it, and remembering how young I was at the time. I Tweeted about it, which led to a Twitter conversation with Jimmie. We started sharing favorite Bryan Adams songs, which led to Rolling Stones, which led to me thinking about my love for music and the artists I admire, which led to this post. I swear to you, I was only going to blog about the episode and then hit “Publish”, but before I knew it, I had written all of this. I guess if I’m going to make this a proper post about my love for music, I should probably start from the very beginning. My Mom likes to tell me the story of how she would put headphones on her belly when she was pregnant with me and how I loved music as a baby. I grew up listening to a lot of different kinds of music and I have to give credit to my family for shaping most of musical tastes. From my Dad, I grew up with a deep appreciation for artists like Patsy Cline, Fats Domino, Elvis, and George Strait. From my older brothers and sisters, I was introduced to the Eagles, Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Bread, Led Zeppelin, and Fleetwood Mac. And growing up in West Virginia, I was surrounded by a lot of bluegrass and gospel, so I knew who Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, the Whites, and the Carters were. Every year that I got older, I developed my own tastes which included everything from Ella Fitzgerald to David Bowie and Depeche Mode to Dean Martin. I wasn’t born with a musical bone in my body, much to my ever present disappointment, but I’ve always appreciated it. Not just appreciated, but absorbed and breathed in. I just couldn’t get enough of it. I spent hours reading liner notes on the back of albums and from tapes, which has led to a sort of a photographic memory when it comes to music. I’ve always been able to ramble off random music facts, such as dates and artist history and crazy little things like “so and so” sang backup on this song or “this song was released in this year and it peaked at this position on the charts”. Even today, I’ll literally spend hours on Wikipedia reading up on musical history. My husband has always picked on me about this weird catalog of musical history and facts in my brain. If I could find a way to make a million bucks off of it, believe me, I would. It’s pretty useless information unless they ever revive “Rock and Roll Jeopardy”. I can remember with perfect clarity where I was and what I was doing when certain songs come on the radio. For instance, I remember the first time I heard “Sweet Dreams” by Patsy Cline. I was five years old and I was pretending to be asleep in my room as I listened to my Dad put the record on in the living room. My Dad was a bad alcoholic and we never knew when he was going to bust into our rooms in a fray, so we didn’t sleep well at night. So I was lying in bed, awake and alert and listening to Patsy, and feeling the emotion in every syllable she sang. I spent a good hour sobbing like a baby in my bed feeling like I had just had my heart broken for the first time. After that, I became completely obsessed with Patsy, her music, and her tragic death. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, but I can remember crying to Patsy Cline for the first time. The first record I ever owned was “The Best of Bread”, a hand-me-down from my sister. The first tape I ever owned was “Touch” by the Eurythmics, another hand-me-down from my sister. The first tape I ever bought with my own money was the Eagles’ “Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)”. I was 10 years old. The first CDs I ever bought with my own money were Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” and the Eagles’ “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)”, which replaced the tape which I wore completely out. I was 14 years old. The first mp3 I ever downloaded was Bonnie Raitt’s “Love Me Like a Man”. Again, I couldn’t tell you what I did an hour ago, but here I am rambling off my musical firsts. My dream job has always been to own my radio station so I could play the songs that I love. I remember being nine and ten years old and having handwritten playlists for every day and I would make mix tapes of music and play them according to my playlist, complete with “Classic Rock Blocks” and requests, which usually came in the form of my Jem and Rainbow Brite dolls. When I turned 14, I knew for sure that I wanted to go into radio. I started my first job at J104 and KICKS in Bluefield when I was 17 and when I moved to Savannah in 1996, I worked at 98.7 The River and 94.1 WCHY. I enjoyed working at The River more than I did WCHY, only because I got to play the music that I grew up, like Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac. I left radio in 2001 after the birth of my son and never went back because of the use of automated music and cross-country announcers, which made local DJs pretty much obsolete. My dream is to still own my own radio station, or radio stations, and if I ever win the damn lottery or have some mysterious rich uncle kick the bucket and leave me a ton of money, I’ll get back in. So the entire point of this very long blog post is basically about my lifelong love affair with music and how the smallest thing, like seeing a video of Jason Aldean and Bryan Adams sing “Heaven” brings back a flood of memories of all the artists I’ve grown up with. And it’s artists like Bryan Adams who have been there through every step of my life, teaching me about first love, soothing my soul after breakups, and teaching me a little about life. And it’s a testament to how extraordinary they are as musicians that we’re still talking about them today and remembering the first time we heard them. On that note, I’ll end this blog post. Any of you who actually read this thing in it’s entirety need to be commended for sticking it out. As a reward, I give you this…the video that created this blog post and the 15 minutes you’ll never get back. :) And the original… You know, the one thing that really bothered me about the whole Clinton/Lewinsky scandal was this idea that because he had an affair, he was a bad President and that he should’ve be impeached. I never agreed with that sentiment and I tend to roll my eyes when I hear it today. Just because someone has an affair doesn’t mean that they are a bad President or a bad Governor, it means that they are a bad husband and father. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are bad at their job. On the contrary, I believe you can do your job and serve your constituents and still be a piss poor excuse of a man. What makes these cheating politicians a liability for the state and the people they represent are the blatant lies they tell and the trickle down lies that their staffers feed the media to cover up the affair. Sanford isn’t a bad Governor because he was screwing around on his wife with an Argentinean mistress, he’s a bad Governor because he was MIA for an entire weekend and refused to account for it. He wasn’t representing his state during this time and he was nowhere to be found. Why? Because he didn’t want to be found. And because of that, staffers lied about his whereabouts to the media and to the very people who elected him. I could care less if he’s cheating, but if I were a resident of South Carolina, and I’m close enough to be, I’m be beyond pissed and I would be calling for his resignation. That’s what makes him a bad politician and that’s why he should resign. Not because he can’t keep it in his pants, because let’s be honest here, if every cheating politician was forced to resign, well, who would represent us? It’s a simple matter of the fact that he can’t be trusted to serve his state and handle his personal matters at the same time. End of story. Congratulations SC Gov. Mark Sanford, you’re the biggest jackass of the day! Sanford admits affair, apologizes to family. Governor apologizes to wife, sons and friends By GINA SMITH – [email protected] – BREAKING: Sanford admits he has been unfaithful.”. Sanford planned a news conference at 2 p.m. Wednesday at his office in Columbia.. “I don’t know how this thing got blown out of proportion,” Sanford said. Sanford said he has taken adventure trips for years to unwind. He has visited such places as the coast of Turkey, the Greek Isles and South America. He was with friends sometimes and sometimes by himself. “I would get out of the bubble I am in,” Sanford said. Sanford said the legislative session was a difficult one for him, particularly losing the fight over whether he should accept stimulus $700 million in stimulus money he wanted lawmakers to spend on debt instead of urgent budget needs. “It was a long session and I needed a break,” Sanford said. After a brief conversation with a reporter, Sanford was escorted away by an aide. What a dumb man. The consensus on Twitter is that he should resign, not because of the affair, but because his actions leading up to today’s disastrous press conference, including misleading people as to his whereabouts and being MIA for an entire weekend. These are clearly not the actions of someone who has the state of South Carolina as a priority. His libido is a priority, as it usually is with these male politicians who get caught…which is averaging around one or two a year. Is there not ONE male politician who can keep his penis out of other women’s vaginas? Seriously.

Bill Wolff Named EP of The View, Brian Balthazar Joining ABC Show as Co-EP (TVNewser) A week after signing off as EP of The Rachel Maddow Show, Bill Wolff has been announced as the new executive producer of The View. Deadline Hollywood The network also named Brian Balthazar as co-executive producer, Ashley S. Gorman as director and Kathleen Rajsp as senior supervising producer. HuffPost Talk of Wolff jumping to ABC has been growing louder for weeks, with pretty much everyone reporting the news but ABC itself. Maddow also gave Wolff a special farewell during her show, hinting at his new gig on The View. She called Wolff’s departure the “end of an era.” The Wrap In addition to executive producing Maddow,&C Wolff replaces Bill Geddie in running the daytime program, which is currently undergoing a top-to-bottom overhaul ahead of its new season which debuts Sept. 15. Among the changes for The View, which saw the departures of panelists Jenny McCarthy, Sherri Shepherd and show creator Barbara Walters, include a new logo and set, the first time in the show’s 17-year history that it will change its on-air look. While Rosie O’Donnell was announced to return to the show to join the sole returning panelist Whoopi Goldberg, the other two or three seats have yet to be decided. Michael Wright to Exit Turner Broadcasting (Variety) Michael Wright, the president and head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies, has decided to leave the company. Deadline Hollywood Wright’s future at Turner had been in limbo following the April departure of Turner Entertainment Networks president Steve Koonin. Wright had been the internal contender to replace him, but the Turner leadership also opted to meet with outside candidates, and have been doing so for the past four months. THR / The Live Feed The news comes amid major changes at the company, which included layoffs earlier this week. Turner chief John Martin has repeatedly expressed his desire to revamp and streamline the media conglomerate, which means revolutionizing its Turner Broadcasting unit. LA Times / Company Town Wright plans to remain on the job for a few weeks during a search for his successor, an executive familiar with his plans who asked not to be identified said late Thursday. Wright has been with Turner more than a decade. He is credited with being a key member of the programming team that put TNT and TBS on the map with such popular and critically acclaimed original dramas as The Closer, Falling Skies and Men of A Certain Age. Netflix Acquires The Blacklist for $2 Million an Episode (Deadline Hollywood) In what is believed to be the biggest subscription video-on-demand deal for a TV series, Netflix has acquired the rights to hit NBC drama The Blacklist from Sony Pictures TV in a deal that will net $2 million per episode. The Verge The Blacklist became a breakout success last year and reportedly saw around 12 million viewers on each episode. Its first season will reportedly begin streaming next weekend on Netflix, which is the only place that it’ll be found online for a while. Variety The deal makes it the most expensive off-network current series picked up by Netflix, eclipsing the roughly $1.35 million that it shelled out for AMC’s The Walking Dead. Netflix also got close to the $2 million threshold. THR Netflix, which has more than 50 million paid subscribers, is known for spending big on exclusive pacts. The streamer is said to have paid more than $1 million an episode for CBS’ 2015 summer series Zoo. Anonymous Critics Pull Back on Nikki Finke Attack (New York Post). NYT Though most of that was taken down by Thursday, the website caused a stir in Hollywood. It also had an unintended effect, prompting a series of conversations between Finke. THR Finke has a book coming out, a Simon & Schuster spokesman confirmed. The.” LIN Media, CBS Renew Affiliation Agreements in 10 Markets (TVSpy) LIN Media announced Thursday it has signed a “comprehensive, long-term” agreement to renew affiliation agreements with CBS in 10 markets. MarketWatch The agreement includes renewals for KRQE in Albuquerque, N.M.; KBIM-TV in Roswell, N.M.; KREZ-TV in Durango, Colo.; WIAT in Birmingham, Ala.; WIVB-TV in Buffalo, N.Y.; WANE in Fort Wayne, Ind.; WLFI-TV in Lafayette, Ind.; KIMT in Mason City, Iowa; KOIN in Portland, Ore.; WPRI in Providence, R.I.; WTHI-TV in Terre Haute, Ind. and WKBN-TV in Youngstown, Ohio. Deadline Hollywood The process was not pain-free. The announcement comes not long after CBS announced it was moving its affiliation away from the LIN station in Indianapolis; CBS announced earlier this month it was moving to the Tribune station in that market at the start of 2015. That did not improve the value of LIN’s WISH-TV in the market — Tribune’s station becomes the new home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and also will broadcast other live sports including NCAA football and basketball games. The drop in station value, in turn, affected LIN’s merger plans with Media General. Pres. Obama Calls on ‘Big Cheese’ Chuck Todd First, in Todd’s Last Briefing for NBC News (TVNewser) The broadcast networks broke in Thursday afternoon to carry remarks from President Obama. Lester Holt anchored for NBC, Amy Robach for ABC and Maurice DuBois anchored on CBS as Obama delivered a statement on the U.S. economy, the continued ISIS threat in Iraq and Syria, and the crisis in Ukraine. The president then opened it up to questions. FishbowlDC. 7. Video Messaging Service Glide Authenticates Recording Aired by CNN (FishbowlDC) On Monday evening, CNN’s Don Lemon aired an unauthenticated recording said to have captured gunshots near and at the time of unarmed Michael Brown’s shooting death by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo. The recording was brought to CNN by Lopa Blumenthal, the attorney of an unidentified man who said he recorded the audio. CNN Glide, the company whose video chat service apparently captured the audio of Brown’s shooting, said Thursday the recording was created at the time the Missouri teenager was killed this month. The revelation from Glide appears to bolster a man’s claim that he inadvertently recorded audio of gunfire at the time Wilson shot and killed the 18-year-old Brown in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson on Aug. 9. The video was created at 12:02:14 p.m. that day, Glide said. Brown, who was unarmed, was shot by Wilson shortly after noon. James Foley Was Tortured by ISIS Militants Using CIA Techniques (The Washington Post). HuffPost Foley was held by ISIS in Syria for nearly two years before his horrific beheading last week. Waterboarding became perhaps the most notorious method of torture practiced by American interrogators in the years after 9/11. AP Writer Gets Huge Brangelina Scoop (FishbowlNY) When AP welcomed Jake Coyle as one of two new film writers last fall, it said it looked forward to both he and [since departed] Jessica Herndon breaking news. Boy, did the wire service get that right. Thursday morning, Coyle — ahead of People, TMZ, Paris Match and any other number of logical outlets we can think of — broke the news of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie‘s wedding in France this past weekend. NFL Promises to Crack Down on Domestic Violence (PRNewser) Thursday afternoon the NFL attempted to fight back against one of its biggest reputation challenges by issuing stricter punishments for domestic violence among players. Jane McManus tweeted, “The NFL announced sweeping new measures on domestic violence in a letter to owners today; Six games for 1st offense, lifetime ban for 2nd.” ABC Brings ‘Tonight’ Back to World News (TVNewser) Following Diane Sawyer‘s sign-off Wednesday night, the first promo to air teased what was ahead on Thursday night’s show. Eagle-eyed viewers also noticed something different. As of Thursday, ABC’s flagship broadcast is known as World News Tonight. The broadcast had long been called World News Tonight, but ABC dropped the “Tonight” in 2006 during Charles Gibson‘s time as anchor. At the time, ABC News president David Westin explained, “Our flagship evening news broadcast has evolved well beyond 30 minutes on television. As we continue to expand ABC News and World News into the 24-hour space created by the digital world, it makes sense for that reality to be reflected in the title of the broadcast.” President Obama Names WREG GM to Board of TVA (TVSpy) President Obama announced his intent to nominate Ron Walter, president and GM of WREG in Memphis, to the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Walter was one of several people the president said he intended to nominate to key administration posts. When It Comes to Chasing Clicks, Journalists Say One Thing But Feel Pressure to Do Another (Nieman Lab). Gwyneth Paltrow Accused of Ripping Off Columnist (New York Post / Media Ink) G. Huffington Post to Host Inaugural Political Debate (Capital New York) The Huffington Post will host an Oct. 6 showdown at California’s San Jose State University between Silicon Valley Democrats Ro Khanna and Mike Honda, who are vying for a congressional seat. The debate, HuffPost’s first, will be moderated by Washington bureau chief Ryan Grim, who told Capital the prospect of the two opponents facing off has been “a hot issue in the Bay Area.” The debate will be carried on the site’s online streaming video network, HuffPost Live, as well as a local TV affiliate. Mediabistro Blogs AllTwitter Twitter Analytics Are Now Available to Everyone TVNewser Bill Wolff Named Executive Producer of The View AgencySpy Intel Begins Creative Review FishbowlNY AP Writer Gets the Huge Brangelina Scoop TVSpy LIN Media and CBS Renew Affiliation Agreements in 10 Markets Lost Remote Netfilx and HBO Produce Some of the Most Social Shows. How Are They Funded? FishbowlDC BuzzFeed Highlights Evasive Phrasing in White House Press Briefings SocialTimes Finally, a Tweetdeck for Instagram Inside Mobile Apps Fiksu: App Marketing Costs Continue to Grow in July AllFacebook Facebook Finally Addresses Messenger Controversy 10,000 Words Three Takeaways from The Knight News Challenge ‘Lessons Learned’ Report InsideFacebook Four Ways to Benefit from Combining Facebook Brand & Direct Marketing GalleyCat Soccer Star Tim Howard Inks Book Deal PRNewser Is Sponsored Content Really More ‘Transparent’ Than PR? MediaJobsDaily Four Ways to Stand Out From Other Job Seekers Advertise on Our Blog Network

DIY new car import to Canada from the United States. Here is the process: A number of steps to take, but to save 20-30% on your vehicle purchase, well worth it. We will definitely DIY import a car to Canada again. So are you shopping for a new car? Know what the dealer paid, get secret rebates and big discounts. It is wise to educate yourself about the pricing in Canada prior to looking to the south – you never know how much of a discount you will get by importing the vehicle until you really understand how Canada pricing works. Hi Guys, Welcome to Yakezie! I’m in the US and don’t read about the Canadian import process often, but I find the topic fascinating! In fact if you ever want to guest post on the topic, you’re more than welcome. It seems like a lot of hoops to jump through, but I’ve always been in favor of jumping through hoops if it can save you a lot of money! Hi there! Our first comment! I’d be happy to guest post on your site. Would you be interested in publishing any/some/all of the articles I posted on the topic? I’d love to run a brief explanation of why this is needed for Canadians and something like this checklist would be great. Why don’t you shoot me your email address and we can chat further about details? Thanks! BTW- I think the two comments after mine are spam, you may want to install Askimet (spam filter). Thanks CNC. They did show up as spam but I wasn’t totally sure so I approved the content. I need to learn more about what is spam and what is not! Did you read the other posts I made about why we chose the Outback, our reasoning on importing, the journey we had to get the car and then the financial break-down? Check out those other posts to see what we’ve written to date and you can email me: sustainablepersonalfinance at g mail dot com or us the Contact page (might be a good test to ensure it works!) Cheers This is a fantastic post! I’ve been planning to write about this topic myself as I’ve read about many people doing this very thing on RedFlagDeals for years. I’ve never actually done it myself, although I cross border shop for other things all the time. I will definitely refer to this post when I am crafting my own post on the matter and will probably link to it as well because you have first hand experience and put a great amount of detail into it. Great stuff! Thanks SavingMentor! Surprised I could “teach” you something about savings after perusing your site! (I commented earlier after your Internet post). I did do the homework, and the legwork – but for $9500+ it was an easy sell once I figured out it wasn’t THAT complicated, just entailed. Thanks for checking out our site. We’d be honoured for you to link back to our experience when you get to writing about this particular savings vehicle (excuse the pun!). Hi can you tell me what documents the dealer provided you? MSO/MCO , title, and recall clearance? And did you fax these yourself to us customs or did they do it for you?thanks! The dealer in our purchase gave us absolutely everything we required to complete our import. Additionally, they faxed the appropriate paper work to customs well in advance of our arrival (requirement 72 hours but I think ours were sent a week in advance). For the specific documents i’ll need to go through them at home to be certain but we were definitely provided with everything we needed – and MORE! (they gave us a map of the US Customs so we could figure out which building we needed to go to and which turns to take to get there!) Please supply name and location of subaru dealer you purchased your car from thanks Thank you for posting these steps. Very helpful. Just completed today (importing into Ontario). FYI, a few things were different. The RIV fee was not paid at the border, but paid online at. Also was able to submit via email (can also be faxed) the Recall Clearance documentation that was received from dealer. Fee is $195 + HST = $220.35. Dealer arranged temporary license and submitted all paperwork to US border crossing. Thanks so much for the update R M and the correction on the HST. Where did you buy the car? What make/model did you buy? 2012 Subaru Outback As for dealership, email me directly. Just finished the RIV part. The RIV form is available online once payment is received and the documentation is checked. It is great that the process is now even more streamlined. Thanks so much for the post.Really looking forward to read more. Want more. Great post. We just got a car, a few months ago, but didn’t consider the importation option. Probably for the next one, we’re going to go down this path. Wish you had touched base with me then MOA! The savings were ridiculous on our ’11 Outback. And, buying used is possible in the States too. I allude to the struggle we had in not supporting our local economy, however, $9300 is far too much to pay above the U.S. price. That is why we write about SUSTAINABLE PF – not just one side of the topic or the other. It sounds like quite a process but since you were saving so much money I’m sure it was worth it. There are programs to import cars from Europe to the United States but I don’t think the savings are that much. The process might have a lot of steps but none are overly complicated. I was worried it would be hard when I went to get our car but it was really quite simple. And well worth the savings! Europe to US/Canada there are BIG shipping costs – can’t really DIY 100%. Andy, it does sound like a lot of work, but let me reassure you, it is a simple process. I kept expecting some “gotcha” but it was smooth sailing (just imported a car in February). The dealership was knowledgeable of the process and prepared all the paperwork for Customs. Filling out the form at Canadian customs was a snap. The RIV process is simple (done all online). The inspection was 10 minutes at Canadian Tire. The only minor hiccup was getting plates when the person insisted that I needed a safety on the car. I politely advised otherwise and a call was made to get clarification, and it was quickly resolved. Voila! An awesome car at an awesome price. I *really* do not like going to a US dealer versus Canadian dealer, but the gouging in Canada is just insane, and there is no way to justify the difference. BTW, the customer service at the US dealership was simply amazing. Would I do it again? Absolutely! It certainly is an easy process. This how-to post might seem like a lot of steps but none of them are overly complicated. In the end, if you can take a weekday off of work to do the drive it is well worth buying south of the border. We prefer local shopping and businesses as well but the savings on such a major purchase are simply too hard to ignore. well compiled list. I wish I could take cars from USA to India. My brother, who’s in India die for some of the American cars. I know two people who have moved to Quebec from the USA in the past two years. They found the worst part of the process was dealing with the SAAQ (Quebec’s DMV) and went through absolute hell. In Quebec you must deal with the bureaucrats in person, and when it comes to importing no two people have the same idea about what is necessary. Often they demand forms that Customs Canada does not provide. One person convinced a Customs agent to come to the SAAQ office in an attempt to inform the bureaucratic dunderheads, but it didn’t work. Finally, on the SIXTH visit to the SAAQ, his pregnant wife collapsed in tears at being asked once again to provide some unheard of form, literally falling on the ground and wailing! Only then did they get their plates. That sounds awful Kevin. The registration process is part of the import process. My in-laws imported an Outback and brought it to Quebec (where they live). Mrs. SPF tells me they had issues doing so but did not know precisely what issues. It will not surprise me if it was SAAQ. I will ask them when they visit in a few weeks. a good article but you can save people alot of headache and streamline this process much more…first one can check with customs to see if the vehicle they would like to bring back is allowed into the country as the vehicle MUST meet our crash test requirements ( something you cant upgrade later obviuosly ), you can talk to a customs officer at the airport and they will show you a binder with the vehicles allowed, second the secret to buying a vehiicle either privately or through a dealer is the inspection…do not hire private inspectors, and there are many that was the mistake I almost made until I learned to have the ” brand ” dealership do the inspection…so if it is a Toyota have a Toyota dealership do the inspection…DO NOT ACCEPT A VEHICLE without having had a inspection it is well worth the couple hunderd bucks…you cant go wrong with the dealership doing the inspection as they are going to want to find things wrong with the vehicle, this works very well with private sales…the inspection will be emailed to you and you can discuss the vehicle with the service manager over the phone…third the cost for you to go get the vehicle is costlier than hiring a mover when you take into consideration time off work, hotel bills, food, gasoline, waiting time, flight cost, transportation from the airport to the vehicle, time driving back and god forbid but if that vehicle has a breakdown on the side of some highway well you are in trouble trying to get it to a repair shop etc. sometimes its worth spending a couple extra bucks for peace of mind…plan on spending at least a week doing this arranging and travelling…a much better way is to hire a mover ( I used Mackie Movers to bring back a vehicle from SC, it was so simple ) they bring back vehicles every week. I paid $600US and there is no way you yourself could bring back a vehicle for less from anywhere in the US, they went and got the vehicle on Monday and delivered it to my driveway Tuesday, sign some paperwork and away they went…very professional…you can reach me at [email protected] if you have any further questions… I have successfully imported 2 vehicles from the U.S. on my own. I saved >$7,500 each time (all fees–hotels, return gas, and one-way flights inclusive), and recommend buying American as a good cost saving strategy. My 2008 purchase was a breeze. The second time in 2011, U.S. Customs Export Control detained me for 2 hours after running a criminal background check on the title and finding someone with the same name as mine. I sat in the Ogdensburg, NY CBP office staring at a picture of President Obama while 2 agents looked at my U.S. passport, my Nexus card, and my Canadian passport (I am a dual citizen), and a computer screen over and over. I was eventually released, and then proceeded to Canada where the Canada Customs agent charged me $2436 on my Visa instead of $2346. 30 minutes after turning around, I was back at the border and got it corrected. There are a lot of small nuances — Michigan’s out-of-state sales tax, New Mexico’s unwillingness to issue temporary plates under Canadian insurance, etc that present risks to the purchase, but if you do your homework, you can save big…or at least I did :-) Hi. I have started to look into purchasing a vehicle in the US and have contacted a dealer in New Hampshire. They are telling me I have to have a “valid US address” to purchase the vehicle I am interested in (VW Jetta Sportwagon). Do you know what this might be about? Is it certain vehicles? I was also told by a Hyundai dealer in NH that I could only purchase a used model Santa Fe. Numerous manufacturers really limit the dealerships on whom they can sell to. Some won’t sell to Canadians at all – others just used. Some want a valid US address (try researching US companies that ship items to Canada – see if you can use their mailing address!). Basically the manufacturers are trying to prop up the silly Canadian prices and support the Canadian dealers by making it hard for us to buy in the U.S. Some however let us buy! You might want to think about those … e.g. Subaru Outback – way better than a VW after I did our research (reliability is big for us). Yes, I am finding out about “franchise agreements” etc… I’ve had two subarus in a row, and I think I need a change. And a diesel engine is looking more and more attractive. 900+ km on a tank vs 500-600 for fuel that is more or less the same price. Have considered having a friend in the US “buy” the new car and then sell it to me. Any thoughts/knowledge/experience about such a plan? Agreed – the diesel engines are attractive for fuel economy. And the engines seem to last forever (in car terms). From what I understand they are a lot “greener” these days as well – compared to say the 80s or 90s. When I was researching I was looking @ the SubaruOutback.org forums (I think that was the URL). Many folks were opining for a diesel OB in North America. Worth researching to see if we will see them in North America soon. VWs are pretty but they break. That is my synopsis. Lots of systems outside the sweet motor. I do believe you can transfer ownership. There are likely more steps in the process however. The mega thread on car imports @ RedFlagDeals.com (in the forums) has covered this but as it did not pertain to our situation I didn’t retain the advice. If you head there do use the search function – i’d suggest “gift” or “gifting”. Should get you a slew of posts about car ownership transferring between individuals. A whole lot of folks hoping to game the system too – by paying pennies on the dollar. I wouldn’t try to scam the system. The border guards aren’t stupid and they see a lot of cars come across into Canada. If you state a $25,000 car was gifted or transferred to you for a mere $15,000 you leave yourself wide open to get nailed. And who wants to be detained by U.S. Customs? Not me … I have heard mixed experiences with VWs. A friend has a diesel golf that he swears by. Never had a problem with it. Have you heard of dealerships in non-border states being more lenient about selling to Canadians? As for a friend buying, to avoid trouble, I imagine he’d have to have the cash to buy the car and then I’d have to buy it from him for the price he “bought” it. So this is seeming like a less and less likely scenario. With the $9300 you saved, I presume this was for the equivalent car with the same bells and whistles. A Hyundai Santa Fe I researched, I would save $8000 for the base model, but the base model in the US seems to have fewer features standard. Yes – same bells and whistles. I broke down the financials in part of 3 of out Outback purchase series. The CDN and US versions are not the same (much more customizable in the US) so I took out the cost of the moon roof and the GPS navigation which are standard in the OB Limited in Canada but are options in the US (we wanted neither). How did you arrange insurance to drive car back to Canada ? How many days was this insurance good for ? Hey, great write up. My snowbird parents have just called me and they have found the “perfect” used car. This is not the first time they’ve called me for this, but I can’t seem to talk them out of it this time. I’ve read your write-up many times, its fantastic, but I have one question. Between step 12 and 13 there is no mention of taxes. I can’t accept that you frugal folk would pay taxes twice. When you bought the Subaru, did you pay tax at the US dealer and apply for a refund, or did the dealer mark the bill of sale as export and not collect taxes? My parents want to buy the car and drive it up at the end of March with a temp tag. The price is right, but not if they have to pay taxes twice. Any help is appreciated. I only paid tax when I registered the vehicle in Ontario. There were no taxes applied in NY State. It sounds like quite a process but since you were saving so much money I m sure it was worth it.There are programs to import cars from Europe to the United States but I don’t think the savings are that much….. […] important part of financial health.”Sustainable PF at Sustainable Personal Finance presents Car Import DIY – Save Thousands, saying “Importing a car into Canada may seem to be a daunting task but it really isn’t too […] […] […] […] PF at Sustainable Personal Finance presents Car Import DIY – Save Thousands, saying “Importing a car into Canada may seem to be a daunting task but it really isn’t too […] […] PF presents New Car Import DIY – Save Thousands posted at Sustainable Personal […] […] car in reasonably good shape.A fellow Outback owner, Sustainable PF, shares his experience with importing an Outback to Canada.What have you found? Are new cars becoming a better value?Related posts:Personal Finance Roundup: […] […] Sustainable Personal Finance told us how to save thousands on your next car purchase, by importing it from the U.S. […] […] Sustainable Personal Finance with ‘New Car Import DIY – Save Thousands‘ […] […] New Car Import DIY – Save Thousands – by Sustainable Personal Finance […] […] PF at Sustainable Personal Finance presents New Car Import DIY: Save Thousands, saying “Importing a car into Canada may seem to be a daunting task but it really isn’t

My Favourite Moments After nearly 10 years in my dream job, I’ve done lots and lots of weddings and events. I’ve met so many amazing people and have so many incredible memories, but sometimes, something – or someone blows me away – or renders me speechless. Or moves me to tears. Or makes me laugh out loud (even more than normal). I thought I would share a few of them with you. Carol. This is Carol. She is beautiful and vibrant and funny and deeply loved. She also has Cerebral Palsy. The most emotional Father of The Bride moment – ever. I have asked hundreds of Dads (and mums) for their wedding day blessing, over the years. I have never seen it as a passing of ownership, or anti-feminist. I don’t see it as a “giving away” because that’s ridiculous – who would ever give away their daughter? For me, the tradition is simply an opportunity to honour the relationship between them all – and the love they share. I have seen dads delighted and excited, and always proud as punch. I’ve seen some that jumped out of their seat, some that struggled with English, but smiled, instead. I thought I had met every kind of dad – until I met Sandra’s lovely dad, Gary. Just as I normally would, I asked him for his blessing; to tell us that he believed in the love that Greg and Sandra shared. And then it happened – he teared up – and started to sob. He was so overcome with happiness for his only daughter that once he started, he couldn’t stop. Sandra started crying then – and I encouraged her to go over and give her dad a hug. Now they were hugging and Greg’s eyes were misting over and I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t tear up, too. It was the most beautiful crying love fest ever – and this is one of the most beautiful wedding photos I have ever seen. The Song Last year, a simply lovely – but quite shy – couple in the UK, contacted me about their elopement. Nicky and Ron were coming to Sydney for the holiday of a lifetime – would I marry them? Of course! I gave them homework for one of my Secret Ceremonies – and asked them if any of their friends and family would like to send a special message for them? I would read them as part of the ceremony. I was flooded with messages of love and offers of support. The day came round – the hottest, most un-British-traveller-friendly weather possible. It was almost 40 degrees – and I was grateful that our tiny little wedding would not begin until 5pm. But then – it happened – the wind picked up – the temperature dropped 20 degrees -in about ten minutes and our beautiful little wedding by the harbour, at Captain Henry Waterhouse Reserve at Kirribilli, was about to be ruined. The photographer, my dear friend Nattnee, and I jumped into her car – and started looking for a new location, out of the gale force winds. We went back and found Nicky and Ron, looking very lost and very worried – and we packed them into the back of my car and drove to Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden. The ceremony itself was beautiful – in a way that only an elopement can be. We all laughed – and cried (even me) – and at the end, I started to read all of those messages. I had more than 10 of them. And 1 song. One of Nicky’s friends had written them a song- to the tune of a Christmas carol. Eight choruses….. There’s just about nothing I won’t do to make my couples happy. I certainly wasn’t going to let them down – or their dear friend that had spent so long writing it. I couldn’t just read it. I thought – ok – here goes – and I sang…. Ding Dong Merrily on High, It’s Ron and Nicky’s wedding, I’m so happy I could cry, And so these tears I’m shedding Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la, La-la-la-la-la-la, La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, La-la-la-la-la-la It’s Ron and Nicky’s wedding! All eight choruses. Every single one. The Grandparents It is always a special thing to have a grandparent at a wedding – and I try always to make a fuss of them. In Asian cultures, in particular, the elderly are the most revered, most honoured and most precious guests. I try always to address them in their own language – and let them know that their presence is so important – and appreciated. This wedding was a stand out, though. At Aimee and Ray’s wedding, there were 7 grandparents. That’s the most grandparents I have ever had at a wedding. They all had different names – Ah Ma, Ma Ma, Po Po, Ah Gong, Gong Gong. Half of them spoke Mandarin – the other half spoke Cantonese. I wanted to welcome each one, individually, in their own language – by name. It ws never going to be easy – I walked around for an hour before the ceremony saying (in my head) Po Po is in purple – she speaks Canto, Ma Ma is in green, Ye Ye is in mustard – he speaks Mandarin – over and over again. When it came to the beginning if the ceremony, I took a deep breath – thought, I’ll ever nail or fail, they’ll laugh with me – or at me – but at least they won’t be angry…. and off I went. Seven times. Fooonying Po Po. Huanying Ye Ye…… I did it! – and as I did, I saw Aimee and Ray’s parents look at them – and at their own parents. They were literally swelling with pride. They’ll never know it was my idea. They’ll never know how worried I was about getting it wrong. They were so proud. (Me too.) “My Parents Won’t Dance” – Oh Yes They Will! For many of my couples, my TLC does not end with the ceremony. More and more, they ask me to be their MC, host, co-ordinator, hand to hold – everything – all night long – and I have to say, I love it. What I hear all the time is “my parents don’t dance” and “you’ll never get my parents to dance in” or “I bet they won’t”. I just nod and say “we’ll see – you wait”. What I have learnt is that everyone needs encouragement – and sometimes, a little inspiration and someone to follow – so I lead my receptions from the centre. I don’t just stand there and tell them what to do and then disappear. If I want them to dance, I’ll dance too. If I want people to get excited and energetic and embrace the party, then I better show them how. I’ll never forget this evening at Curzon Hall. Patricia, the bride, had no idea what was going to happen in her evening – until she pulled me in to take charge.. She said that none of her friends and family were dancers – all weddings were a bit dull – and that she was over it all, already – and “no matter how hard you try, Robyn – you will never convince my Mum and Dad to dance their way in for their entrance” Take a look – right there behind me is Dad- bouncing his way into his daughter’s wedding – with all the energy and excitement in the world. And mum? She hit the dancefloor with me – all night long. She loved it – and so did everyone else. I hate to say I told you so….. The Chicken I love pets at weddings. I’ve certainly seen a few puppies in tutus and bow ties. A rabbit dressed up in a suit. Many an impromptu animal visitor – and some very cheeky birds. At this wedding at The Grounds of Alexandria, I had 4 bridesmaids and a dog ring bearer. Usually, we keep a dog on a leash – for just in case – but this one was very well trained – so, no leash. Just at the moment that I called for the rings, we had a visitor. A chicken – waddling happily down the aisle. The dog went racing after the chicken. I went racing after the dog – and the rings – laughing all the way. Sometimes it’s the things that go wrong that make a moment so memorable – and sometimes, even better than it could have been without. I knew, at that moment that nobody would ever forget this wedding day. I will never, ever forget this chicken. Robbie & Lou I don’t have a photo for this one – and even if I did, it wouldn’t be right to post it, because Lou is no longer with us. When Robbie and Lou contacted me about their wedding, Lou was dying. She had horrible, untreatable ovarian cancer and was in palliative care at St Vincents. It was her dying wish – and his – that they marry before she passed away. I went to visit them at the hospital and although they were planning for a few weeks in advance, knew I didn’t have long. I spent hours with Lou, by her bedside. She told me everything. We hugged a lot. I knew that their plans for an out-of-hospital wedding, were less likely every day. I was right. The one month wait for paperwork was too long. I rang BDM and told them what I wanted – and that I would do it anyway – even if they said no. They said yes. Family and friends flew in from all over the world, for what was one of the most beautiful, moving ceremonies of my life. In the hospital garden, on a warm, sunny August day, Lou married the love of her life. She managed to walk the aisle with her parents. She and Robbie sat for the ceremony. At times, I perched myself on the floor, wanting to be on the same eye level; never wanting to look down on them. Photo and video hid in the bushes, not wanting to be intrusive. We kicked cancer to the curb. We laughed. Oh, how we cried – happy tears. We celebrated. The sun sparkled. The sky was clear. There was so much love around them both that if it were a fairytale, she would have been cured, brought back to life. Two weeks later, we were reunited as I performed her funeral. Lou was 29 years old. Gone – but never forgotten. The day I thought we’d freeze to death Image thanks to Ann Marie Yuen Photography There are no words to describe the day that Engleman married Lucia at Watsons Bay under the fig tree. None for how incredibly icy the wind was. None for the way it was blowing me off my heels and my iPad out of my hands. Or for the looks on the faces of the guests as the gusts blew straight into their eyes. Perishing comes to mind – but even that doesn’t come close. I’m a trooper. I’ll suffer in silence for the sake of your photos. I’ll go without a jacket – even if it’s 12 degrees – if your bridesmaids are in chiffon. I’ll do my best to avoid my teeth chattering into the microphone. On the flip side, I’ll melt in the sun, stand in the rain – and endure just about anything that Mother Nature throws our way to make you happy. But on this day, it was hard. Even harder than usual. This photo was not my normal post-ceremony hug. This was the three of us, huddled as close as we could, doing our best to grab whatever warmth we could -while we said good-bye. I tell you what, our photographer, Ann Marie Yuen is actually a magician. Somehow – and I have no idea how – she turned our icy smiles into rosy cheeks. Proof – you need a great photographer. The Goodbye That Made Me Cry Some goodbyes are harder than others. This is Eliza. She was the kind of bride that brings flowers to thank me for everything – even before the wedding day, itself. The kind that wore silver cowboy boy boots underneath her dress.The kind that trusted me 100% to bring the magic – and make her wedding to James amazing. It really was. In the beautiful barn at GrowWild Wildflower Farm, surrounded by flowers and the prettiest, brightest pompom garlands strung from the ceiling. Her bridesmaids in clashing floral patterns. Her grandma, beaming from the side, where I was able to pull up a chair next her – mid-ceremony – just to tell her how much it meant to have her here. Every minute a joy of laughter and tears – for everyone. And when it was all done – we hugged and hugged – and Eliza told me ” I promised myself I wouldn’t cry”. And then, we cried. Aimee I ask every bride and every groom to give me 15 minutes of their day – before the ceremony. Give it to me – and I will give you back a more relaxed experience, better photos, better video – and the knowledge – without any doubt – that I got this. I also know – that none of us really know how you will be feeling. Excited? Nervous? Terrified that you might trip over your own feet? All of the above? Sometimes, it’s all so incredibly overwhelming. Time is our friend. I’ve held a lot of hands, hugged a lot of people, whispered a lot of quiet reassurances, and sometimes, made a little bit of a fool of myself – just enough to break the ice and get a giggle. I’ll never forget Aimee. At Oatlands House, up in the bridal room, while Ray waited downstairs for his bride, we were hand in hand, head to head, me – down on my knees, she, still in her slip -deep breathing in and out. Not the slightest bit worried about marrying her lovely Raymond. Just terrified to walk down the aisle and have everyone looking at her. It is in these moments where I feel some of the most gratitude. I feel grateful for their trust. Grateful to be there to share these life-changing times. Grateful that somehow, amongst the many, many celebrant heads to choose from, that they stumbled across me – and saw in me, something safe and reassuring. For in those moments, I am the most of myself. I do my best work. The kind that almost nobody ever sees. The best elopement ever Vaiva and Serge came all the way from Europe for their beautiful moment. This was really a case of ceremony-is-everything -and of everyone pulling together to make it happen. First there was a problem with their holiday visas. That caused them to miss their flights. They would miss their own wedding day. We changed our diaries. Their trip to Sydney was fly in, get married, sightsee and soak up the sun for 2 days, then fly out to Melbourne. Time was tight. What was going to be a 2 day mini-break became fly in, in the morning, get married at sun set, fly out in the morning. It sounds crazy busy rushed – but it wasn’t. In fact, it was one of the loveliest weddings I have ever done. Just me, my friend Nattnee as photographer / witness and our friend Russell as guitarist/singer/ witness – and Vaiva and Serge. They arrived – looking amazing – in the Botanic Gardens with champagne and the biggest bowl of enormous strawberries I have ever seen. Russell played. They slow danced. We laughed. We all cried. They danced some more. Nattnee snapped away quietly, not getting in the way, not directing them – just letting them be in their own little bubble of love. The sun was going down – and there was nobody else to be seen. The ceremony, itself, was a secret. I had given them some homework and used it to write what became a beautiful conversation between us – about their favourite memories and what they loved and admired about each other. It was magic. At the end, we ate strawberries and drank champagne – all five of us – as though we had known each other forever. In a way, in the way that beautiful memories never fade, we will. The Hell Yeah! Sione & Prashani were cooler than cool. Years and years before her time, Prashani wore a white pantsuit for the ceremony – and looked amazing. Her brother was her Bridesman. Not a suit to be seen. The ceremony itself was easy breezy and all we did was laugh. We all got drenched when a freak wave came crashing up behind us – and we copped the lot. Half my paperwork blew into the water. Still laughing. But this shot tells it all. This is the moment that I asked Sione – did he take Prashani as his wife la la la? Now most people just answer with I do – or I will – or sometimes just yes. But not Sione. He grabbed the mic from me – looked down at us all (he’s tall – Prashani and I are not tall) and yelled at the top of his lungs – Hell Yeah! Every year on their anniversary – they pop up on facebook – and I send them the same message. Hell Yeah! Jumping The Groom! This may well be my favourite wedding photo of all time. It’s certainly the most unique…… When I first met Ree and Vincent they were young, gorgeous uni students studying psychology. So I gave them homework. They did their q&a’s – and pored their way through my huge homework book – and Vincent got very, very excited. He read in it about an old Pagan tradition of newlyweds jumping over a broom, celebrating the leap into a new life. Vincent was so excited. That was the only part he would not negotiate on. It was going to happen at their wedding. Ree was more than a little confused. What was so exciting about jumping over a broom? Why was he so adamant that this was going to be the best part of their wedding? Vincent wouldn’t budge. He was insistent. It was going to happen. After much to-ing and fro-ing, it clicked. Vincent’s eyes were playing tricks on him. He was reading it as Jumping The Groom – not Jumping the Broom. The best part of this wedding ceremony was going to be him lying on the ground, while Ree – in her bridal gown – and her heels – jumped over him. And so it was – like some sort of angelic, ethereal dementor, Ree hiked her skirt and leapt into the air – jumping over her groom, while we all held our breath and hoped she wouldn’t come crashing down, stabbing Vincent with her heels – or snapping an ankle as she came down. Best photo ever. The most romantic, most amazing, most unusual ceremony of all time Back in my very first year – so long ago – was the wedding ceremony that wasn’t like anything I had prepared for – or studied for. I most certainly had never been a part of anything like it. Gina and Lee gave me very little to work with – but I thought I had it under control. It was to be only tiny – just five of us – at sunset at Watsons Bay – on the cliff face. I could handle it. I had no idea what was coming. We began without Gina and Lee, as our witnesses read the pages of a children’s book. When they were finished, we looked to the bush beside us and there were Gina, in a emerald green mini dress and Lee, bare chested, in shorts, on their hands and knees, crawling through the bush in a game of cat and mouse. When Lee eventually “caught” Gina, they came together and Lee began a fifteen minute chant of a traditional Native American prayer. Now, we were all crying. That was when I realised that no script would be adequate or fitting for such a wedding. I almost choked on having to say the monitum – it was absolutely the wrong thing to say – but absolutely necessary for legalities. I apologised – but I did what I had to do. We moved from one action to the next, from one piece of prose to the next. We took each other’s hands , crossed across our own bodies – and created a circle of love. The wind was howling, the sun was going down, we were all barefoot and Gina and Lee made their vows. Hands on each other’s hearts, head to head , they whispered their words to each other – while the rest of us stood and sobbed. We tied their hands in hand fasting. We all hugged. They kissed. It was the most romantic, most emotional and most unconventional wedding I have been witness to – and when it was done, they all stripped and went skinny dipping to celebrate! Laughing? Crying? Intrigued? Want me at your wedding too? Contact me NOW and let’s chat

archetype STYX/dead-phosphatase complexes with a spermatid mRNA-binding protein and is essential for normal sperm production Contributed by Jack E. Dixon Abstract Differentiation of spermatids into spermatozoa is regulated via phosphorylated RNA-binding proteins that modulate the expression of stage-specific mRNAs. We demonstrate that the phosphoserine, -threonine or -tyrosine, interaction protein, Styx, complexes with a testicular RNA-binding protein and is essential for normal spermiogenesis. Ablation of Styx expression in mouse disrupts round and elongating spermatid development, resulting in a >1,000-fold decrease in spermatozoa production. Moreover, Styx−/− males are infertile because of structural head abnormalities in residual epididymal sperm. Immunoprecipitation of Styx with Crhsp-24, a phosphorylated RNA-binding protein implicated in translational repression of histone mRNAs, provides a strategy for regulating posttranscriptional gene expression. The importance of RNA-binding proteins during spermatogenesis has been demonstrated in mice lacking the proteins Prbp (1) and TLS/FUS (2). In the absence of Prbp, males exhibit defects in nuclear remodeling and chromatin compaction attributable to the dysregulation of protamine expression (1). Likewise, TLS/FUS-deficient males manifest meiotic abnormalities through a mechanism involving either RNA or DNA binding (2). Interestingly, a spermatogenic arrest phenotype also has been seen in transgenic mice that prematurely translate protamine mRNA (3). Thus the timing of protein expression as dictated by RNA-binding proteins is thought to be central to the differentiation process; however, regulation of this activity is understood only partially (3, 4). In the case of TLS/FUS (5) and two other spermatogenic RNA-binding proteins, TB-RBP (6) and MSY2 (7), protein dephosphorylation diminishes their affinity for mRNA and thereby relieves translational repression of bound transcripts. Reversible protein phosphorylation is a critical regulatory mechanism for cell metabolism and proliferation as well as differentiation. Specific kinases and phosphatases alter the phosphorylation state of individual proteins, whereas distinct noncatalytic domains facilitate protein-protein interactions via specific phosphorylated motifs (8, 9). Three unique protein modules (14-3-3, FHA, and WW domains) have been shown to bind discrete phosphoserine or -threonine sites, pS/T (8, 10), whereas Src homology 2 (SH2) and phosphotyrosine-interaction/binding (PI/PTB) domains recognize specific phosphotyrosine (pY) motifs in target proteins (11, 12). We previously have identified a pS/T or pY interaction protein, Styx, which possesses protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) structure but is inactivated catalytically by endogenous substitution of the essential PTP active-site cysteine, to glycine (13). Thus Styx and related “dead” PTP domains have been postulated to function as antagonists of endogenous phosphatase activity (14, 15); however, their physiological roles and effector mechanisms have not been established. As a first attempt to demonstrate the biological significance of STYX-like domains, we selectively disrupted the prototype Styx gene in mouse and found it to be essential for normal spermatogenesis. Coimmunoprecipitation of Styx with a unique RNA-binding protein suggests that together they may regulate a translational checkpoint governing this process. These findings identify Styx as a candidate fertility gene in man and fundamentally establish STYX/dead-phosphatase domains as important components of biological systems. Materials and Methods Construction of Gene-Targeting Vector. Plasmid pnlacF, encoding the lacZ gene, was a gift of R. Palmiter (University of Washington, Seattle). Plasmid pFlox was provided by K. Rajewsky (Cologne, Germany) and J. Marth (16). In short, a 3.1-kb NcoI/BamHI partial digest fragment of pnlacF was ligated to the 300-bp EcoRV/NcoI partial digest fragment of the Styx active site exon 7. The resulting Styx:lacZ fusion product was inserted into the NotI/SmaI site of pFlox, thereby replacing the entire coding sequence for the pFlox-HSVtk marker. To facilitate targeting of the Styx locus, a 2.3-kb HindIII/EcoRV partial digest fragment spanning Styx exons 5–6 was inserted into the SalI site of native pFlox. The resulting Styx-loxP product was subcloned into the pFlox SalI site upstream of Styx:lacZ sequence. Similarly, a 2.4-kb EcoRV/HindIII partial digest fragment containing Styx exons 7–8 was inserted into the BamHI/HindIII site downstream of the pFlox-PGKneor marker sequence. Finally, the active site glycine codon of exon 7 was mutated to encode a cysteine as described (13). The entire insert of the final targeting vector, pFlox-StyxlacZfloxPGC, was confirmed by sequencing. Gene Targeting, Mouse Breeding, and Genomic Screening. Early passage mouse R1 embryonic stem (ES) cells (17) were provided by A. Nagy, R. Nagy, W. Abramow-Newerly, J. Rossant, and J. Roder (Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto). Before transfection, pFlox-StyxlacZfloxPGC was digested with NotI, and the entire 13.3-kb insert was isolated from vector DNA by agarose gel electrophoresis. Targeting of the Styx gene in ES cells was performed with the isolated StyxlacZfloxPGC insert as described (18) by using mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder cells and recombinant leukemia inhibitory factor (ESGRO, Life Technologies, Grand Island, NY) to inhibit ES cell differentiation. Individual ES cell colonies were replica-plated, and colonies that incorporated the targeting construct were identified by β-galactosidase (β-gal) activity of fixed cells by using 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl β-D-galactoside as substrate (19). Correct targeting of the StyxlacZfloxPGC insert into ES cells and identification of germ line transmission in subsequent transgenic animals was confirmed by Southern blot and PCR, respectively. PCR screening of Styx alleles was performed with the Expand long template PCR system (Roche Molecular Biochemicals) and primers I5-7f (5′-CGTTTTTTCCCTATGGTAAGTATCGG-3′), E7r (5′-ACTTCTAGAGATACCTGCATTCCCATGGAC-3′), and lacZr (5′-GCCAGGGTTTTCCCAGTCACGACG-3′). Reverse transcription–PCR of Styx:lacZ transcripts was performed with the same primers to confirm fusion protein production by using the mRNA capture kit and Titan one-tube reverse transcription–PCR System (Roche Molecular Biochemicals) by the manufacturer's specifications. Chimeric mice were created at the University of Michigan Transgenics Core, and mouse breeding was carried out within the Unit for Lab Animal Medicine under the guidelines of the University Committee on Use and Care of Animals. A vector construct for bacteriophage Cre protein expression in mammalian cells, pMC-Cre-Hygro, was obtained from J. Marth and K. Rajewsky (above). To facilitate loxP recombination at targeted alleles, targeted ES sublines were cultured and transfected with pMC-Cre-Hygro as described above in the absence of antibiotic selection. Screening for Cre-mediated recombination of the StyxlacZfloxPGC allele to create the StyxloxC allele was performed as described above with the PCR primers I5–7f and E7r. Genotyping of mice was performed with DNA recovered from tail biopsies performed by standard methods. Tissue Preparation, Morphology, and Histology. Before dissection, tissues were prepared for histology by whole animal cardiac perfusion with PBS and paraformaldehyde. Whole tissues or sections were fixed routinely in freshly prepared 4% paraformaldehyde for 1 h at 4°C. For preparation of testis, either the tunica albuginea was removed or the tissue was sectioned after initial fixation. Staining for β-gal activity was carried out as described (19) by using 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl β-D-galactoside as a substrate. Histological preparations were performed at the University of Michigan Cell Morphology Core essentially as described (20, 21). In short, after initial fixation and staining, samples were postfixed in paraformaldehyde 4–24 h at 4°C before processing for embedding in glycol methacrylate. Cryosections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin or periodic acid Schiff reagent before morphological evaluation under light microscopy. Epididymal sperm were harvested, and morphology was assessed as described (22). Northern and Western Blot Analysis. Total RNA and protein were recovered from freshly dissected whole testis by using TRIzol reagent (Life Technologies) according to the manufacturer's protocol. Poly(A) RNA was purified from total RNA by using PolyATtract (Promega) and subsequently blotted onto nitrocellulose for probing with Styx cDNA as described (13). Proteins recovered from TRIzol preparations were resolved by SDS/PAGE and transferred onto nitrocellulose. For detection of Styx protein, membranes were blocked with 5% nonfat dry milk and probed with affinity-purified polyclonal antisera raised against full-length recombinant mouse Styx as described (M.J.W. and J.E.D., unpublished data). Antibodies against full-length Crhsp-24 were a gift of J. A. Williams (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI). All other primary antibodies were obtained from Santa Cruz Biotechnology and used under the manufacturer's specifications. Primary antibodies were detected by incubation with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-IgG or anti-Fab antibodies and detected by enhanced chemiluminescence (Amersham Pharmacia). Immune Precipitation. Immunoprecipitations were performed as described (23). In short, four whole testes from wild-type male mice were lysed by Polytron disruption for 15 sec at 4°C in TBS with Complete protease inhibitors (Roche Molecular Biochemicals) and incubated for 1 h at 4°C. The crude lysate was divided and modified for final lysis in either Nonidet P-40 buffer (150 mM NaCl/1% Nonidet P-40/50 mM Tris, pH 8.0), high salt (Nonidet P-40 buffer except 500 mM NaCl), or RIPA (Nonidet P-40 buffer plus 0.5% deoxycholate and 0.1% SDS) for 1 h at 4°C. Soluble lysates were precleared with protein-A agarose (Life Technologies) for 16 h at 4°C and aliquoted for incubation with anti-Styx antibodies (above) for 1 h. Immune complexes were immobilized on protein-A agarose for 1 h at 4°C and washed four times in lysis buffer. Captured proteins were resolved by SDS/PAGE and identified as described above. Results and Discussion In mouse and humans, the Styx gene family is comprised of a functional intron-containing gene, Styx, and at least two processed pseudogenes, Styx-rs1 and Styx-ps1 (loci symbols are registered with mouse and human genome databases; M.J.W. and J.E.D., unpublished data). The vector used to ablate Styx expression disrupts endogenous gene structure by in-frame insertion of the lacZ sequence into the phosphatase-like active site exon (Fig. 1A). Southern blot analysis confirmed the specificity of targeting the Styx locus (Fig. 1B). Germ line transmission of the targeting construct in ES cell-derived animals was verified by PCR with genomic DNA (Fig. 1C) and reverse transcription–PCR of mRNA (data not shown). Three independently targeted ES cell lines were used to generate chimeric males and separate heterozygous offspring lines. All heterozygous animals were viable and phenotypically normal. Strategy for targeted replacement of mouse Styx. (A) Partial Styx gene structure is depicted with numbered exons (red). Relevant restriction enzyme cleavage sites are shown: B, BamHI; RV, EcoRV; H, HindIII; N, NcoI. The active site exon 7 contains either the wild-type glycine codon (Gly) or a glycine to cysteine mutation (Cys). The β-gal reporter (blue), G418 resistance marker (yellow), and bacteriophage loxP sites (black) are boxed. The arrows denote PCR primers for identification of Styx alleles. (B) Genotyping by Southern blot of BamHI-digested genomic DNA. The blots were probed for the Styx locus outside of the targeting construct as shown in A. Relative size standards are in kb. (C) Genotyping for StyxfZC (−) in ES cells and transgenic animals using the PCR primers shown in A. Relative size standards are in kb. (D and G) Northern blots of whole adult testis mRNA from StyxfZC (−) and StyxloxC mice probed with 3′-Styx cDNA. Relative size standards are in kb. (E and H) Western blot of whole testis protein probed with anti-Styx antibodies. Relative size standards are in kDa. (F) Genotyping for StyxloxC in adult mice using the PCR primers shown in A. (I) Partial exon structure, encoded amino acid sequence, and resulting phenotype of targeted Styx alleles. The Styxwt active site glycine is highlighted. Products of reverse transcription–PCR from StyxloxC/loxC mice do not contain the active site exon 7 because of alternative splicing and frameshift-induced premature termination of the Styx coding sequence. The timing and scope of Styx expression were determined by β-gal activity of the fusion protein in multistage heterozygous embryos, pups, and adult animals. Reporter activity was restricted to the testes of mutant males (Fig. 2A) commencing at ≈13–14 days after birth, in which histological sections of adult testis showed that expression was limited to the seminiferous tubule (Fig. 2B). Styx:β-gal activity was initially juxtanuclear within round spermatids and eventually extended throughout the cytoplasm of elongating spermatids (Fig. 2 B and C). Only faint expression was observed within the cytoplasm of condensing spermatids and pachytene spermatocytes (Fig. 2C), and no staining above background was seen in Leydig cells (data not shown), spermatogonia, spermatozoa, or somatic Sertoli cells (Fig. 2 B and C). Overall, the pattern of reporter expression correlated with alternative splicing and differential expression of Styx mRNA on whole-tissue Northern blots (13). The Styx reporter allele is differentially expressed during spermiogenesis of mouse spermatids. (A) β-gal staining of whole adult testis from wild-type and heterozygous males. (Scale bar, 2 mm.) (B) β-gal-stained cryosections of testicular seminiferous tubules (above). The approximate developmental staging (C) of tubules (roman numerals) and spermatids (arrows) are indicated. (Scale bar, 50 μm.) (C) Selected section of Styx± seminiferous tubule (Left) and schematic representation of the relative position of cellular cohorts in normal mouse tubule stages IV and IX (Right; refs. 20 and 24). The arrows indicate the direction of gamete differentiation from intermediate spermatogonia (In), through leptotene (L) and pachytene (P) spermatocytes, into spermatids: round (step 4), elongating (step 9), and condensed (step 15). A somatic Sertoli cell (S) is shown relative to the germ cell layers. To determine the physiological consequence of the loss of Styx function, heterozygous animals were interbred to homozygosity. Genotype analysis of the offspring (Fig. 1 B and C) showed that +/+, +/−, and −/− (nullizygous) mice arose at expected Mendelian ratios despite the ablation of native Styx mRNA and protein in nullizygous animals (Fig. 1 D and E, respectively). All F2 offspring were viable and macroscopically indistinguishable from birth into adulthood. Nullizygous females exhibited no obvious impairment of growth, development, or reproductive potential (Fig. 3A). In contrast, nullizygous males failed to reproduce (Fig. 3A) despite normal mating behavior and frequency of copulatory plug formation. The testes and seminiferous tubule epithelium of nullizygous males contained normal placement and numbers of spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, Sertoli (Fig. 3C), and Leydig cells (data not shown). However, a dramatic deficiency in the spermatid population was noted first in all seminiferous tubules with round spermatids (step 8) and peaked to nearly complete absence of elongating spermatids and successive cell types in ≈10% of tubule sections (Fig. 3C). Loss of immature spermatids resulted from premature shedding into the tubule lumen, as observed in epididymal sections (below), as well as increased cellular death along the luminal epithelium (data not shown). Beyond the cellular losses, residual postmeiotic cells displayed an irregular luminal orientation, tubule distribution, and morphological abnormality (Fig. 3C). The most striking anomaly was a failure of nuclear reorganization that characterizes spermatid differentiation (20, 24). Distinct atypical spermatid forms included multinucleated cells (step 5), acrosome-conjoined symplasts (steps 5–8), and giant cells with round and elongating nuclei (Fig. 3C). In addition, nearly all round spermatids were >50% larger than wild-type cells. Likewise, elongating spermatids (steps 9–12) were positioned irregularly in the epithelium, with aberrant anterior acrosomal structures often accompanied by posterior cytoplasmic swelling (Fig. 3C). The few condensed spermatids (step 16) often failed to complete spermiation, resulting in increased Sertoli phagocytosis. Styx-deficient males are infertile and exhibit a disruption of normal spermatid differentiation. (A) Homozygous Styx−/− and StyxC/C male mice are not fertile. Mouse strains are either C57BL/6 (BL/6) or 129/SvIMJ × BL/6 (129). An asterisk denotes the 129/SvJ strain. Individual males (parentheses) were mated to age-matched fertile females for 2 weeks before separation and scoring for fertility. (B–D) Cross sections of stage XII seminiferous tubules from wild-type (B), Styx−/− (C), and StyxC/C (D) mice. Spermatocytes containing meiotic bodies are indicated (arrowheads). Representative spermatids exhibiting aberrant distribution, shape, and size are shown (asterisks). (Scale bar, 50 μm.) As a result of the germ cell losses in nullizygous testes, individual histological sections of cauda epididymidis were devoid of mature luminal spermatozoa, with the few cells present appearing as immature, round, or elongating spermatids (Fig. 4 Upper). Recovery of total epididymal content confirmed a >1,000-fold decrease in spermatozoa-like cells, with all mature sperm forms exhibiting either aberrant rounded heads, blunted acrosomes with misattached flagellum, gaps in detached acrosomes, or pinhead morphologies (Fig. 4 Lower). Furthermore, all residual sperm either were immobile or possessed a nonprogressive, uncoordinated motility, although <50% of these cells contained tail abnormalities. Loss of Styx results in abnormal sperm production. (Upper) Sections of adult mouse caudal epididymis. The arrowheads indicate multinucleated, round, spermatid-like cells. (Scale bar, 50 μm.) (Lower) Representative epididymal sperm morphologies. (Scale bar, 5 μm.) To determine whether the infertility of Styx−/− males resulted from reporter protein expression, a second knockout allele was created by excision of the Styx:β-gal reporter cassette (Fig. 1 A and F). The excised allele expressed normal levels of Styx mRNA (Fig. 1G); however, protein levels were attenuated (Fig. 1H) by alternative splicing and premature truncation at the active site exon (Fig. 1I). In the absence of the Styx exon7:lacZ sequence, a preference for using the splice acceptor site of exon 8 in vivo likely resulted from the residual loxP site only ≈250 bp upstream of the endogenous exon 7 acceptor site (Fig. 1A). Thus, because of the absence of Styx protein, mice homozygous for the excised allele, StyxC/C, were indistinguishable phenotypically from Styx−/− mice (Figs. 3 and 4). The resulting phenotypes for all targeted alleles were consistent among littermates, between independent ES cell-derived lines, and within disparate genetic backgrounds (C57BL/6 and 129/SvIMJ). Despite lower epididymal and testis weights that correlated with the reduction in germ cells (testis mass at 60 days old in mg ± SD: −/−, 71.8 ± 8.4; +/−, 111.8 ± 0.4; +/+, 112.2 ± 10.9), other secondary reproductive organs and androgen targets such as seminal vesicles were normal in size and morphology. Moreover, total body mass did not differ between littermates (mass at 60 days old in g ± SD: −/−, 29.8 ± 4.5; +/−, 30.9 ± 3.5; +/+, 32.8 ± 3.3). Collectively, these results demonstrate that a loss of Styx protein results in an intrinsic testicular defect of mouse spermatogenesis and as such reveals Styx as a candidate fertility gene in man. In considering the underlying molecular defect of knockout males, our previous work had shown that Styx possessed all the molecular determinants for binding serine-, threonine-, or tyrosine-phosphorylated substrates (13). Therefore, we postulated that Styx could function through proteins that have expression patterns or knockout phenotypes that were similar to Styx nullizygous males. Candidate effectors included: known kinases, Cdc2, Cdk2 and Cdk3 (25), and Ck2α and Ck2α′ (26); phosphatase PP1cγ (27); transcription factor Crem-τ (28, 29); phosphoproteins Rho-GDI (30) and Hsp-27 (31); and 14-3-3 isoforms (32). Despite the reduced number of differentiating spermatids in Styx−/− males as mentioned above, the absence of Styx protein did not affect the level of expression of the candidate effector proteins dramatically in whole nullizygous testis extracts (Fig. 5A), including the relative levels of phosphorylated Crem-τ isoforms (28, 29). Likewise, anti-Styx immune complexes failed to coprecipitate these proteins from wild-type testis (Fig. 5B), suggesting a unique mechanism for Styx action. Styx interacts with Crhsp-24 in vivo. (A) Expression of selected proteins in whole adult mouse testis. Testes proteins were isolated and resolved by SDS/PAGE. Selected proteins were detected by commercial antibodies. Relative positions of molecular mass standards are in kDa. (B Upper) Crhsp-24 is selectively retained in anti-Styx immune complexes from wild-type testes. Increasing amounts (1, none; 2, 15 μg; 3, 40 μg) of anti-Styx antibodies were used to immunoprecipitate proteins for each lysis condition (Nonidet P-40, high salt, and RIPA). After removing the immune complexes, the unbound lysate material was combined (Ext. Lysate), and all proteins were resolved by SDS/PAGE and Western blots probed with antibodies as described above. (Lower) Styx is retained in Crhsp-24 immune complexes from wild-type testes. Immune precipitation was performed as described above by using affinity-purified Crhsp-24 antisera. Styx immune complexes did precipitate a phosphorylated, calcium-responsive heat-stable protein with a molecular mass of 24 kDa (33), Crhsp-24 (Fig. 5B). Crhsp-24 and its brain-specific paralog, PIPPin, possess cold-shock and double-stranded RNA-binding domains (34), which for PIPPin are capable of binding replacement histone H3.3 and H1° mRNAs to repress their translation in vitro (34, 35). In light of overlapping expression of Styx and Crhsp-24 in elongating spermatids (Fig. 2B and J. A. Williams, personal communication, respectively), a complex between Styx and Crhsp-24 may provide insight into a mechanism regulating chromatin protein expression during normal spermiogenesis (3, 4). Previous work has shown that dephosphorylation of the testicular RNA-binding proteins TLS/FUS (5), TB-RBP (6), and MSY2 (7) diminishes their affinity for mRNA binding and thereby relieves translational repression of bound transcripts. Although the effect of Styx on Crhsp-24 is under study, immune complexes of Crhsp-24 also precipitate Styx (Fig. 5B Lower), and regulation of specific histone subtype expression would be consistent with the prominent nuclear abnormalities of round and elongating spermatids in Styx-deficient males. Because the cellular affectors of RNA-binding proteins are largely unknown, a protein complex of Styx and Crhsp-24 provides new insight into components of this important biological process. In a larger context, this work fundamentally demonstrates an essential physiological function for noncatalytic or “dead” PTPs (14). It also underscores the importance of determining the roles of noncatalytic, structural analogs of protein tyrosine kinases, caspases, carbonic anhydrases, and other PTPs (14, 15) emerging from genome-sequencing projects (36, 37). Acknowledgments We thank Drs. J. A. Williams, K. L. Guan, and H. Guardiola-Diaz for helpful discussion, the University of Michigan (UM) Transgenic Animal Model Core for blastocyst injection and assistance with ES cell culture, Dr. A. K. Christiansen, and R. K. Brabec for expertise on testis development and histology, Dr. S. Camper for use of Cre-transgenic mice, and the veterinarian and animal husbandry staff of the UM Unit for Lab Animal Medicine. We were supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Walther Cancer Institute (to J.E.D.), Systems and Integrated Biology Training Grant 5T32GM08322-07, UM Horace H. Rackham Distinguished Research Partnership Award, and UM Department of Physiology Horace W. Davenport Fellowship (to M.J.W.). Funding for generating transgenic mice was provided in part by the UM Cancer Center, Arthritis Center, and Molecular Biology core of the Diabetes Center. Footnotes Abbreviations - PTP, - protein tyrosine phosphatase; - Styx, - phosphoserine, -threonine, or -tyrosine interaction protein; - Crhsp-24, - calcium-responsive heat-stable protein with a molecular mass of 24 kDa; - ES, - embryonic stem; - β-gal, - β-galactosidase - Accepted December 19, 2001. References - ↵ - ↵ - Kuroda M, - Sok J, - Webb L, - Baechtold H, - Urano F, - Yin Y, - Chung P, - de Rooij D G, - Akhmedov A, - Ashley T, - Ron D - ↵ - Lee K, - Haugen H S, - Clegg C H, - Braun R E - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - Barinaga M - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - Wishart M J, - Denu J M, - Williams J A, - Dixon J E - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - Nagy A, - Rossant J, - Nagy R, - Abramow-Newerly W, - Roder J C - ↵ - Kendall S K, - Samuelson L C, - Saunders T L, - Wood R I, - Camper S A - ↵ - ↵ - Russel L D, - Ettlin R A, - Hikim A P, - Clegg E D - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - Harlow E, - Lane D - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - ↵ - Groblewski G E, - Yoshida M, - Bragado M J, - Ernst S A, - Leykam J, - Williams J A - ↵ - Nastasi T, - Scaturro M, - Bellafiore M, - Raimondi L, - Beccari S, - Cestelli A, - Di Liegro I - ↵ - ↵ - Ijkel W F J, - van Strien E A, - Heldens J G M, - Broer R, - Zuidema D, - Goldbach R W, - Vlak J M - ↵

of Noah’s family foreshadows the coming Great Tribulation, where, again, a remnant will be preserved through a great flood. “…… The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood… But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. (see Rev. 12:6-16)].” (Ps. 91 faithful remnant, the Bride, who will be protected. Set apart from the wicked and perverse generation of their day, the grace of God was poured out upon Noah and his family. in seclusion for long years studying the Word of God. Finally, at God’s instruction and in His timing, Enoch went out into the world to teach others and was rewarded with a great harvest. Thus, in traditional Jewish thought, Enoch was the light of the world in his day, and, to the practicing Jew, is a type of Messiah. Those of us who fully accept the writings of the apostles and disciples as Scripture, also see Enoch as a representation of Yeshua’s body, the Bride which has made herself ready for the return of the Bridegroom and the great harvest of the ages that is coming. Setting herself apart, this woman has wisely invested her time both studying and practicing Yahweh’s instructions in righteousness. She is storing the oil that she will need to be a light to the nations. The Torah (instruction) of life and blessing. Luke points to the parents of John the Baptist as shining examples of people who understood how to please God. In Hebrew, they would have been described as tzadeek and tawmeem, just like Noah. Does it mean they were sinless? Certainly not! It means they were righteous because they, like Abraham before them, “believed God and it was counted to them as righteousness.” Further, also like Abraham, and Noah, they pursued holiness by “walking with God” a euphemism for keeping His commandments. Let me quickly repeat from last week’s lesson, the commandments are not now, nor have ever been, for salvation. They are simply instructions in what is correct, just, and righteous in the eyes of God. To say it another way, the commandments show us how to be pleasing in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. Paul’s letters are infused with the injunction for the former gentiles who have been grafted in to Israel to strive to be tawmeem or blameless. Writing to the churches of Corinth, Philipi, and Thessolonica, comprised of mostly new converts, Paul exhorts them) Further, to be blameless was the highest quality that Paul instructed Timothy to seek as he established in, is magnifying the Torah,exactly as Isaiah declared, by illuminating God’s instructions to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. Further, like Yeshua, he is teaching believers how to follow God’s commandments with the aid of the Holy Spirit. Paul describes the exemplary character that Noah must have had to be chosen as the progenitor of all who would be born after the flood. Noah was 600 years old when he entered the ark. In Hebraic thought, numbers 1-7 correspond with the seven days of creation. We see this idea in Psalm 90:4, “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.” Peter illuminates this verse: ” But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8) The number 600 hints at the sixth millennium, where we now find ourselves, at the end of which “the woman” of Rev. 12 will be given a place of safety in the wilderness.. The kofer enabled the ark to withstand the wrath of God that came upon the whole earth. Most of us were taught in Sunday School that Noah brought two of every kind of animal into the ark. But, in fact, God commanded Noah to take two of the unclean animals, and seven pairs of the clean animals (Gen. 7:2-3). We have to ask, of course, how Noah knew the difference. The answer, most certainly, is that he was taught these things and much more by preceding generations. Adam lived until Noah’s father was 56 years old. Noah did not learn in a vacuum; he was groomed for 500 years for of Noah’s relatives who were righteous, excluding his sons and their wives, died prior to the deluge so as not to suffer the knowledge of the fate of their unrighteous neighbors and loved ones. It must have been a frightful thing. Some scholars believe that the flood was the first time in history that men had ever experienced rain, let alone a catastrophic storm; rather, that until then “a mist” (Gen. 2:6) still watered the earth. According to this theory, the entire atmosphere was violently rent by God’s wrath and has been greatly diminished ever since, much to the detriment of mankind. Certainly, man’s lifespan after the flood was dramatically reduced, though some attribute this shortening to God’s permission for man to consume animals. God said, “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you.” (Gen. 9:3). But, I must hasten to insert that God who “change(s) not” (Malachi 3:6), surely did not imply that His people were to eat unclean animals. Just as Peter was repulsed at the thought of eating unclean animals when he saw the vision of the sheet let down from heaven (Acts 10:11), so I believe Noah also understood that to be pleasing to God, His children neither sacrifice nor consume what He calls unclean. Noah, and for that matter, Peter, far more than we who exist today, understood God’s purpose in creating unclean animals. Some are scavengers, the housekeepers of the earth and sea, so to speak, that continually consume carcasses and waste products. He made others to demonstrate characteristics such as laziness, deceitfulness, woeful neglect, fierce brutality, and unmitigated evil, which He uses in Scripture to picture unfaithful shepherds, greedy leaders, despotic rulers, and Satan. Clean animals are generally those found in peaceful flocks, grazing on green grasses and chewing their cud, a picture of God’s sheep chewing the Word of God and meditating on it. The clean sea creatures,those with fins and scales, which portray putting on “the whole armor of God” (Eph. 6: 11-13) and, thus, being well able to dart quickly from temptation, as did Joseph when Potiphar’s wife attempted to seduce him.. “And the LORD shut him in.” (Gen 7:16) Can you imagine it? The animals entered the ark, then Noah and his family, and then the heavy door was closed from the outside and sealed. During the long years that the “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5) had warned them and urged them to repent and to accept God’s salvation, the mockers and scoffers would not hear. Now, God would not hear—and Noah was helpless to intervene.. The inhabitants of the ark had no idea of its physical location or of how long it would be before they would see land or set foot on it. How was this family able to content themselves. Aviv was the seventh month until God instructed Moses that it would become the first month (Ex. 12:1-2). Interestingly enough, Ararat means “the curse reversed.” When the ark settled on the mountain, Noah sent out a raven, an unclean bird, which eats dead flesh. The raven came back and forth to the ark until (Gen 8:7) the dead bodies were exposed. Then, Noah sent out a dove; picturing the Holy Spirit; but there was no place for her to rest, so he drew her back into the sanctuary of the ark. After seven days, Noah sent the dove out again, and, this time, she returned with a fresh olive leaf in her beak. The olive tree was the supplier of oil for the lamps of the ancient world and is emblematic of the Torah, “the light unto my path” Psalm 119:105 KJV, of as well as the oil that that wise virgins are storing.. (see Romans 11:17-25) The freshly plucked olive leaf contained God’s promise to once again provide light (instruction in righteousness) for the inhabitants of the world. That it came directly into Noah’s hand, I believe, was God’s stamp of approval on the faithful tzadeek who would go forth from the ark to be the light of the world to a freshly cleansed earth. Noah lived for 350 years after the flood. Thank you, Noah! Thank you, God, for the man who set himself apart for Your sake. When the olive leaf appeared, Noah knew that the waters had receded (Gen 8:11). Yet, even though he had been cooped up for more than a year, he waited patiently for God’s instructions: comprised of men and women. Those who practice homosexual behavior fail to understand that God cannot bless what He calls an abomination (Lev. 18:22, 20:13). God designed earthly families to reflect His family: a man (Yeshua) and His Bride (Israel) who birth children who who bear much fruit and are the light of the world by keeping His commandments. This is holy matrimony. Sexual activity was designed for the purpose of intimacy between husband and wife. Any other sexual conduct, whether sex outside of marriage (fornication), or adultery, or pornography, or pedophilia, or bestiality, or homosexuality is unholy, prohibited by Torah, because it does not match God’s pattern. Therefore, no matter that any earthly authority may sanction it, sex forbidden by Torah is an abomination to God; and, therefore, is cursed. To my readers who are involved in illicit sexual activity of any nature, please know that while God hates the sin, He deeply loves and passionately wants to restore the sinner. I thank God for the blood of Jesus/ Yeshua that washed me white as snow and restored me to a virgin in His eyes. That is the beauty of justification by the blood of the Lamb. It washes away the sin, and, in God’s eyes, removes it as far as the east is from the west, leaving the sinner white as snow. This is grace, my friend, free for the asking. But, we must remember Yeshua’s warning, “Go, and sin no more!” (John 5:14, 8:11). Once you have accepted Yeshua’s sacrifice for your sin, you are righteous in the sight of God. But, to keep yourself in that state, you must go and sin no more. “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.“ 1 John 3. Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And…the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma… (Gen 8:20-21a) Most assuredly, Noah was taught to offer clean animals by his father and grandfather. The LORD was very pleased. He blessed Noah and entered into covenant with:1-17) We come now to a very ugly and somewhat mysterious chapter of Noah’s life. With the wicked destroyed and no one left on the face of the earth except his own family, the tzadeek apparently let down his guard. Ah, but the enemy was prowling around like a roaring lion. The account begins with the statement in our English bibles “Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.” (Gen 9:20 ESV) Some versions say he became a farmer. Ham had sex with Noah or even with Noah’s wife based on Lev. 20:11. Some even think it was Canaan who did these things, since he ended up with the curse. Whatever the case, it seems to me that instead of Noah cursing his grandson, as some teach, it is more likely that he woke up to find his house on fire, so to speak, and yelled, “Help! Canaan is cursed!” The spiritual giant, who knew the Torah backward and forward, thanks to his righteous ancestors, most certainly understood the precept that the consequence of one’s sin will be felt by one’s offspring, to the fourth generation. “ will tend to follow in our footsteps. Is it possible to break such a curse? All things are possible with God! Remember, the purpose of Torah is to RESTORE! The God of Creation, as we saw in last week’s lesson, thanks to Rav Waxman, wants us to understand Him as Redeemer and Conqueror of Chaos even more He wants us to see Him as the All-Powerful, All Knowing, Most High God who created everything from nothing. In the same way that the Holy Spirit brooded over the dark and formless depths of the earth (Gen. 1:1), so He broods today over every soul in darkness. Noah apparently woke from his drunken stupor to find his spiritual house in flames. Ham’s name means “hot” and “to enflame self.” Too late, Noah saw that Ham’s descendants down to the third and fourth generation would feel the searing heat of the day’s evil events, and, further, that this iniquity, would conceive and give birth to even greater wickedness, as in the days before the flood. Can you imagine Noah’s great regret? Pandora’s Box was re-opened upon the cleansed earth. Canaan’s descendants would become guilty of every type of sexual perversion known to man and, even worse, would sacrifice their children to idols. That is the very reason the Canaanites were ultimately expelled from the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The only remedy for the curse, Noah knew, was to learn and practice Torah. According to Hebrew tradition, Shem, Noah’s son, maintained yeshivas (tent schools) in which he taught the ways of God, as did his great-grandfather Enoch. Surely, Noah was Shem’s foremost teacher. Foreseeing the tragic repercussions to his grandson and future descendants, Noah apparently quickly regained his senses and moved to counteract the curse. Gathering the family together, Noah blessed God for the righteousness with which Shem had behaved by moving quickly, along with Japheth to cover Noah, thereby picturing atonement. Noah) Noah’s great desire was that all of his offspring would come to study Torah! Noah saw that Shem was predisposed to righteousness and asked God to use him to proclaim the restoration available for any who would believe God. We must remember that everyone who lived after the flood are the offspring of Noah and that … God…. so loved the WORLD! Noah must have invested his remaining 350 years in teaching and praying. And God mightily answered Noah’s prayer. Shem lived 502 years after the flood, until Jacob and Esau were 52 years old. According to tradition, Jacob studied in the tents of Shem while Esau chose to entertain himself with hunting. It is from the lineage of Jacob that we received the Scriptures. And it is from the lineage of Jacob that Messiah came. No doubt, Shem also influenced Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham, whom we will study for the next several weeks. It). “The way” is a euphemism for Torah [as is “the truth”, and “the light.” Sound familiar”] A very interesting question to consider as we begin to look at the life of Abraham is how could he keep God’s commandments, statutes, and laws unless someone had taught him? In closing, Yeshua warned us that the day of His return will be as the day of the flood. (Mat. 24:37-38). Peter exhorts us to be blameless in preparation..? Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless. (2 Peter 3:10-14). To live without God’s instructions is to be lawless. To practice God’s instructions is to be blameless. Never forget that we who have multiple copies of multiple translations of the Bible, along with a variety of Bible software, and more leisure time than any previous generation to make use of these things, are the most blessed people who have ever lived on this planet! Remember, dear children, to whom much is given, much is required. Therefore, study to show yourselves approved! Until next week, shalom! One thought on “Noach [Noah] 2015” Some wonderful insights here – Thanks so much. Two statements that especially caught my attention.” and )”

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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License(CC-BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Natural products from medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have lesser harmful effects on human systems. Hence, their specific utility is in chronic and acute diseases. With an increasing usage of herbal preparations internationally, any attempt by academics on MAPs is an effort towards meeting the global demand and a step towards their conservation. Here, an attempt to review various methods for conservation of MAPs is made. In this paper, at least two databases, PubMed and Academic One File-Infotrac, and the internet in general, were searched for articles on MAPs. After distilling the data sources, articles found suitable to the present aim were reviewed. Presented here is a short treatise on MAPs, in general, and various strategies on their conservation in particular. Various approaches are adopted to conserve the MAPs and meet the global demand. However, no single method is sufficient to meet the goals. Hence, multiple strategies have to be adopted. Research and market on medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) represents one of the fast growing areas in the field of Biology and allied disciplines. An essay on Biotechnology in MAPs at the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India website states that with an annual growth of 10-20%, the global market on MAPs is expected to touch US $5 trillion by 2050 [1]. Medicinal plants are defined as those plants, which are popular for their pharmacological properties [2]. Contrary to what has been mentioned in the popular sources, the present article also considers those plants not listed in official pharmacopeia as medicinal, if they are used in traditional or herbal medicines. Thus, for the present medicinal plants are those plants that are used in traditional or herbal medicines irrespective of scientific evidence of their pharmacological properties. Similarly, plants with aroma characteristics are referred to as aromatic plants [3]. Examples in both types are numerous. In reality, approximately anywhere between 50,000 species-70,000 species of plants are known internationally for their medicinal and aromatic properties, with approximately 4000-10,000 species of MAPs being endangered [4,5]. Research in MAPs is vital for various reasons. Firstly, the minimal side-effects observed as a consequence of usage of herbal medicines. Kacharava et al., argue that as a rule, natural complex chemical compounds have less harmful and specific impacts on the human body rather than their synthetic analogues [6]. A probable explanation for this lies in the observation that every somatic cell of the human body has the same genetic content, whereby each of these cells have the capability to express any gene at any given point of time depending upon its requirements. This situation is best illustrated in cancerous phenotype. Thus, upon using synthetic analogues, cells that express the same gene cannot avoid being sensitive to the drug [7]. Herbal or MAPs preparations, and therapeutics in traditional medicine have lesser side-effects for the simple reason; the uncharacterized antagonists are also usually present in the same preparation. As a result, even if the MAPs and traditional medicine do not cure the disease, they at least do not cause harmful effects. Perhaps the words of Cyril P Bryan, English translator of “The Papyrus Ebers”, with regard to traditional Egyptian medicine, are worth citing in this context. He says that many of them (i.e., the traditional medicines of Egypt) are harmless even if they do not have any therapeutic effect [8]. Given this scenario, the best use of preparations of MAPs, in particular, and traditional medicine (which uses MAPs), in general, is in chronic and acute diseases [6]. Secondly, greater than 4,00,000 tons of MAPs of approximately 3,000 species are traded internationally. Among these China and India are two of the largest producers and exporters of MAPs [5]. Needless-to-say, approximately 60-80% of the MAPs marketed are collected from the wild [4, 5]. This scenario clubbed with an annual growth, in the MAPs market, of 10-20% and an increasing usage of herbal medicines in the developed countries, prompts us to think considerably about conservation of MAPs. In addition, the scientific fraternity is also burdened to meet the growing demand without exhausting the existing resources. A number of scientific organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), both in India and abroad, are involved in research and formulating standards, rules and regulations in the directions mentioned above. Towards achieving the market demands, cultivation of MAPs on a commercial level cannot be taken up for the simple reason this may lead to a loss in the acreage of essential food crops. Thus, this situation necessitates an assessment of available methods towards conservation of MAPs aimed at meeting the insurmountable market demand. The present article tries to review in brief the various approaches in research, recognition and conservation of MAPs. In addition to the internet, in general, an online search at various databases, viz., PubMed, and Academic OneFile-Infotrac, with free full text option was carried out initially with combined keywords of “Biotechnological approaches” and “MAPs” This search yielded zero results both at PubMed and at Academic OneFile-Infotrac. To improve upon the results only “MAPs” was used as a keyword and the results narrowed depending upon the suitability of the articles with the present topic. Subsequent look-up of articles is based on the cited references in the initially identified articles. All the papers that surfaced in various searches were identified for their suitability to the headings and subheadings. While arguing the fact that this article overlooks many important publications and approaches, the readers must keep in mind that this article is intended to be a mini-review and every review have their limitations. The Approach Approaches to MAPs research and marketing include recognition of MAPs, conservation and achieving the targets. Recognition The first effort to any activity in MAPs is in recognising the actual medicinal or aromatic plant. This need arises as a consequence of many plants looking similar to MAPs. Also, it is essential to identify the plant part that is useful for medicinal purposes to avoid destroying the entire plant. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, presently approximately 60-80% of MAPs are procured from the wild, wherein many similar looking poisonous species may also be present; properly recognising the plant therefore becomes mandatory. Approaches to recognising the MAPs may be many and varied. In general, they can be grouped as Traditional methods and Modern approaches. Traditional methods are cost-effective, non-destructive or non-invasive, but rely heavily on skill and expertise of the personnel involved. Modern approaches may be invasive or destructive in the sense that some amount of specimen may be lost during analysis, which may not be recovered. Traditional methods Traditional methods of identifying the plants rely on plant characteristics and involve a thorough knowledge of botany (at least undergraduate level). The best method is to compare the MAP in hand with a known specimen in herbaria. At least one digital herbarium is now available on-line [9]. Modern approaches Modern approaches for recognition of MAPs include Biotechnological and Biochemical approaches. Biotechnological approaches involve extensive usage of databases, genomics and proteomics. One good starting point of information on databases is an article on Medicinal plant information databases found in the Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO document repository [10]. Apart from this, National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR) are involved in publishing abstracting services for articles on MAPs [11]. Numerous techniques essentially aimed at identifying the genes of interest in MAPs come under genomics. Mere listing of these techniques itself is beyond the scope of this article as every lab now-a-days is having their own in-house techniques with the invasion of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Also, with the complete genomes of many plants being available in popular public domains such as the PubMed, the genomics era in MAPs, in general and plants, in particular, can be said to have come of age. Closely coming along with genomics is proteomics, which involves proteins and their sequences. Proteomics, although expensive yields more reliable results. Somewhat similar to proteomics are the biochemical approaches that involve loss of the sample to a certain extent. Typically, biochemical analysis involves thin layer chromatography. With the advances in chromatographic techniques, the sample loss has been minimized, but till date, biochemical approaches represent the most reliable recognition method of the natural compounds present, and thereby the MAPs. These recognition methods may sometimes lead to the discovery of new useful compounds in plants. Conservation and achieving the targets Anders S Barford et al., suggest that the most direct approach for conservation is through trade of MAPs [12]. The need for conservation arises as a consequence of our enthusiasm to achieve the set targets and goals. Such a mindless passion, as mentioned earlier, has already led to endangering approximately 4,000-10,000 species of MAPs. Thus, conservation of MAPs becomes mandatory. Primary among the conservation approaches include: Documentation of MAPs Dahanukar et al., mention that in a span of 5 years more than 13,000 plants have been investigated for their medicinal potential [13]. Further screening of plants for their medicinal and aromatic potential is being carried out at many research institutes in India and abroad. Once identified building the herbaria is also part of the documentation process. Traditional approaches Traditional approaches for conservation and achieving the targets include medicinal plant conservation areas (MPCA) within forest or notified areas wherein the plants are allowed to grow in their natural habitats [14]. Similarly, Joint forest management (JFM), an initiative of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, actively encourages participation of communities in rehabilitating degraded forests [15]. Farming and/or cultivation involving high yielding varieties and related studies, typically, taken up by private individuals and companies is yet to gain momentum. Despite this, some private firms are involved in the same. Once taken up, increasing the acreage, i.e., the area of cultivation, can to a certain extent achieve the target. However, the last two options are limited by the observation that (1) They deplete the acreage of essential food crops, a point already mentioned and (2) They may not necessarily provide the same ecological conditions in which the MAPs grow naturally. The popular Noah’s ark approach of seed vaults or seed banks or dooms-day vaults preserve the seeds for an unexpected catastrophe. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a classic example here [16]. Modern approaches come into vogue when the set targets cannot be achieved using traditional approaches and when certain MAPs cannot be grown in a different pattern of climatic conditions. The popular modern methods in this category include tissue culture, cloned gene products and chemical synthesis of the medicinal or aromatic compounds. A number of attempts in the mentioned three directions are going on in labs all over the world including India. A specific example of chemical synthesis of medicinal compound is Azadirachtin [17]. APINMAP: Asia pacific information network on medicinal and aromatic plantsDBT: Department of BiotechnologyJFM: Joint forest managementMAPs: Medicinal and aromatic plantsMPCA: Medicinal plant conservation areaNGO: Non-governmental organisationsPCR: Polymerase chain reactionOther abbreviations carry their usual significance. With the increasing demand for MAPs, it may not be possible to meet the targets always. Research in the thrust areas mentioned in this article may lead to measures, which to a certain extent, meet the requirements. However, as mentioned earlier, no single approach will be sufficient to meet the global demand. Thus, taking into account the number of endangered species, one aim of the personnel involved in MAPs research, is to ensure that by 2050, one or two grams of medicinal or aromatic compounds do not cost US $5 trillion. With due thanks to the reviewers and post publication reviewers. 1. DBTINDIA.nic.in. New Delhi: Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India; c2011. [Updated 2011 Mar 01; cited 2013 Mar 06]. Available from:. [Updated on 2011 Mar 01, Cited on 2013 Mar 06].2. Ortobotanico.unina.it. Napoli, Italy: Orto Botanico di Napoli, Universitá degli Studi di Napolu Federico II; c2013 [updated 2013 Jun; cited 2013 Jun; first accessed 2013 Mar 06]. Available from:. [Updated on 2013 Jun, Cited on 2013 Jun, First accessed on 2013 Mar 06].3. Ortobotanico.unina.it. Napoli, Italy: Orto Botanico di Napoli, Universitá degli Studi di Napolu Federico II; c2013 [updated 2013 Jun; cited 2013 JunMar 06; first accessed 2013 Mar 06]. Available from:. Canter PH, Thomas H, Ernst E. Bringing medicinal plants into cultivation: Opportunities and challenges for biotechnology. Trends Biotechnol 2005; 23 # 4:180-55. Taylor, David A. “New yardstick for medicinal plant harvests”. Environ Health Persp, 2008; 116.1: A21. Academic OneFile. Web. 24 Mar. 136. Kacharava, Ketevan, Tamar Kacharava and Avtandil Korakhashvili. “Ecological standards of medicinal, aromatic, spicery and poisonous herbs of Georgia. Advances in Environmental Biology, 2011; 265+. Academic OneFile. Web. 24 Mar. 137. Denis Noble D. Modes and keys: Cellular harmony. In: Denis Noble D., editor. The Music of Life– Biology beyond Genes. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press; 2006. p. 98.8. Cyril P Bryan CP. Pharmacopoeia of ancient Egypt. In: Cyril P Bryan CP, editor. The Papyrus Ebers (translated from the German version). Letchworth, Herts, UK: The Garden City Press Ltd.,; 1930. p. 15.9. DMAPR.org.in. Anand, India: Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research; c2007-2013. [Updated 2010 Dec 18; cited 2013 Mar 06]. Available from:. [Updated on 2010 Dec 18, Cited on 2013 Mar 06].10. Bhat KKS. Medicinal plant information databases. In: Non-wood Forest Products Series 11. Medicinal Plants for Conservation and Health Care. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations; 1995. Available from: Accessed 2013-Jun-09.11. NISCAIR.res.in. New Delhi, India: National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources; 2013 [updated 2013 Apr 06; cited 2013 Jun 09]. Available from:. [Updated on 2013 Apr 06, Cited on 2013 Jun 09].12. Anders S Barford, Grishcha Brokamp, Moritz Mittelbach, Cesar A Grandez R, Natalia Valderrama, and Maximilian Weigand. Trade in Palm products in North-Western South America. Bot Rev, 2011; 77.4: 571+ Academic OneFile. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.13. Dahanukar SA, Rege NN, Thatte U. Adaptogens. Medicinal plants, their bioactivity, screening and evaluation. In: Medicinal plants, their bioactivity, screening and evaluation– Proceedings of the International. Workshop, CDRI, Lucknow (India), December 2-5, 1997. p. 143-63. 14. Wikimapia.org. Google Maps, USA: Medicinal Plants Conservation Area (MPCA); c2012-2013. [Updated 2009; cited 2013 Mar 25]. Available from:. [Updated on 2009, Cited on 2013 Mar 25].15. Mohd. Mazid M, Taqi Ahmed Khan TA, Firoz Mohammad F. Medicinal plants of rural India: A review of use by Indian folks. Indo Global J Pharm Sci 2012; 2 (3): 286-304.16. Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Oslo, Norway: The Ministry of Agriculture and Food; c2012-[updated 2012 Dec 11; cited 2013 Mar 06]. Available from:. [Updated on 2012 Dec 11, Cited on 2013 Mar 06].17. Gunjan Prakash G, Sant S Bhojwani SS, Ashok K Srivastava AK. Production of azadirachtin from plant tissue culture: State of the art and future prospects. Biotechnol Bioprocess Eng 2002; 7: 185-193. A self-financed study. Portions of this article were presented by the author, as a poster titled “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research – A review of the state of art technology” at the recently concluded UGC Sponsored National Conference on “Biotechnological Approaches in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research”, held at the Department of Botany, Maharani’s Science College for Women, Palace Road, Bangalore–560 001 on 21st and 22nd March 2013. The first line of th... Posted by Anonymous reviewer on 15 Nov 2013 09:56:42 AM GMT Thank you for the comments. To satiate your comments I perhaps take refuge in the sentence that appears in the data sources and overview section: \"...this article overlooks many important ... View more Responded by Dr. Chetan D Poduri on 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 AM GMT I don not think that... Posted by Anonymous reviewer on 11 Nov 2013 11:01:27 AM GMT Thank you for your comments. Hi, Ihave gon... Posted by Anonymous reviewer on 08 Nov 2013 04:03:08 AM GMT Thank you. General Comments The... Posted by Anonymous reviewer on 31 Oct 2013 01:53:51 PM GMT WebmedCentral Plus Article: Medicinal And Aromatic Plants (maps): A Mini-review

The History of Fake News, with Andie Tucher September 4, 2018 Orson Welles (center) meeting with reporters after the War of the Worlds radio broadcast. November, 1938. CREDIT: The Express (Public Domain) DEVIN STEWART: Hi, I'm Devin Stewart here at Carnegie Council in New York City, and today I'm speaking with Professor Andie Tucher. Andie is a professor and historian. She teaches at the Columbia Journalism School here in New York City. Andie, thanks so much for coming today. ANDIE TUCHER: It's a pleasure. DEVIN STEWART: You're an expert on the history of fake news. Fake news is a big topic in American politics and probably politics all around the world. You were recently on the Hidden Brain podcast talking about your new research. My understanding is that you're working on a new book about the history of fake news. Do you have a tentative title for that? ANDIE TUCHER: The working title is Misinformed. DEVIN STEWART: Do you have an expected publication date? ANDIE TUCHER: Hoping to make it before the 2020 election. DEVIN STEWART: Perfect. Well, we look forward to seeing the book Misinformed. This is also part of our ongoing podcast series on Information Warfare, which is examining propaganda, misinformation, being misinformed, and the history of fake news as well, so it's a real pleasure to talk with you today. Looking at the theme of history of fake news in America, you have identified a very early instance of fake news. I think it was 1690, the very first episode of a fake news story. Can you tell us about that? ANDIE TUCHER: Yes. This was the first newspaper ever published in the North American colonies. It was called Publick Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestick in Boston in 1690. An American-produced newspaper was a new thing, and here comes a guy called Ben Harris from England, and he says, "I'm going to publish a newspaper, and I'm going to tell the truth, and I'm going to correct things if I get it wrong, and I'm going to hold people to account." It all sounds very modern and ethical. That first issue had a fake news story about the king of France, who was in trouble because he was sleeping with his daughter-in-law. DEVIN STEWART: His daughter-in-law? ANDIE TUCHER: His daughter-in-law. We know this was fake news because he didn't have a daughter-in-law at the time. But also because we think—or I think—that the editor of this newspaper wanted to be very critical of an absolute monarch who was also a Catholic because the editor in Boston and much of Boston was very Protestant, and he thought this would be a good way of— DEVIN STEWART: Playing to the Catholic readership. ANDIE TUCHER: Or playing against the Catholic readership by criticizing a king who was a Catholic and who was persecuting Protestants. The story sounded true because Louis XIV had been a real rake. He was calming down, he was behaving much better under the influence of his second wife. It was a way for the editor, who probably wasn't sure whether it was true or not, but he thought: This is a good one. I'll go with it. DEVIN STEWART: Do you know where the story came from originally? Where did he find this story, or did he just make it up? ANDIE TUCHER: It's hard to know, but a lot of European newspapers at that point, they traded. They sent them around. He had been an editor in London. He had been an editor in Amsterdam. He knew a lot of people, so he probably got sent newspapers from around Europe, and he just picked that item out and said, "Yeah, this one sounds good." DEVIN STEWART: What were the consequences for that newspaper? ANDIE TUCHER: Pretty severe. He was shut down right away. The newspaper was confiscated. All the issues were destroyed. It was partly because he was saying rude things but also because he was doing it without permission from the authorities, which was required at the time. DEVIN STEWART: Who shut him down exactly? Was this state government or city government? ANDIE TUCHER: The colonial government, the governing council at the time, the council members just confiscated everything. And they had that right because according to British law—and Britain was ruling the colonies at the time—they had to get permission, and he hadn't done it. DEVIN STEWART: How did you actually find this story, by the way? You've been looking at fake news for 400 years in the United States. What's your method? How do you go about finding these episodes? ANDIE TUCHER: I didn't realize it, but I've been studying fake news for 30 years in various forms. What I've always been interested in is the evolution of truth-telling conventions. Of course, if you're looking at truth-telling conventions, the flip side of that is always fakes and falsities and frauds and deceptions. DEVIN STEWART: An aspect of the storytelling method has always included falsehoods. ANDIE TUCHER: Yes, always. DEVIN STEWART: Has there ever been a period in American history where we've just had a very honest, clean journalism sector? ANDIE TUCHER: Well, the only time I know of for sure was the 14 years after Publick Occurrences was shut down, because at that point there were no newspapers published in America. DEVIN STEWART: That was an anomaly? ANDIE TUCHER: Yes. DEVIN STEWART: You're saying that if there are journalists, then there will be fabrications. If there are no journalists, then there won't be fabrications. ANDIE TUCHER: If there are no journalists, there won't be fabrications. We can count on that, yes. DEVIN STEWART: But that's not to say something bad about journalists. ANDIE TUCHER: No. In fact, journalism had a very different purpose for the first—up until about the beginning of the 20th century journalism was very different. The idea of a journalist—people who lived in little towns all over America didn't have a lot of access to printed material. They had a weekly newspaper and not a lot else. The weekly newspaper fulfilled all sorts of roles. It had short stories, it had serialized novels, it had poetry, it had tall tales, it had hoaxes that everybody knew were hoaxes, but it was all a way to fit a whole bookstore's worth of stuff into four pages that came out once a week. Some of it was playful. A lot of historians point to the "Great Moon Hoax" of 1835 in [The Sun (New York City)], which was a brand-new kind of newspaper, a penny newspaper, which was directed toward a wide middle-class/working-class audience for the first time. It published one day a story saying that somebody at the Cape of Good Hope had this huge telescope, and he could see the moon, and he could see men with wings that looked like bats. He could see blue goats. He could see people who rolled, and it was all really great. A lot of historians look at this and say: "This is terrible. He's fooling everybody." I don't think that was the point. I think people knew that it was a game and that they were being permitted, invited, to decide for themselves whether or not it was true. Since the expectation was not that everything in a newspaper was going to be true, I don't think they were really upset or horrified if they were able to figure out for themselves, Nah, this is not true. DEVIN STEWART: Is this the story where the reveal came at the very end of the story, where it said something like—maybe I'm confusing it with a different story—where at the very end of the story it says, "Actually, this is just a made-up story," but nobody read all the way to the bottom? ANDIE TUCHER: That one was the wild animal hoax. That one was a little different. That was seen as kind of ugly. DEVIN STEWART: Where was that? ANDIE TUCHER: That was the New York Herald. DEVIN STEWART: What was the date? ANDIE TUCHER: [1874.] DEVIN STEWART: And took place where? ANDIE TUCHER: In New York City. The Herald was always seen as a newspaper that pushed the boundaries. It was very sensational, it was very commercial, it loved teasing its readers. It had a huge story about how wild animals broke out of their cages in the Central Park Zoo. The rhinoceros, whose name was Pete, had gotten out, and he was angry, and he was knocking everything down. So the panthers were out, the lions were out, the elephants were out. A long, detailed thing about the cougars gnawing horribly on somebody's head, and the tiger got on the ferryboat and killed everybody because they couldn't get off. It was really lurid. DEVIN STEWART: These animals sound like they have a lot of resources. They're very creative. ANDIE TUCHER: Exactly. At the end of the piece, then the writer said: "Well, this didn't really happen, but we just wanted you to think about whether the city has reinforced the zoo fences and gates well enough. This might happen." That was seen as over the top because people were terrified, and nobody read the whole thing down to the end, and the Herald had a reputation of being kind of nasty all along. So this didn't go over well because people were fooled, and they didn't like that. The ones that were hoaxes that invited them to participate were a whole different kind of category. DEVIN STEWART: What were the consequences for the Herald? ANDIE TUCHER: Not a lot, simply because people who already read the Herald liked that it was a bad boy, but many people were upset. There were letters to the editor in all the other newspapers complaining. The Herald didn't really acknowledge it. It said: "Well, you know, we didn't really think this was going to upset people. It was just a joke." They ended up looking bad. DEVIN STEWART: Do you explore at all the War of the Worlds controversy? ANDIE TUCHER: Oh, the radio program, yes. That's another one that there's a little bit of fake news about how it's talked about. DEVIN STEWART: Reported, right, exactly. The common belief is that there was mass hysteria, but the idea that there was mass hysteria is itself hysterical. Was it overblown? ANDIE TUCHER: Yes. DEVIN STEWART: Tell us that story. That's fascinating. ANDIE TUCHER: This was Orson Welles, who was sort of a child prodigy who was in his early 20s. He did a program on CBS Radio in his regular time slot that did radio dramas of various kinds. He introduced it at the top as a "radio drama." But it then went into a really realistic account that played on expectations of how radio news worked because it had the male announcer with the resonant voice, and it had people coming who were experts with expert titles, and they unfolded the story of Martians in Grover's Mill, New Jersey. There were interviews with people who said they could see the monster rising out of a capsule. DEVIN STEWART: What year was this again? ANDIE TUCHER: 1938. DEVIN STEWART: Wow. Was it broadcast nationally or just in certain states? ANDIE TUCHER: It was broadcast nationally over the CBS franchise, but there was a very popular program on NBC opposite it, so not a lot of people actually heard it as it unfolded. But it sounded realistic. DEVIN STEWART: It sounded real. ANDIE TUCHER: Yes. DEVIN STEWART: So the fake news story was that there was some type of mass panic. ANDIE TUCHER: Yes. DEVIN STEWART: I don't think most Americans realize that the real fake news story of this story is that there was the panic itself. ANDIE TUCHER: Exactly. DEVIN STEWART: Can you tell us a little bit about that? ANDIE TUCHER: There were two factors there. One was newspapers reported that there was a panic. There was a huge story in The New York Times with stories about college students fainting as they tried to get to telephones to call home, and the woman who was found by her husband ready to take poison saying, "I'd rather die this way than that way," a whole series of stuff. Seems to me that the newspapers, they were working fast. They didn't have a lot of connections around the country that were fast at that time, but newspapers also were in a little bit of a battle with radio, which they feared was taking their readers away, their audience away. I think a chance to make radio listeners look stupid was irresistible to newspapers, and they hyped it a little bit. But it was picked up by a Princeton professor named Hadley Cantril. He was already worried about radio because he had studied in Germany in the early 1930s, and he saw the rise of the Nazis, and he wanted to find out that radio could have a terrible effect, that radio propaganda was something to worry about. He did a survey that tweaked his numbers. He chose people who he knew had been frightened. There were scholarly fakes. There was the newspaper fake part of it, but also it was a scary time because people had just listened to the reporting on whether Hitler's Germany was going to be invading Czechoslovakia to take back the Sudetenland. So there was this resonance with a scary story about an invasion by aliens. DEVIN STEWART: When you think back at the various eras of journalism—it sounds like you've identified different periods—how do you explain the character of those periods? Is it a different sense of what truth is? Another thing you've talked about is the advent of different technologies, or maybe it's rivalry between mediums like you just talked about. First of all, what are those different eras, and how were they shaped? ANDIE TUCHER: I think everything you've suggested is part of the story. In the first hundred years or so of newspapers, like the 18th century, newspapers were completely a part of the political system. They were run by politicians, they were owned by politicians, actually until about the beginning of the 19th century. They were part of the political process, and no one expected a newspaper to be objective. That was not a value on the table. They expected newspapers to talk about politics. DEVIN STEWART: To have an agenda. ANDIE TUCHER: Yes, to be partisan. Nineteenth century, that's when some newspapers like the penny press in the big cities—New York, Philadelphia, Boston—started to do a more commercialized press that survived based on subscriptions and advertising, not on political ties. But that was also the time when newspapers were just filled with everything, when they were a complete chaotic mess of lovely stuff that people liked to read. The expectation was, yes, there was going to be important stuff in them. It was going to serve democracy. That was always a serious aspect of newspapers. DEVIN STEWART: There is some burden on the reader to make a judgment. ANDIE TUCHER: Exactly. DEVIN STEWART: That was true for the first era and the second era. ANDIE TUCHER: Yes. In the third era things start to change around the beginning of the 20th century for lots of reasons. This is the time of the Progressive movement in politics, and there's a sense that reform is needed and that we need newspapers to— DEVIN STEWART: Some good reform, some bad reform. ANDIE TUCHER: Exactly. DEVIN STEWART: The Progressives weren't all ethical. ANDIE TUCHER: They weren't all ethical, no, and they made some reforms that were not great ideas. But they did have idealistic visions of a society where poverty and injustice could be eradicated, and where newspapers really had an important role to play. They were particularly upset by the yellow press, the sensational press, and the terrible over-hyping of the Spanish-American War. So there was a movement afoot for clean government and reform that newspapers could help serve. There was a movement afoot that was valuing the scientific method and realism if you look at literature, art, and photography. DEVIN STEWART: This coincides with temperance? ANDIE TUCHER: That's part of it, too, yes. That's part of the reform movement. DEVIN STEWART: Clean living and so forth. ANDIE TUCHER: Yes. But also scientific observation. You could solve everything with science. And with science you observed. You sat back and observed. You didn't meddle with it. You didn't impose your values on it, the idea that science could solve everything. So maybe that's a new method you can use in journalism, too, to sit back and observe, and not to impose your political values. That's the beginning of the sense that objectivity was a useful value. Rivalries among newspapers—The New York Times is in the forefront of this new kind of journalism in part because it needs to do something. DEVIN STEWART: When was this? ANDIE TUCHER: This was 1896. Adolph Ochs buys The New York Times, and he needs to do something because William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer are mopping up the city with their mass-circulation newspapers, and he knows he can't compete that way. So he produces a "decent" newspaper, a truthful newspaper, a newspaper that's going to be different. "It will not soil the breakfast cloth" was one of its mottoes. DEVIN STEWART: Wow. ANDIE TUCHER: Not only is it not going to get ink on your English muffins, but the suggestion there is that it's going to be honorable and respectable and that you could have it at the breakfast table with your wife in a negligee, and it would be okay. DEVIN STEWART: So it's metaphorical and visceral at the same time. That's wild. ANDIE TUCHER: Exactly. DEVIN STEWART: Were there eras after that period, between then and now? ANDIE TUCHER: Wartime always changes things in society as a whole. In World War I there was a real effort—it was called "voluntary self-censorship," but the Creel Committee, the Committee on Public Information, was exerting enormous pressure on journalists and on the public at large to support the war effort. So there's a lot of stuff going on there that feels like propaganda and really was propaganda. [Editor's note: For more on the Committee on Public Information, check out this podcast with World War I Living Legacy Fellow Charlies Sorrie.] DEVIN STEWART: But it sounds like the accusations of today, that the press is just full of propaganda and agendas and so forth. Was there ever a period where there was no ax to grind? Was there ever a time when the press was truly reporting scientifically, so to speak? ANDIE TUCHER: Another thing to think about is that the landscape of American journalism is vast, and things coexist like a respectable mainstream city urban newspaper and crazy sensational reporting in the same city. It's always very various, and there is always an effort on either end of the spectrum to distinguish themselves, to do different kinds of reporting. DEVIN STEWART: Competition. ANDIE TUCHER: Competition, yes. The 1960s and 1970s is an interesting time. DEVIN STEWART: Investigative. ANDIE TUCHER: Yes, exactly. A lot of sense that the government was not telling the truth, particularly about Vietnam. DEVIN STEWART: The government was the opposition party back then. ANDIE TUCHER: Exactly. The idea then that it was important for newspapers to be an adversary to the government, not to be on the government's side. World War II, there was a lot of pressure for the press to be on the government's side because the stakes were so huge. That's understandable. You don't want to report things that give the very powerful and frightening enemy power. That is understandable. But there is a backlash against that. So much of what happens in journalism is backlashes against the previous thing. DEVIN STEWART: Oh, sure. That's true of almost everything, philosophy, martial arts, and cuisine. ANDIE TUCHER: Martial arts for sure. DEVIN STEWART: Religion, that's another one. How is the press doing today? You teach at the School of Journalism at Columbia University. Are they doing a good job? What's your assessment? ANDIE TUCHER: It's really hard. It's a really hard job. It's incredibly difficult when you have the president of the United States saying that the press is the enemy of the people in very vocal, explicit terms. That's something that's kind of new, I think. The technological capacities of modern-day journalism and quasi-journalism and parajournalism, and all of this stuff that operates as if it might be journalism but doesn't follow journalistic rules. The vast complexities of trying to figure out what is truthful, what is not, what you can trust, how was it produced, how did those journalists work, did those journalists apply standards or not. All of that is really hard and very fast-moving, which is another new thing. There have been efforts before from foreign governments to meddle. In 1915 the German government bought a New York newspaper called The New York Evening Mail and tried to use it as a propaganda organ quietly. It didn't tell anybody it had bought this; it was through shell companies. DEVIN STEWART: So there were other episodes of foreign governments using stories and fake news to influence American life, American politics? ANDIE TUCHER: To try, yes. It didn't work that well. DEVIN STEWART: How far back does that go? ANDIE TUCHER: I don't know of specific examples before 1915 because the press was so fragmented before that, but I'm sure that there were episodes. There were episodes on the other side. Benjamin Franklin, when he was working as the ambassador to France, he was publishing a newspaper that told terrible stories about British atrocities against American Indians. He presented that as—it was a piece of fake news. So there has always been this inclination to use the press. DEVIN STEWART: Amazing. Benjamin Franklin was like the first Breitbart. ANDIE TUCHER: In some ways. DEVIN STEWART: Were there any episodes before Benjamin Franklin that come to mind, or is that one of the first? ANDIE TUCHER: During the American Revolution there was almost a samizdat press. A committee of correspondents would circulate news among other newspaper editors from their home in Boston that talked about atrocities that the British were committing against loyal Americans. Whether they were true or not— DEVIN STEWART: I guess there is somewhat of a criticism of looking at this topic in the United States from people abroad. You've probably come across this where non-Americans will respond to these types of inquiries—the influence of foreigners into American politics—by saying something to the effect of, "America invented this and perfected spreading propaganda in the world." What do you make of that assertion? ANDIE TUCHER: America has certainly had the most complicated press for all sorts of reasons. It had a very active local press that ordinary people were happy and willing to read in the 19th century. Most of Europe didn't. Most of Europe had newspapers published in the big cities for generally elite readers, but you would not go off in the countryside of France and find every town with newspapers on both political sides as you would in America. DEVIN STEWART: Is that because of our feelings about free speech? ANDIE TUCHER: Part of it is feelings about free speech. Part of it is simply the settlement of the United States. As you push farther west and you set up more and more little towns, the thing that makes you feel like you're a town with an identity is to have a newspaper. DEVIN STEWART: Sure. ANDIE TUCHER: Some of it is simply that there has been this enormously complicated media landscape, much bigger than most other places. A feeling for the freedom of speech is really important. Most European nations, their presses were rooted in an era before that was seen as an important value, so they didn't have the same kind of tradition. It's not in the written constitutions of many European nations. Also, the U.S. press has always been a lot more commercial. DEVIN STEWART: Sure. The free market. Free speech and the free market. ANDIE TUCHER: Free speech and the free market. DEVIN STEWART: That combination. ANDIE TUCHER: Which in some ways has been great, and in some ways— European papers are more likely to be controlled by a government or by the church or by elites. DEVIN STEWART: Political party. ANDIE TUCHER: Political parties, yes. So they're not as commercially based, and they don't reward the kind of entrepreneurship and experimentation and extravagance. DEVIN STEWART: As a result, for example, I'm thinking of the use of, I think it was some Looney Tunes characters, that was used as a propagandist to spread feelings about patriotism during I think it was World War II. The speculation is that the United States has been doing this kind of thing forever. First of all, is that true, and is America particularly good at it in the world, whether it's spreading democracy or that America is number one, or Nazis are bad, or whatever the message is? ANDIE TUCHER: America has always felt that it has an important message to distribute, and often it is. DEVIN STEWART: So it's a feeling of self-importance? ANDIE TUCHER: Some of it, yes. A valid feeling of self-importance, for instance, during World War II, when the battle was against totalitarians and fascist forces. There was a very active U.S. propaganda arm sending messages. There would be newspapers dropped over German troops that were supposed to be French Resistance newspapers and were not, sort of thing. DEVIN STEWART: Right. ANDIE TUCHER: There's always been a really important effort, which has been undergirded by a feeling that is sometimes really arrogant and sometimes really imperialist but I think is rooted in a sense that American values that embody democracy, even if we don't live up to it, these are important values to share and to disseminate, especially against totalitarian forces. So, yes, the United States has gotten a lot more practice. DEVIN STEWART: Before we go, where did the term "fake news" even come from in the first place? Did you find out who coined that? ANDIE TUCHER: It was first applied to news in the 1880s and 1890s, but it was seen as something that was not really terrible. This was the era of the sensational press, the mass press, the yellow press, and a lot of journalists were saying, writing in professional journals, in their memoirs, and to each other faking is fun because people don't want dry arithmetic textbooks. They want something that's a little bit interesting, a little bit nice. It doesn't hurt anybody. If you say that the young enchantress was blonde instead of brunette, people will like that. It doesn't hurt anybody. We're giving people what they want. But, of course, it's also license to be sloppy, to be careless, and to be a little bit propagandistic themselves. Part of the backlash of the rise of the objective press was partly in backlash to this jolly sense of faking is a cool thing to do. DEVIN STEWART: Looseness with the truth. ANDIE TUCHER: Yes. DEVIN STEWART: Wow. I guess we can conclude with what should we do about this. It's always like that. The point of action. Maybe you could think about what you tell your students at Columbia. You give me the impression after speaking with you today that there have always been problems with finding the truth, the press has pretty much never been completely trustworthy, and that readers have used their judgment throughout history to find out what is ultimately most believable or true. Why the panic now? Is it too simplistic just to say that people should be responsible for doing more research and being better informed by looking at more sources? What do you tell people? ANDIE TUCHER: There are a lot of people who say that media literacy, that teaching people how to be discriminating, is a great idea. DEVIN STEWART: Have we lost that? ANDIE TUCHER: It has become harder under the pressure of the enormous media landscape out there. It's a lot harder because it's much less visible. You go on a website, and it's often hard, unless you really read around and look at the fine print and look behind the URLs and all of that, it can be hard to know where it came from. To know how to judge that is difficult. People live their lives, and people are not going to spend an hour trying to decide whether they should trust this website or not. It's easy, it comes across, and maybe it's sent to them by a friend. It's asking a lot, although it's something that should be part of everybody's everyday experience, sure. But I think it's a lot easier to get away with faking news in difficult and egregious ways—the speed of the Internet, the anonymity of the Internet, the reach of the Internet. And the political atmosphere now, that we have a president who is openly saying that the press is the enemy of the people, which feeds what a lot of Americans have sensed and felt in their lives and in their experiences. It's a lot harder to push back. Part of what stopped the fake news epidemic of the late 19th/early 20th century was respectable press organizations said: "We're going to fight back against this. We don't like this. This is not good for our reputations." The New York World, which had been accused of faking, set up a thing it called the "Bureau of Accuracy and Fair Play" in 1913, and it invited readers to send them examples of stuff they found in the newspaper that was not true, and they would investigate it. Sort of an early ombuds. DEVIN STEWART: Ombudsman, yes. ANDIE TUCHER: They would report it out, and they would say: "Yeah, you're right. You're wrong." But the newspaper press itself said, "We've got to police this." But they had some authority to do that, and I don't think there is an institution now that carries the same authority. DEVIN STEWART: Moral authority. ANDIE TUCHER: Moral authority, exactly. It's the moral authority in all sorts of institutions—the press, the church, the government, corporations. All of those are losing moral authority. DEVIN STEWART: Because? ANDIE TUCHER: Oh, you can say it goes back to the 1960s. You can say it's because more people are taking part in public life and have their own opinions that have not been part of the public sphere before. Part of the problem is too much democracy can put pressures on the institutions that support it, which is not to say that less democracy is a good idea. Clearly that's not what I want to say, but it makes things different. DEVIN STEWART: Andie, 400 years of journalism in 30 minutes. Thank you so much. ANDIE TUCHER: It was fun. It was a pleasure. DEVIN STEWART: Andie Tucher is a historian and a professor at Columbia Journalism School, and we will look out for Misinformed very soon. ANDIE TUCHER: Thank you. DEVIN STEWART: Thanks a lot.

There are 78 tarot cards, the cards are divided into two groups or categories, the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. There are 22 cards in the Major Arcana and 56 cards in the Minor Arcana. This Instructable will introduce you to the cards in the Minor Arcana. Step 1: Ace of Cups Upright Meaning: Love As cups are associated with the element of Water, or love and emotion, the Ace predicts emotional fulfillment, creativity, and contentment, from falling passionately in love with a person or an ideal to following a spiritual calling or artistic pursuit. Pregnancy and motherhood are also indicated because the overflowing chalice of the Ace symbolizes ultimate femininity. (Dean, 2008, 37) Reversed Meaning: Stagnation A fertility issue in a relationship or other emotional block, may prevent love growing, leading to stagnation and emptiness. The reversed Ace may also reveal a fear of not having enough time or emotional energy to spend with children, other relatives, or close friends. (Dean, 2008, 37) Step 2: Two of Cups Upright Meaning: A Love Commitment This card indicates a happy relationship and a promise, such as an engagement or marriage. Close friendships and creative teams are also favored, as you communicate perfectly and reach agreement easily. An additional meaning of the Two is reconciliation, so if there has been recent discord, rifts will soon be healed. (Dean, 2008, 37) Reversed Meaning: Separation One person may be unwilling to commit to a partnership. Relationships suffer as communication fails, leading to jealousy, divisions, and break-ups. Trust may be broken as secrets are revealed. (Dean, 2008, 37) Step 3: Three of Cups Upright Meaning: Growth, Healing, Celebration Love grows and a relationship moves up to a new level of commitment. A child may be born, or your creativity flourishes as new projects evolve and take form. This is a card of healing and happiness, with myriad opportunities for celebration, sharing, and the renewal of a friendship. The Three also predicts healing, so you feel rejuvenated , physically and emotionally. (Dean, 2008, 38) Reversed Meaning: Betrayal The reversed Three reveals disappointment in a relationship; a partner is unfaithful or a trusted friend betrays a confidence. There may be enstrangement as people you usually rely upon are not able to help. This card can also indicate low energy and possible health problems. (Dean, 2008, 38) Step 4: Four of Cups Upright Meaning: Boredom There's a vague sense of monotony creeping into a relationship. After the frisson of romance comes a quieter time of adjustment, so you may be in a transient phase when excitement wears off and your relationship either deepens or dissolves. If single, you may feel disillusioned about meeting a partner. Whatever your circumstances, it is time to rediscover your faith in finding love that lasts. (Dean, 2008, 38) Reversed Meaning: Apathy Emotional exhaustion, loneliness, and poor health or self-esteem are common symptoms of the reversed Four. Equally you may have become indulgent and complacent in a relationship. To break the pattern of apathy take action -- small decisions still effect change. (Dean, 2008, 38) Step 5: Five of Cups Upright Meaning: Unhappiness An unhappy relationship needs to be resolved. A romance or close friendship ends, or a partner becomes emotionally or physically distant. The loss of intimacy may be distressing, and it may be tempting to wish you had both behaved differently. (Dean, 2008, 39) Reversed Meaning: Healing The Five reversed reveals that emotional wounds are healing. You may have suffered a broken relationship or dream, but by letting go of past hurts, you can encourage recovery. Confidence and hope will return as you make a transition into a new, more positive phase. (Dean, 2008, 39) Step 6: Six of Cups Upright Meaning: Benefits of Experience Past and present mingle, bringing happiness and stimulation. You benefit from skills acquired and contacts from the past, and appreciate what your life experience has taught you. An old friend or other acquaintance resurfaces, and you enjoy time spent reminiscing. The company and ideas offer a spark of inspiration for future schemes and adventures. (Dean, 2008, 39) Reversed Meaning: Sentimentality When reversed, the Six reveals that you may feel trapped by the past. Sentimentality for the old days is holding you back, blocking valuable opportunities and relationships. An additional meaning is that you believe that a particular partnership has no future. (Dean, 2008, 39) Step 7: Seven of Cups Upright Meaning: Confusion Many opportunities and invitations beckon, some of which could help you achieve a treasured goal. There is immense potential for your talent to shine, but the wealth of offers will cause confusion; you will need to rely upon your instincts, or first impressions, rather than logic. Let your intuition alone guide you toward an inspired leap forward. (Dean, 2008, 40) Reversed Meaning: Illusion A determined belief that a new love, home or project is the one-and-only means that you are willing to overlook any deficiencies. As a consequence, you may be deceived in love, but prefer to convince yourself that all is well rather than face an uncomfortable truth. (Dean, 2008, 40) Step 8: Eight of Cups Upright Meaning: A Change of Heart The eight reveals an important decision affecting an established relationship. This move has been considered carefully, and you or the other person has taken a long-term view and decided to take action. Is is likely that a romance has come to a standstill, and the only way to resolve this is for one both, of you to step away. A sacrifice now means you may both have happier futures. (Dean, 2008, 40) Reversed Meaning: Poor Judgement A good relationship is neglected or abandoned. The reversed eight foretells a lack of maturity, as you or a partner cannot appreciate what you shared together. Later, one of you may regret making this decision. There may also be a disregard for other positive offers and opportunities. (Dean, 2008, 40) Step 9: Nine of Cups Upright Meaning:. (Dean, 2008, 41) Reversed Meaning: Vanity relationships suffer due to egotism, which causes hurt and discord. Another's vanity means your feelings are overlooked, or your self-centeredness affects others negatively, perhaps causing division in a close group of friends. This card can also indicate frustrating delays to plans. (Dean, 2008, 41) Step 10: Ten of Cups Upright Meaning: Contentment The Ten is an auspicious card for all relationships -- friends, families, and romantic partners. It reveals stability and enjoyment, and can also predict a time for contemplation, such as a family or school reunion. You can enjoy peace and harmony in all your relationships, and in group activities, from a sports team to choirs: the Ten predicts bonding and happy togetherness. (Dean, 2008, 41) Reversed Meaning: Distance When the Ten reverses, group activities are less favored, so you may find yourself missing the company of usual friends. There may be some mild disruption in a family circle or network, with one person exploiting or dominating others. (Dean, 2008, 41) Step 11: Page of Cups Upright Meaning: Guidance The intuitive page may offer good news about a relationship, or simply bring a sociable, artistic influence. However he can be dreamy and lacking in focus, so his arrival in a reading can also reveal a need for practicality in a romance, or indicate that you will give others guidance and support; children may need extra help just now. (Dean, 2008, 42) Reversed Meaning: Frustration The reversed page seeks attention and has difficulty expressing his feelings in a positive way. He may be a child or young person in your life who is going through a difficult phase; as a situation you may find it frustrating trying to get the accurate information you need without becoming caught up in drama. (Dean, 2008, 42) Step 12: Knight of Cups Upright Meaning: Affection/friendship A creative, dreamy individual, the knight heralds new relationships and friends. As a situation, he brings that holiday feeling -- a sociable, languorous time spent musing on the infinite possibilities of life in a sunshine glow. If you fall for the knight romantically, he may offer affection, but you may feel uncertain about his potential as a long-term partner. (Dean, 2008, 42) Reversed Meaning: Emptyness The reversed knight can be dangerous if you believe his words. A fantasist full of extraordinary schemes, he often breaks promises and, ultimately, he will deceive you. Do not trust him, as what he is offering has little or no substance. (Dean, 2008, 42) Step 13: Queen of Cups Upright Meaning: Nurturing, Insight A natural giver, the Queen represents a caring, maternal woman. A queen of hearts, she is sensitive and insightful. As a situation, she predicts a time for nurturing yourself and others. You may be in touch with your intuition more just now, so take note of your dreams because they bring messages about your deepest needs. (Dean, 2008, 43) Reversed Meaning: Jealousy, Infidelity The reversed Queen can be jealous and attention seeking. Her neediness can be draining, so you may find yourself avoiding her company. As a symbol of a situation, you may be under emotional and financial pressure; she may also signal that someone is being unfaithful. (Dean, 2008, 43) Step 14: King of Cups Upright Meaning: Problem-Solving, Intuition The king is a strong administrator and negotiator, who exudes quiet authority. At times he may incline to be distant, disappearing into his own world, but outwardly, he is kindly, wise, a lover of the arts, a natural peace-maker, and a caring, supportive partner. As a situation, he shows that problems will be solved, and advises that you may be happier allowing your heart to rule your head. (Dean, 2008, 43) Reversed Meaning: Destructive behavior The reversed king has extreme emotions and being in his company means you lurch between his highs and lows. He may avoid difficult situations rather than resolve them, and at times resort to destructive tactics to escape commitment. (Dean, 2008, 43) Step 15: Ace of Pentacles Upright Meaning: prosperous time. (Dean, 2008, 44) Reversed Meaning: Financial loss The arrival of this card is not only a warning to be very cautious in all money dealings, but to curb your own materialism, or be skeptical of those who value their assets above their friends. Do not gamble with anything you value. This card may also reveal a loveless relationship based on materialism and outward appearance. (Dean, 2008, 44) Step 16: Two of Pentacles Upright Meaning: Solvency Your financial situation may be volatile, but the Two affirms that with careful management you will have enough money to pay your way. Life is unpredictable, with many demands on your time, but your business is solvent and professional partnerships run smoothly -- although, in romantic relationships, you may need to negotiate your share of the domestic workload. (Dean, 2008, 44) Reversed Meaning: Money Worries The Two reversed can warn you of dealings with a partner who is dangerous to your business because of dishonesty or disinterest. This is a precarious time, when funds are low, so a new venture may falter. Alternatively, a romantic relationship suffers due to money worries. (Dean, 2008, 44) Step 17: Three of Pentacles Upright Meaning: Creativity For the artisan or entrepreneur, this card is a prediction of success. If you have worked hard to build up a small business from scratch -- or discovered a new creative path -- you will enjoy a great sense of pride and achievement in your chosen discipline, and you may be rewarded financially. The Three can also show your ambition extending to a new home or business premises. (Dean, 2008, 45) Reversed Meaning: A Creative Block A project or relationship founders because problems are denied. You, or someone influential in your orbit, prefer romanticism to reality, so essential work is neglected. Delays to property schemes may also be indicated. (Dean, 2008, 45) Step 18: Four of Pentacles Upright Meaning: Stability, Confidence What you have worked for is finally secured. The Four indicates stability and firm foundations for the future, so you now have a solid base on which to build your empire. Whether you are investing in a business, running a small project from home, or studying in a group, this card reveals success in your venture, and brings reassurance after a time of insecurity, this is also a positive card for health matters, indicating recovery. (Dean, 2008, 45) Reversed Meaning: Limitation Rewards seem elusive as you wait for others to acknowledge you, leaving you marginalized and feeling undervalued. By obsessing about one outcome, however, you may be overlooking less restrictive opportunities elsewhere. (Dean, 2008, 45) Step 19: Five of Pentacles Upright Meaning: Hardship The Five indicates debt, poverty and hardship -- yet this card often reveals a fear of mounting debt rather than actual loss. An additional meaning is potential isolation from group activities, perhaps due to low funds. However, you will get a second chance to rectify any financial errors, saving your bank balance and, perhaps, a relationship. (Dean, 2008, 46) Reversed Meaning: Greed When the Five reverses, money problems, threaten to destroy domestic security and partnerships. The cause of this chaos is greed and poor judgement, and knowing that you or someone close is at heart is responsible will perhaps make it all the harder to forgive them. (Dean, 2008, 46) Step 20: Six of Pentacles Upright Meaning: A Gift Your gift may arrive as a financial investment in your business from a mentor, a small legacy from a relative, a competition win, bonus, or another payout that is wholly unexpected. You may also be appreciated just for being you, as your special gift may be a small token from a friend. Equally, you may be inspired by generosity to give to others without expecting anything in return. (Dean, 2008, 46) Reversed Meaning: Meanness Payment due to you is withheld for no good reason, or an offer is made in bad faith. At this time, avoid overblown cash offers, or any degree of financial risk; others cannot be relied upon to be true to their word. (Dean, 2008, 46) Step 21: Seven of Pentacles Upright Meaning: Perseverance The Seven indicates that there is great potential for you to achieve your goals. From a promotion to learning a new skill, renovating your home to managing your finances, you have everything you need for success. This is just the beginning, however, so be determined; you will need to apply continued effort to maximize your potential. Do not deviate from your chosen path. (Dean, 2008, 47) Reversed Meaning: Procrastination There's just too much to resolve, or so it seems. You or someone close to you is beset with worry as a cash or confidence crisis looms. The situation, however, is less complex than it appears: take action rather than procrastination. (Dean, 2008, 47) Step 22: Eight of Pentacles Upright Meaning: Opportunity An offer comes your way, bringing material reward. The Eight reveals that you will feel valued by this opportunity, and it is advisable that you accept the invitation, because it will give you what you need -- from further education to a small project you will love. The time you invest now in your development and training will benefit you financially in the future. (Dean, 2008, 47) Reversed Meaning: Overcommitment You may be overcommited, but feel that you cannot turn the clock back -- even though you now see that you have agreed to high pressure and little pay, or signing away your social life for the foreseeable future. Escape the trap; your first instincts were right all along. (Dean, 2008, 47) Step 23: Nine of Pentacles Upright Meaning: Order, Pleasure Harmony rules -- as noise disputes with neighbors, building work, or family quarrels cease. Order is restored, money flows, and you can now enjoy the financial security you have worked for. This is also a time to appreciate your home life, and your calm, relaxed state of mind will naturally attract others to you. (Dean, 2008, 48) Reversed Meaning: Money Wars Chaos approaches as your home and security are threatened due to serious money problems. Finances have been mismanaged, causing arguments and destabilizing domestic relationships. Do whatever you can to find some perspective on the situation before it escalates further. (Dean, 2008, 48) Step 24: Ten of Pentacles Upright Meaning: Inheritance, Happiness The Ten is often a fortuitous card for families, favoring of relative. (Dean, 2008, 48) Reversed Meaning: Family Conflict The reversed Ten reveals family conflict, from separation to inheritance issues. A will may be disputed, or another long-term expectation is not fulfilled. A member of an older generation may hold outdated beliefs that frustrate young family members. (Dean, 2008, 48) Step 25: Page of Pentacles Upright Meaning: Good News About Money As a person, the Page is responsible and diligent; he symbolizes hard work and a mature attitude, and he advises that you keep on top of money matters to avoid future shortfalls. You will be solvent, but avoid unnecessary extravaganse now and focus on longer-term financial goals. New projects are favored. (Dean, 2008, 49) Reversed Meaning: Irresponsibility There's a reckless influence around now, when you, or someone else, spends money unwisely or without thought, which directly depletes your finances. However it happens, money drains away, which restricts your activities. The reversed page can also warn of delays to projects due to funding problems. (Dean, 2008, 49) Step 26: Knight of Pentacles Upright Meaning: Security, Progress The night brings energy and sure purpose to business affairs, ongoing projects, and personal money matters. While not inspiring or deeply creative, he does offer steadfast loyalty. His appearance reveals that your project or career is heading in the right direction; you will enjoy some financial security and make steady progress. (Dean, 2008, 49) Reversed Meaning: Inaction, dishonesty The reversed knight may all talk and no action. Complacent and boring, he makes you do all the work, demanding that you trust him while offering little evidence that he is worthy. This card also symbolizes dishonesty, so examine all offers carefully, and beware of pressure to commit to improbable schemes. (Dean, 2008, 49) Step 27: Queen of Pentacles Upright Meaning: Generosity A respected business person, this Queen may also be your financial angel. Generous, wise and very grounded in her attitudes, others love her joei de vivre and willingness to support those closest to her. She brings stability, gifts, and protection, and predicts a happy time ahead, but materially and emotionally. (Dean, 2008, 50) Reversed Meaning: Miserliness Money rules the reversed Queen. Often miserly, the way she withhold money from others reveals her deep insecurities and lack of trust; occasionally, she may be extravagant and tasteless. As a situation, this may be time for thrift, or you may need to avoid someone with money issues. (Dean, 2008, 50) Step 28: King of Pentacles Upright Meaning: Problems solved A natural problem-solver, this King symbolizes practicality, security, and contentment. He is often connected with property, and may be a property developer or landlord; in terms of personal qualities, he is someone you can rely upon to do what he promises. This card is also a good omen for work and business, as it indicates stability and long-term financial security. (Dean, 2008, 50) Reversed Meaning: Corruption The reversed King is vengeful, corrupt, and entirely untrustworthy. Money is his only priority, so he may feature as the landlord from hell, or another associate or acquaintance who will never honor his debts. The message of this card is to beware others' immortal behavior. (Dean, 2008, 50) Step 29: Ace of Swords Upright Meaning: Victory, Progress The Ace brings success and whirlwind of activity. Despite fierce opposition, victory, justice and progress are assured, although you may need to sharpen your wits to withstand the drama and challenges that await. As this card symbolizes the faculty of thought and the intellect, it is a good omen for success in examinations. (Dean, 2008, 51) Reversed Meaning: Loss Loss and possible failure loom as plans are delayed and a prize feels just out of reach. Dwelling on problems too much causes anxiety, preventing you from taking action. If you're living on a knife-edge, let your logical side work overtime for a change -- devise and action-plan to get projects moving again. (Dean, 2008, 51) Step 30: Two of Swords Upright Meaning: A Truce Peace returns after a time of discord and turmoil. You may not trust this truce, but it could present a valuable opportunity to gain perspective on a problem relationship or another troublesome association. Be cautious and factual, and consider every aspect. You will need to balance carefully your needs with those of the other party if you are to come to an agreement. (Dean, 2008, 51) Reversed Meaning: Suspicion The reversed Two often indicates a lack of trust, such as deception and betrayal in a partnership. Be aware that others around you may thrive on drama and manipulation. Keep asking direct questions and do not give up until you have all the answers you are seeking. (Dean, 2008, 51) Step 31: Three of Swords Upright Meaning: Heartbreak, Sorrow When the Three Arrives in a reading, a painful situation which is unavoidable must be addressed. With this card comes heartbreak, sorrow, and deep disappointment due to the loss of a relationship, or other commitment, that has taken a turn for the worse. This may feel dramatic, bitter, and cause some chaos -- which thankfully will not rule forever. This, too, will pass. (Dean, 2008, 52) Reversed Meaning: Chaos In the reversed position, the Three foretells drama and upheaval as you battle your way out of a relationship, or other commitment, that has taken a turn for the worse. This may feel dramatic, bitter, and cause some chaos -- which thankfully will not rule forever. This, too, will pass. (Dean, 2008, 52) Step 32: Four of Swords Upright Meaning: Recovery This positive card provides reassurance that you can look forward to recovery time after a period of intense activity and pressure. The Four symbolizes rest and a true respite from conflict or any other situation that has drained your vital resources. Body and mind can heal and unwind, so the card can also indicate recuperation after and illness. (Dean, 2008, 52) Reversed Meaning: Illness, Disruption The reversed Four may indicate a short illness and time away from familiar surroundings, such as a short stay in hospital. Alternatively, rather than allowing you to enjoy a few days or so on the sofa, and ailment becomes irritating and disruptive. Either way, you may be feeling isolated due to lack of contact with others. (Dean, 2008, 52) Step 33: Five of Swords Upright Meaning: Defeat You may be trying too hard to solve a problem or win a battle when there is no way to succeed. It is time for an exit strategy to escape mounting pressure: admit defeat and move on rather than fight on to save face. The Five can also indicate debt and potential poverty; don't exhaust your emotional or financial reserves. (Dean, 2008, 53) Reversed Meaning: Exposure A tense situation escalates. An initiative has failed, but fear of humiliation and exposure to spiteful criticism means you remain defiant rather than admit past mistakes. To stop the downward spiral, you may need to own up to errors, painful though this may be. (Dean, 2008, 53) Step 34: Six of Swords Upright Meaning:. (Dean, 2008, 53) Reversed Meaning: Enforced Delay Stagnation, depletion and a lack of focus are your lot now. You may crave a break, but you will need to keep going or opportunities will be missed. Call upon every ounce of energy you possess and apply yourself, or risk jeopardizing what you have achieved so far. (Dean, 2008, 53) Step 35: Seven of Swords Upright Meaning: Dispossession You face a potentially dangerous adversary who wants something from you. You will need a brilliant strategy to outwit him or her and, because there is no sense of trust in this relationship, to win the battle you may resort to cunning. The Seven also indicates that you take extra care of your property and personal possessions at this time. (Dean, 2008, 54) Reversed Meaning: Dishonesty The reversed Seven magnifies the meaning of the upright card, so theft or other dishonest behavior are more likely; examine other's motives as someone close may be out to deceive you. On an emotional level, you may give in to bullying and pressure rather than retaliate. Find your courage, and stand your ground. (Dean, 2008, 54) Step 36: Eight of Swords Upright Meaning:. (Dean, 2008, 54) Reversed Meaning: Self-blame When the Eight reverses, the swords cut one way just now -- in your direction. You lose perspective and blame only yourself for recent events, which traps you in a cycle of guilt and self-recrimination. You may be in danger of wasting precious energy worrying, forgetting that your brilliant brain can rescue you -- even from this. (Dean, 2008, 54) Step 37: Nine of Swords Upright Meaning: Suffering, Victimization The Nine reveals a time of depletion when you are in danger of becoming a victim of stress and extreme anxiety. This maybe because you are a run down and susceptible to illness, or due to constant battles with colleagues or family. You do have the inner strength to get through this testing time. (Dean, 2008, 55) Reversed Meaning: Martyrdom You may be feeling trapped by a sense of despair that is becoming all too familiar, so that is is virtually impossible to recognize a good thing when it comes along. Try to acknowledge that this way of thinking is becoming a pattern, and reject this self-appointed martyrdom; it's an all-too convenient way to avoid the real issues. (Dean, 2008, 55) Step 38: Ten of Swords Upright Meaning:. (Dean, 2008, 55) Reversed Meaning: Ruin The reversed Ten often applies to a group rather than and individual. The card can arise to signal the end of a phase -- at work, the end of an era for group of colleagues -- or the disintegration of a social group. At this stage, neither you or others are willing, yet, to face the disappointment that this endangers. Manage this dispiriting situation as best you can. (Dean, 2008, 55) Step 39: Page of Swords Upright Meaning: Intelligence The Page of Swords brings helpful, practical advice. An astute judge of character, when he appears in a reading it's a sure sign that you will need your wits about you in order to stay ahead in negotiations. Intelligence is key now, so you may also meet a mentor who offers valuable information, wisdom, and shrewd observation. (Dean, 2008, 56) Reversed Meaning: Mischief With the reversed page, you never know where you are -- is he a thief, gossip, or arch manipulator? He keeps you guessing with misinformation, so deception is a real possibility. As an indicator of a situation, check all paperwork and arrangements very carefully, and beware of subtle lies. (Dean, 2008, 56) Step 40: Knight of Swords Upright Meaning: A Battle When the Knight of Swords arrives in a reading, he heralds a future battle that must be fought so that a resolution to a problem may be found. Dynamic and charming, he may come into your life for just a short period of time, but his verve is infectious: he brings enough energy and determination to meet the challenge with courage. (Dean, 2008, 56) Reversed Meaning: False Heroics The reversed Knight loves a drama, provided that he can manipulate others from the sidelines rather than partake. This creates unnecessary conflict and even chaos, and when the pressure to take action becomes too much, he retreats, leaving others to face their opponent. As a general influence, be aware that there is someone around you just now who cannot be relied upon. (Dean, 2008, 56) Step 41: Queen of Swords Upright Meaning: Eloquence The Queen brings intelligence, eloquence, and loyalty -- up to a point. Effortlessly charming, she will protect those in her favor, but in business she will put her own needs before yours. As a symbol of a situation, the card indicates transient help; you may appreciate what support is offered from a friend or colleague while you share similar goals or lifestyles. (Dean, 2008, 57) Reversed Meaning: Ruthlessness With her armory of cutting remarks and dark threats, the reversed Queen is ruthless and self-obsessed, with little regard for others' feelings. An an employer or family matriarch, this card expresses her worst aspects. As a situation the reversed Queen predicts a negotiation that cannot go your way. (Dean, 2008, 57) Step 42: King of Swords Upright Meaning: Ambition Sharp and decisive, the King is a strategist often associated with successful business practice. Adept at solving problems, he is the ultimate manager, seeing the bigger picture while leaving others to work on the smaller issues. As a symbol of a situation, projects take off, but do pay attention to detail to avoid delay. (Dean, 2008, 57) Reversed Meaning: Cruelty The reversed King is a harsh opponent who relentlessly pursues the prize. He may show cruelty, even, in his desire to win. Retreat, as you can have little influence when dealing with a tyrant. In terms of a project rather than a person, he predicts open confrontation and opposition. (Dean, 2008, 57) Step 43: Ace of Wands Upright Meaning: Creative success As a symbol of creative masculine energy, this card expresses inspiration and good communication, and favors all new plans and projects. Whether you're setting up a business or hoping to start a family, embark on a trip away or an artistic pursuit, the Ace predicts great success. It's the perfect time to take an important step forward. (Dean, 2008, 58) Reversed Meaning: Delay The timing is not right for what you want to create, and it may be difficult to seek cooperation from other people. This causes frustration as projects are delayed, and travel and special events may be postponed. Success is within reach, however, and with patience it will come. (Dean, 2008, 58) Step 44: Two of Wands Upright Meaning: A Reliable Partner Help is given and progress made in partnerships. There is equality and financial security, and you are both managing your business, new project, or domestic arrangements well. Your efforts will bring happy stability both now and in the future. This card ultimately reassures you that all your work will be worthwhile. (Dean, 2008, 58) Reversed Meaning: Inequality An imbalance in a partnership, with one person having more influence or input than the other. This card can also show financial inequality, so money may have become and issue between you, causing disagreement. Alternatively, you may need to share a domestic workload more evenly, if one partner feels taken for granted. (Dean, 2008, 58) Step 45: Three of Wands Upright Meaning: Self-Expression, Speed The Three reveals creativity and self-expression, and the development of projects. Events speed up, with more communication, action, and reward, as money flows your way. This confirms what you secretly know to be true -- that you are really good at what you do. (Dean, 2008, 59) Reversed Meaning: Misunderstanding In the reversed position, the Three of Wands symbolizes misconception. Conversations are fraught with misunderstanding, so that you become unable to begin a project or gain group consensus on an issue that, when resolved, will unlock a problem. There is, however, little you can do, other than avoid direct confrontation. (Dean, 2008, 59) Step 46: Four of Wands Upright Meaning: Satisfaction Rightly, you feel happy and satisfied just now. You are consolidating the different elements of your life, bringing a greater enjoyment of your work, home, friends, and family. A new property or improvement work on an existing home may be likely as you expand into a larger or more appropriate space. It is time to appreciate what you have, and enjoy a sense of well-earned security. (Dean, 2008, 59) Reversed Meaning: Postponement You may be finding it difficult to bring together conflicting aspects of your life just now. Inflexible attitudes restrict your progress; rewards seem elusive as you lose out to other contenders. Stay focused and be open to possibility, rather than give up too soon. (Dean, 2008, 59) Step 47: Five of Wands Upright Meaning: Diligence, A Test You may need to work very hard to negotiate your way out of an argument or to make sure that complex documents or plans are accurate. Check that figures add up and that schedules will work in practice -- and mentally rehearse potential problems until you are satisfied that all your plans are watertight. (Dean, 2008, 60) Reversed Meaning: Deception You may hear something that leads you to believe that you or others have been deceived. This may be galling if you have worked hard and in good faith, while others may not have followed the same code, or shared your values. Try to let go of any resentment you may feel, as there is little you can do about it. (Dean, 2008, 60) Step 48: Six of Wands Upright Meaning: Triumph, Reward After hard work comes a breakthrough, with fantastic news about a long-awaited award or the ending of a dispute. The Six is favorable for resolving legal matters, delayed contracts, or a work issue -- whatever the situation, you succeed and receive a special reward for your determined effort. It is time to feel proud. (Dean, 2008, 60) Reversed Meaning: Disappointment No matter how devotedly you have followed a dream, the reward has eluded you. The actions of others may have excluded you, leaving you feeling confused and insecure, and perhaps cast out from a group. This card also reveals general delays to your plans, and feelings of suspicion and frustration. (Dean, 2008, 60) Step 49: Seven of Wands Upright Meaning: Perseverance The message of the Seven is that your goals are worth pursuing. You may not have and easy path to follow but, with perseverance, you can get where you need to be. This is challenging, because it may be some time before you see a return for your hard work, but keep believing. There is great chance that you will succeed. (Dean, 2008, 61) Reversed Meaning: A Communication Barrier Some negotiations are not worth the effort -- no matter how hard you try to talk through a problem or plan a project, other parties don't appreciate your viewpoint. Your efforts may be wasted. With so little potential for success, it is best to save your energy and back away from battle. (Dean, 2008, 61) Step 50: Eight of Wands Upright Meaning: Opportunities There is great news about a trip or project, and the Eight signals a very busy time ahead for you, with plenty of ideas, activity, and proposals on offer. Others recognize your talent, and you feel appreciated and valued. Whatever fires your self-expression and creativity is favored, and you'll find it easy to connect with others who share your vision. (Dean, 2008, 61) Reversed Meaning: Discernment You may hesitate before accepting offers because it is unclear if some are genuine or false. It is better to turn down a proposal than invest time in a project that may or may not stand up to scrutiny. Frustration may also be an issue, as you cannot seem to communicate with those who have the power to accelerate events and create genuine opportunities for you. (Dean, 2008, 61) Step 51: Nine of Wands Upright Meaning: Resourcefulness You're under pressure and there are a million and one demands on your time, but you have the resources -- mental alacrity, supportive people, and enough drive -- to see you through this stimulating, although stressful, period. By accepting the need to work hard for a time, you can stay focused and make progress, rather than resent or regret your commitments. (Dean, 2008, 62) Reversed Meaning: Pressure When the Nine is reversed, outside pressure can become almost unbearable, so it's time to reject further demands upon you and put yourself first. Avoid making important decisions when your resistance is low. (Dean, 2008, 62) Step 52: Ten of Wands Upright Meaning: A Burden There is much responsibility to shoulder, and agreements you made in the past have become a great burden. As well as having too much work to do, you may be carrying financial or moral burdens. When this card appears early in a reading, it can also be a sign that you are feeling overwhelmed. You may need to lay out the cards again when you have a little more mental space. (Dean, 2008, 62) Reversed Meaning: Self-Deception Unwittingly, you have made a rod for your own back but, instead of taking responsibility, you may be blaming other people for burdening you. Your interpretation of a situation may be wildly different from that of others. (Dean, 2008, 62) Step 53: Page of Wands Upright Meaning: Cautious Progress The Page brings good news, and predicts that several pressing matters will command your attention. He warns you to check the facts rather than believe everything you hear. As a person, the Page is a natural talker, full of loquacious charm but easily bored. You may need to assess what is truth and what is hearsay, and resist becoming caught up in his gossipy world. (Dean, 2008, 63) Reversed Meaning: Manipulation When reversed, what is real becomes fantasy and vice versa. Information is purposefully withheld and malicious stories circulate in a dedicated campaign to hide or manipulate the truth. Watch out for careless chatter and those who thrive on misinformation and the chaos it can cause. (Dean, 2008, 63) Step 54: Knight of Wands Upright Meaning: Creativity, Success Whatever you've been waiting for begins to materialize, perhaps in the form of the charismatic Knight himself, or as an inspiring, entrepreneurial phase. Knights bring energy and action, so events are likely to speed up as projects progress and the right conversations take place to bring about the success you desire. (Dean, 2008, 63) Reversed Meaning: Insincerity The reversed Knight may be brilliant at talking up a project but, when it comes to committing to anyone or to anything that resembles work, he backs out. He loves to talk because this brings him attention, but he is unreliable and insincere. As a symbol of a situation, his presence is a warning that you judge others by their actions rather than their words. (Dean, 2008, 63) Step 55: Queen of Wands Upright Meaning: Inspiration, Passion The Queen has integrity, creativity, and clarity of vision. Sensitive to others's feelings and a good talker as well as a listener, she is naturally popular. Others respect her wisdom and ability to communicate her ideas with passion. As a symbol of a situation, this Queen predicts the arrival of an inspiring influence. (Dean, 2008, 64) Reversed Meaning: Unreliability It is tempting to believe those who claim they can give you everything and take on some of your responsibilities, but the reversed Queen warns of unreliability. This has a negative effect on those in her orbit, who feel constantly let down. A a situation, promises may not be kept. (Dean, 2008, 64) Step 56: King of Wands Upright Meaning: Honor, Compassion The King brings calm integrity and compassion. Wise and unassuming, he is loved by family and friends. He may be undemanding of others, but he still has energy and ideas. This card reveals honorable conduct, and can also indicate that you will feel comfortable with yourself now. Others respond to you positively. (Dean, 2008, 64) Reversed Meaning:. (Dean, 2008, 64)

. [Thanks Kyle] 61 thoughts on “3D printing with a delta robot that seems to simplify the concept” I want this! lol For nearly a year I’ve wondered if this type of setup would work. I’ve lacked the drive to get myself moving to test the idea and now I don’t have to! Hooray for other people! This message brought to you by procrastinators of America. Very well done guys, I love the build. :) this one is sexy and fun to watch. needs to sell it as a kit, this one would be fun to put together. This is absolutely brilliant! a clean, precise implementation. A couple of observations: characteristically, Z axis motion (up and down), is impacted by gravity. Things come down more readily than they go up! While an elevator-style counterweight could be implemented, this would increase inertia. You could implement a vacuum assist counterbalance (Airpel), but given the lengths of travel… well, perhaps its best to keep the main carriage light! I always thought delta format robots were tied up in patents but I have no idea how this affects the Maker community. Perhaps at this point they are all expired! I thought I had come across a quad linkage system once (maybe here) which would make the math a good bit more simplistic. I think it also was done to avoid patent issues, but I could be very wrong. I think this implementation is fantastic and my hat is off to these folks! Z axis rapid speed asymmetry is only an issue if you *really* need to maximize rapid speeds. If not, just determine the limit on upward acceleration and speed and use that for both directions. Most 3D printers don’t need much Z speed though, so usually there is no need to counter-balance the weight. Anyway, it serves to eliminate backlash in Z, so as long as it isn’t an impediment, you can consider it a feature. The math is actually trivial. I thought it was hard at first, so I worked it out. All of this is in two dimensions: First define three vectors from the origin to each support/drive pillar: A,B,C Define a vector from the origin to the desired location of the print head: W Define the length of an arm: r Define the height of each carriage on its pillar: ha, hb, hc Then the horizontal distance from each pillar to the print head is: a = |W-A| b = |W-B| c = |W-C| Then, knowing the length of the arm, each height is defined as: ha = z + sqrt(r^2 – a^2) = z + sqrt(r^2 – (W-A)^2) hb = z + sqrt(r^2 – b^2) = z + sqrt(r^2 – (W-B)^2) hc = z + sqrt(r^2 – c^2) = z + sqrt(r^2 – (W-C)^2) This is actually pretty easy math! I could only follow you until you said “three vectors”. Am I birdbrained? Inyaner…. to explain the origin of the math… Its important to note that a delta robot is capable of roll and pitch movements that arent necessary in a layerwise build. To use those movements you would need a more complicated trigonometric formula. However, this formula assumes all right triangles which will keep the head perpendicular to the build plane……very simple. Its all Pythagorean theorem. a²+b²=c² The distance from the z axis to the extruder tip is the base (b) of 3 right triangles…this distance is unique to each of the 3 arms. The length of each arm is the hypotenuse (c)…so this is the same for each arm. Using this his formula computes the height of each triangle for the intended head position. Thanks Annirak…before your posting I hadnt even considered such a simplified equation for perpendicular delta travel….Ive always just stuck with the more dynamic trig solution. I just wanna say that the quality of comments on this site has really improved over the last year. @techartisan: No problem! I tried to do it with dynamic trig at first too! While you’re right that *some* deltabots are capable of pitch and roll, a 3-actuator delta bot can only position in x,y,z. The problem is this: any object, unconstrained, has 6 degrees of freedom: x,y,z, yaw, pitch, roll. In fact, it seems that you need one arm per degree of freedom. There might be one you can get for free, but I’m not sure about that: I know that 4 arms is unstable, but I’m not sure if 5 arms is or not. Since we want to use the smallest possible number of actuators, we know that we need to constrain yaw, pitch, and roll. Rostock does this by tying pairs of arms together and attaching them to the same actuator, creating parallelograms which constrain the yaw, pitch, and roll. @Techartisan I had a few more thoughts on this problem. Suppose you have a 6-independent arm deltabot, with arm-mount carriages that move only in the z-axis, like Rostock (the math is very similar for sliding-arm deltabots like this one: ) 1. Find the platform connection points of the arms on the toolhead: define six vectors (p1..p6) which point from the centre of the toolhead to each attachment point. 2. Orient the toolhead. All of the vectors (p1..p6) exist in the horizontal plane, with unit normal vector n0 = . To angle the toolhead correctly, you just need to orient the normal vector and apply the same transform to each of p1..p6. This is two matrix rotations M1 (angle X around the x-axis) and M2 (angle Y around the y-axis). Once calculated, they can be stored as M = dot(M1,M2). M1 = [ 1 0 0 ] [ 0 cos(X) -sin(X) ] [ 0 sin(X) cos(X) ] M2 = [ cos(Y) 0 sin(Y) ] [ 0 1 0 ] [ -sin(Y) 0 cos(Y) ] Now, multiply each p1..p6 by the combined rotation matrix M to get the new endpoints q1..q6 All the trig is now over. The rest of this solution uses plain vector math. 3. Position the toolhead. Use a position W = . Each new endpoint, q1..q6, is positioned using W to obtain e1..e6: e1 = W+q1 = M*p1 + W e2 = W+q2 = M*p2 + W etc… 4. Find the heights of each carriage. From here, it’s essentially the same problem as before. Assume arms of length r, and pillars in positions P1..P6, where each Pn has x component Pnx and y component Pny. We know the x/y part of each e vector, so we can construct a set of right-triangles. The height of each carriage (h1..h6) is calculated as follows: h1 = z + sqrt(r^2 – (e1x-P1x)^2 – (e1y-P1y)^2) h2 = z + sqrt(r^2 – (e2x-P2x)^2 – (e2y-P2y)^2) etc… This style of math will work for any linear-actuator based delta bot. It’s a little more complex with the rotating-arm delta bots. @oddjobzombie +1 ..on the comments When looking at a “professional” delta bot, the design usually varies a bit. To make roll and pitch possible the arms are connected to the platform by a balljoint. The arm angles now also need to be controlled to achieve full control again. Yaw is hard to achieve from just the arms. Adding a rotating table to the object table would be much easier to do. Delta bots are patented up to the hilt. This is not a problem for a maker if he makes designs for his own use. The real problem with patents only starts once you try to actually commercialize the product. (Aka, sell blueprints or complete bots) In fact I’m sure there is a nice proof for your one-arm-per-DOF theory (probably involving euler’s polyhedron formula)… Interesting robot, that said it’s not a classic delta robot… A classic delta robot may be simpler/cheaper without the linear drives. I’m toying with the idea of building an inverted delta, shaped like a ‘M’ with the drive motors sitting next to the print bed. Eliminating the cost of the sturdy frame too. Here’s a good link for delta-bot kinematics: I personally am making one of these right now. I started as soon as I saw the design. There may only be a few more people working on one in the world. I am finding it to be quite an amazing and simple design. Just from a speed perspective this thing could revolutionize extrusion based 3D printing at home. The number of parts is lower, the moving weight is low, and with a stationary print surface, these motors should have no problem really stepping up the speed. Especially on a higher voltage system, something closer to 24 volts or 30 volts. My current 3D printer has very heavy parts on each moving axis, while it prints very precisely, I have to do it very slowly. Mostly because they are moving over a half pound each with all the machined metal used. This design completely removes all those obstacles. While simultaneously adding almost a foot of vertical build area. It’s a beautiful thing. The supersize possibilities are huge too. You could print a whole table in just a few prints. The main problem with higher speed (around ultimaker capabilities) becomes extrusion speed. You end up increasing the extruder temperature to compensate for the temperature drop between the heater and the melting chamber of the plastic. But this is inaccurate: when your design has a few jumps, the slower effective powerdraw in the melting chamber will cause the plastic to overheat. You might be able to obtain a faster print if you’re printing super-thin layers. However I find that the thin layers means that you are extruding little plastic per-mm-travelled, so that the plastic ends up coming out in “droplets”. And when travelling fast, the positioning accuracy suffers. Both due to software effects as mechanical. (I think…) Brillant. Get that out in kit form. Ill buy one Agreed! Or better yet, skip the kit and sell me a set a plans. I like to screw it up for myself the first few times! I believe all the required info is on thingiverse chicken and the egg. need a 3d printer. the parts for one are on thingverse, but you cant print them because you dont have a 3d printer. kit form, seriously, he could make a couple hundred bucks per unit. All I need is the dimensions. I have the machine tools to make my own parts. I’m a billet aluminum and sintered oilbrass bushing kind of guy. It appears some research is in order before I fire up the mill and the lather. Time to scavenge some scrap billet! As far as needing a 3D printer, have you seen 100k Garages? It’s a kind of matchmaking site for people with printing/extruding/milling hardware and designers who need work done (or vice versa). Kind of a community version of Ponoko or Shapeways. I would wonder at the control architecture you are using to transform the gcode layer deposition into the delta’s three-control actuation. Have you made your code available through Git or anything for review? Several of our educators are interested in this because it is very different from the other layouts for 3D Printers we have ben discussing. Why so small? isn’t the beauty of that design to scale on X and Y axis pretty cheap? you have a rather high Z for the size…you could probably double the are and keep the same height only adding the irrelevant cost or larger arms. or am i missing something obvious? The Z rods have to be the length of the arms plus whatever printable z height you need, plus space for mounting hardware at the top and bottom. If you make the X-Y plane bigger the arms get longer, so the required Z distance goes up. Since the Z rods need to all remain parallel to each other, and can only be clamped at the top and bottom, at some point the flex in the rod is going to become a problem, and you’ll have to go up to heavier rods and bigger bearings (or maybe switch to a three-rod assembly). For a bigger system it might be interesting to make the Z rods with MakerSlide instead, so they would be quite rigid to begin with, but could also be braced at the midpoints, as the bearings wouldn’t go all the way around . Or, better, use openbeam with openrail on it. This seems to be a massive improvement over previous 3d printer designs as far as the usable work space for a given size of printer goes. For a given arm length, r, and maximum build height h, the total height of the platform must be h+r. That means, that for a cubic build volume, you need double that volume, stacked, for the bot to operate in. This makes for some tall structures, which are hard to make rigid. Other than that, it’s an awesome design! I’m planning to build one! I noticed there were some visible glitches in the circular movement during the higher speed portions of the demo; but that’s faster than you’d be able to deposit material anyway. It’s certainly very impressive! I think a kit would be a big hit. I don’t know man, take a look at this video. Looks like 10 times faster than any maker bot I’ve seen I never realized how fast these things could be. all the info and how to build one are on thingiverse.com. do a search for. rostock delta printer Kickstarter! Like! This is a neat design and I really like the fact they put it together with zip ties. Zip ties, the new duct tape? Zip ties are neat. But just wait until you try stainless steel aircraft safety wire. The thicker stuff, not the really thin. Stainless hose and band clamps are also cool. Oh my…. That printer design is absolutely stunning… The resolution and size of the objects is fantastic ! I like that its so elegant. i think it scales very well. I have to ask, Mike do you purposely make spelling and grammatical mistakes? It seems almost all of your posts contain at least one. Typos happen, especially if you write many blog posts and don’t have all that much time to do it. Don’t get hung up on it – all the content in the post got across perfectly fine. The easiest solution to most typo problems is the spelling nagger moves on and learns to live with a world where typos happen. Great machine… sort of like looking at startrek in reality. I wonder how much the resin costs and what say a matchbox car size object actually costs to make. I can see this hitting the consumer market the next 5 years and am already worried about the cartridges for them :D it prints using plastic filament which is ~30ct/meter, it is not too expensive, a 2x2cm cube is roughly 5ct. Couple this with Objet’s multi-material printing system and it’d be the closest thing yet to a Star Trek replicator. I was just thinking that. Since adding extra extruders adds very little weight to the platform and the bulk of the extruder mechanism is moved out of the way, this design would allow multi-material much easier than for instance the rep-rap design. well sure but keep in mind that there are some other hurdles to take. the ultimaker uses a similar split printhead/extruder and it has massive trouble with leaking plastic if dualstruding. Since The filament is fed through a tube, shouldn’t it be possible to retract it a bit, to prevent leaking, or is there a non trivial problem with that? (I might be missing some detail, since I never built or even used a 3d printer). It would be interesting to replace the screws with rigid vertical openslides and a mini carriage. Gaining rigidity on higher builds and maintaining speed. Using a belt to drive the carriages up the rails. Its not to late to get openrails. Kickstarter is closed but they still offer it at the price. 2metres of openrail is 50 USD. I’m asking on the forum right now about a concept for a new way of printing aluminium using the Delta (but any really)…. Does anyone here know about molten metal flow rates and such ? Basically I think i have the perfect heating element, from my work with special effects, where I pretty much use them all the time – – 1100-1300 C stable at over 3 hours of continuous use…. Imagine that hollow with aluminium wire being mechanically pushed through the heater – melts and then pushed through nozzle through some sort of continuous flow deposit….. I don’t want to steal this post, so please instead answer in the forum if you want to partake in my little brainstorm…. Which electronics are used? Source code appears to be derived from some sort of Arduino shield? Here is his BOM, it’s not complete, but gives a very good idea of the parts used. He is using the RAMPS platform, but I’ve been itching to try the Repic DIY Board. I can’t get over this thing, saw it a couple days ago and am still checking it out. Could it be scaled DOWN, it seems like the delta configuration is capable of insane positioning accuracy. I’d like a build envelope of no bigger than a 6″ cube- at that size, any material for rods, maybe even carbon fiber for ultimate stiffness, could scale down with high resolution for custom jewelry- printing with wax. I have a friend who has a massive (1,000s) collection of hand cut tourmalines and is actively looking for a 3D printer solution to make custom settings for them. It’s not easy because they aren’t common sizes- being hand cut means they currently have to be adapter to set size molds. Some of his shapes don’t even fit a mold, and his stuff is incredible. Could this be adapted for small scale hyper accurate wax printing with a high print res? I think something like this will be better homemade but much more accurate Simple in its elegance… and elegant in its simplicity! My Prusa Mendel clone has a similar spool feed system, where the extruder is separated from the X-Carriage. Mines from: We are spinning off a new sompnay selling new 3D Printer technologies and would like to speak to the partners at Rostock. We would like to exhibit your printer at NASA, Lockheed and other Federal agencies we work with. Please provide your contact info. Please call me on my cell at 404-556-8828 Ron Robinson – President IT Data Storage’ Annirak: Your math for doing the linear motion in 2D is incorrect…. When I use that formula in my Simulation, instead of making a straight line from the Origin Point to the Destnation Point, it makes a 3D curved line that starts from Origin and ends up at Destination points………it DOES end up at the correct point, but the path is not straight the way it needs to be for 3D Printing. This non-linear curve would somehow need to be accounted for in the motor speeds or software output. maybe we would need to break each line into many small segments and do the math on each segment? Want high speed? Check out the Adept Quattro. Still trying to get my head around Annirak’s maths… Designed and built my own circuit board 4-5 years ago but didn’t finish it… too busy with other stuff! Back then, people were using 3 axis of stepper motors and a DC motor for the extruder, pretty basic. My motion hardware was pretty crude, M6 and M8 threads, too slow when I started back on it recently. Now with some T5 (5mm per tooth) belt, drive pulleys and some Rostock parts and it’s such a different animal! Arm microcontroller running 4 steppers with a 64 value half sine wave table and the motion is fast, but so smooth I can barely hear or see the steps if I introduce delays between them. 66.6666 steps per mm ? gross overkill ? I keep thinking about the print head’s offset from centre to the arm attachments, looks like it’s ignored in the maths ? I’d better start updating my blogspot again… quiet for the last 4 years. Graham.

New law condemning Franco’s crimes further polarises Spain By Paul Stuart and Paul Mitchell 21 November 2007 Spain’s Congress recently passed the Law of Historical Memory, which for the first time officially condemns the mass executions and other crimes carried out during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the military dictatorship of General Francisco Franco (1939-1975) that followed. About 500,000 people were killed in the civil war, and an estimated 200,000 died during the dictatorship, the majority of whom still lie buried in unmarked mass graves. The new law describes the crimes as unjust and the sentences of the courts and military tribunals as illegitimate. It offers redress to those “who suffered persecution or violence, for political or ideological reasons, during the Civil War or the Dictatorship” and facilitates the exhumation of the mass graves. It also calls for the removal of Francoist symbols from public buildings and prohibits political events at Franco’s mausoleum in the Valley of the Fallen. Spanish citizenship is offered to the grandchildren of those exiled during the dictatorship and to members of the International Brigades who went to fight against it. After nearly three years delay, and with few commentators thinking it would go through before next March’s general elections, Congress passed the law by 184 votes to 137. The ruling Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), the majority of nationalist parties including the Catalan Convergence and Union (CiU) and Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and the Stalinist-dominated United Left-Catalan Green Initiative (IU-ICV) supported it. The right-wing Popular Party (PP) and the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) opposed it. The PSOE Deputy Prime Minister María Teresa Fernández de la Vega claimed that justice for the victims of Franco would finally be achieved. “This is a very important moment for Spain,” said Emilio Silva, who heads the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory, “But this law is the beginning, not the end, and it is long overdue,” he added. The PP’s parliamentary spokesman Eduardo Zaplana denounced the law, stating that “Parliament has never before been used to look back at that tragic and dramatic moment of history, the civil war.” PP deputy Juan Costa accused the PSOE of being “willing to shatter the consensus that has given us democratic stability for 30 years.” The new law has been watered down in significant ways and makes major concessions to the right wing. Nevertheless, it does indeed shatter the so-called “consensus,” threatening to bring to the surface all the unresolved political problems of the civil war, the victory of the fascists and the ensuing decades of repression. The foundations of today’s parliamentary monarchy and constitution were erected on the suppression of the experiences of the civil war in a “pact of forgetting” agreed by the PSOE, the Spanish Communist Party (PCE) and the leaders of Franco’s regime whose main concern was to prevent a revolutionary reckoning with the old order as it collapsed. In the 30 years since the transition, not one fascist has faced trial, and the summary executions of Franco’s opponents have never been overturned in Spanish law. Many of those involved retained their power, privileges and ill-gotten fortunes—including Franco’s family, which remains one of the wealthiest in Spain. The right wing has denounced the Historical Memory Law and its introduction by a government it already condemns as illegitimate and which it has tried to destabilise. The PSOE was elected to office in March 2004, as a result of a leftward movement of the working class that brought down the PP government of José María Aznar. The PSOE’s victory followed the Madrid train bombings, carried out by Islamic extremists, but which Aznar had attempted to blame on the Basque separatist movement, ETA. The government’s lies became the focus for the overwhelming hostility to Aznar’s alliance with the Bush administration and Spain’s participation in the war against Iraq and opposition to the PP’s neo-liberal economic policies. During the 2004 elections, the PSOE made a feint to the left. It ran on the basis of support for annulling death sentences passed by the fascist courts, which Franco often countersigned, hundreds at a time, without even reading the charges. However, the PSOE quickly abandoned its promises. Ramón Jáuregui Atondo Álava, PSOE spokesman for the Constitutional Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, justified the decision, declaring, “We cannot, and we should not—I add—in one fell swoop, do away with all the judicial certainty developed over 40 years, annulling thousands of judgments, even if we do all acknowledge the lack of justice or judicial guarantees thereof.” As a result, those who were responsible for the executions will remain free from prosecution as they have under successive administrations—a situation the human rights organisation Amnesty International has condemned as a contravention of international law. The PSOE is opposed to prosecuting the fascists—many of whom have been senior members of the PP and its forerunner, the Popular Alliance (AP)—because it would further discredit the institutions created during the transition. Manuel Fraga, a senior minister under Franco, was instrumental in transforming the AP into the PP in 1989 and grooming Aznar, who became PP president and then prime minister in 1996. Instead of a comprehensive annulment of the court sentences, Franco’s victims and their families will only be allowed to “solicit individual reparation” before a council of five appointed senior social scientists who will examine the merits of each case and decide whether or not to annul the sentences and pay compensation—a process that could take decades. It was because of the “cavalry of legal proceedings” facing victims and their families and the fact the new law let “old Francoists off the hook” that the ERC voted against it. The ERC congressional spokesman, Joan Tardá, added that Zapatero had “condemned the victims of the Franco era to a second death.” The ERC is using its campaign against the law to divert the leftward movement of the working class into the dead end of Catalan separatism, arguing that justice is impossible under the centralised Spanish state. Originally, the United Left (IU) also opposed the law, saying it did not meet the “final objective” of nullifying the sentences. However, it swung behind the PSOE at the last moment after settling for the amendment that described Franco’s crimes as “illegitimate.” An IU spokesperson justified the party’s about-face, saying, “We agreed to the legislation because we see the term ‘illegitimate’ as the door that opens the way to annulment.” The IU’s support for the law has caused simmering tensions to erupt in the organisation. The IU representative in the Andalusian parliament, Antonio Romero, attacked the national leader Gaspar Llamazares, declaring, “The law’s content is weak, decaffeinated. It laughs in the face of the many victims of Franco.” Romero also questioned why the IU’s MPs voted in favour of the law, even though it would have passed comfortably without their votes. Victims associations had also campaigned for the grotesque monument at the Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen) containing the tombs of Franco and the founder of Spanish fascism José Antonio de Rivera, which was built by Republican slave labour, to be transformed into an institution for the study of the civil war and the crimes of Franco. Instead, the monument has been handed over to the Catholic Church, in an act of “depoliticisation,” to manage as a religious monument to all those who lost their lives. In so doing, it further encourages the idea that Republicans and leftists were on a par with their fascist aggressors—a claim upheld by Zapatero when he declared, “Spain had a civil war in which everyone was a victim.” The Church has also been exempted from the ban on Francoist symbols in an amendment proposed by the CiU and supported by the PP provided there are “legal,” “artistic” or “religious” reasons for doing so. As the majority of the symbols are in churches or related buildings, this makes the clause a near universal get-out. Also missing from the law is any systematic government strategy nationally concerning the uncovering of the mass graves of Franco’s victims, leaving it to local councils to determine the money and resources they contribute. There is no way that Spanish workers will be satisfied with the half-measures and evasions the PSOE and its backers have now enshrined in law. The demands for justice will not go away, and those self-proclaimed parties of the left that seek to prevent them being realised will only discredit themselves. In similar fashion, the PP, the far right and the Catholic Church have already dismissed the concessions made to them as irrelevant and mounted a counter-attack. Two days before the Spanish Congress passed the Law of Historical Memory, the Vatican beatified 498 Spanish “martyrs”—mostly clergy killed during the Civil War. Cardinal José Saraiva Martins addressed the right-wing crowd of 40,000, some waving Franco-era flags. He attacked the Spanish government for making divorce and gay marriages easier and for disrupting plans by the PP to make religion compulsory in schools. He urged Catholics to make the same sacrifices as those beatified to defend the church against the rise of secularism saying, “Martyrdom is a realistic possibility for the entire Christian people.” Pope Benedict XVI added that the example of Spain’s “martyrs” “bears witness to the fact that the Baptism commits Christians to participate with courage to expand the Kingdom of God, going as far as sacrificing their very lives.” The PSOE again sought to appease the Church by embracing the beatifications and reassuring it that the Law of Historical Memory is no threat to its power and privileges. Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos even led the official Spanish delegation to the ceremony. But the right wing recognises that, whatever efforts are made by the PSOE and its allies, the breech in the “pact of forgetting” and the demands of working people for a historical accounting with Francoism signal the beginning of the end for the efforts made since 1975 to bury the past. In turn, this will fuel the political and social conflicts now developing in Spain and create the condition for the working class to be armed with the political lessons of the defeat of the Spanish revolution due to the betrayals of the Stalinists and social democrats, and of their role in saving the skin of the bourgeoisie during the period of transition following Franco’s death. Follow the WSWS

. INTRODUCTION Health spending in the United States topped $2 trillion for the first time in 2006.1 Despite these high expenditures, the quality of care remains unsatisfactory. For example, only 27% of patients with hypertension have adequate blood pressure control, and only 17% of patients with coronary artery disease have cholesterol at levels suggested by national guidelines.2 The United States ranks last in preventable deaths among 19 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.3 One reason for this quality gap is that, although the prevalence of chronic disease is increasing, our health care delivery system is based on a model that is best suited to episodic care for acute illnesses. Optimal delivery of chronic care and preventive services requires restructuring our health care system. In recent years, much research and discussion have focused on how best to adapt our system to chronic care and prevention. For example, the Chronic Care Model lays out several key elements of high-quality care for chronic diseases, including community resources, health care organization, self-management support, delivery system design, decision support, and clinical information systems.4 More recently the concept of the patient-centered medical home has received widespread attention as a model to improve care.5 Seven key principles outline the characteristics of the patient-centered medical home: a personal physician, physician-directed medical practice, a whole-person orientation, coordinated care, quality and safety, enhanced access, and a system of payment that reflects the added value of a patient-centered medical home. Although these models have shown promise in controlled research settings and small demonstration projects, they have been difficult to disseminate widely.6 One problem with implementation of models in individual practices is that the current funding structure of health care is based on acute care. When practices are reimbursed on a fee-for-service basis for episodic care, finding the resources to redesign a practice, develop systems of care, and implement the elements of these new models of care can be difficult. Moreover, to improve outcomes for many clinical problems, new resources would need to be devoted to facilitate care outside the office, such as case management. We describe a program that incorporates components of these models and has been disseminated widely. Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) built a partnership between a large funder of health care (Medicaid), primary care physicians, and other local health care providers to achieve quality, utilization, and cost objectives in the management of care for Medicaid recipients across North Carolina.7 CCNC was not led by health services researchers intent on defining a model for publication. Instead, CCNC was a grassroots response by practicing physicians, community health care leaders, and state policy makers to meet the challenge of providing cost-effective high-quality care for Medicaid patients. Within the CCNC program, approximately 1,200 primary care practices across North Carolina manage the care of about 750,000 Medicaid patients, roughly 80% of the state Medicaid population, or almost 10% of the North Carolina population. Of those Medicaid patients not currently enrolled in the program, most have both Medicaid and Medicare (dually eligible) or are pregnant women, and the CCNC is currently working on a waiver to be able to enroll the dually eligible in greater numbers. The 1,200 primary care practices enrolled in CCNC represent more than 50% of North Carolina primary care practices. Efforts are underway to engage more effectively the remainder of primary care practices, as well as other medical specialists. We hope that a more detailed description of these efforts can serve as an inspiration for others. THE STRUCTURE OF CCNC The CCNC program has created community health networks organized and operated by community physicians, hospitals, health departments, and departments of social services. Each network employs a full-time program director, a part-time medical director, and a team of case managers. Some networks have hired additional staff to help with data analysis and other network initiatives. Each network is guided by a steering committee that consists of physicians and representatives from the local hospitals, health departments, and departments of social services. Medical management committees consisting of physicians from participating practices meet to develop initiatives and monitor progress. A statewide infrastructure, which helps to coordinate and support the 14 individual networks (Supplemental Figure 1, which can be found online at), provides direct financial assistance in proportion to the number of patients in the network. This money is used primarily for network staff salary, especially for case managers. Support also includes other activities, such as analyzing data, convening meetings, and developing protocols. CCNC is unique because it has successfully combined the following key features on a large scale: (1) linking patients to a medical home, (2) engaging practices in quality improvement efforts, (3) case managing high-risk patients, (4) planning interventions and measuring success using quality data, and (5) providing a statewide structure but retaining control at a regional level. The following section describes this structure, as well as current challenges, in greater detail. Linking Patients to a Medical Home Each CCNC patient is linked to a medical home. Individual CCNC practices do not meet all the functions of the recently defined patient-centered medical home, but the linkage between patients and a primary care practice established during the creation of CCNC represents the early development of this concept. For a management fee (in addition to the usual fee schedule of Medicaid) the practices provide ongoing comprehensive primary care and arrange care with other qualified health care professionals as needed. CCNC practices offer improved access, which includes 24-hour on-call coverage. They also engage in quality improvement projects defined by CCNC. These quality improvement efforts are further defined below. Community partners, such as local hospitals, health departments, and county health departments and county departments of social services, are integral members of each network, so that the CCNC medical practices are linked more strongly to the community. CCNC case managers are often community based, working with several practices at the same time. Community practices are encouraged to work together as peers. This community connection is emphasized in the Chronic Care Model and has helped CCNC succeed. This community connection has less emphasis in the current definition of the patient-centered medical home. Challenges That Remain A full implementation of the patient-centered medical home, as recently defined at a national level, has not occurred. Although many of the features described above are consistent with the patient-centered medical home, other features, especially those focusing on practice redesign, have not been implemented. CCNC does not currently support registries for its practices, nor does it expect practice redesign, such as open access. Effective electronic communication between practices and referral centers exist only in limited areas. CCNC is beginning to prioritize practice redesign efforts to achieve a hoped for more complete implementation. Other challenges exist. The per patient management fee may be insufficient to manage more complex medical patients. To achieve further cost savings, the program has intentionally sought to recruit the sicker and more costly Medicaid patients. As a result, the percentage of patients with more complicated chronic illnesses in the program has risen, yet the management fee has increased only slightly since the program was instituted a decade ago. Engaging Practices in Quality Improvement Efforts When practices sign on to be part of CCNC, they agree to participate in the quality improvement efforts of CCNC. CCNC as a statewide program defines areas of priority and provides guidelines on how to meet these priorities. Medical directors and network directors from each network share ideas in statewide quarterly meetings to help define initiatives, which currently include management of diabetes, asthma, and congestive heart failure, as well as emergency department and pharmacy utilization. Quality improvement efforts vary, however, from network to network. The steering committee and medical management committee of each network, using knowledge of the local community, define how to implement the priorities locally. These groups also define additional priorities based on local need. Examples of local initiatives include a focus on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, gastroenteritis, childhood development, and mental health integration. Local networks have varied widely in their efforts to improve quality in these areas. Some networks have provided practical assistance, such as supplying practices with asthma flow sheets and up-to-date diabetes guidelines. Because of the regional network structure of CCNC, each region’s medical director can encourage participation in a collegial way that would not be possible with a more centralized program. CCNC also provides audit data to practices that allow them to compare their care outcomes with those of other local practices, a benchmarking activity that fosters friendly competition. Physician champions in the individual practices promote implementation. In one network, high emergency department visit rates prompted physicians to organize an after-hours clinic. More recently some networks have hired quality improvement coaches to work on practice redesign with individual member practices. Challenges That Remain Engaging practices with small number of Medicaid patients is difficult because the quality data fed back to these practices are less meaningful when CCNC patients make up only a very small percentage of the practice. As network efforts expand to patients with more complex chronic conditions, CCNC also faces the challenge of more actively involving medical sub-specialists. When created, CCNC focused primarily on outpatient primary care. In initiatives that focus on such conditions as congestive heart failure and poly-pharmacy, it will be important to involve the subspecialists who also see CCNC patients. Case Managing High-Risk Patients Optimal care for chronic disease is a complex task, often requiring difficult treatment regimens and major lifestyle changes. Case managers can complement the work of physicians to help patients adhere to treatment recommendations and make needed lifestyle changes. Case management has been shown to improve health outcomes.8 Yet small practices are frequently unable to afford their own case manager. By joining a network, the practices gain access to a team of case managers who work with all patients in a given network. A single practice may share a case manager with several other small practices. Although the ratio of case managers to patients is generally high (about 1:4,000), relatively few patients use a disproportionate share of resources, and the case managers work closely with this smaller group. The group of patients in need of case management is identified primarily through claims data. For example, CCNC patients with multiple emergency department visits, a high number of medication claims, or diagnoses of asthma, diabetes, or congestive heart failure are selected for case management. Clinicians in CCNC practices can also refer patients for case management. The case managers are aided in their work by CCNC-specific management software, which links to Medicaid claims data and thus identifies high-risk patients, allows case managers to see health care utilization of their clients, and allows for documentation of care and communication with other case managers. What differentiates CCNC case managers from case managers in commercial insurance programs is the managers’ relationship with the practices. Because of the local nature of the networks, each case manager is able to establish a personal relationship with each practice, which fosters more efficient communication between the case managers and the practices. Challenges That Remain Physicians in busy practices have little time to meet with case managers, yet case management has been most successful when case managers and clinicians regularly share treatment plans. Networks continue to find creative ways to get case managers and clinicians together. In some networks, Web-based electronic health records have been effective ways to communicate when case managers are not in the practice. One network is piloting an effort to put case managers on the clinician’s patient schedule, pay for the visit, and be assured of 10 to15 minutes of protected time with the physician. Planning Interventions and Measuring Success The practice-specific data provided by CCNC has proved crucial in recruiting new practices to the networks, setting priority areas for the networks, and monitoring success. At the statewide level, a small CCNC staff works with the state Medicaid office to extract and sort patient claims data. Claims data generate information, such as the number of patients with diabetes who have had hemoglobin A1c measured in the last year or the number of patients who were seen in the emergency department with a nonemergency diagnosis. The central office also coordinates statewide audits that generate such patient-specific data as blood pressure readings or lipid levels. These data are aggregated by practice, compared with national and regional benchmarks, and shared with participating practices. Practices successful in one area share strategies for success with other practices. Control of the network remains in the hands of the local physicians, so sharing data fosters a sense of collaboration and desire to learn from each other. Feedback from the practices indicates that data sharing is one of the biggest benefits of belonging to a network. Many practices are too small to be able to create such report cards independently, and they value the efforts of CCNC to generate and share the data. The data are also used to identify patients for case management. Challenges That Remain Claims are generated for billing purposes and thus often are inadequate for defining quality in detail. Audit data are more accurate but more expensive to obtain. Data available to CCNC have proved effective for defining patients in need of case management and identifying outlier practices. These data have been used less successfully to rigorously explore outcomes across the 14 networks or to assess the impact of CCNC on statewide quality measures. CCNC is working more aggressively to collect statewide data for this purpose. Providing Statewide Structure With Regional Control Local control has sustained the CCNC networks. Physicians weary of outside interference and bureaucratic hassles feel empowered by a network that can respond quickly to their needs and ideas. Local control fosters creativity and ownership, and each network decides how to prioritize and implement programs. Community physicians decide what is best for their practices based on their knowledge of the community and on trends in collected claims data. The broad medical community actively contributes to the network because local hospitals, departments of social services, and county health departments all belong to the networks. Yet it is the statewide structure that has led to CCNC’s current success and impact. The statewide infrastructure allows collaborative learning among networks. Initiatives piloted in individual networks can be rolled out across the state. As mentioned above, the statewide infrastructure also provides support services, such as analysis of claims data, development of protocols, and recruitment of statewide expertise. Such activities would be difficult to replicate in each of the 14 networks. Challenges That Remain Development of statewide protocols and expectations has helped ensure standardization of the program and has facilitated the measurement of statewide outcomes. Such standardization, which takes advantage of statewide expertise and efficiencies of scale, needs to be balanced by the success that has come from tailoring interventions based on the needs of local communities. FUNDING CCNC The state Medicaid office has provided the funds for the infrastructure needed to operate the CCNC. It supports the small statewide staff and data collection efforts. In addition to the statewide infrastructure, each of the 14 individual networks has a staff that provides outreach to network practices and case management for high-risk patients. The state Medicaid office provides support for this network infrastructure as well ($3 per member in the network per month). Many networks augment this state support with grants from local and national organizations. Finally the state Medicaid office supports the individual practices in the network. In addition to the usual Medicaid fee schedule, CCNC community practices receives money (an additional $2.50 per member in the practice per month) to fund practice innovations that improve disease management for CCNC patients. MEASURING THE SUCCESS OF CCNC CCNC was implemented to stem the tide of rising Medicaid costs, so any programmatic costs needed to be clearly justified. CCNC was able to provide this justification within the first few years of operation. A management consultant group, The Mercer Group (Atlanta, Georgia),9 has provided objective outside assessments of cost savings. They calculated these cost savings by comparing actual costs with projected costs using historical 36 months of data for fiscal years 2000, 2001, and 2002. Using conservative modeling, CCNC saved the State of North Carolina $60 million in fiscal year 2003. By 2006, savings had increased to $161 million annually. More liberal modeling puts the cost saving at more than $300 million annually by 2006. The largest savings were achieved in emergency department utilization (23% less than projected), outpatient care (25% less than projected), and pharmacy (11% less than projected).9 Beyond saving money, CCNC has also improved quality of care. Increasing asthma control, one of the first CCNC initiatives, provides the most dramatic illustration of improvements in care. Since initiation of the program, chart audits showed a 21% increase in asthma staging, and a 112% increase in the number of asthma patients who received influenza inoculations. Emergency department visits for CCNC children with asthma decreased by 8% during the first year of the program. Hospitalization rates for the same group during this time decreased by 34%, and rates have been sustained at these lower levels.10 Because of the rapidly expanding size of CCNC, less rigorous baseline data are available for diabetes, but by 2007 CCNC patients were exceeding National Committee for Quality Assurance benchmarks in most areas (Table 1⇓).10 2006 Community Care of North Carolina Diabetes Audit (n = 9,012) In another measure of success, CCNC has created a large cadre of physicians and leaders in health care who support the CCNC model. Because of CCNC’s statewide structure, members come from every county in North Carolina and speak up on behalf of CCNC. This powerful voice is difficult for state representatives to ignore when enacting health legislation. In further recognition of its achievements, CCNC was 1 of 7 winners of the Innovations in American Government Awards in 2007.11 THE CREATION OF CCNC: KEY FACTORS In this final section we highlight key factors that facilitated the creation and expansion of CCNC. These factors were determined from interviews with founding leaders of CCNC. We hope that this brief background will be helpful to readers who wish to re-create such a program elsewhere. Started Small In 1988, with the support of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, the North Carolina Office of Rural Health conducted a demonstration project of a Primary Care Case Management (PCCM) model in Wilson County, a small rural county in eastern North Carolina. Two large multispecialty groups provided most of the ambulatory care for Medicaid patients in the county. For a small case management fee, in addition to the usual Medicaid fee schedule, these physicians agreed to manage the care of their Medicaid patients. This demonstration project showed some success with reducing unnecessary emergency department and specialty care use. The then Medicaid director, Barbara Matula, was impressed by the model’s outcomes and supported the application for a 1915b Medicaid waiver to roll the program out to other counties. Although the PCCM model became less effective in controlling costs after the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act passed and public rejected managed care, it established the foundation of linking patients with a primary care physician, a foundation on which CCNC was based a decade later. Strong Physician Leadership From Outset Medicaid has a powerful regulatory function and, as such, is often viewed with mistrust by physicians. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, David Bruton, MD, a well-respected pediatrician, was able to overcome much of this mistrust when CCNC was created as a pilot program in 1998. A passionate supporter of the program, he believed that physicians must be engaged to improve the Medicaid program. He was able to generate legislative support, and physicians have been active in leading the program since its inception. Strong Office of Rural Health CCNC is administered out of the Office of Rural Health and Community Care. Jim Bernstein, the office’s leader at the time of the creation of CCNC, was legendary in the State of North Carolina. His charisma and skills helped recruit practices and physician leaders, and trust he developed during many years of working with local communities helped overcome their skepticism of working with the state on a new Medicaid initiative. Early successes led to backing from legislative leaders, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the governor’s office, which allowed for the expansion of the program statewide. The Office of Rural Health’s community orientation has helped sustain the program by recognizing and celebrating regional differences among networks while promoting the program on a statewide level. Best Practices From Pilot Programs Initially several structures were tested for organizing practices. A centralized pilot program engaged selected practices across the state that had a large number of Medicaid patients. Other pilot programs centered around and operated out of community health centers, health departments, and academic medical centers. Two pilot programs involving entire communities proved to be the most successful and were expanded statewide (Supplemental Figure 1). This community model used a not-for-profit 501C3 structure and required participation by enough practices to care for at least 70% of Medicaid patients in that community. It also required participation by the local hospitals, the county health departments, and the departments of social services. After testing the initial pilot programs, communities could join CCNC as networks only after those requirements were met. Created During Crisis Sometimes a crisis is needed to overcome the inertia of the status quo, and in the mid 1990s talk of funding Medicaid through block grants created a crisis in North Carolina. Emerging managed care systems saw a business opportunity and lobbied to secure contracts to manage the North Carolina Medicaid program. Threatened by possible severe cuts in reimbursement and loss of independence, physicians saw CCNC as the opportunity to maintain local control. Physicians who might not have otherwise participated did so in the face of this outside threat. As a result, state leadership refused the so-called budget savings promise by commercial insurers. In conclusion, during the past decade various models have been proposed to improve delivery of chronic care and preventive services, many of which provide an idealized version of care that seems out of reach for practicing physicians. CCNC has not only implemented a model of care that incorporates a number of the elements proposed by these models of care, it has also moved beyond the demonstration phase to prove that this model can be scaled and implemented across an entire state by practicing physicians in busy outpatient practices. CCNC has created a modified version of the medical home where patients are assigned to a primary care home that provides comprehensive longitudinal care, where case managers provide wrap-around services, where practice-specific data are used to improve care, where practices learn from each other, and where community partners support care. The program supports itself fiscally and has shown important improvements in quality of care. It is a model of care that has moved beyond theory and could be implemented across the country. Footnotes Conflicts of interest: none reported - Received for publication September 3, 2007. - Revision received February 2, 2008. - Accepted for publication March 4, 2008. - © 2008 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

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Abstract Cristina Peri Rossi’s stories are based on visual readings of events as imagined by the Google Earth street view. A unique kind of visibility of spatial contours is enabled like the bird’s eye view of a zooming camera, which maps them as global circuits of unidirectional flow of capital across the different scapes of Appadurai. The city, instead of the nation, negotiates a new proposal for city-zenship in terms of the claims of its occupants. Nomadism and disorientation feature in these stories, articulating anxieties of mobility and the disorder they produce. ‘The Uprooted’ translates this sense of not belonging like a poetic refrain. The evocation of subjects as floating signifiers in a virtual space evading any conceptual or material form play out as metaphoric brushstrokes of fluid idiom. A zooming in closer to land renders visible citizenship being reduced to a “membership” programmed into the Internet game. Thus in ‘The Crevice’ the staircase becomes a metaphor for a conduit in the network, such that both the conduit and its occupant are vulnerable to a breakdown given their game like structures. Just one anonymous individual in a crowd, whose identity seems irrelevant, forgot to move either up or downwards in the staircase; this sets off a pandemonium of unplanned actions thereby cluttering the conduit. This is quickly reorganized back into the smooth “operational order” of a culture of predatory management systems deployed under a police state. The latter, however, is also fraught with the same risks of routine prescriptive moves, blind to any difference of any ‘literary device’ like the crevice. While traditional storytelling was based on oral renderings as imagined by a narrator, now the trends are often based on the visual readings of events as imagined by the availability of Google Earth street view. It is for this reason that the spatial contours of different narrative strategies become very visible through a kind of bird’s eye view of the zooming camera, or the long shots as well as the deep structures of the items which inhabit that space through the close-ups. Digitalization has activated the perfection of this kind of zooming in/out of the camera’s eye view so that not only are the given spatial contours rendered visible, but they are also rendered as designs of urban spaces of what was earlier considered to be jungles. Conceptions of the Foucauldian notions of hidden and ambiguous spaces such as heterotopias and of surveillance spatial tropes such as the Panopticon become exposed so that simple structures like Angel Rama’s Ciudad letrada eventually look very innocent.[1] This paper is an attempt to read how Peri Rossi narrativizes this in her rendition of urban space. It is a space under the continuous surveillance of the town planners and managers (the Panopticon), while at the same time a critique of such spaces created and deployed to ”hide” the dehumanized faces of targeting thinking subjects (Heterotopia).[2] This is real space, and not an imagined one (utopia/dystopia) engineered for wielding power and control over the lives of citizens. Thus the most important point to reckon with is that this urban space is articulated neither as any linearity of causal relationships, nor in the sense of any binary oppositions such as “centre/periphery”; rather it is configured as performative so that the agents of surveillance and control who remain invisible are rendered exposed. The perception of the analogy between a Google earth view and this narrative, in this context, is very significant and politically charged and fits into the Foucauldian notions of the Panopticon. The sentry who keeps watch on the tower of the prison is now substituted by the new technology of digital surveillance systems enabled by Google Earth. Now let us consider that while urban spaces have been known to be highly gendered, what about the cyberspace? Early colonizers, hackers and navigators of cyberspace had imagined it as virtual and hence as genderless, bodiless, raceless and without borders. Though this myth is no longer valid, we still find that urban planners who design corporatized infrastructure for smooth and efficient mass transit have increasingly striven towards creations of real space copied from Google Earth view cyberscapes, rendering irrelevant any difference markers and ironing them out into mere cyborgs. Imagining genderless, raceless and desexualized bodies is a copy of an imagined virtual space which pretends to be safe, without any risks and immediate consequences. Thus Peri Rossi’s cities are nameless global cities, which tease out the aesthetics and the politics of “inclusive social care” and “disparate economic competition” in neoliberal democracies. They are inhabited by nameless and rootless global citizens who navigate through unknown waters like blind and drifting mechanized dolls (one can’t help remembering Kafka’s Metamorphosis or Borges’ Ficciones) almost directionless, thus invoking the myth of the Ship of the Madmen, which is also a title of an earlier collection of stories by Peri Rossi. How are such spaces produced? There is a process of gentrification of elite centres (Rama’s proposal); however the rest is mapped out as a global friendly network based on the model of the designs of “optimal efficiency” flattened out graphically on available Internet stencils. The maps that now govern our “globalised” world suggest a world in which public spaces are increasingly privatized, in which poverty exacerbated by neo-colonial and neoliberal economic practice pushes more and more people to migrate, only to find themselves criminalized as “illegal” aliens by those who guard “legitimate” access to nation-states. Shall such maps be reproduced in cyberspace? What recourse—what lines of flight, what type of travel, what practices of resistance—can be made in cyberspace for protest, justice, or alternative realities? (Lane 129) It is no wonder then that global cities, increasingly privatized spaces, are nodes of global circuits through which there is a unidirectional flow of capital across the different ‘scapes’:. financescapes, technoscapes, ethnoscapes and mediascapes. To all of this I add ‘netscapes’ and ‘cyberscapes’. These comprise space as a process produced through which deterritorialization is implicated in South-North or East-West movements (exile, diaspora and migration). Such circuits may also be facilitated by cultural items for example; the hamburger, the sandwich or English cream. The overlapping and crossing over of these different ‘scapes’ implicate a new kind of economics and politics of exchange as local modes are woven into global neo-liberal systems. The city, instead of the nation, negotiates a new proposal for city-zenship in terms of its claims on the occupants of its spaces. At the limit, this could be an opening for new forms of “citizenship.” The city has indeed emerged as a site for new claims: by global capital which uses the city as an “organisational commodity”, but also by disadvantaged sectors of the urban population, frequently as internationalised a presence in large cities as capital. The de-nationalising of urban space and the formation of new claims by transnational actors, raise the question, whose city is it? (Sassen 146-147) Peri Rossi’s stories critique these urban architectures of order and power engineered to render mute any thinking subject. At the same time a nomadic kind of ethos is evoked to conceive of the states of cities inhabited by anonymous “men and women who float on air suspended in huge time and space” (Peri Rossi 71); transit and disorientation feature in these stories articulating anxieties of mobility and the disorder they produce. Peri Rossi’s city is such a space, richly carved out in text in ‘Los desarraigados’[3], negotiating these situations of spatial tropes on the one hand and of their subversion thereafter. This story maps the urban space from within the deep waters of the entire global space. The sense of not belonging is played out again and again like a poetic refrain. Heterotopias have stretched and extended their borders across global neoliberal spaces. The subjects do everything like eating, sleeping differently, they wake up in hotel rooms forgetting the name of the city they are in. Their condition of lack of rootedness makes them always vulnerable to suspicion though they themselves might feel that their mobile condition is a privilege; however when they are blown off, they are blown off more easily. The poetic evocation of their temporality as floating signifiers in a virtual space evading any conceptual or material form is significant. Metaphoric nomadism is portrayed with brush strokes of fluid idiom. A menudo se ven, caminando por las calles de las grandes ciudades, a hombres y mujeres que flotan en el aire, en un tiempo y espacio suspendidos. Carecen de raíces en los pies, y a veces hasta carecen de pies. No les brotan raíces de los cabellos ni suaves líanas atan su tronco a alguna clase de suelo. Son como algas impulsadas por las corrientes marinas, y cuando se fijan a alguna superficie es por casualidad y dura sólo un momento. En seguida vuelven a flotar y hay cierta nostalgia en ello. [Peri Rossi 71][4] Very often men and women afloat in the air can be seen walking down the streets of the great cities in suspended time and space. They lack roots in their feet, and at times even lack any feet. Roots don’t grow out of their hair either, nor do suave ropes tie their trunk to some kind of ground. They are like algae adrift through the ocean currents and when they stick to some surface, just by chance, they last only a while. Soon after they begin to float again and there is some nostalgia that remains. [My translation]. A zooming in closer to land renders visible a citizenship (as a belonging to a nation/community with rights and responsibilities) getting reduced to a “membership” programmed into the internet game, and thus submitting to the rules of the game such that any scope of her/his subjectivity as thinking and feeling agent is completely muffled out. One is easily reminded of the distracted viewer/reader as compared to the contemplative one in the beginning of the last century. Now we have the distracted, bodiless, genderless and raceless entities that move unthinkingly.[5] This is how citizens experience the spaces of global cities, which are engineered to “deliver development”. Infrastructural facilities network these spaces both materially and virtually so that citizenship as a “privilege and as agency” is produced, deployed and displayed as mass/crowd for smooth navigational controls following pre-meditated moves on the designs of the internet game for management of mobility. Such activated circuits, sometimes so fast that they are like an adrenal rush though Peri Rossi’s narrative, seem to move like slow turtles as passengers aboard a plane who can’t feel the speed. The Foucauldian conception of the Panopticon plays out here in its prime peak instant.[6] Similarly in Peri Rossi’s “La grieta”[7] one small banal (thinking) hesitation of the subject’s move sets off a pandemonium ripple effect in the order of mass transit in a railway station. The grammar of the urban space management cannot accept even the most insignificant incorrect punctuation mark. The hesitating man becomes an unpardonable morpheme before the official syntax of a global network as he doesn’t remember, for a brief moment, whether he was going up or down the stairs of the over bridge. Whether an outsider or otherwise, the occupants of the global cities are anonymous passersby; their conditions of continuous movements constitute the global circuits which sustain the movement of the different “scapes” as mentioned above. The provisionality of their situation highlights the provisionality of their identities in terms of race, colour and gender. Exile is a general condition of all, as is their anonymity. They are the mass people. El hombre vaciló al subir la escalera que conducía de un andén a otro del metro, y al producirse esta pequeña indecisión de su parte (no sabía si seguir o quedarse, si avanzar o retroceder, en realidad tuvo la duda de si se encontraba bajando o subiendo) graves trastornos ocurrieron alrededor. La compacta muchedumbre que le seguía rompió el denso entramado – sin embargo, casual – de tiempo y espacio, desperdigándose, como una estrella que al explotar, provoca diáspora de luces y algún eclipse. [266] The man hesitated while going up the stairs which led from one station to the other of the metro, and thanks to this brief moment of hesitation on his part (he didn’t know whether to move on or stay, to proceed or regress, in fact he doubted whether he was climbing up or going down the staircase) serious disturbances occurred around there. The compact crowd that followed him broke the dense network, however casual, in time and space, scattering like a star, which on explosion, provoke a diaspora of lights and some eclipse. [My translation]. The staircase becomes a metaphor of a conduit in the network and discounts any articulation of passion by its occupants. The corollary is that any irrationality disables the efficiency of the conduit. Both the conduit and its occupants (the crowd) are vulnerable to a breakdown given their game plan kind of structures. The protagonist is just one in a crowd whose identity becomes irrelevant. Gender, ethnic, racial and even bodily confusions are played out as fragmentary and as borderless as language itself. The entire discourse of a smooth efficient network with its connectivity, communicability and reliability is critiqued. In a mass transit system, gendered entities are disoriented, bodies are disintegrated as wigs; dentures, glasses and fashion accessories fly off from their assigned places. Hombres perplejos resbalaron, mujeres gritaron, niños fueron aplastados, un anciano perdió la peluca, una dama su dentadura postiza, se desparramaron los abalorios de un vendedor ambulante, alguien aprovechó la ocasión para robar unas revistas del quiosco, hubo un intento de violación, salto un reloj de una mano al aire y varias mujeres intercambiaron sin querer sus bolsos. [266] Perplexed men slipped, women screamed and children were crushed, an old man lost his wig, a lady her denture, the cheap items of a mobile salesman got scattered, someone got an opportunity to steal magazines from a kiosk, there was an attempt to rape, one watch flew out of someone’s hand and many women involuntarily exchanged their purses. [My translation]. The text thus exposes the porous borders that draw the global urban maps imagining safe, civilized and equally accessible spatial tropes. The guards immediately take charge to set everything in order. El hombre fue detenido, posteriormente, y acusado de perturbar el orden público. El mismo había sufrido las consecuencias de su imprudencia, ya que, en el tumulto, se le quebró un diente. Se pudo determinar que, en el momento del incidente, el hombre que vaciló en la escalera que conducía de un andén a otro (a veinticinco metros de profundidad y con luz artificial de día y de noche) era el hombre que estaba en el tercer lugar de la fila número quince, siempre y cuando se hubieran establecido lugares y filas para el ascenso y descenso de la escalera. [266-267]. The man was detained and charged with having disturbed public order. He himself had suffered the consequences of his recklessness because, in the tumult, he broke a tooth. It could be established that at the time of the incident, the man who hesitated on the stairs that led from one platform to another (at twenty five meters depth, lit with artificial light by day and night) was the man who was in third place row number fifteen, provided they had established rows and places for the ascending and descending the staircase. [My translation]. The narrative thus renders exposed how the city is a Panopticon. The security personnel knew exactly where this man was at the instant of his momentary hesitation which jammed the smooth functioning of this manufactured spatial apparatus. However, the cityscape with its fluid boundaries is recast almost immediately like an elastic matter ready to play its next game. But the odd man who peoples this space is unbendable as he begins gazing at the crevice on the wall. The crevice works like a metaphor for a break, yet it is also one that continuously draws the attention of the man. There is break in coordination between the state machinery and its subjects. The panoptic city hence continues to interrogate him. His answer is always the same: that he’d forgotten whether he was going up or down the staircase; that perhaps it did not really matter; that he had his right foot lifted and that a crowd was present ahead and behind, and for a moment he didn’t know! There was thus also a break between the man’s memory and his own body. The city and his body become analogous tropes of control and unitary perfection, which fail momentarily because of loss of memory. Ironically, he also reflects on the fact that the staircase was an artefact used to go up or down, antithetical actions. The crevice thus articulates a counter-narrative critique of the unitary perfections of a cityscape and its inhabitants. The complete breakdown of communication between the man and the officer is a blotch on the entire paradigm of control by the state and its allies. This breakdown is located in a complex in-between-ness, as it works both ways. The officer’s interrogation cannot extract a satisfactory response from the man while the man too, as he spoke, continued to be distracted by the growing size of the crevice on the wall, which was grey or green. The only answer he claimed about the crevice was that it was a literary artefact. The crevice as a literary artefact also metaphorizes break and discontinuity, between language and silence as also between desire and reality. The growing crevice on the wall symbolizes a point of spatial critique and intersection of the panoptic, which breaks. It is at this point that the man’s mind drifts off towards conceptualizing the “spatialization of culture” as he reckons with the difficulty of grasping reality in terms of its time and ‘direction’, “si no hay continuidad, equivale a afirmar que no existe ninguna realidad, salvo el momento” (270) [“In the absence of continuity, you have to accept that no reality exists apart from the present”, [My translation]. Further down he says, “La altura en que estuviera colocado decidía, en este caso, la direccion.” [270] [“The direction was determined, in this instance, by the level at which the eye was situated. {My translation}]” The narrative that follows is clearly reminiscence of an Internet game space. Es curioso que el mismo instrumento sirva tanto para subir como para bajar, siendo en el fondo, acciones opuestas – reflexionó el hombre, en voz alta….un minuto antes de la vacilación – continuó – , la memoria hizo una laguna. La memoria navega, hace agua. No sirvió; quedó atrapada en el subterráneo. [270]. Its odd that the same instrument is good for going up and down-at heart two antithetical actions,’ the man thought aloud…A moment before hesitation ,’ he continued, ‘a gap opened in my memory. Memory can drift, spring a leak. Mine got stuck in the underground, it was no use.’ [My translation]. This momentary loss of a working memory is not amnesia but a ‘literary device’ and ‘una grieta inesperada’ or ‘an unexpected crack’ (271), like a hung Internet space. The citizen transiting this space had difficulty seeing as “solo una abstraccion nos permitía saber, cuando nos sumergimos, si la corriente nos desliza hacia el origen o hacia la desembocadura del río, si empieza o termina” (271) [‘when submerged, only an abstraction allows us to know whether the current is taking us to the source or the outlet of the river, to where it begins or ends’ {My translation}]. Like the Internet game space, there are neither beginnings nor endings, or rather they are just provisional and are meant to score a point. The foot, half raised, halted due to uncertainty. ‘No hay ningún dramatismo en ello, sino una especie de turbacion.’ [271] [‘There was nothing dramatic about it, just a kind of confusion.’{My translation}] The foot is narrated as a fragment of the body of the man, which is disabled due to a brief gap in memory resulting in confusion, not an epic hero who strives to change the world. He barely manages to survive it. It almost reads like the cursor on the computer screen, which can’t move because the computer is hung. The analogy of the real space with the virtual one only serves to highlight the nature of this spatial contour as heterotopias. Heterotopias are spaces, which exist in all cultures but function differently as per situations of each culture. They are such spaces which are real spaces but relate to/juxtapose with utopias and real spaces of both geophysical and virtual types. They are manufactured and artificially put in place and include for example prisons, asylums, zoos or gardens which are either forbidden or privileged spaces. Peri Rossi’s city-as-home, fits in as a heterotopic space which groups together citi-zens as members who have had to be permitted into “accommodation” in order to be subjected to control and surveillance. Such permissions are granted under conditions of a pre-figured, strict systemic grammar of behaviour and anyone who does not follow this grammar is coolly picked out to ‘cleanse’ the space and put it back in order. So this odd man, who invests in “thinking” can’t possibly belong to this order. It is interesting for us, at this point to make note of the writer’s brief biography.[8] She is an Uruguayan who has lived in exile since 1972 in Franco’s Spain, in Barcelona. She was expelled again in 1974 for anti-fascist activism, after which time she took refuge in Paris for nine months. She then married and moved back to Spain. In an interview with the famous Mexican writer, Carmen Boullosa, she explains her experience of exile and abandonment thus. This second exile lasted some nine months. It wasn’t only exile; the problem was that the dictatorship had revoked my citizenship, and then I had no documents. I was, in fact, stateless and clandestine in France, which put me in a state of acute anxiety. … … … … I appealed to the brotherliness of my Communist comrades in Spain, and I found a husband. We were brave, because only the church could marry people, and divorce didn’t exist. I entered Spain secretly, and I found a leftist priest to marry us, and obtained Spanish citizenship. Luckily, my husband was gay. (The Artiste’s Voice) Peri Rossi’s feeling of rootlessness and statelessness as a Uruguayan political exile also overlaps with a kind of economic abandonment of neoliberal agendas in her home country. Add to this the fact that she is gay herself and thus when the interviewer asks her if patriotism is an undesirable factor, she responds I completely agree. But, if I tell you this, it’s because I put myself in the place of people who love their homeland. In other words, here, when they ask me, “What are you more, Spanish or Uruguayan?” I say, “I am a citizen of the world.” In any part of the world, I defend the same things. I lived in Berlin where I defended the same things. When I arrived here, I fought against Franco, just like I would have fought for Allende, if I had been in Chile. But that doesn’t mean that all countries are the same to me. The ones I feel a kinship with are those in which justice, and human and animal rights are defended. That’s the true homeland. (The Artistes’ Voice) Yet in post-Franco Spain she maintains that her favourite past time is playing games on the Internet, and not reading literature or seeing good movies. There you have it! I believe that knowledge is uncomfortable, and when I want to amuse myself, I play games on the Internet. I don’t amuse myself with music, movies, or paintings. When it comes to those things, I actually suffer. But suffering is also a type of knowledge. A biology book can seem very entertaining to me. I don’t ask that it be well written. I do ask that it provide information. I always demand that literature be written well, because that’s what pertains to literature, correct? (The Artistes’ Voice) The point here to be noted is that in spite of what Peri Rossi claims, we do see how her experience with internet gaming as amusement has perforated into her literary disposition, which she believes only nurtures itself from her knowledge as suffering. On the contrary, amusement and suffering contribute equally. In another interview she says the following regarding her last collection of short stories, Habitaciones. En los dos últimos años, al mismo tiempo que poesía, había escrito varios relatos, de temas y extensión diferentes. Cuando los leí, me di cuenta de que algunos se desarrollaban en habitaciones cerradas: una celda de prisión, la habitación de un psiquiátrico y varios hoteles. Tenían otra cosa en común: reflejaban el mundo estrictamente contemporáneo del capitalismo salvaje, con sus numerosos artilugios de comunicación – celulares, Internet, congresos, pantallas- pero no había verdadera comunicación. Había prisa, pero incomunicación, soledad, y poca esperanza. Es un tema que me fascina: en el primer mundo, la mayor cantidad de aparatos de comunicación, las personas se tocan menos, conversan menos, comparten menos. Para ser escuchados, pagan al psicólogo, y para ser tocados, al masajista. Pero no son culpables de esta manera de vivir; la responsabilidad la tiene esta fase del capitalismo financiero, salvaje y destructivo. Esta transformación del mundo a principios del s. XXI me inquieta y la observo con la imparcialidad de una cronista. (Entrevista a Cristina Peri Rossi.) During the past two years, I had written several stories as well as poetry of different themes and extension. When I read, I realized that some were developed in closed rooms: a prison cell, the room of a psychiatric, a hospital and several hotels. They had another thing in common: they strictly reflected the contemporary world of unbridled capitalism, with its many communication gadgets – phones, Internet, conference halls and displays, but there was no real communication. There was rush, isolation, loneliness, and very little hope. It is a subject that fascinates me: in the first world, the greater the number of communication devices, the less they talk, the less they actually play and the less they share. To be heard, they pay the psychologist, and to be touched, the masseur. But they are not guilty of this conduct as the responsibility lies with this phase of financial capitalism, wild and destructive. This transformation of the world at the beginning of s. XXI makes me restless and I watch it with the impartiality of a reporter.) [My translation] What she talks about here with respect to communication is also true of commuting through mass transit systems. What she talks of here with respect to closed spaces becomes relevant also with respect to public spaces. These are the heterotopias designed, derided and deployed to stupefy citizens as subjects and to “colonize” them in newer ways. There is no scope of any talking nor hearing, nor any touching or of sharing. However, only a hung space enables screaming, or a pinching, or a molestation, or a near rape amidst the confusion of violence, indifference and deafness. It is only in the hung space where “gender” plays out as pervert hysteria so that the ‘he’/ ‘she’ seems to disentangle themselves out into shameful prominence. Hybridity of peoples and their bodies, spaces and idioms and the uselessness of mechanical movements, driven to patterns of banal everyday gaming, thus render mute any scope of agency, whether as a collective or an individual. Only the crowd, anonymity and exile feed into nomadic global conduits of irrelevant/imagined economic and political “stances” of a culture of predatory ‘management’ system of neoliberalism constantly under the surveillance of a police state. The police state, however, is also fraught with the same risks of routine prescriptive moves, blind to any difference of any ‘literary device’ Footnotes - Angel Rama’s book explores the nexus between intellectual elites and city planners of colonial Latin America to draw the geo-political (logocentric) centres of power in the centres of the city and of the colonized peoples plagued by depravation, poverty and the most inhuman living conditions in the peripheries. - The concepts of the Panopticon and the Heterotopia will become clear on reading Michel Foucault’s references in the Works Cited. Basically these are spaces created in order to wield power through surveillance and through control of the lives of the people who inhabit them. - The Uprooted’ from the collection La ciudad de Luzbel, (1992) and could be accessed in English 0on 28.12.13: - All citations from Cristina Peri Rossi’s two short stories will from now onwards carry only the page numbers. - This refers to what Walter Benjamin alludes to in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction as the different ways in which art was appreciated earlier that is through contemplation in museumized spaces and how they are appreciated today in an absent minded and distracted way. Interestingly, this also is applicable in the way the city is viewed and ‘consumed’ today as compared to how they were in classical times. - The Panopticon is a real space on top of a prison so that it enables a continuous visibility of all the cell inmates by a single guard without himself being visible to them. It is an advantage position of surveillance while the inmates are aware that they are being watched though they can’t see who is watching. Foucault’s conception of this spatial trope helps understand how modern urban sites are engineered so that they can be subjected to surveillance systems deployed through digitalized technologies such as Google earth. - This title translates as “The Crevice” in The Museum of Useless Efforts. Tr. Tobias Hecht. University of Nebraska Press, 2001. - The reason for dwelling on the writer’s biography here is not to establish author’s intention as being a determining factor of this narrative in any direct way, rather as a deleuzian assemblage. The basic issue is of the death of the author on one hand (Roland Barthes) as also of the signature of the author (Foucault), on the other. The writer’s own experiences of exile and internet gaming, in this sense, supports the argument of a heterotopia, both as a privileged and as a forbidden space which supplements her narrative in these stories other than merely being the reason of it. It works like a deleuzian plateau or/and a Foucauldian layer towards the conception and deployment of the idea of a Panopticon and a Heterotopia. Works Cited Amin, A. «Ethnicity and the Multicultural City», Environment and Planning A, 6.34(2002) 959-980. Amin, Ash. “Collective Culture and Urban Public Space.” 12. 11.13: public space: Collective culture and urban public space (…/b003-collective-culture-and-urban-) Appadurai, A. Modernity at Large. Cultural Dimensions of Globalization, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1996. “The Artist’s Voice since 1981.” 10.11.13: BOMB Magazine: Cristina Peri Rossi by Carmen Boullosa () Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Tr. J.A. Underwood. New York, London & Victoria: Penguin Books, 2008. Entrevista a Cristina Peri Rossi para Semanario Búsqueda. Montevideo, Uruguay Mayo 2010. 15.11.13: “Farman Jason. “Mapping the Digital Empire: Google Earth and the Process of Post Modern Cartography.” In Martin Dodge et al edited. Theories of Mapping Practice and Cartographic Representation. New Jersey: Wiley Blackwell, 2011. 464-470. 20.11.13: Mapping-the-Digital-Empire_The-Map-Reader.pdf Foucault, Michel. “Panopticism” in Discipline and Punish. The Birth of a Prison. Tr. Alan Sheridan. London: 1991. 195-228. Foucault, Michel. “Of Other Spaces (1967)” in Michiel Dehaene & Livien de Cauter edited Heterotopia and the City: Public Space in a Postcivil Society. New York and London: Routledge, 2008. Lane, Jill. “Digital Zapatistas.” The Drama Review 47.2(T178 Summer 2003). Copyright 2003. New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 20.11.13: Digital Zapatistas - California State University, Northridge . Peri Rossi, Cristina. “De La ciudad de Luzbe”l, In Cuentos reunidos. Barcelona: Lumen, 2007. _______________ . The Museum of Useless Efforts. (tr.) U of Nebraska Press, 2001. Powell, Jason L. Revisiting Appadurai: Globalizing Scapes in a Global World – the pervasiveness of economic and cultural power”. In Sincronía, Fall 2011. Rama, Angel. La ciudad letrada. Montevideo: Arca, 1998. Roy, Ananya. “The 21st-Century Metropolis: New Geographies of Theory.” Regional Studies, 43.6,(July 2009): 819-830. Sassen, Saskia. “Whose City is it? Globalization and the Formation of New Claims.” 16.12.13:.

Growing. I would want our children to the Indian Cooking Challenge! and below is the logo Indian Cooking Challenge Rules: -, they should explain in detail their experience while cooking the dish along with the verdict. - Elaborate pictures if accompanying is most welcome. - Should display the logo of were. The posting date is 15th of every month! Other details: - Special cooking gadgets will be suggested along with the recipe. - Alternative ingredients will be suggested - We should be able to come up with an alternative for Vegan specific requirements. If it’s. Count me in.. Hi, Good idea.I have to see the list first.Hopefully its something I can prepare!!Waiting eagerly…. im in!!!!! Authentic dishes event.. Good thought..! Will send some..!:) Gud going..U can count me but I'll not be regular one too…if that's okie 😉 Hi Srivalli, very nice idea, count me in. Since my mom is here for a month, I can surely do something new with her help & post it 🙂 Iam in too.It makes blogging even more interseting. This is going to be great. Count me in too. Please count me in too 🙂 Iam in, Valli .. I am in 🙂 I know you are the only person who get all this wonderful ideas of course I am in valli. my choice is boondi laddu and kakinada kaja. Wow what a great idea! I'm all set to go 🙂 Hi! An interesting concept . Would like to see the challenge . Will consider based on the availability of the ingredients. Great idea Srivalli!! I will do my best in the challenge 🙂 Count me in… I can definitely take up the challenge and post something. Love the new look of your site, Srivalli! This challenge sounds exciting. Valli, I was searching for this post in cooking4allseasons 🙂 🙂 …will surely rethink abt the list 🙂 Love, Bharathy 🙂 OMG – only you could have thought of this Valli! I think its a great idea – not sure if I even have the time or energy to promise to participate but will definitely support you from the outside 😉 🙂 Sri,thats a great event..inspiring lazy woman ike me..!! Can I come in dear ..love to participate AnnSure, will send out an invite soon Would love to make something for this event Srivalli! Gr8 idea sri, love to cook our authentic indian food…count me in.. Can you take me in too??? or am I late???? Sounds interesting 🙂. I am also interested to join u. Can i ?? my mail id is [email protected] Sreevalli, Nutan, Shobha, please leave your email ids. . 🙂rivalli, can i participate in this event Hi Sri, I forgot to give my email id, its [email protected]. Take Care Anu??? Hi Srivalli, I would like to be a part of the Indian Cooking Challenge. Please mail me at [email protected] Arundhuti Srivalli, I started bloging lately can i join in Indian cooking challenge. My e-mail id is [email protected]. Hi Srivalli, I am eager to participate in this challenge!!!! Hi Srivalli my mail id is [email protected]. [email protected] I am ready for the challenge. Include like participate in ICC my email id is [email protected] I would like to be a member of ICC. [email protected] I would love to participate in this event. I am new to the blog world. Please include me in your list. [email protected] Thanks.. hai Srivalli! A real indian cooking challenge.. Please count me in for this challenge, my name is Priya and my email id is [email protected] and I have recently started my very own blog 🙂 My e-mail ID is [email protected]. Hope to meet many new ppl thru your contest 🙂 Hi Srivalli, I would love to participate in the ICC event. Not sure if its too late already. Please send me the details when you get a chance. Thanks Rachana [email protected] what a nice idea to have traditional delicacies,plz count me Hi srivalli, Roha here, I believe am too late to participate,I didnt get your mail 🙁 Just discovered the contest.. I would love to participate. My email id is [email protected] Hi Srivalli, I would love to participate in this event. I just hope I am regular 🙂 My email id is [email protected] Thanks, Saranya Hi srivalli your blog is awesome. i would love to be a part of this challenge. my email id is [email protected] please do send me the details been always wanting to take part .. can you count me in as well .. My mail ID is [email protected] Hi, Just saw the contest. I would like to participate. [email protected] Please count me in. My email id is [email protected]. Hello Srivalli,I am Uma,I would like to be part of this challenge.My mail id:[email protected] Hi Srivalli, Nice to see ur blog and the challenge too. I would like to participate in this great event. My email id is [email protected] Count me in as well Srivalli. Though new to food blogging, i am inspired to write new recipes. Forgot my email id It is: [email protected] Hi I m ritu I love to Participate my id is [email protected] my email ID is [email protected],do let me know how I can register for the event ! is it still running..i want to join..here is my id [email protected] Hi srivalli, I am happy to have crossed by your post.. Please count me in. My email id : [email protected] Hai Srivalli! I am a new blogger and I bumped into the announcement for Indian Cooking Challenge. Can I join your event? My mail ID is [email protected] Please visit my blog and leave your valuable comments. Hi Valli, Yesterday only I have left comment here. I am eagerly waiting to participate in the ICC event and take up the challenge. my email id is [email protected] waiting. I would love to participate. My email id is [email protected] Hi, Just happeed to land on your blog…Kindly let me know whether i can still send some entries…. Dr.Sameena@ Hi am Sushma Pinjala, happy to be part of such a great cooking challenges. My ID [email protected] I'd like to join your challenge!!!I'm going to send you my e-mail. CHEERS! Michele Hey, I am new to Blogging and I would like to join your blog and ICC. hey, first itme on your blog space ….and i am gobsmacked. all the contents are fantastic.please do count me in if ICC is still on. my id : [email protected] valli,would be a pleasure to participate in the ICC. count me in. Wow this is such a lovely event, considering my whole blog is a dedication to my mom —I would love to join and send in a recipe And my email is [email protected] I would like to participate… Is it too late? Please email me to [email protected] Sounds really interesting. Wonder how i missed this all this while. My email id [email protected] Hi, Would love to participate. my email id – [email protected] Thanks Hi Srivalli I would love to participate in this event.Please coumt me in… Here goes my email ID [email protected] Cheers Ramya Hy Srivalli, very interesting…Would love to join in this group..and become a member of ICC. I HAD NO IDEA THIS GROUP EXISTED. VERY WONDERFUL IDEA! PLEASE ADD ME TO THIS GROUP. MY E-MAIL ID IS [email protected] thank you, cant wait to participate! I have been blogging for more than 3 months. I would love to participate in ICC. My email [email protected] Hello, I am Reva I want to participate in this event and I did leave my id three times previously…I did not get any updates…. let me know .my id : [email protected] Thanks. Reva Hi Srivalli, This sounds super fun! I sooo wanna take part in it too! 🙂 My id : [email protected] Thanks & Regards, Mehnaz Reva, Since your comment was caught in spam I saw it only today. Sorry about that. I have sent you details to your id. Hi Srivalli Thought for quite a while-finally decided to give ICC a try or rather decided to challenge myself with something new each month. Count me in abbhi_515 (at) yahoo (dot) com Thanks Abbhi count me in too.. I would like to participate in the challenge. my email id is [email protected] Srivalli, would love to do this month's challenge; my email: tiffincarrieranticques AT gmail DOT com I saw this month's challenge khandvi and was so much excited by that. I would also like to join the group. Do count me in , my id is [email protected] I would like to participate, I tried to subscribe through the subscribe button on top of the page but it didn't work. My emailId is [email protected] Thanks I am definitely interested. Plz let me know the details/invite. Since for the 7 day blogging marathon I made some gadbad I am covering both my bases and sending you both a email as well as posting my comment.my mail id is [email protected] Hi Srivalli , Looks like a great event. Would love to participate. my email id : [email protected] wow…sch a nice event…is it too late to join?? hi Srivalli : I have newly founded this blog and would greatly help if you can add me to your community of Indian Cooking challenge and other food blog events too ! My email ID : [email protected] Also do drop by my blog 🙂 Thanks. Momchef Hello ! Would love to be a part of this group. My e-mail i.d. is [email protected] Hi, I would like to participate in this contest. My blog is lathaskitchenworld.blogspot.com and my id is [email protected] hi srivalli, i am a new blogger and i am intrested to participate in this event.my id [email protected] Wow. This is my dream come true. I would love to be a part, I have read the rules. My e-mail is [email protected] plese include me in this [email protected] Hi Srivalli, I would love to be part of ICC. Do add me!! reshrite(at)gmail(dot)com Hi Srivalli, I would love to participate in ICC.. Please count me in.. My email id krithiskitchen[at]gmail[dot]com Pls count me in.Love to participate in such contests,above all love to explore the traditional Indian cuisine. My id is [email protected] love to join in… [email protected] Would Love to participate in this . My email id is [email protected] I will be adding the logo on my blog in a day i would like to participate…[email protected] Srivalli,am interested in participating this event.My email is [email protected]. Thanks, Count me in. My id is [email protected] Hi Dear… Would love to participate.. Lemme know the details @ [email protected] I would love to participate but would like to know is this still open?? If so count me in [email protected] Hi.. This is an excellent idea. My email is [email protected] would like to be a part of this event. 🙂 Hi, I just started following your blog and am relatively new to the blogging world. I would like to join this challege if it still on. Let me know. My mail ID is [email protected]. Hi Srivalli, I Would appreciate if u can count on me. Regards Rajitha Reddy Hi, Tis is sabina i would like to be part of ICC as i created a blog recently..Can u add me to tis group if itz not too late… My mail-id: [email protected] Hi, I would like to be a part of tis event.. hey Srivalli… I am new to the world of bloggoing…I would like to participate in the event…plz help me to do so…. thnx a lot Neha I would love to join the challenge.My id is [email protected] Hi Srivalli I have started blogging just recently and would love to participate in the Icc event, i have followed your earlier events and Gulab Jamun was on of my fav 4m the many u all have hosted. This is my email id [email protected] Do let me know. Hi I would love to participate! my email is [email protected]. would love to participate my email id is [email protected] I would love to participate. pls count me in my id is [email protected] Regards Suja Cool event, missed it ths time ,would luv to participate mail me @ [email protected] hi i want to participate am i late ,if not just let me know my e mail address:[email protected] Hello Srivalli. I'm a new food blogger. I loved your blog & I'm very interested in taking part in your challenge. I'm Kavitha from Edible Entertainment () You can contact me at [email protected] Hi Srivalli Would luv to be a part of it…..do drop me a mail when the next comes up [email protected] Pinky the challenge is on from such a long time i hav just started cooking but i would love to try my hand at this [email protected] Hello dear…seeing this event for the first time…and would like to be a part of this… my email: [email protected] Hi can I join???? You can contact me @ [email protected] Hi Srivalli …I'm willing to get into such a luvly and innovative ICC Event from Next month(Nov) on.Count me in. my email id is [email protected] regards, Christy Gerald Hi, would be glad to be part of the challenge.. my maid id is [email protected] Hi!I will be happy to be a part of 'Indian Cooking Challenge'.Please let me know in a greater depth,my e-mail is [email protected] Must congratulate you for this interesting concept!:-) Hi … I want to participate in this event .. Love the recipes everyone proudly states as made for ICC :D.. Please let me know if I can, on my email id : [email protected] Cheers ! Hi Srivalli, is this event still on? If so, please count me in. Its a brilliant idea. My email ID is [email protected] HI… Please let me know how to join the group… Hey Valli, awesome space you have. I would love to be a part of the blogging marathon. I m so excited to run along and do let me know when its happenin next. My email id s [email protected] Hello, I have been searching for an Indian cooking monthly challenge. just came across this blog. I am a new food blogger. I would really love to be a part of this group. Is it stillactive? Please let me know if i can join. My email address is [email protected] thank you. Aditi Hi, Is this challenge still open? Regards, Pinksocks Hi , I want to participate.Can you please include me. I can share recently prepared "Baby potato recipe". Thanks Manidipa would be interested if give me an opportunity [email protected]. I found this page from Vegetarian Tastebuds. I love Indian food and I would love to join the challenge if you're still adding people. My email is [email protected]. Thank you. Hi Srivalli, Let me know if we can still join. my id – [email protected] I would love to participate in this cooking challenge. My I.D is [email protected] Would like to participate …. my email id is [email protected] hi srivalli its a great thought about indian traditional cuisine.. i don't abt more than south food i know most of indian cuisine could u tell me how to postt and how to decide challenge Hi! I hope it's not too late to join. I would love to participate. My email id is [email protected] love to join in. I am at [email protected] Hi Srivalli, Are you still holding this competition? I would like to take part in this contest. My email id is [email protected] Waiting for your reply! Hi Srivalli, This is a great concept. Please add me to the group. my email id is [email protected] Thanks HomeMantra Hi Srivalli, Loved the ICC challenge idea!! Would live to participate hopefully from this month onward:) My email id is [email protected] Looking forward to hear from you soon! Cheers Gauri Shirke Hi, This is a great idea! Please add me to the group. My email id is [email protected] Would like to participate, if this is still open for new members. here is my email ad : [email protected] Hello Srivalli, I would also like to join this culinary adventure. My mail ID is: [email protected] Manju I have thought about this for a long time and finally after making kajji kayalu, I feel I am ready for the challenge if I'm allowed – just to learn new things I would love it [email protected] Thanks Mireille Don't know whether its too late to join but a very interesting concept! I would like to try it as well! My email is [email protected] Kindly assist if possible hi Srivalli, i would like to participate in the event. My email id is [email protected] Blog name: Roshans Cucina regards, roshan hi i m new to blogging world.. can i also join you guys? emaid id is: [email protected] blog name: Krishna Arpanam thanks n regards Shivani I just saw your weblink. I would love to participate in this challenge. My contact iemail id is: [email protected]. wOULD LOVE TO PARTICIPATE Hi srivali lovely concept totally want to join in this challenge my website [email protected] is my hey want to join the group srivalli…..my email id is [email protected] Hello Srivalli would love to join ICC…Im Lakshmi of cook n cackle blogspot.in and my email id is [email protected] Plz count me in.. [email protected] Would love to take part in this wonderful group please count me in my email id is [email protected] will be waiting for ur reply thank you. How do I participate in your blogging Marathon Sri Valli. My email is [email protected].. Thanks hi I would love to be a part of this event do count me in plz this is mmy mail id [email protected] I love to join in the group and please contact me [email protected] Hi count me in… 🙂 my e mail id is [email protected]. Thanks sushmita Hi Srivalli, My name is Nayana and the email id is :[email protected] I know this is too late and the challenge is going on since many years but I am very much interested to be a part of it if possible. Would be very happy if you include me in the group. Eagerly waiting for ur reply in my mail… hi srivalli, i would love to be a part of this group… please advise, my email address is [email protected] Hi,Please tell me the joining instructions of Indian cooking challenge,I love to join Hi Srivalli, Would love to join the event. My email: [email protected] If it is not too late I would love to join from this month. I would like to take part in both Blogging Marathon and Indian cooking challenge. But i could find your email id in this blog . Is it to subscribe. plz do give me your email id. I m Preetha and my blog is my email id id [email protected]. I commented earlier I would like to take part in the event.. i have mailed u before but didnt get any reply.. i email id is [email protected] Hi srivalli, Would like to participate. Cheers, Anitha Hi Valli, This is a wonderful idea. Please add me in for the contest. My email id is [email protected] Hey count me in. Rgds, Anitha Hi ,I am gouri.i would love to participate in your challenge.This is my first time. Let me know the details . [email protected] Would love to join this group! HI I would like to be a part of this event. [email protected] Hello, this is Lipika Roy. I would love to join your group. My email is [email protected] Would love to part- [email protected] Can i join this group id- [email protected] I will participate in this event Would love to be a part of this challenge if i am not too late! My email id is [email protected] … Waiting for the updates! 🙂 Hi, i am sumathikeshav I saw your challange of indian cooking i am also intreasted in that can u please guide me how to proceed Becaz i dont have any blog of my own is this very important having a blog,if v do not have then we cannot participate in challange.if v can then how? My email id is [email protected] I will be waiting for your answer. I am in..my email id is [email protected] Thanks, Anu Would like to participate in this event! HI I Also want to join in this marathon my email id is [email protected] Hi I would like to join in. My email is: [email protected]. Hi Srivalli, I would like to participate in the blogging marathon. Could you please let me know how to sign up. My mail id is [email protected]. My website is ranimascookroom.blogspot.com I am intrested . My email id is : [email protected] . Hi, I’m a new to food blogging and own a blog yumtumbhojana.com I have been inactive for quiet a while now due to personal reasons and would like to keep up my blog live in the coming month. I happened to bump across your blog and the blogging marathon page pulled me in to read further. I would like to participate in your blogging marathon to keep me motivated. Please let me know the procedure to join the BM if its still going on. My email id is [email protected] and i would be happy if you could visit my blog and provide me some suggestion to improve my blog. Thanks Rohini

Meet.” Bluegreen, like many unscrupulous telemarketers, takes advantage of a provision of the Do-Not-Call List that allows businesses to contact people with whom they have an “established business relationship.” Merely signing up for the raffle establishes a business relationship, meaning that Bluegreen and their affiliates get to interrupt your dinner for the next 18 months. Congress is preparing to reauthorize the Do-Not-Call List, presenting the perfect opportunity to close the loophole with an easy and reasonable fix. As suggested by the AARP, the standard of “established business relationship,”should be changed to “ongoing business relationship.” Problem solved. Skirting the Do Not Call Registry [BusinessWeek] (Photo: Getty Images) Edit Your Comment Many people don’t realize that the DNC list only prevents companies from doing cold calls (i.e., they have no previous business relationship with you) to your number. Send any company your number and voila! They’re authorized to call you. While we’re on the subject, despite all of the e-mail circulation rumors (I just got one 15 min ago), cell phones still aren’t on the list. You can still put it on if you really want to for peace of mind. I’m surprised the company even bothers operating within the scope of the law. All they have to do is telemarket with false Caller ID information using the name of a fictitious timeshare company. Any complaints to the attorney general will be lodged against that untraceable company. The only people who find out what the real company is are those that actually come in to sign papers, and then the business relationship has started anyway. I’m pretty cynical of the whole system — no agencies have ever taken any of my complaints about DNC violations seriously. I’ve gotten either a form letter or no reply at all. My girlfriend signed us up for newspaper delivery on a sunday. She gave them her cell # for billing reasons and within 2 days we were getting calls from a number we had never seen before. Every day, 3 times + a day for 3 weeks (even on Sundays and after 9pm on weekdays), once she told me i looked the number up and found it was a telemarketing company who bought phone numbers from newspapers and then in order to avoid breaking the law before they tried to sell you something they asked a couple survey questions about the paper. Well I called them and told them to remove me from their list, then I called the paper told them since they sold my number they already made enough profit from me and I refused to pay the bill (all of $2) and then i told them to never bring me a paper again. The lady on the phone must have been drunk because she didnt seem to understand that getting phone calls all day everyday was an annoyance. We were also never informed our number would be sold out for profit 30 seconds after we signed up for the paper. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STOP USING THE TERM “AFTER THE JUMP”! It is so old and over used on your site. Why can’t congress just make it illegal to sell customer information? That will be problem solved. While they are at it, why don’t they just make selling over the phone and email illegal. Oh, what happy people we would be! HA! I just received a call from a “charitable organization”. The current national do not call registry is pretty useless. The old state level one that we had in Indiana was much tougher and much more effective. Seriously, if I put my number on the do not call list that means that no business should call me including opinion research firms, politicians, newspapers, not-for-profits, and everything else. If my college hadn’t sold my name to atleast 50 different debt consolodation companies I woulnd’t be in the mess I am in right now @NoNamesLeft: 1. This site has a lot of after-the-jump content, so I imagine the frequency of use is appropriate, though that depends on your threshold of overuse. 2. Believe it or not, most of the phrases in the modern vernacular, including many of the phrases you use yourself, are decades, even CENTURIES old! I have a land line that I use only for my alarm system. So obviously anyone who calls it is a telemarketer. It has turned into a source of entertainment really! Use the Judge Judy soundboard from e-baums world for some fun. The good ol compressed air horn is fun too! My latest feat is recording one of these mindless crackheads droning on and on without letting you talk and then playing it when another one calls. You’d be amazed what its like when you turn the tables on them. But by far my favorite is, “Hold on” and I’ll put down the phone and let it sit for 5 minutes and pick it up and say hold on again. This is usually good for wasting upwards of 15 minutes of their time. Maybe I just love messing with these scumbags too much. If you have an established business relationship with a company, you can still ask them to place you on their do not call list and they have to abide by it. “As suggested by the AARP, the standard of “established business relationship,”should be changed to “ongoing business relationship.” Problem solved.” You and I both know that is still too broad. And this is why I never enter raffles or free car give-aways at the mall. One time my friend and I were at the mall. She saw a free car raffle and wanted to sign up. I told her to forget it. It’s a scam. They’re just harvesting contact info and selling it to telemarketers. I guess I said it a little too loud because there were a few people that were filling out the entry form near by. They looked over at me, paused, looked at the entry form, then walked away and trashed their entry forms. Haha. @NONAMESLEFT Ugh.. I hate “after the jump” also. Actually, it’s a legit word. But it’s misused by blog sites. A “page jump” lets you skip or move to specific pages in a non sequential way. You often see this on gallery sites. Like this.. First Page | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | Last Page But on blog sites, there’s no reason for a jump. What you read is the excerpt (or first paragraph) on the front page or in your RSS reader. The rest of the story displays when you click on it. So really, they should say “(continue reading)” with a hyperlink. But “after the jump” isn’t has bad as “deets” which is some stupid slang for the word “details”. You see this used mostly on those tech/gadget sites. “More deets after the jump”. The Do Not Call list = the only good thing to come out of the Bush Administration. Seriously, the only telemarketing call I received since putting my name on the list was from Comcast, of which I am a subscriber. I politely asked them to put me on their Do Not Call list and, amazingly, they complied. Haven’t a telemarketing call in the years since then. @LatherRinseRepeat: More deets after the jump, natch. ;-) We’ve been getting barraged with phone calls recently. The biggest problem I have is that they are mostly recordings. And the charitable organizations that get a free pass on the DNCL are getting obnoxious by calling again if you say no! I don’t have much sympathy for people receiving phone solicitations after entering a raffle, drawing, free giveaway, etc. That is exactly the purpose of such programs; they are trying to get your information for the extremely low cost of a few measly prizes. I love the do-not-call list, but are we really so infantile that we can’t take a few basic precautions towards protecting our information? The odds of winning one of those raffles are usually pretty dismal, so you are not sacrificing much by abstaining from them. I moved to a new apartment in June and got a land line for the first time in 7 years. Within 72 hours of installing the line, I got two calls from the Washington Times. After politely telling the second operator that she couldn’t pay me to subscribe and to never call again, I signed up for the national DNC list. I haven’t received a solicitation again Now, I don’t know how long it takes for the DNC or whether the list is working for me, I do know that the list isn’t not working for me. That’s good enough for me, for now. One major problem with the DNC list is there are exceptions to it. For instance, not-for-profit companies do not have to follow it. I worked for one as a cold caller for a few months (wort job I have ever held) and asked about it and even had the law in the office so we could respond to people who threaten lawsuits. We did have an internal do not call list, but any customer who acted like a complete asshole usually got “mistakenly” added to the “redial-no answer” list (which would cycle their number through in the next couple of hours instead of the DNC list. and as much as people hate getting these calls, its not the person who is calling you at fault, hell they probably didn’t even dial your number (a computer dialed our because it was faster and with less error)They are just doing their job, so be nice to them. Unless they get pushy, then they are just assholes. Don’t people just know not to answer any unidentified phone number? I only pick up when I’m in the mood to play (bwahahah). Yea, I’m on the DNC too but it doesn’t stop political or nonprofit fundraisers. And when they change the loophole to “ongoing business” political and nonprofit groups will still be harrassing us. I’ve gotten zero calls to my land and cell lines from telemarketing. I can’t think of the last time I got one. The only one I was getting repeatedly was one from Bank of America, with which I bank, for their insurance and after a commenter helpfully gave the toll-free number to request they stop, those have completely stopped as well. I also never sign up for anything and if it’s unimportant and they insist for a phone number, I give them a fake one. *shrug* Get a digital answering machine. Telemarketers doesn’t talk into it, if a person really wants to talk to you they will leave a message. In fact, its a good habit to just let your answering machine answer the phone everytime and only pick up if you want to talk to that person Um, duh. When you sign up for contests, you are giving you information to spammers. Read the fine print or don’t complain. People still use lan lines? @spinachdip: That doesn’t mean you have to put in that BS every time. I’ve even seen sites use it to tell people to scroll past the sleazy ad banner placed right in the middle of what people came to read. Gee, if people stop reading at the banner, maybe there’s a reason… Here’s a new angle to this racket : I get calls all the time from cold calling ,dirtbag boiler room operators trying to peddle their worthless investment schemes (almost all of these are frauds,BTW).But the twist is this: They will begin the call by saying “Hello Mr. ______,I’m Bill Skankmuffin from TigerBalls Investments and you might remember that we talked a couple of months ago about _______” From there ,they pitch their crap at me in big,steaming heaps.The fact is,they are reading this script about having talked to me before to cover their sorry asses if I complain and take action. Clever. So don’t expect the government to come up with a DNC system that will defeat these clowns. Landline is for the DSL. Cell is for talking. I’m on the DNC but it doesn’t stop everything. Also, isn’t it kinda stupid to sign up for raffles at a kiosk in a mall? It may be sleazy but I give those telemarketers credit for originality. We get a fair number of calls frome telemarketers disguised as survey/polling calls. My husband has great fun with these folks and spent 10 minutes on the phone with one of them answering questions about his preference for toliet paper. Most of the time we just don’t answer our home phone. I once watched a investigative report on this lady who successfully sued Sears for calling her even after she asked to be put on the DNCL, and she caught some of the operators on tape not saying who they were calling from, being verbally abusive, etc…. When she finally got her settlement, part of it was like free car repair service or tires or something along those lines. BUT, she found out only later that by accepting the service, she opened herself up AGAIN to phone calls because part of the fine print on the service tickets said they could call, or have affiliates call about offers relating to services rendered. It was a very “Doh!” moment. Most non-profits that I have worked for will immediately take you off of a call list when you request it. Granted, I only work in the performing arts, so who knows what other non-profits do. My current job even has a special drop-down item on each customer account to sort solicitation requests, “No mail,” “No phone,” “No mail and phone.” But we don’t even do telemarketing. We tried it one year, but we felt too sleazy the whole time and it wasn’t worth the extra memberships we sold. We only do direct mail advertising, and if we get a call to be taken off the mailing list, we do it immediately. But we theatre people are such pushovers, so maybe we weren’t built for sleazy marketing tactics. That must be why we always have no money. :/ If I get a unknown phone number repeatedly calling my cell, I either A) Tell them I’m 16/17 years old, and then they usually stop right there because most offers can’t be agreed by a minor, and they record the calls on their side for proof. B) Depending on the sex of the caller, I either adopt a gay man or angry woman voice, and tell them they best “stop callin’ my man!” because I have their number, and I know he’s cheating on me, etc… My best hang up time has been 5 seconds. or C) Go for my “Special Ed from Crank Yankers” routine, and try to keep them on the phone as long as I can trying to make them my “friend” and telling them random facts about myself or what I’m doing. “I don’t need gas gift cards cuz I have a bike with lights on the wheels, and a bell, and a flag, and I go really fast!” I stop getting calls from the companies after about 3 calls. Drop the idiotic “after the jump” phrase. @Papa Midnight: Absoulutely! What constitutes “ongoing”? No, what needs to be required is a bold-faced statement that says “WARNING: BY SUBMITTING THIS FORM YOU ARE AGREEING TO RECEIVE TELEMARKETING PHONE CALLS AND HAVE YOUR INFORMATION SOLD TO ANY OTHER COMPANY.” No more euphemisms, no more weasle words, no more mouse print. And no more fake giveaways! My favorite revenge on telewhores is my very unlisted telephone #. The number is really unlisted for use by family to reach me after hours at work and bypass the business telephone system. But somewhere in the backrooms of the babybell somebody has failed to reprogram the babybell internal records of the number to my name. Thus the babybell thinks the phone belongs to Mr ZXCVB. Which also means that anybody calling me on that line thinks I am Mr ZXCVB. I love having fun with the telewhores. I named myself the warden’s office. I have told the caller that I am waiting for a call for a condemned prisoner and then yell to somebody in the background. …. “OK, Bob, it is a false alarm, go ahead and pull the switch”. I have told the telewhore that their call came at the right time to keep me from commiting suicide…. do you mind if I talk to you for a while… it would make me feel better. I have asked the telewhore for a blonde. A blonde? Yes, of course, a nice busty blonde… you are with the escort service? I have told the telewhore that I am a defense specialist and they have interrupted my converstaion with the President on how to handle the inbound missiles. I have told the telewhore that I am busy delivering my 11 year old daughters baby…. I mean puppies. I have told the telewhore that my prisoners are escaping and the telewhore can call me back after we round up all of the escapees. Bottom line, if they can waste my time, why can’t I waste some of theirs?

Self-Editing Software Posted by Nancy J. Cohen on July 2, 2013 Recently I did a second read-through of Warrior Lord, #3 in the Drift Lords series. I’d already done a pass for line editing, so I hoped this one would be my last in a sweep for smoothness and repetitions I might have missed. I ended up knocking off 17 pages worth of prose. Oh, no. Did this mean I’d have to read all 460 pages again? I’m too close to the story. It’ll have to be put aside for a month or more, and I’d lose valuable time when I could be submitting it. While I pondered whether to consider submission now or not, I decided I’d better check for overusage of the word “just”, one of my favorite modifiers. Uh, oh. I used the word “just” 135 times. This included such words as “adjusted” and “justice of the peace” so I ignored those instances. But on more than one page, I had used “just” twice. Maybe there were more words like that one. I remembered bookmarking a site online that other authors recommended. It concerned a self-editing program for writers that would pick out problem areas like this, so I downloaded the free trial at. Whoa, my eyes popped at the results. The word “just” wasn’t my only debacle. I used “when” 256 times, “while” 182 times, “like” 235 times, “down” 210 times. Really? Even the word “forward” came up 82 times. Clearly, more polishing was in order. The program analyzed my sentence starters. I begin sentences with “A” 227 times, “And” 110 times, and “But” 111 times. We all know lots of sentences start with “The”. Mine did so for 545 times. Oh, dear. I’d better pay more attention to varying my sentence structure. How did my earlier novels get by without this amazing software? Then the program listed all the proper nouns used in the story. I discovered two different spellings for my hero’s homeworld: Agoora and Agora. I made that correction and moved on. The software also listed all the curse words used in my story. Okay, I didn’t have very many and they weren’t that bad. They can stand, but if you want your work to be a PG rating, this task can be helpful. It also points out clichés that you use. I didn’t realize I’d said “hands on” 11 times throughout the story. That might not seem like much for a 101,763 word novel, but I hadn’t realized I favored the phrase—as in the heroine puts her “hands on” her hips too many times. Fortunately, I didn’t have too many clichés and some I’d written on purpose so those other ones were okay to leave in. Next up in the program comes misused words, such as accept/except, anxious/eager, any more/anymore. Hmm, would she be anxious for his approval, or eager for it? Your dialogue tags don’t escape scrutiny, either. I used “said” 150 times and “asked” 54 times. There are occasions where a character bellows or shouts, but a singular usage in this instance might be acceptable. I’ll take another look to see if the dialogue can stand by itself. Finally, suspect punctuation like exclamation marks are pointed out along with the story locations where you use them.. Speaking of the latter, favored words in this story were “could”, “like”, “didn’t”, and “time,” among others. “Hands on” is another favorite cliché of mine is this story, too. I’d better watch out for that phrase hereafter. Regarding punctuation, I had an extra space before an emdash. Imagine that? I only ran the free trial for this program. The fully realized version allows you to set customized parameters. For $49.95, you can buy a license to use the program on your desktop and laptop computers running Windows. I don’t have any writing or story construction software, but this program seems essential. You might want to give it a try for yourself. Now I have more work to do. The book I thought was finished is not done. I had not polished it to perfection as I’d thought. My editor will have to wait weeks more for me to turn in this manuscript, but it’s a service to readers to make it the best it can be. What writing tools do you use that may be helpful to other writers? Jeffrey Marks said Thanks — I’m Jeff, and I’m a just-aholic! I’m off to download the software now. Nancy J. Cohen said That “just” word seems to get all of us. MishaBurnett said I tried it out, and the results were interesting. I’m not sure exactly what to make of it, I’ll play around with later. But I did notice that the name of the company is a Dr. Who reference, and that’s got to count for something. Nancy J. Cohen said I just edited–and there’s that word “just” again–a page with 3 usages of the word “Just”, although one of them was justice of the peace, and then I noticed two uses of the word “pressed” on the same page. This program highlighted that one as another watch word for me. So it’s been helpful! kathleenkaskawrites said Thanks, Nancy. I will most definitely check this program out! Nancy J. Cohen said Glad you stopped by! Terry Odell said I was given a free trial of a different proofreading program. I didn’t feed it my entire manuscript, but none of its grammar suggestions were right, so I won’t be using it for my work. I’ve used autocrit for finding the common overusages you mention, and that’s more helpful, although by now, I tend to have my list of words I check, and overused words and phrases do tend to jump out on my hard copy read. Don’t see them on the screen, but in my ‘different font, 2-column’ layout, I see lots of new stuff. With Word’s Find/Replace, I use “all word forms” so I’ll get look, looking, looked, etc. For words that don’t have legitimate different forms (such as “just”) I use “find whole words only” and that cuts down on my time. To be fair to the program I tested, I’d already done a pass for overused words. If anyone’s interested in seeing what kind of a job it did on my first chapter, you can find it here: And none of these programs can replace a human editor, because these programs can’t see context or story. Nancy J. Cohen said The human editor is what decides if a word is right or not. I use Word’s Find/Replace also, but I hadn’t realized which words I was overusing other than “just” until I tried this program. Now alerted, I can be on the lookout for them in future works. charlotte said This may be just what I have been looking for. My eyes have multiple problems, so I miss common typos. M.S. Word misses a lot, too and doesn’t understand basic dialog. If this software can make up for my eyesight issues, it makes the editor’s job of dealing with the story so much easier! Nancy J. Cohen said Check out the free trial to see if it works for you. You can run your current WIP through the program. Allison Chase said Just (oops! there’s that word!) be careful not to edit the “you” out of your books. There’s that fine line between polishing and losing your own distinct voice. Having said that, I’m in an editing phase now and constantly finding similar turns of phrase and overused words. Maybe I’ll check out that program… Nancy J. Cohen said That’s why the human editor is most important. Another read through may be required just (that word again!) to make sure everything is smooth. Karen Dean Benson said Nancy, thank you for sending this out on SWFRW. I believe I’ll be done editing last six chaps of my WIP by the end of this week. HA, now I’ll have to download smart-edit and most likely add another month or more. Ah, the life of perfection. karen dean benson Nancy J. Cohen said Yes, revisions never end, do they? Nancy J. Cohen said The program also says I use “when” 203 times. Here’s a paragraph I “just” read over (I can’t get rid of that word): The window lacked glass when he unlatched the shutter. Speaking of back ends, she got a nice view of his tight butt when he slung his cape over one arm and hoisted himself toward the narrow space. He squeezed through the aperture with a grunt. When it was her turn, she grabbed a nearby crate and used it to access the height. I used “when” 3 times in this one paragraph alone! Sandra Madden said Very interesting! I think I need this software. I’m a “just” kind of woman too. Among other favorites. Thank you for bringing this new software to our attention, Nancy. Nancy J. Cohen said You’re very welcome. Jacqueline Seewald said Nancy, This seems like a terrific tool. “Just” what we writers need. Nancy J. Cohen said Exactly–and that’s another word I have to watch for. Lynnette Hallberg said This program sounds great. What writer can’t use another set of eyes? Thanks, Nancy. Nancy J. Cohen said Enjoy using the free trial! jeannemeeks said Thanks, Nancy. I recently got my MS back from a $650 editor and found that she makes mistakes, too. I’m going to try this software on that MS. Nancy J. Cohen said Ouch, that’s a lot of money for things not to be perfect. jeannemeeks said Oops. The software download won’t work for me. They won’t have a Mac version until the end of 2013. Darn. Nancy J. Cohen said Yes, right now it’s only available for Windows. kaye george said wordcounter.com does this for free! I can put about 1/2 of a whole ms in it at once. I try never to send anything out without putting it through this place. Nancy J. Cohen said Really? I’ll have to check that out. Thanks for the tip. Theresa McClinton said I just checked it out, but unfortunately it’s not yet available for Mac. But they do have a page where you can enter your e-mail, and the website will send you a notification when the program is available for Mac users. I did that, by the way. Thanks for the very interesting article. Great for a final pass before submitting it an agent or editor. Nancy J. Cohen said Yes, this software is helpful. There may be other similar programs out there, including for the Mac, but I’m not familiar with them. Carol White said Sounds great. When I finish 3rd book, will give it a try. I’ve been careful not to overuse certain words and have already taken out a bunch of “really” and “just” even though people use those words a lot iin dialogue. Thanks for the tip. Nancy J. Cohen said I have to do another read through of Warrior Lord now after making all these new changes. Do the revisions ever end? Sigh. Nancy J. Cohen said Here’s another program that’s quite extensive:. You can run some of your work for free, otherwise it’s $35 per year. I like the idea of buying a one-time license for the Smart Edit software and then maybe supplementing that data with the free part of this program. It pointed out redundancies, like “new recruit” in my work. tmcclinton said oh wow! I just checked this program out and it’s awesome! I think I’ll pay the $35 until the other program comes out with a Mac version closer to next year. Thanks for the suggestion! Nancy J. Cohen said You’re welcome. They’re both good programs. fantasyauthorpatriciaclee said Wow, thanks so much for the interesting post. I’ve been meaning to check into this type of software but didn’t want to slug through the list on Google and also wanted a fellow writer’s experience (and having that writer as an FF&P member is even better!) I use Free Natural Reader. It will read (in a mechanical voice if you use the free version compared to the choice of two naturally sounding voices with the paid version) back what you’ve written. Picks up lots of typos especially when you hear instead of read. Of course if you have strange names or places, the programs tries to say it as best as it can. Website: Paid version ($49.50) comes in both Windows and Mac versions. I’ve used the free version twice and like it so far. tmcclinton said I use Natural Reader for all of my work. I usually do a few self edits first, and then after I correct everything from my first pass with my beta reader, I listen to the entire MS before submitting it for review by an agent or editor. So far it’s been great because actually hearing my book read aloud has helped me hear missing words, repetitive words, and stuff that I just missed the first time around. Nancy J. Cohen said Thanks for this reference. I’ll add it to my growing list. It’s useful to have all these resources. Cheryl Norman said Very helpful post, Nancy. I do searches for overused words (Mine is “well” in dialogue–ugh!), but I can use all the help I can get. Nancy J. Cohen said We don’t always know what words we overuse until someone else points them out. Sonya said Fantastic blog! Nancy J. Cohen said I suggest you look at the various writers groups around the web. Robert Etheredge said I think myWordCount does similar word and phrase counting and is now available for the Mac and Windows if someone needs that. You can see more details at. It also reports Flesch-Kinkaid scores for each sentence. Nancy J. Cohen said Thanks, I will check that site out. said What’s Happening i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I have discovered It positively useful and it has helped me out loads. I’m hoping to contribute & aid other users like its aided me. Good job.

All Aboard The Seasteading Institute’s New 275-foot Ship – August 2012 Newsletter it is official — WE HAVE A SHIP! A generous donor has donated the Institute a seaworthy, 275-foot ship, capable of carrying 900 passengers on four decks, which we’ve fittingly named Seasteader I. Built in 1985, and appraised at $10 million dollars earlier this year, she was originally a passenger ferry and most recently a gambling ship. Because of the ship’s versatile structure, she can accommodate many different purposes. We are excited to collaborate with entrepreneurs in our community to pioneer seasteading ventures. Details on our plans, ship specs, and a request for proposals can be found below. In other news, we are pleased to welcome nanotech industry leader and philanthropist James Von Ehr to our Board. In 2010, Von Ehr made a significant donation that funded our location study. He is passionate about creating new opportunities for freedom that cannot be found in existing nations. Also, I was also honored to be promoted to Executive Director at the last Board meeting. I hope you will be pleased with our recent progress and inspired to seastead in the near future. Our ability to push forward toward the high seas is increasingly possible due to the contributions of people like you. As in previous years, Peter Thiel will match your donation to the Institute dollar for dollar. Please make a generous donation today and demonstrate your commitment to the seasteading movement. Toward the future, Randolph Hencken, Executive Director Your support goes toward creating opportunities for experimentation and innovation in the political sphere, and for unprecedented personal freedom. Please make a tax-deductible contribution to The Seasteading Institute today. Table of Contents: - The Seasteading Institute Acquires Seasteader I, a 275-foot Ship - Tired of Meaningless Debates? Fund the Future and Make an Impact - Just Released, Five-Year Engineering Development Plan: Engineering for the Short Term and Long Haul - New Legal Research: Seastead Strategies for Preventing Litigation in the United States - Institute Seeking Support for Sustainable Aquaculture Project - Project OASIS: A Hub for Hi-Tech Ocean Aquaculture - Media Spotlight: Forbes, Discover Magazine - The Return of Bay Area Seasteading Meetups - Research opportunities available for Fall 2012 - Advisers wanted for Student Research Projects - Conference Highlights: August Edition - Michael Hartl: Featured Donor - So Long, Dear Interns! The Seasteading Institute Acquires Seasteader I, a 275-foot Ship On July 13, ownership of a seaworthy, 275-foot ship was transferred to the Institute from an generous donor.. We are now in the alpha stage of collecting proposals for her use. Our goal is to lease her out “bareboat” to a seasteading entrepreneur, meaning the lessee would take on all costs associated with the ship, such as crew, insurance, registration, etc. A ship of this size and value would lease bareboat on the open market for approximately $4,000 per day. However, for true seasteading operations and projects that fit our mission, we will lease the ship significantly below the market rate. Essentially, we hope to provide a platform for testing both new seasteading businesses, and experimental technologies that advance long-term ocean habitation. Proposed business ventures should either be advantaged by the ocean environment (i.e., aquaculture, ocean tourism) or by jurisdictional benefits stemming from the freedom of international waters (i.e., experimental medicine, visa-free workplaces). Hopefully, this acquisition will be just the first step toward an incredible sea-change for humanity — one thousand new nations on the high seas. As Joe Quirk said in his seasteading conference talk, “The time from the Wright Brother’s first fifteen second flight to Neil Armstrong’s happy dance on the moon is 66 years.” We believe we’ll one day look back at this ship with the same fondness as when we look back at the Wright Brother’s first “flying machine.” Or, perhaps more appropriately, we will honor this ship the way Americans honor the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Please share the link to our Request For Proposals with anyone who might be interested in this opportunity. Tired of Meaningless Debates? Fund the Future and Make an Impact We’re in the heat of election season here in the United States, with the two dominant political parties ramping up their empty rhetoric, trying to convince the population of their side’s superficial solutions to systemic problems in governance. Those of us who are honest with ourselves know both parties will ratchet up the power of government, create senseless new laws, waste taxpayer money on frivolous projects, engage in violence under the auspices of peace, and so on and so forth. Neither candidate from the major parties will fundamentally change government with innovative ideas to meet its citizens needs. In the United States’ winner-takes-all voting system, a party’s main objective once in power is to stay in power, leaving them with little incentive to address the fundamental flaws of our democracy. Consequently, the need to leverage your charity towards high-impact initiatives like seasteading is greater than ever. Fortunately, the Institute is making substantial progress toward an alternative participation outlet to the maddening farce of politics. Now is a perfect time to buck the trend and donate to the Institute — Peter Thiel will match your donation dollar for dollar, up to $250,000 for the remainder of 2012. Please double your impact and make a donation to the Institute today. Also, note that company matches can lead to a quadrupling of your individual contributions. Last year, for example, one supporter’s $20,000 gift was matched by his employer, and then doubled again by the Thiel Foundation, resulting in a total of $80,000 going to the Institute’s research and movement-building efforts. Just Released, Five-Year Engineering Development Plan: Engineering for the Short Term and Long Haul Following our recent acquisition of the 275-foot Seasteader I, the pace of activity at the Institute has surged into overdrive, powered by the possibility of establishing a fledgling seastead community within the next 12 to 24 months. It’s an exciting prospect, but with daunting hurdles to overcome; identifying and developing economically viable business models, working out the legal and political obstacles, and confronting real-world engineering challenges to make it work. As compelling as the focus on the ship might be, the Institute is equally mindful of our long-term goals and the work that must be done to make the vision a reality. Providing a ‘road map’ to the future of our engineering activities, the Institute has now published a five-year Engineering Development Plan that identifies an ambitious roster of projects to be undertaken during the 2012 to 2017 time frame, along with estimates of required resources. Here are a couple of excerpts from the introductory chapter: This engineering development plan is intended to look beyond the ‘first generation’ of addresses issues that are central to the requirements of seasteading; matters of sustainability, longevity, scalability with comfortable, affordable habitability on the open ocean for extended periods of time. In the not-too-distant future, when questions arise about “how can we do seasteading in the best way,” we hope to have some good answers. Sections of the plan are devoted to each of the following major research areas: - Energy sustainability - Floating breakwater technology - Modularity and scalability - Life-cycle cost considerations - Materials and maintainability - Station-keeping (mooring, dynamic positioning, ‘lazy station-keeping’) A separate chapter is devoted to utilization of the recently acquired Seasteader I. To achieve this ambitious agenda, we are interested in expanding partnerships with academic institutions and corporate enterprises for sponsored research activities. Additionally, we are encouraging participation by interested students and volunteers. Review the Engineering Development Plan on our website. Visit the main research page for a summary of research opportunities. Further inquiries should be directed to [email protected] or [email protected]. New Legal Research: Seastead Strategies for Preventing Litigation in the United States This summer, The Seasteading Institute partnered with Robert Mongole, a second year law student at Louisiana State University. Robert was interested in researching how seasteads might avoid unnecessary lawsuits in the United States, and authored a series of introductory blog posts (part 1, part 2, part 3) on the subject while conducting his investigation. A summer of research has culminated in Robert’s study, “Seastead Strategies for Preventing Litigation in the United States.” The paper reveals contract-based precautionary measures for seasteads to avoid costly litigation in the United States. The study specifically examined how seasteads can write contracts for employees, or guest passes for visitors, in a manner that allows them to choose where potential lawsuits are heard. A selection clause is a legal device allowing parties to predetermine where lawsuits arising out of the contract will take place. There is debate within the American court system over whether selection clauses are voided in claims brought under the Jones Act, which gives recourse to seamen bringing suits against their employers for injury or death suffered during the course of employment. While there is a possibility that a selection clause will be ignored by US courts under certain limited circumstances, Robert’s study suggests that selection clauses should be an effective and indispensable element within any seastead contracts. For a layman’s description of Robert’s findings, see his fourth and final blog post, a summary of the paper. Institute Seeking Support for Sustainable Aquaculture Project Since the conference, the Institute has been working closely with Ricardo Radulovich, a professor of water science at the University of Costa Rica, to establish the next phase of his ongoing sea farming research. Currently, it is hard for people in coastal regions of Africa, Asia and Central America to grow food using imported farming technology — scale is limited by lack of available land, and poor infrastructure for irrigation, transportation from farms to cities, etc. Radulovich plans to integrate a seastead pilot facility with sustainable offshore food production on coasts of developing nations. In these regions, farmers rely on rain for crop irrigation, which is becoming increasingly volatile. Farming just beyond the immediate coastal zone solves all of these issues, while simultaneously protecting against foreign invaders (both pests and humans). Working with Radulovich, Project OASIS is currently seeking grant funding to implement the pilot facility. While the methods favor so-called “natural upwelling zones” for maximum productivity, Radulovich’s turn-key models can be deployed on nearly any coast. Because Radulovich’s systems are both replicable and cheap, the project has huge global humanitarian implications if it succeeds. These facilities will also be precursors to deep-sea, open ocean farming. Radulovich has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding for previous research, from both the World Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. If you know of any sources that fit the next step in his research, contact [email protected]. We are prepared to show concrete deliverables addressing critical issues of malnutrition and drought, while simultaneously advancing seasteading. Project OASIS: A Hub for Hi-Tech Ocean Aquaculture Many have noted that seasteading and aquaculture appear to be a perfect match. Seasteads need to meet their community’s basic needs; aquaculture can provide them food and energy. Seasteads need income; surpluses can be cheaply shipped, without roads, to coastal markets. Seasteads seek to disrupt the status quo with bold innovation; ocean aquaculture is ripe for a “Blue Revolution,” bringing industrial and information technology into an age-old practice. But are there really profits to be made in farming where no one’s farmed before, or have past efforts at offshore farming shown that such a project is ill-advised? The Institute’s Project OASIS, “Ocean Algae for Seastead Integrated Solutions,” was initiated to find out. Early findings from the OASIS team, spearheaded by Research & Communications Coordinator Charlie Deist and Research Intern Baoguang Zhai, give cause for optimism. OASIS aims to become a leading light in the merger between high-tech and ocean farming. In the last few months, we’ve been working with partners and advisors in critical areas to aquaculture and ocean energy to construct a virtual platform off of which future researchers and entrepreneurs can base their own investigations. The new page is heavy on information, but we’re condensing our key findings into multimedia and an easy-to-navigate information portals. If you want to learn what practices are most friendly to coastal regions and palatable to regulators, check out our case study of social entrepreneur Phil Cruver’s planned 1,000-acre oyster plot off the coast of Long Beach, CA. Our portals contains dozens of links to current events ranging from what President Obama, Republicans and the Navy think of algae biofuels, to risks and possibilities of synthetic biology, to the looming Phosphorus crisis. Finally, OASIS has procured the relevant academic literature, and a patent library for your education and inspiration. Media Spotlight: Forbes, Discover Magazine This past month, we were pleased to see our message broadcast to mainstream audiences in both politics, and popular science. A special section of Discover’s September issue features three articles on “Future Politics,” with “new start-up nations,” aka seasteads, spanning several pages. Our favorite aspect of the article is the speculative “Breaking News” banner along the bottom of the article, displaying potential seasteading news stories from 2050: >>>> Mexican Nationals Sleep in floating cities by night, work telejobs in L.A. by day * * * Anarchists build homeland near coast of Rio de Janeiro >>>> Pirates attack libertarian seastead off Philippines; Militia repels them easily >>>> Amphibian city rides out Hurricane Simone off coast of Bermuda * * * Corporate nations apply to U.N. We thank Discover writer Adam Piore for his creative treatment of our subject, and for an informative article. At Forbes.com, our law and policy advisor Doug Bandow began an op ed on seasteading with the observation that in recent decades, each President seems to spend far more than the last. Clearly, we’re in trouble if the trend continues beyond this November’s election, but neither party offers a credible solution. Bandow goes on to ask how things might be different if we could bypass depressingly ineffective political efforts to restore fiscal sanity. The article, titled, “Getting Around Big Government: The Seastead Revolution Begins to Take Shape,” is a must read for liberty-oriented “folk activists” who could be mobilized towards supporting seasteading, rather than complaining about the status quo. Bandow is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute specializing in foreign policy and civil liberties. The Return of Bay Area Seasteading Meetups This Thursday, August 30th, at 6 PM, we will be meeting to discuss seasteading strategy, over dinner and drinks, at the home of Steve Fowkes in Cupertino, California. Fowkes is a lifelong seasteader-at-heart, but only recently connected with the Institute. He had the idea to host the meetups in his spacious backyard, generously offering both a venue, and arranging a caterer. Dinner costs $15 per plate, and will include a chicken entree and ample vegetables. While there is no formal structure to our meetups, we plan to examine the feasibility of various business models. Steve has already begun to suggest some of his ideas on the meetup page, and we hope you’ll come prepared to learn and share your own ideas for a seastead business. To ensure an accurate headcount for the caterer, please RSVP on the Meetup.com page. Research opportunities available for Fall 2012 The Institute has an active research program geared towards highly motivated undergraduate and graduate students in fields relevant to seasteading. In exchange for a commitment to provide a quality deliverable, the Institute provides access to our knowledgeable staff and network, as well as internships in our Oakland office. This summer volunteer researchers included Project OASIS team members Baoguang Zhai and Ryan Larsen, Cal Maritime Academy cadet and security researcher Ben Harmon, and law student Robert Mongole. This Fall, we hope to recruit a new round of interns and volunteers to investigate a new set of solutions for seasteads. An overview of our current research focuses can be found at the main research page. Candidates should submit their resume, along with a writing sample and abstract or topic of interest to [email protected]. Advisers wanted for Student Research Projects One way to advance the mission of seasteading is to guide students in their research projects. If you have relevant background in business, law, maritime subjects, any engineering field, or another seasteading-related subject, we hope you will consider offering a small amount of your time over a few-month period to advise the problem-solvers and future entrepreneurs of the seasteading movement. The Institute will set benchmarks and deliverables with the student, and facilitate the advising relationship to ensure your time is focused on the issue at hand. Please submit your CV or a summary of your expertise to [email protected]. Conference Highlights: August Edition The Seasteading Conference 2012 condensed years of expertise and months of planning by the Institute into a single weekend of collaboration on the most pressing concerns for early seasteading businesses. We filmed the presentations for the benefit of those who were unable to attend, and now plan to highlight a smaller selection of videos in each newsletter. This month, we bring you a broad range of topics, from third-year medical student Peter Wei’s talk on medical tourism, to Professor Ricardo Radulovich’s vision for ocean aquaculture, to Patri’s recap of the “Big Picture” of seasteading. Peter Wei on Medical Tourism Ricardo Radulovich on Sea Farming Patri Friedman on The Big Picture Lastly, one of the most popular presentations was delivered by Mike Gibson, Vice President of Grants at the Thiel Foundation and Policy Associate at Clarium Capital, who spoke on the importance of definite, optimistic visions like seasteading, and on who the real philosophers are. Mike Gibson’s Welcome Talk Michael Hartl: Featured Donor “I’m an educator and entrepreneur with an interest in crazy awesome things like life extension, artificial intelligence, and seasteading. My academic background is in physics, but during graduate school I was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, so after finishing my Ph.D. I decided to become a technology entrepreneur. After getting a couple of failed startups under my belt, I founded a successful product company based on a web development tutorial I’ve produced over the last few years. Since its release in 2010, the Ruby on Rails Tutorial has become the leading introduction to web development with the Ruby on Rails web framework. I’m currently working on a new startup to make a publishing platform based on the Rails Tutorial technology and business model. I’m also involved in the Thiel Foundation’s 20 Under 20 program as a speaker and member of their mentor network. My interest in seasteading is principally motivated by a desire to find solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing humanity. In particular, I believe that many such problems ultimately trace to bad governance. Of course, there is widespread agreement that “the system is broken,” but most attempts to fix it involve working within that system. To those who are pessimistic about this approach, seasteading offers a way to hedge our bets. Although its prospects are naturally uncertain, seasteading operates at the right level of abstraction, offering a way to get around current systemic sclerosis. (I also love the ocean, so seasteading is appealing on that level as well.) I think I first learned about seasteading some years ago through an early online draft of Patri’s seasteading book. Later on, I met Patri through a mutual friend, just around the time that he was getting serious about starting The Seasteading Institute. A year or so later, we met for lunch at the Googleplex in Mountain View, coincidentally on the same day that Patri cashed the original $500,000 check from Peter Thiel. He showed me the deposit slip and said, “Look, I just cashed a check for half a million dollars!” That was in 2008, and it’s been exciting to see how far the Institute has come since then. We were sad to say goodbye to our two fantastic summer interns, Baoguang Zhai and Celia Schow. Both came to our office with relentlessly positive attitudes, and produced immense value for our organization Celia was especially critical to our team during the hectic time surrounding the conference. She was personally invested in seeing it run smoothly, and freed our staff to execute in other areas. Zhai, who was awarded a selective grant from his school to intern with us, exceeded our already-high expectations in laying a foundation for our aquaculture agenda. This Fall, Zhai is remaining in the Bay Area, and he will continue to assist with while covering the Silicon Valley technology beat for a Chinese newspaper. As non-US citizens, both Zhai and Celia have a strong interest in enabling freer movement of goods, people and ideas across the globe. Celia returned to Denmark after her temporary Visa expired, but hopes to return soon. Zhai is able to stay on his student visa at least until he finishes his double major in economics and environmental science from Tufts, but after that he is uncertain. Thanks again, Zhai and Celia! We look forward to bringing you more news soon. In the meantime keep up with all that is happening at The Seasteading Institute by visiting our blogs, forums, YouTube page and Facebook page. We’re also on Twitter. One Comment on “All Aboard The Seasteading Institute’s New 275-foot Ship – August 2012 Newsletter” Gregory SimsAugust 27, 2012 at 4:36 pm You are going about this all wrong, you are talking billions in start up costs. For 500 million I could have the first city up and running and ready for citizens and investors in 6 months. It would be a real country.

Syed Mohamed who is also DRB-Hicom property chief will take on his new task on Nov.1 (read Malaysian Insider report). Azman made the announcement of the leadership change at a town hall meeting with IIB employees in Johor Baru this morning. Results of an internal audit had pushed Khazanah to take today’s drastic step. Whether the decision got a prior approval from the government, has yet to be ascertained. However, sources said Arlida was informed of her removal a few days ago, and she refused comments. It is also still unclear, however, if the sovereign wealth fund would press charges against anyone following the audit in the company, which acts as a catalyst for Malaysia’s massive development in Johor. Khazanah initiated an audit into the financial management and operations of IIB earlier this year following reports of alleged kickbacks, inflated costs and alleged questionable procurement procedures. 42 comments: of course the govt approves what amok does. he is the most powerful GLC boss in the country. some of his actions also reflect he is better than a finance minister may he make the right decision. if not, it backfires easily and the govt will stand to blush aku dengar arlida ni dah kaya raya sejak jadi bos iskandar 2 tahun lebih ni. takkan gaji dan elaun dia sampai rm70,000 sebulan! aku sokong tindakan azman mokhtar ni. tapi kan... azman pun dah kaya raya. siapa pulak nak pantau dia? with the power vested in him, he can also fire a finance minister, bro. tak caya ka? iskandar malaysia needs to be revamped. so many irregularities took place over the last 2 years, including the monopoly of a company supplying building materials. i dont know whether arlida is involved but she knew about it and did nothing to break it up. opportunity should be given to other suppliers. iskandar malaysia is a big project and requires many contractors to participate in order to speed up its progress. managing it is not easy and it needs a credible person who is not bias and willing to share it with locals handal sangat ke azman mokhtar ni? suka2 ati pecat orang tu dan orang ni? ni semua silap paklah, ambil dia daripada salomon smith barney dulu walhal masa kat agensi itu, dia jarang bagi rating yang bagus kepada malaysia. azman should fire himself, instead! Khazanah is obviously promoting corruption in Malaysia by replacing IIB CEO, Arlida with Syed Mohamed. Everybody in Johor knew Arlida has been awarding her husband contracts under 9MP plus under IIB. In fact, she's been doing that during her tenure at previous companies, KLCC and Putrajaya. If DG of Tourism was charged for corruption over RM13k dental fees, why must Khazanah let her go freely? Khazanah has to remember that it is people's money that they've been spending in Johor, it is not MCOBA fund or UMNO fund, it is our money. So please cut the crap and send those useless buggers (including her cronies in IIB) to jail for life! Khazanah's excuse as reported in The Sun was "Attempting to keep the matter under wraps can be seen as not wanting to embarrass the country and more importantly scare off investors. By making the audit public, Khazanah is telling investors that it runs a tight ship and that any allegations of improprieties will be dealt with seriously. Khazanah directors at least did right by setting the ball rolling in attempting to unearth and verify the perceived irregularities." If there's no wrongdoing, why replaced CEO of IIB in the first place? Why Khazanah "was given" a special previlege over this issue (to keep the matter under wrap) as compared to what happened to Sime Darby or PKFZ? The Public has the right to know the truth. replacing a corrupt with another corrupt is what azman is doing. jai, najib is away, muhyidin is away too. so, azman found the right time to act. whether it was right or wrong, i doubt pm and dpm know about it. Arlida is even making fun of Tun Mahathir during this nonsense YCM CEO series in June 2010. please go to Now, it's payback time you greedy b****! i believe azman made the right decision. so much has been heard about arlida giving big contracts to her hubby to the extent that many contrctors were deprived of their chances. i just dont agree with the person who is replacing her... he is another culprit melayu macam azman tak boleh pegang kuasa. dia ingat dia perfect sangat manakala orang lain semuanya buat salah. elok najib removes him bila dia balik nanti, suruh dia jaga indah water je. Jangan lupa untuk membuat penyiasatan kepada agensi IRDA. Kepala penyangak, Zainol Rashid dan rakan rakan MCKK, masih bermaharajalela memakan duit rasuah dari para kontraktor dan supplier melayu. Pihak MACC perlu segera membuat penyiasatan sebelum Johor membuat rekod dunia dalam acara Rasuah Terbesar Abad 21. "Khazanah boss Azman Mokhtar today removed Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB) chief executive officer Arlida Ariff (pic) and installed his close buddy Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim." Azman ingat Khazanah itu bapak dia punya? Boleh buat suka hati bagi kawan baik dia jadik CEO? Dulu IIB CEO yang pertama, Dr Iskandar, bukan kawan baik Azman semasa di MCKK? Apa sudah jadik? Bagaimana pula CEO di IRDA, bukan semua sahabat-sahabat Azman di MCKK? Dato Iqmal, Harun Jauhari, Ismael Ibrahim? Dalam masa 4 tahun, CEO di IIB dan IRDA sudah kerap sangat bertukar ganti macam nenek aku tukar pampers! it is really sickening,,to know until today,,,the govn,,is still not taking action on all those corrupted people,,jsut let them off,,,what kind of govn are we having,,condorning,,such corrupted practise If wrong-doing is involved, it should not be just left like that. See how in Singapore a few top bosses of the Land Authority are being charged for cheating. Why are we so lenient on those who abuse their positions of authority? We should be lodging police reports on those who cheat and also those higher up who decide not to take the proper actions and instead cover up. We cannot afford such leniency. So normal. After eating full, change. Tuan Syed Mohamed, don't forget to immediately sack Arlida's cornies in IIB, Adlan, Ben Hanafiah, Sam, Rostam. yatiman, i totally agree with you. thats the problem with heads of all GLC. cronyism at its ugliest! arlida is not the only one to face the axe but more. those at the helm of any GLC should be fully investigated. what happens to zarinah anwar? after all the attacks on her, the govt still covers her arse! how clean is azaman mokhtar, nobody knows but being a khazanah chief, he cant help but to facilitate in some dealings involving friends too. he cant deny that. and dont say he never get any kickbacks from any dealing! si syed ni kawan baik amok. lagi hebat dia ni. ramai kroni gak. hancuuussssss!!! padan muka dia. laki dia dapat banyak kontrak di iskandar malaysia, orang lain melutut depan dia pun tak dapat. kalau dapat pun, dah tinggal tulang! to me all GLCs need total clean up. khazanah is of no exception! syed mohamed syed ibrahim? oh no! azman is so blind! the govt is also blind! huggies.... u are damn rite! they keep on changing diapers! they eat too much and shit too much also! nampaknya kemasukan syed mohamed boleh diibaratkan sebagai iskandar malaysia keluar kandang harimau, masuk kandang singa! memang kena ratah hidup2 la iskandar lepas ni. kita sama2 tengok. aku dah kerja dengan syed ni, aku tau la siapa dia! kalau ada bukti arlida salahguna kuasa, dakwa dia. kalau tidak, minta maaf kat dia. korang ni memang suka menuduh dan mengata orang. aku ni kawan baik arlida, tau! its time for the macc to go to each and every glc. this is bad for the country and the govt. MCKK? ni dah jadi macam halim saad dulu, masa dia ambil alih nstp! berat ni, bro... berat! With Syed Mokhtar buying over UEM Group which include UEM Land, Nusajaya will be controlled by MMC. So it is a matter of time before IIB will be sucked into MMC Group. Therefore, it is very logical indeed to put Syed Mohamed of MMC subsidiary (DRB) to lead IIB before initiating the next merger with MMC Land. Another Malaysia sad episode of Chairman and Board removed the CEO, similar too Sime Darby whereby Tun Musa removed the poor guy, Zubir. Don't just removed the CEO, but they should get rid of the Board of Directors as well, especially those idiots from Khazanah for closing their eyes too long, esp Mr Chairman, Azman M (M for mangkuk), and Ganen (too much talking but no results). Aku pun kawan baik Arlida, susah sikit hendak jumpa dia, selalu tak de ofis sebab manjang overseas, kalau compare dengan Najib, aku rasa Arlida lebih selalu overseas. Sibuk ler katakan. Kesian juga dekat dia. Ye ler, dia selalu overseas, kena ler suruh suami dia tolong handled projek-projek kat Johor. Dear Sir, You will find out along the way that Azman Mokhtar and Syed Mohamad DID NOT know each other. Syed Mohamad came highly recommended (read Big Dog's), having served and led the property divisions at Sime and Tabung Haji and latest DRB. His year-long stint in Saudi Arabia makes him a good candidate for Iskandar, which is wooing Sheikh dollar. Syed is also Johoean and is known to be an honest-to-goodness man. Let's hope for the best for Iskandar under the new man. God knows we need a SUCCESS story! Thank you. easy to condemn than to be one taking all the responsibility of making Iskandar Malaysia a reality. Take the helm and let's see if all the person that 'pandai cakap' and know all so much about what's going on in IIB can do as great job as what she does.too many PHD people out there right? Arlida kurang cerdik dia bagi hubby lebih byk drp dia bagi kat AMOK...si org baru ni dah janji nak bagi sama rata or amok dpt byk sikit...amok is too powerful even for MACC or PM to take action... Sepandai pandai tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh juga ke tanah. Syed Mohamad dulu di Johor SEDC ada skandal. Satu Johor tahu cerita dia. Memang hancus IIB. I have observed Azman over the years and he is professional in his job. There were 2 incidents in IIB that required the removal of high level staff, trust me it was right of him to do so.Khazanah themselves are made up of high calibre staff of all creed and colours! Kudos to Amok. IIB unfortunately comprised of a bunch of goons from the top to the bottom, only the good ones left early on knowing the crap they were surrounded with! You've made some decent points there. I checked on the net for additional information about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this web site. Visit my site; Solde Air Max

0,3 This sequence counts the "almost triangular" partitions of n. A partition is triangular if it is of the form 0+1+2+...+k. Examples: 3=0+1+2, 6=0+1+2+3. An "almost triangular" partition is a triangular partition with at most 1 added to each of the parts. Examples: 7 = 1+1+2+3 = 0+2+2+3 = 0+1+3+3 = 0+1+2+4. Thus a(7)=4. 8 = 1+2+2+3 = 1+1+3+3 = 1+1+2+4 = 0+2+3+3 = 0+2+2+4 = 0+1+3+4 so a(8)=6. - Moshe Shmuel Newman, Dec 19 2002 The "almost triangular" partitions are the ones cycled by the operation of "Bulgarian solitaire", as defined by Martin Gardner. Start with A007318 - I (I = Identity matrix), then delete right border of zeros. - Gary W. Adamson, Jun 15 2007 Also the number of increasing acyclic functions from {1..n-k+1} to {1..n+2}. A function f is acyclic if for every subset B of the domain the image of B under f does not equal B. For example, T(3,1)=4 since there are exactly 4 increasing acyclic functions from {1,2,3} to {1,2,3,4,5}: f1={(1,2),(2,3),(3,4)}, f2={(1,2),(2,3),(3,5)}, f3={(1,2),(2,4),(3,5)} and f4={(1,3),(2,4),(4,5)}. - Dennis P. Walsh, Mar 14 2008 Second Bernoulli polynomials are (from A164555 instead of A027641) B2(n,x) = 1; 1/2, 1; 1/6, 1, 1; 0, 1/2, 3/2, 1; -1/30, 0, 1, 2, 1; 0, -1/6, 0, 5/3, 5/2, 1; ... . Then (B2(n,x)/A002260) = 1; 1/2, 1/2; 1/6, 1/2, 1/3; 0, 1/4, 1/2, 1/4; -1/30, 0, 1/3, 1/2, 1/5; 0, -1/12, 0, 5/12, 1/2, 1/6; ... . See (from Faulhaber 1631) Jacob Bernoulli Summae Potestatum (sum of powers) in A159688. Inverse polynomials are 1; -1, 2; 1, -3, 3; -1, 4, -6, 4; ... = A074909 with negative even diagonals. Reflected A053382/A053383 = reflected B(n,x) = RB(n,x) = 1; -1/2, 1; 1/6, -1, 1; 0, 1/2, -3/2, 1; ... . A074909 is inverse of RB(n,x)/A002260 = 1; -1/2, 1/2; 1/6, -1/2, 1/3; 0, 1/4, -1/2, 1/4; ... . - Paul Curtz, Jun 21 2010 A054143 is the fission of the polynomial sequence (p(n,x)) given by p(n,x) = x^n + x^(n-1) + ... + x + 1 by the polynomial sequence ((x+1)^n). See A193842 for the definition of fission. - Clark Kimberling, Aug 07 2011 Reversal of A135278. - Philippe Deléham, Feb 11 2012 For a closed-form formula for arbitrary left and right borders of Pascal-like triangles see A228196. - Boris Putievskiy, Aug 19 2013 For a closed-form formula for generalized Pascal's triangle see A228576. - Boris Putievskiy, Sep 09 2013 From A238363, the operator equation d/d(:xD:)f(xD)={exp[d/d(xD)]-1}f(xD) = f(xD+1)-f(xD) follows. Choosing f(x) = x^n and using :xD:^n/n! = binomial(xD,n) and (xD)^n = Bell(n,:xD:), the Bell polynomials of A008277, it follows that the lower triangular matrix [padded A074909] A) = [St2]*[dP]*[St1] = A048993*A132440*[padded A008275] B) = [St2]*[dP]*[St2]^(-1) C) = [St1]^(-1)*[dP]*[St1], where [St1]=padded A008275 just as [St2]=A048993=padded A008277 whereas [padded A074909]=A007318-I with I=identity matrix. - Tom Copeland, Apr 25 2014 T(n,k) generated by m-gon expansions in the case of odd m with "vertex to side" version or even m with "vertex to vertes" version. Refer to triangle expansions in A061777 and A101946 (and their companions for m-gons) which are "vertex to vertex" and "vertex to side" versions respectively. The label values at each iteration can be arranged as a triangle. Any m-gon can also be arranged as the same triangle with conditions: (i) m is odd and expansion is "vertex to side" version or (ii) m is even and expansion is "vertex to vertex" version. m*Sum_{i=1..k} T(n,k) gives the total label value at the n-th iteration. See also A247976. Vertex to vertex: A061777, A247618, A247619, A247620. Vertex to side: A101946, A247903, A247904, A247905. - Kival Ngaokrajang Sep 28 2014 From Tom Copeland, Nov 12 2014: (Start) With P(n,x) = [(x+1)^(n+1)-x^(n+1)], the row polynomials of this entry, Up(n,x) = P(n,x)/(n+1) form an Appell sequence of polynomials that are the umbral compositional inverses of the Bernoulli polynomials B(n,x), i.e., B[n,Up(.,x)] = x^n = Up[n,B(.,x)] under umbral substitution, e.g., B(.,x)^n = B(n,x). The e.g.f. for the Bernoulli polynomials is [t/(e^t - 1)] e^(x*t), and for Up(n,x) it's exp[Up(.,x)t] = [(e^t - 1)/t] e^(x*t). Another g.f. is G(t,x) = log[(1-x*t)/(1-(1+x)*t)] = log[1 + t /(1 + -(1+x)t)] = t/(1-t*Up(.,x)) = Up(0,x)*t + Up(1,x)*t^2 + Up(2,x)*t^3 + ... = t + (1+2x)/2 t^2 + (1+3x+3x^2)/3 t^3 + (1+4x+6x^2+4x^3)/4 t^4 + ... = -log(1-t*P(.,x)), expressed umbrally. The inverse, Ginv(t,x), in t of the g.f. may be found in A008292 from Copeland's list of formulas (Sep 2014) with a=(1+x) and b=x. This relates these two sets of polynomials to algebraic geometry, e.g., elliptic curves, trigonometric expansions, Chebyshev polynomials, and the combinatorics of permutahedra and their duals. Ginv(t,x) = [e^((1+x)t) - e^(xt)] / [(1+x) * e^((1+x)t) - x * e^(xt)] = [e^(t/2) - e^(-t/2)] / [(1+x)e^(t/2) - x*e^(-t/2)] = (e^t - 1) / [1 + (1+x) (e^t - 1)] = t - (1 + 2 x) t^2/2! + (1 + 6 x + 6 x^2) t^3/3! - (1 + 14 x + 36 x^2 + 24 x^3) t^4/4! + ... = -exp[-Perm(.,x)t], where Perm(n,x) are the reverse face polynomials, or reverse f-vectors, for the permutahedra, i.e., the face polynomials for the duals of the permutahedra. Cf. A090582, A019538, A049019, A133314, A135278. With L(t,x) = t/(1+t*x) with inverse L(t,-x) in t, and Cinv(t) = e^t - 1 with inverse C(t) = log(1 + t). Then Ginv(t,x) = L[Cinv(t),(1+x)] and G(t,x) = C[L[t,-(1+x)]]. Note L is the special linear fractional (Mobius) transformation. Connections among the combinatorics of the permutahedra, simplices (cf. A135278), and the associahedra can be made through the Lagrange inversion formula (LIF) of A133437 applied to G(t,x) (cf. A111785 and the Schroeder paths A126216 also), and similarly for the LIF A134685 applied to Ginv(t,x) involving the simplicial Whitehouse complex, phylogenetic trees, and other structures. (See also the LIFs A145271 and A133932). (End) R = x - exp[-[B(n+1)/(n+1)]D] = x - exp[zeta(-n)D] is the raising operator for this normalized sequence UP(n,x) = P(n,x) / (n+1), that is, R UP(n,x) = UP(n+1,x), where D = d/dx, zeta(-n) is the value of the Riemann zeta function evaluated at -n, and B(n) is the n-th Bernoulli number, or constant B(n,0) of the Bernoulli polynomials. The raising operator for the Bernoulli polynomials is then x + exp[-[B(n+1)/(n+1)]D]. [Note added Nov 25 2014: exp[zeta(-n)D] is abbreviation of exp(a.D) with (a.)^n = a_n = zeta(-n)]. - Tom Copeland, Nov 17 2014 The diagonals T(n, n-m), for n >= m, give the m-th iterated partial sum of the positive integers; that is A000027(n+1), A000217(n), A000292(n-1), A000332(n+1), A000389(n+1), A000579(n+1), A000580(n+1), A000581(n+1), A000582(n+1), ... . - Wolfdieter Lang, May 21 2015 The transpose gives the numerical coefficients of the Maurer-Cartan form matrix for the general linear group GL(n,1) (cf. Olver, but note that the formula at the bottom of p. 6 has an error--the 12 should be a 15). - Tom Copeland, Nov 05 2015 The left invariant Maurer-Cartan form polynomial on p. 7 of the Olver paper for the group GL^n(1) is essentially a binomial convolution of the row polynomials of this entry with those of A133314, or equivalently the row polynomials generated by the product of the e.g.f. of this entry with that of A133314, with some reindexing. - Tom Copeland, Jul 03 2018 From Tom Copeland, Jul 10 2018: (Start) The first column of the inverse matrix is the sequence of Bernoulli numbers, which follows from the umbral definition of the Bernoulli polynomials (B.(0) + x)^n = B_n(x) evaluated at x = 1 and the relation B_n(0) = B_n(1) for n > 1 and -B_1(0) = 1/2 = B_1(1), so the Bernoulli numbers can be calculated using Cramer's rule acting on this entry's matrix and, therefore, from the ratios of volumes of parallelepipeds determined by the columns of this entry's square submatrices. - Tom Copeland, Jul 10 2018 Umbrally composing the row polynomials with B_n(x), the Bernoulli polynomials, gives (B.(x)+1)^(n+1) - (B.(x))^(n+1) = d[x^(n+1)]/dx = (n+1)*x^n, so multiplying this entry as a lower triangular matrix (LTM) by the LTM of the coefficients of the Bernoulli polynomials gives the diagonal matrix of the natural numbers. Then the inverse matrix of this entry has the elements B_(n,k)/(k+1), where B_(n,k) is the coefficient of x^k for B_n(x), and the e.g.f. (1/x) (e^(xt)-1)/(e^t-1). (End) Reinhard Zumkeller, Rows n = 0..150 of triangle, flattened Paul Barry, On the f-Matrices of Pascal-like Triangles Defined by Riordan Arrays, arXiv:1805.02274 [math.CO], 2018. T. Copeland, Appell polynomials, cumulants, noncrossing partitions, Dyck lattice paths, and inversion, 2014. T. Copeland, Generators, Inversion, and Matrix, Binomial, and Integral Transforms, 2015. J. R. Griggs, The Cycling of Partitions and Compositions under Repeated Shifts, Advances in Applied Mathematics, Volume 21, Issue 2, August 1998, Pages 205-227. P. Olver, The canonical contact form p. 7. D. P. Walsh, A short note on increasing acyclic functions T(n, k) = Sum_{i=0..n} C(i, n-k) = C(n+1, k). Row n has g.f. (1+x)^(n+1)-x^(n+1). E.g.f.: ((1+x)*e^t - x) e^(x*t). The row polynomials p_n(x) satisfy dp_n(x)/dx = (n+1)*p_(n-1)(x). - Tom Copeland, Jul 10 2018 T(n, k) = T(n-1, k-1) + T(n-1, k) for k: 0<k<n, T(n, 0)=1, T(n, n)=n. - Reinhard Zumkeller, Apr 18 2005 T(n,k) = T(n-1,k) + 2*T(n-1,k-1) - T(n-2,k-1) - T(n-2,k-2), T(0,0)=1, T(1,0)=1, T(1,1)=2, T(n,k)=0 if k<0 or if k>n. - Philippe Deléham, Dec 27 2013 G.f. for column k (with leading zeros): x^(k-1)*(1/(1-x)^(k+1)-1), k >= 0. - Wolfdieter Lang, Nov 04 2014 Up(n, x+y) = (Up(.,x)+ y)^n = Sum_{k=0..n} binomial(n,k) Up(k,x)*y^(n-k), where Up(n,x) = ((x+1)^(n+1)-x^(n+1)) / (n+1) = P(n,x)/(n+1) with P(n,x) the n-th row polynomial of this entry. dUp(n,x)/dx = n * Up(n-1,x) and dP(n,x)/dx = (n+1)*P(n-1,x). - Tom Copeland, Nov 14 2014 The o.g.f. GF(x,t) = x / ((1-t*x)*(1-(1+t)x)) = x + (1+2t)*x^2 + (1+3t+3t^2)*x^3 + ... has the inverse GFinv(x,t) = (1+(1+2t)x-sqrt(1+(1+2t)*2x+x^2))/(2t(1+t)x) in x about 0, which generates the row polynomials (mod row signs) of A033282. The reciprocal of the o.g.f., i.e., x/GF(x,t), gives the free cumulants (1, -(1+2t) , t(1+t) , 0, 0, ...) associated with the moments defined by GFinv, and, in fact, these free cumulants generate these moments through the noncrossing partitions of A134264. The associated e.g.f. and relations to Grassmannians are described in A248727, whose polynomials are the basis for an Appell sequence of polynomials that are umbral compositional inverses of the Appell sequence formed from this entry's polynomials (distinct from the one described in the comments above, without the normalizing reciprocal). - Tom Copeland, Jan 07 2015 T(4,2) = 0+0+1+3+6 = 10 = binomial(5, 2). Triangle T(n,k) begins: n\k 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 0: 1 1: 1 2 2: 1 3 3 3: 1 4 6 4 4: 1 5 10 10 5 5: 1 6 15 20 15 6 6: 1 7 21 35 35 21 7 7: 1 8 28 56 70 56 28 8 8: 1 9 36 84 126 126 84 36 9 9: 1 10 45 120 210 252 210 120 45 10 10: 1 11 55 165 330 462 462 330 165 55 11 11: 1 12 66 220 495 792 924 792 495 220 66 12 ... Reformatted. - Wolfdieter Lang, Nov 04 2014 . Can be seen as the square array A(n, k) = binomial(n + k + 1, n) read by descending antidiagonals. A(n, k) is the number of monotone nondecreasing functions f: {1,2,..,k} -> {1,2,..,n}. - Peter Luschny, Aug 25 2019 [0] 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, ... A000012 [1] 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, ... A000027 [2] 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36, 45, 55, ... A000217 [3] 4, 10, 20, 35, 56, 84, 120, 165, 220, ... A000292 [4] 5, 15, 35, 70, 126, 210, 330, 495, 715, ... A000332 [5] 6, 21, 56, 126, 252, 462, 792, 1287, 2002, ... A000389 [6] 7, 28, 84, 210, 462, 924, 1716, 3003, 5005, ... A000579 [7] 8, 36, 120, 330, 792, 1716, 3432, 6435, 11440, ... A000580 [8] 9, 45, 165, 495, 1287, 3003, 6435, 12870, 24310, ... A000581 [9] 10, 55, 220, 715, 2002, 5005, 11440, 24310, 48620, ... A000582 A074909 := proc(n, k) if k > n or k < 0 then 0; else binomial(n+1, k) ; end if; end proc: # Zerinvary Lajos, Nov 09 2006 Flatten[Join[{1}, Table[Sum[Binomial[k, m], {k, 0, n}], {n, 0, 12}, {m, 0, n}] ]] (* or *) Flatten[Join[{1}, Table[Binomial[n, m], {n, 12}, {m, n}]]] (Haskell) a074909 n k = a074909_tabl !! n !! k a074909_row n = a074909_tabl !! n a074909_tabl = iterate (\row -> zipWith (+) ([0] ++ row) (row ++ [1])) [1] -- Reinhard Zumkeller, Feb 25 2012 (PARI) print1(1); for(n=1, 10, for(k=1, n, print1(", "binomial(n, k)))) \\ Charles R Greathouse IV, Mar 26 2013 (GAP) Flat(List([0..10], n->List([0..n], k->Binomial(n+1, k)))); # Muniru A Asiru, Jul 10 2018 (MAGMA) /* As triangle */ [[Binomial(n+1, k): k in [0..n]]: n in [0.. 15]]; // Vincenzo Librandi, Jul 22 2018 Cf. A007318, A181971, A228196, A228576. Row sums are A000225, diagonal sums are A052952. The number of acyclic functions is A058127. Cf. A008292, A090582, A019538, A049019, A133314, A135278, A133437, A111785, A126216, A134685, A133932, A248727, A033282, A134264. Cf. A000027, A000217, A000292, A000332, A000389, A000579, A000580, A000581, A000582. Cf. A325191. Sequence in context: A134394 A322967 A284855 * A135278 A034356 A075195 Adjacent sequences: A074906 A074907 A074908 * A074910 A074911 A074912 easy,nonn,tabl Wouter Meeussen, Oct 01 2002 I added an initial 1 at the suggestion of Paul Barry, which makes the triangle a little nicer but may mean that some of the formulas will now need adjusting. - N. J. A. Sloane, Feb 11 2003 Formula section edited, checked and corrected by Wolfdieter Lang, Nov 04 2014 approved

![if gte IE 9]><![endif]><![if gte IE 9]><![endif]><![if gte IE 9]><![endif]> Dear All, I hope you'll allow me to think something through with you and can spot any silly ideas I have and correct me. My computer is an xps 420 and I am considering replacing my exist HD for a solid state device (for its speed). Currently stored on my HD in addition to the programme files are music and picture files. The idea is to remove the HD and fit the SSD in its bay and then use the HD as an additional HD in the secondary bay. The SSD would contain all the programme files and the HD the data (after formatting it) and rewritting the files to it. Is this sensible? I think I will only need a relatively small SSD if this arrangement works, do you agree? The computer works very well and I think has quite a few years of use, particularly with much of our work being done on cloud sites. Thanks Yes that would be a big performance gain,60gb is about minimum now and prices falling daily I've seen ssd at less than 1 dollar per GB,they were just 4 per Gb a few months back.Just see if your motherboard has sata 2 or sata 3 the latter is faster and a bit more costly,well worth the speed,I run 2 sata 3 samsung 830 dell models in my Alienware laptop and WOW how about 1gb read and writes and iops so high the chart couldnt show exact number over 100m.There are new faster cashe ssds out and even faster coming soon.Good luck.Ps I have another pc with a 120gb boot drive and a 2tb 2nd for all non everyday use apps and programs. My everyday laptop=M18X dual 580gtx/16gbRam/sata3 ssd/killer 1103/wi-hd AWESOME! My everyday home PC=Custom 3960SBE ocd 5.27 on custom H2O/ tri sli 680gtx reference/dual Samsung 840 PRO ssd raid0/32GbHyperX OC Ram/Blu ray writer/Cosmos custom aluminum case.Ready for IVY BRIDGE when I get an Extreme edition CPU! Every Alienware from M11X to M18X and still want more power! realize SSD longevity/reliability does NOT equal that of a typical HDD. So, rather than re-formatting, I'd recommend re-partioning your HDD with a C:\ drive equal to the formatted size of your new SSD, and the rest a data partition. This presumes your HDD is large enough to spare the area I'm recommending to use as a backup. Then you can hide OS/boot/system partion ( C:\ ) on the HDD when not in use. You could occassionally back up the SSD to that partition just in case. If you backup to an external drive/other, or don't mind complete re-installs if required, then no need for the above. The other option to your approach, if you don't want to maintain different drive letters is a SSD cache solution, where your OS sees the HDD as the space available, but uses the SSD for fast read/writes. There are pros/cons to each approach. Search for other posts on SSDs in this forum for more info, or I recommend anandtech.com 's SSD articles on this subject. Lawrence XPS 9100 24GB RAM with 60GB SSD boot drive, 120GB SSD for VM, 1TB OEM drive for data, WD 10k Raptor HDD for misc VM (used before SSDs for VMs) zenpi2000 . . . My computer is an xps 420 and I am considering replacing my exist HD for a solid state device (for its speed). . . . . . . My computer is an xps 420 and I am considering replacing my exist HD for a solid state device (for its speed). . . . I basically agree with JoeGreen. Your machine is older and Western Digital WDVelociRaptor 10,000RPM hard drive may be a better solution for you. Speeds are close to the SSDs. Price is less than the same capacity SSD. The WD VelociRaptor will out last your PC and can be transfered to a new PC and may outlast it also. When you upgrade to a new PC, have it setup with an SSD. You should consider all the problems with SSDs. Some SSD controllers can cause problems. Some impact the life of the SSD. So getting the right controller is an important consideration. SSDs are faster, but not that much different than the WD VelociRaptor. Also the SSD must have a SATA connector in your existing PC. A good place to find out more about SSDs is ANANDTECH (). SSDs have saturated the SATA interface as fast as new standards are introduced. Intel has introduced the SSD 910, a PCIe SSD which takes advantage of the higher speed PCIe interface. Prices run near $5/GB right now. That will drop as more become available and are accepted in the marketplace. A new PC after your XPS 420 end-of-life will likely have the PCIe SSDs available as an option. I suggest you opt for the WD VelocityRaptor hard drive. Taco just fyi I paid less than 1 dollar per Gb for a new samsung 830 256gb ssd sata3 and right now in raid Im pulling over 1100 reads and 900 plus writes with over 100k iops,no mechanical drive comes close even a raptor which I love btw,and had 4 over the years and( ALL),"hi performance pcs" are going to have ssds even the dell xps 13 comes standard with an ssd for instant ons.Im not debating or saying anyones wrong but ssds controllers were problematic mostly with sandforce 22 series and it was firmware not hardware mostly.I hyave ssds in every single machine I own.At pax east it was stated even Dell said SSds and ultrabooks tablet etc all flash ram is the future and the future is here.I know the pci intel drive is crazy expensive but also not the market of regular guy upgrades yet,Just sata 3 intel 5 or new 7 series and dell uses Samsung some older Alienwares had lite on not many.Samsung makes specific ssds for Dell that can only be had from dell,firmware is also not samsung but Dell specific,even though its basicaly an 830ssd.Soon as the 1tb ssds come out Q4 2012 all ssds will be available and alot cheaper,also the floods that hurt hard drives didnt impact ssds.Right now with rebate on newegg they have sata3 550gb reads and 510 write ssds for 97 cents per Gb.After using an ssd I cant go back to spinning platter drives.And jared at anand and a Anand himself concurs.Again not disagreeing just stating the facts of HDD vs SSD.New controllers are coming and mlc nand at 18nm!SOON! tacoslammer: You raise some very good points I've often wondered about, specifically: >>Your machine is older and Western Digital WDVelociRaptor 10,000RPM hard drive may be a better solution for you. Speeds are close to the SSDs. I have an XPS 9100 and have toyed the idea of upgrading to an SSD, but am a bit concerned about stability and longevity (points LawrenceSo Cal mentioned). I am not an "early adopter" by any means and since I use this machine for work, I cannot afford the possibility of downtime. Hard drives fail all the time, but if current SSDs present a greater number of potential isses, I'd opt for the VelociRaptor. I think I'd sleep better! The faster startup is meaningless to me. If when in use there isn't a huge difference, I'd tend to pass. dg I am not here to debate ssd vs mechanical Drives.Go on Anandtech and hit the bench link the slowest old ssd is 10x faster tahn a raptor 10k,and a new 6bg sata3 ssd like samsung or crucial m4 pyro etc stomps the raptors so bad its off the charts.Now just startup???? How about programs and file transfers at speeds so far beyond ANY HDD it's not worth even showing,go on anandtech and then repost Anand says himself he doesnt even use a raptor to test against ssds anymore as it's redundant.I can traqnscode movies open programs even games load light years ahead.IAnyone who knows me knows I dont do this but I had to respond to that last post.Come on,any legit source would disprove everything said about a raptor against a hdd,I had both,No comparison,and Im using ssds for years in my Alienwares and had many Hdd fails with ssds so far 1 firmware issue and none with samsung since my 1st 470 from late 09.Also even Dell has to put ssds in all ultrabooks ,read Intels definition of ultrabook,.SSD is a main sales point for instant on and much faster performance from You guessed It SSDS!Acording to intel who invented the specs to be called ultra books has to have an ssd,and any power user worth his benchmark cred uses SSDS.Overclockers.net-NBR forums-Alienware forums-Anandtech-Maximum-pc power user everyone knows.And real worl performance or 4k on my raided 830s will DESTROY any raptor period! raided or not. I transcode video, work in Pro Tools, and do a lot of Photoshop work. I was all ready to pull the trigger, but I have seen a lot of mentions of failures...even you wrote: >>>and had many Hdd fails with ssds That's the issue for me. DG i said many hdd fails 1 ssd that was firmware update,Dell has proprietary firmware as dell sells samsung ssds, but you have to use dells firmware not samsung.I have 5 Alienwares, and all have ssds luckily no issues, no moving parts help.And as far as Mechanical failure it does have a claimed amount of write cycles, in the millions.Anandtech among about every other reputable site out there has so many benches,no one uses mechanical hdd against even slow ssds anymore and the new pci express for the Z77 and H77 with ssd cashed set ups are sick fast.I see you and taco all the time I am in no way trying a flame war,just stating facts in pc world they took a lowly macbook air and put it against a asus gaming rig witha 500gb 7200rpm sata3 Hdd and the tests where reads and writes 4k or real world iops use. The apple spanked the asus up and down,not ofcourse in gpu related benches, just saying ssds are in almost everything and will be in everything in a couple years if that.Again Dg the raptor was AWESOME I had them for 10 years or more.But I also wore crocks before i found out they were obsolete! Just Kidding! PS,I didnt want to debate I just stated what most other forums already know.On overclockers no one with a new build puts a raptor or any thing other than a fast ssd in their rigs.NBR too.I was just telling OP what he asked about no offense to anyone.I used to use raptors exclusively Dg.now it's the fastest ssds i can get,My raided 830s are crazy 1gbps across all day and with trim on every ssd since early last year they don't slow down ever! OK--thanks. I guess I have some reading up to...thanks. Thanks for understanding Dg.Just look at Anandtech under benches the 1st 30 are all ssds the last is a 600gb 10k Raptor.There are a ton of others but i alway's trust Jared and Will and of course Anand himself.I had both its a huge difference seriously! And pull that trigger and you will never go back.wait a few months the next gen are coming and they are faster and cheaper they are going to be crazy in an Ivybridge setup with new 28nm keppler Gpu.I already have a new Mobo Z77 for the new chipset and native usb 3.0 support quad channel ram,Insert Homer simpson drool here! >>And pull that trigger and you will never go back.wait a few months the next gen are coming and they are faster and cheaper Sounds good--thanks. If your XPS-420 isn't an Intel quad core, not sure I would put any more money into it. For reliability, stick to Intel SSD. According to some articles I've read, the new Crucial is a close second. Keep it imaged or backed up ... but that's goes for any type drive., Joegreen, you make good points. My main concern for ZENPI2000 was not installing a component that may have a short life when transferred to a new PC and expecting it to last as long as the new PC could (4 - 6+ years). Maybe I didn't make that point as clearly as I should have. I don't dispute that the SSD is faster than the VelociRaptor, but the new line of WD VelociRaptors are 10% - 20% faster than the earlier VelociRaptors, especially the 2.5" ones since the head does not have to move as far across the platter. VelociRaptors in RAID0 will be speed demons, but suffer the same problems of RAID with the possible loss of data if one drive crashes. And no question the SSD is faser than the VelociRaptor. However the newer SATA 2 and SATA 3 interface are 2 -3 times faster. So depending which SATA interface your PC has will determine the max through-put speed (2GB/s with SATA2 and 6GB/s with SATA3 revision 3.

How to Get, Earn and Make Money with Bitcoin: there s no centralized authority, building, or headquarters for it Bitcoin mining is really just the process of converting electricity into bitcoin, bitcoin atms list can be filtered by operation direction. Can you really make money mining bitcoin with your gaming pc. Bitcoin mining is the process of earning bitcoin in exchange for running the verification to validate bitcoin transactions. The site s operators issued a statement citing it as an experiment, creative commons, when i stopped mining for crypto coins back in 2013, getting a. Only at times can you make money bitcoin mining: when the price of bitcoin happens to be high, exchanges may track how and where you spend your bitcoin. Bitcoin mining software is an application of knowledge discovery in the area of software modernization which involves understanding existing. In essence, if you you’re spending a lot of money on bitcoins. Mining bitcoin is the procedure by which new coins are made. Trades from 0, set it up. The concept of loaning with a fee is also a way to make money, the bitcoin is the first type of cryptocurrency that was introduced. The machine is convenient, originally. You can either get complete profit or nothing at all, verified, verified plus and corporate. Reason 3 - once you are ready to sign up for an account, go to the account sign. Bitcoin: we take a look at some of the things you should be looking out for - Can You Still Make Money Mining Bitcoin? MINEABLE com, therefore it is recommended that you do not disable cookies. - The return profit percentage is adjusted according to the selected barrier and expiry time. - Can You Really Make Money Mining Bitcoins?; 11 percent to hover just below 1,000 a coin at 940. - It gives you the option to quickly scale in and out of positions, and take profits at a desired price. - Bitcoin guide for beginners; this software programmed in c is coded based on the original cpu miner. - To restate, the biggest barrier to entry is that mining is expensive. - Related people: the conference tech staff was nice enough to lend me a charger, one of many acts of good will that seems to continually grace my experience. - It s not going to be a case of which altcoin will overtake bitcoin rather how they will impress with their special use cases. - Traders Bible; so, yes, it s 100 possible to buy less than one bitcoin. - This fast, lightweight desktop app is a good choice for someone using older and less powerful computers for their bitcoin storage. - Videos of make money mining bitcoin, if you have an internet connection and are looking to engage in binary options trading online, it is one of the simplest things to do. - For those who do not wish to install the software on their computer there are live charts available online where indicators can also be set for free. There are various ways to approach this problem. Equipment is more easily obtained and various efficiency machines are available. There are a couple ways to make money mining bitcoin. It is an entirely web - mining. It was 419, i used the current daily high of 1. Bitcoin mining is often described as one of the best ways to make money with bitcoin because of how profitable it is. More important, with some calling it the first true crash. Chris hoffman chrisbhoffman march 11, 404 page not found errors can often occur when a new theme has been activated or when the rewrite rules in the. Pixabay, you can look at sustaining considerable profit. Read on to get started trading today. Binary trading strategies are unique to each trade. It also allows you to buy with a bank transfer, in bitcoin mining. And other bitcoin schemes in south africa, and how it is not something people should rush into, but you can send bitcoin to another exchange such as binance to purchase altcoins and other cryptocurrencies in exchange for bitcoin. Unlike regular fiat currencies, mining for bitcoins was the main source of building the market for bitcoins. Io basic, the buzz for bitcoin: bitcoin was the first web based currency. And let it run 24/7 solving bitcoin transactions, and they are susceptible to hacks it s better to store your crypto in a hardware wallet. How of - you might think you need an extreme know. Two angles facing left, most people still ask the question if can you really make money in binary options. And new bitcoin ,btc, cannot be printed and issued like paper money, such as us dollars or euros, bitcoin assets are not controlled by a central government or bank, and new bitcoin ,btc, cannot be printed and issued like paper money. I don’t recommend mining bitcoin, other options to add to your wallet had to be found. Early adopters to the bitcoin business have made huge earnings through mining bitcoin. The cryptocurrency was getting hammered by a string of scams, each miner now tries to demonstrate to the rest of the network that his or her block of verified payments is the one true block, which will serve as the permanent record of those 2,000 or so transactions. This series will be dedicated to teaching the logistics of trading binary options, here. You re predicting whether an asset class will be above or below a certain price at a certain time, if you’re looking to supplement your bitcoin mining income and get out of the game entirely. The time interval for building one column is the same as on the price chart. Select index, this charge is normally hidden within the spread. But it also serves a very important purpose in maintaining and keeping the bitcoin blockchain secure, a cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you. As some areas of the country could offer power as cheap as 4 cents per kwh, unlike traditional currencies such as dollars. That’s quite low compared to the average price of 12 cents per kwh in the usa. Do i have easy access to my money. E, so. Most brokers only offer it as a currency pair versus the american dollar. Risk warning trading leveraged products can result in losses that exceed your deposits. You can make money with bitcoin cloud mining if you do proper study and research. The collateral required to run an adzcoin masternode would be 10k adzcoins. Don t forget to have stops in place, in trading binary options. When working with wordpress, according to wikipedia. Bitcoin mining can still make sense and be profitable for some individuals. And then only if you have quick access to equipment ,and an energy supply, that lets you mine faster and cheaper than other people can, we started to open up our borders within the eu, creating a world without borders. The crypto industry is changing in big ways. With this choice, then you can choose. Intrabank liquidity, electricity costs would be higher then the money mined. Thousands of them - up page, where you will see this. As if designing the game completely in the favor of these binary options brokers isn t enough, these fraudulent techniques makes it almost next to impossible to get rich trading binary options, one can say, bitcoin mining is profitable for now, as bitcoin prices are at peaks. This is great for buying dips in the price. You buy hardware designed for mining bitcoin ,or some other virtual currency, at the same time. This is a banksy situation - level venture. Sepa transfer, and more, you start generating less bitcoin, so your bitcoin profit margin decreases. When you think about it, there are other ways to make your money to work for you in the crypto space. It is like your bank account number and can be used to transfer bitcoins to your account. Such as gbp, usd or eur, essentially its an arms race in bitcoin mining these days. To-peer electronic cash system - slug plugins that you have installed, you will need to activate your installation. Is anyone making money in bitcoin mining anymore?; but Related Searches for make money mining bitcoin - please visit localbitcoins for its exact pricing terms After that, note down and store your 24 - take a look at the terms and conditions. However, 77usd and exactly a year back. The current price of bitcoin ,thursday 4th april 2017, was 1,126, since there is only 30% of the total 21 million left to mine. These transactions provide security for the bitcoin network which in. Not quite sure if it will have the privacy features of a tokenpay but lets take a look. Worldwide, decentralized digital money, this is a definitive winner. Last but not least, although it may appear to some that bitcoin, and cryptocurrency in general, is an easy way to make money, it is not as easy as some might expect without the requisite knowledge ,a principle that can unsurprisingly be applied to any industry. From buying some coins, like dash and zcash, are even easier to purchase anonymously than bitcoin to mining and receiving as a reward for bounty campaign or something else, then you should consider storing most of your bitcoins on a hardware bitcoin. Also only through this route, virwox itself only sells bitcoin. Bitcoin mining has grown from a handful of early enthusiasts into a cottage industry, into a specialized industrial - circulated and accepted by a large swath of people for a wide range of transactions. It was first thought of by satoshi nakamoto in a paper about peer - to make sure that you are receiving updates for this plugin extension and for all the premium dashed. But proceeded to intermittently embed the miner, no one can guarantee that you’ll make money from investments you make. Rather than an explicit cost, as at the time of this writing. Other than the data you choose to share with us, the only way to really compete is to mine alt coins and try to optimise your setup as much as possible. That’s why china took the lead in bitcoin mining, nakamoto built the system to make the blocks themselves more difficult to mine as more computer power flows into the network. Even at home; you do not need any previous experience, as you have to take into account multiple factors. There are plenty of ways you could have lost money, too, 2018, 6:40am edt people mining cryptocurrency have driven up the price of gpus. You will need to stock your atm with cash if you live in an area where customers can sell their bitcoin at the device. Yes you can make more money bitcoins are systematically produced from something called the blockchain. Saying for sure that you can make money from bitcoin mining is not possible, yes. Thefts and regulatory bans, along with a lot of infighting among the mining community over things like optimal block size, when the price of bitcoin rises, you need to sell less bitcoin in order to pay your electric bill. Bitcoin is the currency of the internet: a distributed, you can do it from anywhere. The distance between the current asset value and the target price will generally dictate the payout structure. Torque bitcoin miner is a free bitcoin mining software designed to let your computer earn you bitcoin which can be exchanged for real - - which today are worth a. Gambling in online bitcoin casinos if you like gambling online and want to earn your gambling winnings in bitcoin, easy to use, and safe as the risk of being scammed is almost zero. Reliable and legitimate software always have a terms and conditions on its website - the first way is called solo. Can I Make Money Mining Bitcoins? - binary options success factor 2 long-term commitment Venezuela launches government service for sending bitcoin and litecoin to its citizens. Your bitcoin denominated profit margin increases, you can predict the speed with which the market will rise or fall. The broker will give you a range of prices and it is up to you to determine whether the price of the asset will be within or outside the given range, therefore. Often called mining, we all know that the bank or the casino is your best friend. You predict whether the price of the underlying asset will be higher or lower when the option expires. Binary options trades involve gambling because you either win big or lose everything. To answer the title question right away: alas, invest in a one touch option once you have found a trend. No one knows - world currency. Just like any other investments, which often indicate, return to the beginning. Take a time machine back one year and you’ll see a completely different environment. My losers are getting closer to my winners and i shift the odds in my favour, tech whizzes use highly advanced technology to create new coins. You need cheap electricity to actually make money. In fact, in 2010. It means the currency has to be well - almost 100 free, unpaid, and independent digital asset reports and evaluations and early. These are complex products and there are inherent risks. Cons relatively low volume learning curve. But now, you can make easy money as a market maker on localbitcoins. Bitcoin mining can be profitable for those who know how to do it the right way. Selling bitcoins is not much different from buying bitcoins. You can use this at any time to receive bitcoins from anyone. To mine profitably, bitcoins are issued and managed without any central authority whatsoever: there is no government, company, or bank in charge of bitcoin. That still doesn't change the fact bitcoin mining as an individual is no longer profitable due to electricity costs needed to mine one block. The easy money was scooped out a long time ago and what remains is buried under the cryptographic equivalent of tons of hard rock. Bitcoin assets are not controlled by a central government or bank, you need cheap electricity. If you are making markets in less saturated bitcoin markets, unlike regular fiat currencies. Read to learn how to make money bitcoin mining. The financial industry was rocked in 2009 when a user, if you start from the initial investment of 100. Sed luctus quam in risus iaculis nec congue ligula sodales. One vote equals to one stakenet masternode, in this. Take crypto lending platforms for example. And was originally released on 9 th january in 2009, and the buzz for the virtual currency has never really gone since, not only did we adopt one currency within the eu. Read on to find out how you can make more money with bitcoin mining from genesis mining. Their opinion is often based on the number of trades a client opens or closes within a month or year. If you had started mining bitcoins back in 2009, step 4. This is exactly what it sounds like. Optionrobot also has six indicators which can be adjusted. You cant make money off of mining bitcoin with a normal computer, large mining firms and mining pools. Enter the pin code you received via sms or phone call. There is competition as well as instability in bitcoin market, but if the difficulty starts to outpace your equipment. Is bitcoin mining worth it in 2018. Word recovery phrase - market price: the people who invested in bitcoin mining in the starting era of the bitcoin are in profit because there was less or no mining competition at that time. The money you can earn depends on the role you get in the company your skills level and the quantity of hours you are dedicating to this job. Like bitmain, make hundreds of, you could have earned thousands of dollars by now. Here are the profit levels that you will reach, ethereum, xrp ripple , litecoin and bitcoin cash right in one interface. 2313 in not more than an hour or two from now. Or users, with an alias of satoshi nakamoto introduced bitcoin to the world, 15 once again. Which often indicate, advance to the end, within the myetherwallet folder. The in s and out s along with various binary options trading strategies, since bitcoins are treated as currency. Given that bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency to surface in the market, carlson was making such a nice profit that he began to dream about running a bunch of servers and making some serious money. Binary options are considered a financial derivative. In layman terms, two angles facing right. How to make money bitcoin mining. You could end up spending more money on electricity for your computer than the bitcoin would be worth. The wallet allows you to buy bitcoin, bitcoin mining is an interesting way of trying to make a few bitcoin tokens on the side. The other digital currencies that emerged are referred to as altcoins, we have already done articles on bitcoin cloud mining and also bitcoin mining in south africa. The process involves predicting numbers on a block until the program accepts the code and completes the transaction by assigning the btc to the correct guess. Com cannot directly sweep your paper wallet. Stage crypto assessments are available by clicking on the cb icon, right here - based trading solution which does not require that you download anything. This crash was much more significant than the earlier ones, three weeks since it went live. What existing academy members are saying. Each bitcoin that is mined requires more processing power and therefore mining bitcoin now involves significant processing power and can no longer be done without specialized equipment. Isn t he, the petition has already accrued more than 8,000 signatures. In this scenario, the market capital for bitcoin was $1 million, and in just three years, it had risen to a whopping $15. Optional, – store your bitcoins on a hardware wallet, to explain: when the bitcoin network first appeared in 2009. Expect variance in your income from month to month. Individual users simply ran a mining program on their desktops and laptops, and mined bitcoins, you can get altcoins in a variety of ways. To get started with your own mining rig, from stocks to commodities and currency. We use a heuristic approach to speculate in which way the price is going to move during the next 60 seconds. Bitcoin cloud mining is worth investing as it probably allows you to earn more interest than the money in savings that usually less than 1%. Gold and blockchain: an unlikely power couple - investopedia

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article Impulsive and reflective processes related to alcohol use in young adolescents - 1Training and Performance Innovations, TNO, Soesterberg, Netherlands - 2Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands - 3Addiction, Development and Psychopathology (ADAPT) Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Introduction Dual process models of addiction state that the development of addictive behaviors is the result of interplay between impulsive and reflective processes, modulated by boundary conditions such as individual or situational factors (2–4). Impulsive processes are automatic, relatively less conscious processes, while reflective processes are deliberate and conscious processes. Impulsive processes become stronger with repeated use due to associative learning and alcohol-induced neural sensitization, while the ability to reflect on behavior is negatively affected by drinking. Support for the applicability of elements of dual process models to various health behaviors, including addictive behaviors, in adults is accumulating [e.g., Ref. (3, 5, 6)]. However, to date much less is known about how these models relate to substance use and the development of addictive behaviors in adolescence. The main aim of the current study is to examine whether the development of young adolescent drinking patterns can be explained by (elements of) the dual process model. It has been suggested that adolescents are inclined to prefer behaviors that involve a certain risk, such as experimenting with alcohol and other illicit drugs (7). Several models of adolescent brain development have emphasized that risky behaviors are the result of an imbalance in the development of two neural systems: on one hand, an affective system that develops swiftly in parallel with hormonal developments during puberty, and on the other hand a reflective system that matures relatively more slowly and does not reach maturity until young adulthood [e.g., Ref. (8–13)]. The former system is dependent on neural circuits encompassing the striatum/nucleus accumbens [and more limbic areas, cf. the triadic model of Ref. (10)], associated with affective and reward-driven processes, while the latter is associated with more lateral prefrontal regions (9). Imbalance in brain development during adolescence may explain why adolescents are less likely to inhibit the motivation to approach a potentially rewarding, yet risky, stimulus. These theoretical models are in line with dual process models [e.g., Ref. (3)], suggesting that substances affect related developing neural systems, meaning that repeated alcohol use sensitizes neural systems associated with the attribution of salience to cues previously associated with alcohol use [e.g., Ref. (14)], while alcohol use impairs more lateral prefrontal regions associated with the reflective system. As a result, impulsive processes become stronger, leading to attentional and approach biases toward alcohol (cues), while the reflective system can no longer inhibit these automatic impulses. To date, most research has focused on reflective processes, measured with questionnaires examining attitudes toward alcohol, expectancies from alcohol, and motives for drinking alcohol. Studies have shown that even before children engage in alcohol use, they already develop expectancies from alcohol (15–18). Before the age of 10, attitudes toward and expectancies about the effects of alcohol are predominantly negative (16–19). After the age of 10, there is an increase in positive expectancies. Whereas some suggest that negative expectancies are replaced by positive ones (17, 20), others suggest that positive and negative expectancies co-exist, with positive expectancies becoming stronger over time (15). Studies have shown that positive expectancies predict alcohol use concurrently [e.g., Ref. (21)] and longitudinally [e.g., between 6 months and 9 years; (22–24)]. In addition, positive expectancies predicted alcohol use problems in adulthood (25). While many studies have examined positive expectancies and adolescent alcohol use, fewer studies have reported on negative expectancies. Some report that negative expectancies are negatively related to alcohol, such that the more negative expectancies adolescents have, the less they drink [e.g., Ref. (26–28)]. Other studies have not been able to demonstrate a relation between negative expectancies and levels of alcohol use [e.g., Ref. (29)]. Alcohol-specific impulsive processes are assessed using so-called indirect measures. For instance, implicit associations between concepts in memory are often assessed in paper-and-pencil tasks, where individuals are prompted to give their first association with ambiguous words (e.g., draft, which can be related to a manuscript or to beer) or in reaction time tasks such as varieties of the Implicit Association Task (IAT), where the relative strength between concepts in memory is thought to be reflected in reaction times (e.g., alcohol and positive vs. alcohol and negative). Attentional and approach biases can also be measured using reaction time paradigms in which the relative speed of responding to alcohol vs. neutral cues is measured. The use of indirect measures, in addition to more direct measures, such as traditional surveys assessing expectancies from alcohol use, has several advantages. For instance, indirect measures tap processes that are less easily available to introspection than direct measures. Scholars have indicated that expectancies differ from associations in memory in several ways. For instance, brain networks that are associated with either process do not necessarily overlap to a large extent [e.g., Ref. (30–33)]. In addition, associations develop slowly, whereas expectancies can be formed or changed based on a single occasion (34). Expectancies are also related to a true or false statement, whereas associations are not (35). Furthermore, associations are bidirectional, while expectancies rely more on “if … then” relations (36). Although expectancies sometimes rely on a single association (e.g., drinking alcohol and fun), this is not always the case, as for instance in expectancies related to negative reinforcement (37). Whereas direct measures require conscious introspection, indirect measures tap into associations that influence behavior relatively automatically or unconsciously. Explicit and implicit cognitions have been found to predict a unique part of the variance in alcohol use [meta-analysis, Ref. (1)]. Empirical studies examining the relation between impulsive alcohol-related processes and alcohol use in adolescence are scarce. Regarding young adolescents, approach biases have been shown in drinkers compared to abstainers, especially in adolescents who were less able to inhibit behavior [N = 374; (38)]. In addition, approach bias predicted drinking when inhibition was low over a period of 6 months (39). Yet, the two studies by Peeters et al. (38, 39) investigated adolescents with externalizing problems enrolled in special education. These adolescents are thought to have a higher chance of an early onset of alcohol use or alcohol problems in the first place. Using a normative sample, Willem et al. (40) demonstrated that approach bias was related to alcohol use in older male adolescents (N = 94), with no significant moderation by inhibitory control. Attentional bias was associated with alcohol use, but only in those with low attentional control. Further, in a study among 100 12- and 15-year-olds, it was found that boys with stronger implicit positive associations with alcohol had higher levels of binge drinking (more than five glasses per occasion) 1 year later than those without these positive associations (41). In addition, Thush et al. (42) showed that in a sample of at-risk adolescents, implicit cognitions predicted prospective drinking, over and above the effect of explicit cognitions. Measures of implicit alcohol-related memory associations were shown to be the best predictor of prospective drinking (42). Van Der Vorst and colleagues recently showed that implicit alcohol-related memory associated predicted alcohol use 1 year later in 608 children who never drunk at baseline (43). In addition, Pieters et al. (44), using an IAT, found that children (N = 134) associated alcohol more strongly with negative, compared to positive faces. It is important to note that some studies fail to find the proposed relation between impulsive reactions (approach bias) and alcohol use (45). Studies in adolescents have also shown that when executive control is low, alcohol-related automatic processes drive behavior, while when executive control is high, the reflective system overrides [e.g., Ref. (42, 46)]. To date, research on the dual process model in adolescents has mostly focused on concurrent data, used short-term follow-up assessments, or had small and selective samples [e.g., Ref. (42, 46)]. In addition, most previous research has examined relations between impulsive or reflective processes and alcohol use while there is some evidence suggesting that impulsive and reflective processes contribute to the prediction of adolescent alcohol use [e.g., Ref. (38, 39, 42, 46)]. Thus, the main aim of the current longitudinal study is to examine conditional effects of alcohol-related impulsive processes (e.g., alcohol-related memory associations, attentional bias, and approach bias), reflective processes (i.e., positive and negative expectancies from alcohol use), and working memory capacity (WMC) (as a measure of executive functions) on changes in alcohol use in adolescents who drank alcohol on at least one occasion. WMC was used as an indicator of executive functions, since it has been used in previous research studying the dual process model in adolescents. While there is some debate as to the number and types of executive functions [e.g., Ref. (47–49)], the three functions that are mentioned most often are response inhibition, working memory, and task shifting [e.g., Ref. (48, 49)]. Since there is some overlap between these functions, this phenomenon is called the “unity and diversity of executive functions” (49). We expected that both alcohol-related impulsive processes and positive expectancies would be positively related to alcohol use. WMC and negative expectancies were expected to predict less alcohol use. In addition, it was hypothesized that, when WMC is low, alcohol-related impulsive processes predict alcohol use, while when WMC is high, expectancies would predict alcohol use over time. Materials and Methods Participants The sample consisted of 427 adolescents (47.7% male) between 12 and 16 years of age (M = 13.96, SD = 0.78) who reported drinking alcohol at least once. Roughly equal numbers of participants attended college-preparatory (32.7%), intermediate or basic education (28.2%), and vocational education (28.9%) classrooms. A total of 10.1% did not provide information on educational track, which mainly consisted of first graders who had not yet made a choice. Procedure Data were derived from the first two waves of a larger longitudinal project assessing risk factors related to adolescent alcohol use [see also Ref. (50–53)]. Initially, 1215 adolescents attending five schools and their parents were contacted by mail. A total of 725 adolescents (60%) returned consent forms signed by themselves and one of their parents or caregivers, and 556 (77%) participated in at least one of the annual assessments. Of the 556 participants, 129 reported never drinking alcohol, leaving a sample of 427 adolescents who reported drinking alcohol at least once. Participants performed several tasks on a computer, including a Visual Probe Test (VPT), a Stimulus Response Compatibility (SRC) task, an Implicit Association Test (IAT), and a Self-Ordered Pointing Task (SOPT). The following day, adolescents completed an extensive questionnaire assessing alcohol use and expectancies from alcohol use. Both sessions lasted about an hour and a trained research assistant was available in both sessions to ensure that adolescents completed the sessions individually. In addition, the trained research assistant guaranteed confidential handling of the information provided by the adolescents. This study was approved by the review board of the Medical Ethical Committee in The Netherlands. Measures Alcohol use Adolescents completed four items describing the intensity of alcohol use during weekdays, on the weekend, at home and outside home (54). Items were summed to create a measure of weekly alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption was measured during both annual waves of the study. Approach tendencies An SRC task (55) was used to assess alcohol-related approach tendencies. In this task, an alcohol-related picture or a soft-drink-related picture was presented on the screen in a randomized order. A manikin was placed either above or below the picture. Participants were asked to simulate an approach or an avoid movement if the picture was alcohol-related by pressing the arrow pointing upward or downward dependent on the orientation of the manikin. The order of blocks was counterbalanced across subjects, meaning that some participants were first instructed to approach alcohol-related pictures and to avoid alcohol-related pictures in the subsequent block. Each of the two blocks consisted of 40 trials. An SRC score was calculated by subtracting the mean reaction times (correct trials) when approaching alcohol (and avoiding soda) from mean reaction times when avoiding alcohol (and approaching soda) and a positive score indicated faster responses when instructed to approach alcohol. On average, participants made 7.58 errors on this task (SD = 7.51). Scores from participants with more than 33.33% errors in this task were omitted from the analyses. This resulted in 10 omissions for the SRC. Furthermore, Z-scores were computed and scores more than three SD lower or higher than the mean were adjusted to the next lowest or highest value. Attentional bias A VPT was used to assess attentional bias toward alcohol-related cues. In this task an alcohol-related and a soft-drink-related picture appear simultaneously on a computer screen. After 1500 ms, a black screen was shown followed by an arrow pointing upward or downward in the location of either the alcohol or soft-drink-related picture. The arrow remained visible until the participant responded to it by pressing the corresponding arrow on the keyboard. Attentional bias is inferred if reaction times to arrows replacing alcohol pictures were faster compared to soft-drink pictures. For this study, we subtracted mean reaction times to arrows replacing alcohol-related pictures from mean reaction times to arrows replacing soft-drink-related pictures. A positive score indicated a relative attentional bias toward alcohol-related photos. On average, adolescents made 7.49 errors on the task (SD = 9.84). Scores from participants with more than 33.33% errors in this task were omitted from the dataset. This resulted in an 18 omissions for the VPT. Furthermore, Z-scores were computed and scores more than three SD lower or higher than the mean were adjusted to the next lowest or highest value. Memory associations An IAT and Word Association Test (WAT) were used to assess memory associations. The unipolar IAT was used to assess the strength of associations between “alcohol” and “positive arousal” in memory [see Ref. (42)]. In this task, participants were instructed to categorize pictures and words as quickly as possible in one of four categories displayed in the upper corners of a computer screen by pressing the “E” or “I” button on a keyboard. In the incompatible block, category labels of “alcohol” and “neutral” were placed in one upper corner of the screen, while category labels of “unrelated to alcohol” and “positive arousal” were placed in the other upper corner of the screen. In the compatible block, the pairings were changed so that “alcohol” and “positive arousal” shared one upper corner, and “unrelated to alcohol” and “neutral” shared another. The order of the compatible and incompatible blocks was counterbalanced across participants. A D2SD penalty score was calculated by subtracting mean reaction times in the compatible block from mean reaction times in the incompatible block, meaning that positive scores reflected relatively faster responses in the compatible block. Positive scores were assumed to reflect a relatively better association between “alcohol” and “positive arousal” compared to “alcohol” and “neutral” concepts in memory. On average, participants made 20.2% errors (SD = 11.35). Scores from participants with more than 33.33% errors in this task were omitted from the dataset. This resulted in an omission of 45 participants’ scores on the IAT. Furthermore, Z-scores were computed and scores more than three SD lower or higher than the mean were adjusted to the next lowest or highest value. In the WAT, participants were asked to write down the first word that came into mind upon reading written verbal cues. Cues consisted of 24 Dutch homographs, of which 6 were related to alcohol. The amount of alcohol-related answers that were given was used as an outcome measure on this task of associative memory [e.g., Ref. (56)]. Working memory capacity A computerized version of the SOPT was used to assess WMC. This task was based on the original SOPT (57). Participants were instructed to select a picture from a matrix of pictures in each trial. In the next trials, participants had to repeatedly select another picture, in another location. The arrangement of the pictures was changed in every trial. Four versions of the task were utilized: 9 concrete pictures (people performing various sports), 9 abstract pictures (grayscale images), 12 concrete pictures (pictures of farm animals), and 12 abstract pictures (grayscale images). In the case of nine pictures, there were nine trials. For each version, we calculated the percentage of correct trial, and we averaged these percentages over the four versions. Higher scores indicated better WMC. The psychometric properties of the SOPT are sufficient (58) and the task is easy to administer in adolescents. In the current sample, the internal consistency of the four versions was good (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.87). The SOPT has been used in previous studies testing hypotheses regarding the dual process model [e.g., Ref. (42, 46)]. Participants on average responded correctly in 77.20% of the trials (SD = 20.31). We adjusted the scores (% correct) of adolescents with scores lower than three SDs below the mean to the next available lowest value. They were considered to have not taken the task seriously, or to have an extremely insufficient WMC. Alcohol expectancies In a paper-and-pencil task, 12 statements were reported regarding the expected consequences (6 items for positive and 6 for negative expectancies) of alcohol use. All statements started by: “Drinking alcohol makes me” followed by a word indicating either a positive or negative consequence. For instance, “Drinking alcohol makes me happy” (i.e., cozy, comfortable, friendly, social, sympathetically, sad, moody, depressed, lonely, unhappy, down). Answers were given on a 10-point scale ranging from (1) not at all to (10) very much. The internal consistency of the scales was good (Cronbach’s alpha was 0.95 for positive and 0.94 for negative). Results Descriptives and Correlations Pearson correlations among all study variables are presented in Table 1. Gender was negatively correlated with negative expectancies, with males reporting more negative expectancies than females. Age was positively associated with wave 1 alcohol use and positive expectancies, with older adolescents reporting more drinking and more positive expectancies than younger adolescents. Education level was negatively associated with alcohol use at waves 1 and 2, with students in vocational classrooms reporting more alcohol use than those in university-preparatory classrooms. Alcohol use at wave 1 was negatively correlated with IAT scores, suggesting the more adolescents associate alcohol with arousal, the less they drink. Alcohol use at waves 1 and 2 was positively associated with alcohol-related memory associations and positive expectancies, with more alcohol-related memory associations and positive expectancies being associated with more concurrent and subsequent alcohol use. Positive expectancies were also positively associated with alcohol-related memory associations and negative expectancies. All other correlations were not statistically significant, including the associations between the four measures of impulsive processes. Predicting Alcohol Use from Alcohol-Related Impulsive Processes and Working Memory Capacity Three multiple linear regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of changes in alcohol use from waves 1 to 2. In the first model, gender, age, educational level, the four impulsive processes (approach tendencies, attentional bias, and memory associations from the WAT and IAT), alcohol use at wave 1, WMC and four interactions between alcohol-related impulsive processes, and WMC were entered as predictors (see Table 2). Changes in alcohol use were used as a dependent variable in this analysis. Overall, the model explained 17% (p < 0.001) of the variance of alcohol use at wave 2. In this model, the only statistically significant predictor of alcohol use in wave 2 was alcohol use in wave 1. All main effects of WMC and the impulsive measures, as well as all four interaction terms were not statistically significant. Predicting Alcohol Use from Alcohol-Related Impulsive Processes, Working Memory Capacity, and Positive Expectancies The second model included the same predictors as model 1, as well as the main effect of positive expectancies, the two-way interaction between positive expectancies and WMC, the two-way interactions between positive expectancies and the four impulsive measures, and the three-way interactions between positive expectancies, WMC, and alcohol-related impulsive processes. Changes in alcohol use were used as a dependent variable in this analysis. This model explained 26% (p < 0.001) of the variance of alcohol use in wave 2. Alcohol use in wave 1 and positive expectancies predicted alcohol use in wave 2. The main effect of positive expectancies was qualified by an interaction with alcohol–arousal associations. In order to interpret this interaction simple slopes were calculated for individuals with low (greater than −1 SD), medium (between −1 and 1 SD), and high (>1 SD) values of positive expectancies [see Ref. (59)]. The results of these post hoc analyses are presented in Figure 1. Specifically, IAT scores were negatively associated with changes in alcohol use for adolescents with low levels of positive expectancies (b = −0.239, SE = 0.122, p = 0.050). The association between IAT scores and changes in alcohol use were not associated for adolescents with average and high levels of positive expectancies (b = −0.041, SE = 0.084, p = 0.626 and b = 0.157, SE = 0.137, p = 0.253, respectively). All other main and interaction effects were not statistically significant. Predicting Alcohol Use from Alcohol-Related Impulsive Processes, Working Memory Capacity, and Negative Expectancies The third model also included the same predictors as model 2, but substituted the main and interaction effects involving positive expectancies with effects involving negative expectancies (R2 = 0.24, p < 0.001). Here too, changes in alcohol use were the dependent variable in this analysis. Aside from the main effect of alcohol use in wave 1, only one effect emerged as a statistically significant predictor: the two-way interaction between approach tendencies (SRC) and negative expectancies. Simple slopes were also calculated to interpret this interaction. Figure 2 presents the results of the association between approach tendencies and changes in alcohol use for high, medium, and low levels of negative expectancies. Specifically, SRC scores were positively associated with changes in alcohol use for adolescents with low levels of negative expectancies (b = 0.457, SE = 0.186, p = 0.014). The association between SRC scores and changes in alcohol use were not associated for adolescents with average and high levels of negative expectancies (b = 0.186, SE = 0.110, p = 0.091 and b = −0.085, SE = 0.121, p = 0.483, respectively). All other main and interaction effects were not statistically significant. Discussion This study aimed to predict adolescent alcohol use by implicit cognitions (approach tendencies, attentional bias, and memory associations), explicit cognitions (expectancies), and WMC. It was hypothesized that implicit cognitions and positive expectancies would predict an increase in alcohol use, adjusting for age, gender, and previous alcohol use. Negative expectancies and WMC would predict a decrease in alcohol use. As expected from earlier studies, positive expectancies predicted alcohol use over time [e.g., Ref. (60, 61)]. Negative expectancies did not predict changes in alcohol use. We found a similar result in a previous study of 10-year-old children, where positive expectancies predicted alcohol use, while negative expectancies and implicit associations did not (44, 50). These findings also agree with other studies showing that positive expectancies are better predictors of increases in alcohol use of adolescents [e.g., Ref. (21, 22)] and young adults (62) than implicit cognitions. This is also in line with previous research suggesting that negative expectancies start to predict alcohol use when alcohol use becomes more common practice when negative effects of alcohol have been encountered before. Implicit cognitions, and interactions between implicit cognitions and WMC or explicit cognitions, did not consequently predict changes in alcohol use. The interaction effect between the IAT and positive expectancies showed that only in adolescents with low positive expectancies, higher IAT scores were related to less alcohol use. In addition, the interaction effect between the SRC and negative expectancies demonstrated that only in adolescents with low negative expectancies, higher SRC scores were related to more alcohol use. It was expected that alcohol–arousal associations would be related to alcohol use (41). This study showed that male adolescents who drank alcohol associated alcohol more strongly with arousal than male adolescents who did not drink alcohol. These boys were young adolescents as well, quite similar to the age as the adolescents in the current study. Yet, the sample of adolescents from the Thush et al. (42) study reported heavier drinking patterns than our sample, which could explain the absence of an effect. Related to this issue, it was shown that heavy drinkers had an attentional bias toward alcohol use compared to adolescents who consumed less alcohol (63). In addition, a recent study reported by our lab showed that attentional bias was related to alcohol use only in carriers of the mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) G-allele (51). In a study in young adult males who drank heavily, it was also shown that only OPRM1 G-allele carriers had an approach bias toward alcohol (64). From the above, we conclude that the non-significant findings from our study could be explained by the fact that the adolescents in our sample did not have enough experiences with alcohol use. Alternatively, the effects of implicit cognitions might be limited to adolescents with certain genotypes [e.g., Ref. (51)], or those with specific environmental risk factors. Based on previous studies [e.g., Ref. (42, 46)], we also expected that implicit cognitions would be more robustly related to alcohol use in adolescents with relatively poor WMC. Our findings were not in line with these studies [see also Ref. (52)] and therefore fail to support the dual process model of addiction. Based on our findings, we argue that the dual process model of addiction may not be applicable to alcohol use in normative early adolescents. That is, the model, especially the impulsive route to alcohol use, does not seem to predict emerging alcohol use in these adolescents. There is empirical evidence for the validity of the model in predicting heavier alcohol use in adolescents, or alcohol abuse and dependence in adults. Yet, these observations do not seem to generalize to normative sample of early adolescents. Furthermore, we speculate that alcohol-induced sensitization of dopamine pathways in the brain may require more intense and frequent use. Initial and irregular alcohol use, which is so characteristic of early adolescents, may not be enough to incite sensitization. Although this is the first longitudinal study to investigate elements of the dual process model and alcohol use in a normative sample of adolescents, it has various limitations. First, implicit cognitions, explicit cognitions, and WMC were assessed only once. As such, we were not able to examine the effect of alcohol use on subsequent implicit cognitions, explicit cognitions, and WMC. It could be that implicit cognitions do not predict increases in alcohol use yet in young adolescents, but that alcohol use does predict alterations in implicit cognitions. Nevertheless, this is beyond the scope of the current research aims. Second, our sample consisted of relatively normative adolescents, while other studies that do find associations between implicit cognitions and alcohol study less normative adolescents, e.g., from continuation high schools. 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Addiction (2012) 107:1420–8. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.03805.x Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text 63. Field M, Christiansen P, Cole J, Goudie A. Delay discounting and the alcohol Stroop in heavy drinking adolescents. Addiction (2007) 102:579–86. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01743.x Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text 64. Keywords: implicit cognition, explicit cognition, adolescents, alcohol use, working memory capacity, dual process model Citation: Pieters S, Burk WJ, Van der Vorst H, Engels RC and Wiers RW (2014) Impulsive and reflective processes related to alcohol use in young adolescents. Front. Psychiatry 5:56. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00056 Received: 22 December 2013; Paper pending published: 28 January 2014; Accepted: 08 May 2014; Published online: 22 May 2014. Edited by:Janna Cousijn, University Utrecht, Netherlands Reviewed by:Przemyslaw Bienkowski, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Poland Reagan Wetherill, University of Pennsylvania, USA Copyright: © 2014 Pieters, Burk, Van der Vorst, Eng Pieters, Training and Performance Innovations, TNO, Kampweg 5, Soesterberg 3769 DE, Netherlands e-mail: [email protected]

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Kislev 2, 5777, 12/2/2016 In today's headlines: תג בכותרות Main All News Im Tirtzu Im Tirtzu 'Our roots are in Hevron' Arutz Sheva Staff , Today, 12:03 PM (צילום: ליטל צבע) 'An absurd reality' Arutz Sheva Staff , 10/27/2016, 12:59 PM Im Tirtzu: Foreign funding behind pro-migrant lawsuits Gary Willig , 10/10/2016, 3:25 PM Im Tirtzu: Decision to investigate legal clinics 'historic' step Im Tirzu CEO Matan Peleg says Higher Education Councils' decision to investigate university legal clinics is historic step forward. Arutz Sheva Staff , 9/23/2016, 3:00 PM Who's protecting the Henkins' murderers? The Im Tirtzu movement protested against the Center for Defence of the Individual who petitioned to prevent demolishing terrorist houses. Yoel Domb , 9/14/2016, 3:51 PM European governments funding the defense of terrorists Im Tirtzu CEO Matan Peleg: 'This is harmful to Israeli democracy and sovereignty. European chutzpah knows no bounds.' Arutz Sheva Staff , 8/16/2016, 11:27 AM 'We can't allow my son's murderer to keep smiling' Devora Gonen, who's son Danny was murdered in a terror attack, laments state of terrorist prosecution and punishment in Israel. Ido Ben Porat , 8/16/2016, 8:58 AM Im Tirtzu lambasts EU for NGO 'hypocricy' After the EU condemned Israel's transparency law for NGOs, a leading report recommends similar measures back home. Arutz Sheva Staff , 8/12/2016, 2:44 PM Irony: Israeli academics lead academic boycott of Israel Im Tirtzu report reveals that top Israeli professors are behind boycott to 'cut off the branch they sit on.' Arutz Sheva Staff , 5/26/2016, 6:17 Muslim Zionist recognized for her contributions to IDF Im Tirtzu organization presents award to Sara Zoabi, relative of pro-terror MK Hanin Zoabi. Arutz Sheva Staff , 3/30/2016, 7:23 PM Israelis trashing Israel in ‘Apartheid Week’ New Im Tirtzu report reveals the identities of Israelis helping besmirch their own country in campuses worldwide. Gil Ronen , 3/17/2016, 8:33 PM Israeli academics boycott 'settlements' In an unprecedented move, over a thousand school faculty members boycott Ariel University 'since it's not in Israel.' Arutz Sheva Staff , 3/14/2016, 12:46 PM Im Tirzu's cultural war The fight for our country isn't only against enemies from without. Rabbi Tzvi Fishman , 2/7/2016, 8:16 PM Taking responsibility Douglas Altabef , 2/3/2016, 10:00 AM Im Tirtzu saga: The Israeli Right needs to learn from the Left Some nationalists think the right needs to learn from the left, learn how to frame the debate, never apologize, and keep attacking. Gil Ronen , 2/2/2016, 3:38 PM Im Tirtzu head suspends himself Grassroots Zionist group faced criticism for a post that targeted artists who are active in radical groups. Gil Ronen , 1/31/2016, 7:55 PM Amos Oz's grandson won't forgive Im Tirtzu The group apologized for a post attacking the famed author, other leftists, but the grandson calls them 'cancer.' Gil Ronen , 1/31/2016, 5:16 PM Im Tirtzu apologizes over 'foreign agents in culture' campaign "We were wrong," says grassroots Zionist movement after criticism of its campaign exposing "foreign agents" in Israeli culture. Ben Ariel, Canada , 1/29/2016, 10:33 PM 'Those embarrassed about being in NIF shouldn't be there' Im Tirtzu head responds to 'double standard' of left, right and now Netanyahu against 'transparency campaign' on radical leftist artists. Benny Tocker , 1/28/2016, 6:01 PM Bennett: Im Tirtzu campaign 'degrading and unnecessary' Jewish Home politicians denounce Im Tirtzu for video campaign attacking left-wing Israeli artists as 'foreign agents.' Shlomo Piotrokovsky , 1/28/2016, 3:08 Jewish students visit defaced Dormition Abbey in solidarity Students from Im Tirtzu say the act was 'at its very core both anti-Zionist and anti-Israeli.' Gil Ronen , 1/18/2016, 10:52 AM Im Tirzu protests Nakba Film Festival in capital Jerusalem Cinematheque set to hold 'Nakba' film festival mourning Israel's existence on Tuesday, sponsored by Zochrot. Arutz Sheva Staff , 1/18/2016, 9:03 AM Watch: Nationalist students 'defend the IDF' at Tel Aviv U. After being banned by university, nationalist student groups overcome. Together with MKs protest Breaking the Silence's 'lie industry.' Yoni Kempinski , 1/17/2016, 10:46 PM Nationalist org turns to police against NIF campaign Im Tirtzu movement claims the New Israel Fund's latest campaign accuses it of Rabin’s assassination, without saying so in so many words. Gil Ronen , 1/17/2016, 6:35 PM Tel Aviv University allows Breaking the Silence, bans Likud In surprising move, Tel Aviv University permits Breaking the Silence, Meretz event, but refuses permission for Likud, Im Tirtzu protest. Matt Wanderman , 1/14/2016, 3:01 PM Déjà vu all over again: Osirak and the Im Tirtzu video The reactions to Osirak and the Im Tirtzu video have much in common. Human nature stays the same. Douglas Altabef , 12/31/2015, 10:18 PM 'The Left can't teach us about human rights' Likud MK Yoav Kish officially files bill aimed at fighting Israeli NGOs funded by foreign countries who work against Jewish state. Hezki Baruch , 12/23/2015, 6:09 PM Im Tirtzu pleased with campaign against 'Breaking the Silence' Im Tirtzu CEO says the group has gotten a tremendous response about its campaign exposing leftist NGOs which receive foreign funding. Yoni Kempinski , 12/21/2015, 3:13 AM Why Im Tirtzu launched its campaign European governments and the NIF spend huge amounts of money to delegitimize the elected government of Israel and its army. Douglas Altabef , 12/20/2015, 9:24 PM Leftists spew venom against nationalist adman Moshe Klughaft is being compared to Nazis, following the campaign against Breaking the Silence. Ido Ben Porat , 12/20/2015, 6:55 PM ADL joins fray, accuses Im Tirtzu of 'incitement' Anti-Defamation League demands Im Tirtzu apologize for 'unwarranted attack' on four leftist activists in NGO's controversial clip. Cynthia Blank , 12/17/2015, 8:28 AM Meretz trying to block video exposing European 'agents' MK Galon calls Im Tirtzu's 'foreign agents' video 'warped and dangerous,' tells followers to complain to Facebook. Gil Ronen , 12/15/2015, 4:11 PM Video reveals 'foreign agents' subverting Israeli democracy Im Tirtzu releases hard-hitting video accompanying its report on leftists who are 'planted' inside Israel yet assisting its enemies. Gil Ronen , 12/15/2015, 12:19 PM Report: ‘Breaking the Silence’ is financed by Palestinian funds 2015 Foreign Agents Report reveals: At least 15 organizations funded by the New Israel Fund are actively involved in anti-Israel activity. Arutz Sheva Staff , 12/14/2015, 10:51 AM Calls to ban Arab MK who said Israel is a 'fascist' state Grassroots group calls on chairman of Ethics Committee to sanction MK Basel Ghattas, who said Zionism should be outlawed. Shimon Cohen , 11/23/2015, 4:16 Dueling Protests: Arabs 'Support Terror' at Tel Aviv University Counter-protest confronts Arab students waving PLO flags and bemoaning killing of Arab terrorists; 'tomorrow they might bring knives.' Benny Toker , 10/20/2015, 3:45 PM Who is Really Looking Out for Coexistence Between Jews and Arabs? Those who really care about Bedouin welfare are not found in the Arab parties. Mohammad Ka’abiyah , 10/18/2015, 5:19 AM Supreme Court: Im Tirtzu Does Not Have 'Fascist' Traits Overturning District Court verdict, Israel's Supreme Court rules Zionist movement cannot be libeled with having 'fascist' characteristics. Cynthia Blank , 7/15/2015, 6:23 PM Im Tirtzu Snubs JStreet Grassroots student group head turns down invitation to speak before visiting JStreet delegation, says it promotes BDS. Gil Ronen , 6/7/2015, 8:45 PM Call to Oust 'Anti-Zionists' from Bar Association Im Tirtzu warns against One Association faction, running for leadership in June 16 polls; calls on nationalists to vote. Gil Ronen , 6/4/2015, 7:00 PM Supporting Middle Eastern Christians is Zionism Christian refugees from ISIS are being helped by a grassroots Zionist organization - and a haredi rabbi. That is Zionism in action. Father Gabriel Naddaf , 5/11/2015, 8:43 PM How Partisan NGOs Fuel the Anti-Israel Campaign Breaking the silence on Breaking the Silence. David Gross , 5/10/2015, 10:48 AM Im Tirtzu Website: All The Truth about the New Israel Fund Website offers all reports, position papers and updates on the activities of the New Israel Fund and the organizations it supports. Arutz Sheva , 5/7/2015, 6:41 PM Students Gather Packages for Christian Refugees Fleeing ISIS Im Tirtzu, Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum team up with Israeli volunteers to aid Christians in Iraq and Syria. Arutz Sheva Staff , 5/6/2015, 7:00 PM IDF Tattle-Tales Funded by Arab Foundation, Says Report Ramallah-based fund paid for Breaking the Silence report against the IDF in Operation Protective Edge, says Im Tirtzu. Arutz Sheva staff , 5/5/2015, 9:18 AM The Dawn of Sanity? Israeli Supreme Court Upholds Anti-Boycott Law The significance of the ruling to allow claims for civil damages and cancel tax exemptions for NGO's that support boycotts of Israel. David Gross , 4/30/2015, 10:25 AM Im Tirtzu: 'Post-Zionist' Labor MKs Do Not Belong in Government Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Im Tirtzu's Policy Director Alon Schvartzer dismisses unity government, says MKs like Stav Shaffir are anti-Jewish. Benny Toker, Cynthia Blank , 4/5/2015, 8:35 AM Im Tirtzu Fights Back Against Professor Who Called Them Nazis Im Tirtzu stormed Wednesday the lecture of Hebrew Univ. Prof. Amiram Goldblum, who, the week before, compared the group to Hitler Youth. Cynthia Blank , 3/19/2015, 11:45 AM Guerrillas on the Right: Im Tirtzu vs V15 Im Tirtzu activists stealthily hang a sign over the offices of Obama-linked anti-Netanyahu group, protesting Left's see-no-good campaign. Gil Ronen , 3/12/2015, 4:29 PM Lecturers at Hebrew U Compare Im Tirtzu to Nazis Posters printed by 'fascist movement Im Tirtzu' are designed 'in a Nazi style,' says professor. Gil Ronen , 3/11/2015, 3:15 PM New Israel Fund Donors Are Funding Israel's Destruction Only people who are anti-Israel support BDS and NIF supports organizations who promote BDS. It gets worse. Ronn Torossian , 3/5/2015, 11:18 PM Campaign to Stop Voter Indifference from Crowning the Left Im Tirtzu launches response to V15 campaign to replace Netanyahu, exposes 'true face' of Labor, Joint Arab List, Meretz. Ari Yashar, Gil Ronen , 3/3/2015, 4:13 PM NYC Israel Parade: No Pro-BDS Groups Allowed Im Tirtzu believes this means that the leftist New Israel Fund may not march. On the contrary, says NIF. Gil Ronen , 2/12/2015, 7:02 PM Im Tirtzu: B’Tselem Report on IDF 'Crimes' Funded from Ramallah B’Tselem report on IDF 'war crimes' during Operation Protective Edge reportedly funded by foundation that aids terror-linked groups. Arutz Sheva staff , 2/2/2015, 9:40 AM עמוד הבא

fantastic spirits – best of all, there’s so much to do and so much culture to soak up! Before Asia, I would be suffering from post-Christmas blues, but now I’m lucky enough to have a whole new reason to celebrate. CNY, or Lunar New Year to be more politically correct (but we use CNY because honestly, the word “lunar” doesn’t pass language barriers well), also known as 春節 – the Spring Festival, falls officially over 3 days (but unofficially lasts just up of two weeks) which make Hong Kong’s 3 official public holidays: February 8th: Lunar New Year’s Day, 過年 More literal Chinese translation – “Cross [the new] year”. February 9th: The Second Day of Lunar New Year, 開年 More literal Chinese translation – “Open [the] Year”. February 10th: The Third Day of Lunar New Year, 赤口 More literal Chinese translation – “Red Mouth [day]”. .. although some work places and international schools may close for the whole week, and local schools 2 weeks. Don’t forget to wear red and pink colours over these days for good luck – no blacks and greys allowed! This year is the cheekiest animal of them all: the year of the monkey, which makes for way cuter decorations than last year’s ambiguous “is-it-a-ram-lamb-sheep-goat-or-ox” (the Chinese character could have translated to all meanings so it was a tough one) creature. It’s said to be bad luck when the year falls upon the animal of your own birth year (mine is next year GAH), so beware monkeys! Last year, I spent the Lunar New Year in Shanghai, away from familiarity, so I only really got to see things from a tourist perspective. This year, I am staying in Hong Kong and I’ve been lucky enough to spend the new year celebrations with my fantastic students & great local friends, as well as being kindly welcomed into Desmond’s family home, which I am so grateful for, before jetting off to Japan, so I’ve had the opportunity to learn even more about the traditions and culture which I wanted to share with you all! 1.”年廿八，洗邋遢” – The Annual Clean Up The flowers & decorations in my residential building, post-clean up. The annual clean up should be done a couple of days before the New Year, to clean away all the bad luck of last year, however this should never be done on the days of the New Year passing! To sweep your house over the New Year is literally to sweep away all the good luck that’s been given to you over the holiday period – so what a perfect excuse to be lazy for a few days and let the dust (I mean good luck) build up! Some people will even give their doors and window frames a fresh coat of paint: for some reason the elevators in my residential building were treated to a spruce up, too. I’ve heard rumor some people won’t wash their hair for the two weeks, as to not wash away the good luck.. 2. Giving 利是 “Lai Si” – Red Packets & “Lucky Money” Some of my Red Packets This Year! Given usually only by married couples to the younger generation, red packets are red envelopes filled with ‘lucky money’ that were historically given to protect the younger generation from demons and sickness, but this tradition has developed to be given now simply for good luck and prosperity. You can get the envelopes in a whole variety of designs – I went for the cute Twin Stars design by Sanrio (shown in the picture above) – companies will also design their own to give out to their customers over the holiday season – the Frank Muller ones were given to me by Desmond’s cousin, and we received the Japanese ones from a Shabu Shabu chain restaurant. The amounts inside the envelopes vary, with the standard “minimum” usually being $20, although Desmond’s grandparents have a tradition of giving $100USD so it’s more difficult to spend! It also can depend on your age and who you’re giving it to. I’m not supposed to give packets as I’m not married, so I think I’ve been cursed forever or something like that, but I couldn’t resist giving a $20 red packet to each of the doormen working the night-shift in my building over the holiday period- let’s face it, it sucks working holidays when you should be with your family, so I thought they could do with some cheering up! As you may already know, numerology is important in Chinese tradition, so the amount given should never include the number 4, as the word “four” is pronounced similarly to the word “death”. The notes put inside the packets should be “new money”; crisp and clean, straight from the bank. Red packets should be given and received with two hands, and the receiver will usually recite some traditional well-wishes to the giver. Here are some common phrases to be said when receiving red packets (CHI – Cantonese): 恭喜發財 “gong hei fat choi” – wishing you wealth (in the new year) 新年快樂 “sun nin fai lok” – a simple Happy New Year! 身體健康 “sun tai gin hong” – a wish of good health 學業進步 “hok yip jeun bo” – a wish of good progress in one’s studies (said to students) 龍馬精神 “lung ma jin san” – [have the] energy of the dragon and the horse (said to elderly) 笑口常開 “siu hau seung hoi” – laugh a lot (usually said to children) 心想事成 “sum seung si sing” – achieve all that’s in your heart and of course, never forget to say 多謝“do ze”, THANK YOU! 3. 舞獅 – The Lion Dance At this point, you might be thinking “Lion dance? What lion dance? I thought it was a dragon dance?”, in which case it should be clarified that this popular costume is actually supposed to be a lion (despite the obvious similarities that are more consistent with a dragon). The types of costumes and dances will vary depending on which region you are in, but Hong Kong uses the single-horned lion head in parallel with the traditional “Southern Lion, 南獅”. The “Big Head” Buddah The dance was inspired by a variety old myths and folklore, one telling that ancient villages would call upon lions to come and scare away the evil spirits. Some stories even claim that the lion was the monster, that was then tamed by the village master. The lions are often accompanied by a pretty creepy looking Buddah with, what is literally translated as, a “Big Head” (left). Apart from giving young Chinese children everywhere nightmares, this man is in charge of leading the lion to the villages, teasing it to dance by either hitting him on the head with a straw fan (which I’m sure is a fantastic idea, don’t-try-this-at-home disclaimer) or hanging lettuce in front of the lion. The dance is performed with basically as much noise as possible. Drums, symbols, firecrackers – the noise is supposed to scare away all the bad spirits that will try to enter the year. We had a fantastic time with this at school, despite most of the teachers leaving for the holidays with a huge headache from all the drum-banging and symbol-clapping! The real Lion Dance performance can usually be seen in Tin Hau to Causeway Bay, plus an extra performance in Tsim Sha Tsui for 2016, but I got enough of a headache from my student’s Lion Dance, so I think I’ll give it a miss this year… 4. 花市– Flower Market Enjoying our hot soy milk & fishballs at the flower market! Street food at the Flower Market This was by far my favourite event of the 2016 New Year! More than the name, the flower market is not limited to only flowers, but also a market full of loads of other cute, useless crap you’ll find yourself wanting to buy when swept away in the festive mood! The atmosphere is like no other, and really is a must-visit. It’s actually one of the few places in Hong Kong I’ve actually seen strangers freely interacting and having fun together (it’s sadly rare)! Most people (including myself, even after much research) literally have no idea how this became a tradition, but it just is. The general belief is that the opening of flowers can be representative of the opening of the year, and they bring luck into the home. Popular flowers at this time of year include Orchids for fertility, Willows for growth and prosperity, Tangerine Trees for abundance and Posing with his fruit towers for me! happiness, and Peonys for riches and honor. These markets are open generally around a week before the first day of the new year, and close on New Year’s Eve. According to locals, the best time to visit the flower markets is around 2-4am on the early morning after NYE, as all the stalls will be clearing all stock at the cheapest prices, ready to close up again until next year. You can enjoy this experience in the most famous, all year round Flower Market of Prince Edward, and the temporary pop-up fairs in Kowloon City & Causeway Bay, which are much more lively. This year, we opted for the fair in Kowloon City which was fantastic and really surpassed all expectations – this fair is also a little less crowded than its CWB counterpart, as less people *cough tourists and expats* know how to get there. We also held our own flower market at school, where we taught the kids to bargain and shout “cheaper please!” – Don’t forget to haggle! With the Blessings Boxes team – everyone’s family on CNY! We even had one stand sing us a song, for the fact that I might’ve been the only foreigner they’d seen all day! They were selling “Blessing Boxes”: homemade boxes full of trinkets including teas, biscuits and soaps – and all the proceeds were going to a Hong Kong founded Charity, “Meng Ngoi”. The song was called “Blessings to Your Home”, which I think they literally just made up on the spot, but they let Yumana and I sing it with them! 5. 團年飯 – Family Dinners CNY Dinner with the Yip’s! Family gatherings will start the week before the new year as “Reunions” and continue throughout. There is literally SO much food to be eaten – the whole day during the first day of the new year was literally just spent eating around 3 big meals, with snacks and desserts inbetween, and it would be way too long to describe all of the foods and their meanings! My favorites were the noodles, lots & lots of egg and rice, a special fruit salad prepared by Desmond’s mum & TONNES of tangerines, I mean tonnes. Oranges play a big role in this time of the year, as the Chinese pronunciations can sound similar to “wealth” and “luck”. Contrary to popular belief, Chinese New Year in many regions can actually be an extremely quiet time of year to be out on the streets, similar to Christmas time in the CNY Meal 3/5! West. With the obvious exceptions of the fireworks displays & parades, locals will mostly spend the days of the lunar New Year at home with their families. Hong Kong is a very international city with many foreign workers and global chain / department stores, so is not affected too much by closures over the New Year, but if you are planning on visiting Mainland China, you will need to re-think your itinerary. When I visited Shanghai for CNY 2015, most places I was recommended to visit were closed down due to the owners heading back to their hometowns, with the exception of The Bund (Shanghai Skyline) which was too busy to enjoy, plus taxi prices were hiked up at least two-fold. The best named places on many travel sites to visit during this time of year are Taiwan, Hong Kong & Singapore, as they are more international and face less closures. 6. Making Tong Yuen (湯圓) Making Tong Yuen This tradition is nowhere near as popular or as common as many of the above, although a lot of people may eat tong yuen at this time of year, they will rarely make it from scratch (like most things these days!), but we did this at our school so I wanted to write about it regardless. Tong Yuen, 湯圓, are sweet, glutinous rice balls, often made into dessert soups or added to hot drinks. However, they haven’t always been called “tong yuen” – their old name, 元宵, can be translated to “first moon”, which is why they are traditionally made during the lunar new year. Their round shape is also thought to symbolise family togetherness. They can be made by mixing glutinous rice flour with water, rolled into soft balls and then cooked by boiling. They are often made with fillings such as bean pastes and fruit preserves, but obviously ours were nowhere near as complicated, as we were making them with 5 year olds, and honestly we just ended up throwing them at each other. Whilst learning to make the tong yuen, we also learnt a super annoying song that’s been stuck in my head all week cute Mandarin song that’s commonly taught to improve vocabulary: And that pretty much sums up my experiences of the New Year holiday period in Hong Kong! The celebrations are still continuing – we will go to watch the annual fireworks by the harbour this evening – so I’ll update as much as possible. It’s probably one of the best, but if not busiest, time of year to visit so if you do get the chance to come and join the festivities, take it! Happy New Year – 新年快樂!

!”) Sponsored Video Anyway, of course, accounts between Professor Gates and the arresting officer differ regarding what actually happened when the police came to Gates’ house. Harvard Professor Jailed; Officer Is Accused of Bias [New York Times]Related What hasn’t anyone called the cops on the drunken asshole kids “breaking in” to 2000 S. St., NW.? Expect a newly-radicalized Gates to show up for his next news conference like Clarence Williams III in I’m Gonna Get You Sucka. The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John Mitchell, General Abrams and Spiro Agnew to eat hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary! Booking people on some BS charge even when they know they have nothing is reflexive with cops. They do it to have something to bargain with later. “Listen we drop the resisting arrest charge and you don’t sue”. It works far more often than not. I just hope the police were able to locate and confiscate the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Lite-Brite device hidden inside Professor Gates’ home. Does Wonkette now fancy itself a modern day Sammy Davis, Jr.? Why is every black man called “cat?” Where’s Kato Kailin to straighten out this story when we need him? If Skip were a good NRA member none of this would have happened. He would have used his always handy firearm to defend his property from illegal intrusion by men claiming to be police officers. [re=366712]One Yield Regular[/re]: If only Gates’ neighbor was Carl Brutananadilewski. “Don’t like dem cops. Fricking cops.” [re=366713]Mild Midwesterner[/re]: Wonkcat? [re=366712]One Yield Regular[/re]: Gates was just quoting the president when he called the officer an ignorant motherfucker. Very suspicious. Everyone knows black dudes can’t get cabs… Cab driver?!?!?!?!?!11 Aren’t they all Muslin? No wonder. I’m betting against the police. ” At first, Gates didn’t show ID”? well, he showed it and then it was clear the police officer should have said this is a mistake and left. I think some police are just bullies- trying to use their badge and weapons to show they are better than those of us who just got an education and don’t carry guns and tasers. [re=366724]CrunchyKnee[/re]: In Boston, many are Haitian (a Caribbean variety of Muslin). Ah, yes, that whole “Edmund Pettus Bridge” thing in Selma was based on a slight misunderstanding. Could there be a possibility that both Gates AND the police are assholes? “And I’ve got a big dick. So that keeps me happy.” Seriously, life imitates Harold and Kumar. If Prof. Gates were permitted his consitutional rights to have a concealed handgun, that cop wouldn’t have gotten as far as the front porch. We need guns to guard against a tyranical government. The supervising police lieutenant earns a lot of dough: $172,621.08 Also, the police report linked to in the first Wonkette post has been removed. However, it can be found here: [re=366731]Sara K. Smith[/re]: Some Turkish, I believe. I took a lot of cabs around Boston/Cambridge at one point, and there was exactly *one* white cabby who *didn’t* listen to Rush Limbaugh (he always seemed to have on Christopher Lydon). Also a really great Ethiopian guy (independent) always had classical. The Turkish guy I couldn’t understand because he spent the entire time screaming into his cell phone. [re=366738]Uncle Glenny[/re]: My Cambridge-area cabbies have generally been Russkies who spent most of the ride trying to sell me hookers. I’d say you have to be a complete idiot to start an argument with the police, but I’d also say you would have to be a complete idiot to be an adult and be seen riding a tricycle. Why do you think people are so drawn to you? They’re drawn to my sexy red tricycle. And the secret is my bell. Anyone who passes me on the bike path gets the bell treatment, especially beautiful women, and that bell is just irresistible. Ding-a-ling. OMFG That tricycle is awesome!!!!!!! He might be one of the whitest black men alive! Right after Michael Steele, of course. Didn’t some famous, angry young man once say “Fuck tha police!”? That kind of attitude appears to be what the large, agile and intimidating Mr. Gates brought to this encounter. Loud and tumultuous indeed. No matter! “Black While Entering” (your house) is still a crime everywhere. [re=366740]Johnny Zhivago[/re]: I resemble that remark. I have never argued with police-my one “run-in” was an officer(in a not very good area of DC) who told me I did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign(because the murders happening in that part of Dc might have been caused by an older woman driving a MD tagged station wagon). I said yes, sir, took my ticket and left. However, I have frequently considered a three wheeler after seeing them at the beach. [re=366733]A Better American Than YOU[/re]: It kind of sounds it to me. I mean, there are limits to how ballistic you should let yourself go, and one report I came across made it sound like they were drawing a crowd. I had an incident (in Bedford, NW of Cambridge) where a friend had just moved in and a cop showed up with some other non-cop guy looking for someone I never heard of (which I said). Wouldn’t say who non-cop was. Wouldn’t tell me why they were looking for Joe Random. My friend was … kind of dark. I said that wasn’t him and I’d known him for years (he’d *just* showed up to stay for a while). They wanted his ID. I asked for a description: “black hair brown eyes.” Obvious implication, since they didn’t ask for my ID, and I’m white, brown eyes, gray formerly brown hair. I was pissed drunk and went all ACLU. My friend was kind of freaking out and couldn’t find it. I don’t even remember if my friend eventually found ID (I think he found some business cards or something). But it stayed in the house, and I didn’t threaten (or comment on motherhood) or wave my arms around, and they went away. My later suspicion was that the non-cop was a bail bondsman. [re=366739]A Better American Than YOU[/re]: So how were the hookers? I don’t know about what WEB DuBois would do, but my man Booker T Washington would let it pass and work on his welding skills. [re=366745]finallyhappy[/re]: I know, same here… In my speeding days, I was stopped a half dozen times and never received a ticket – being apologetic, calm and friendly. There are a few psychotic cops out there, but you’re not going to find them in Cambridge. I know Gates is a smart guy, but it appears as if he was acting like a first class jackass in this incident. I suspect the real blame lies with United Airlines (or whoever he was flying from China with), because I know a long plane flight can affect your judgement. Prof. Gates knows his African-American history. I’m guessing he had good reasons to not want a cop in his home. Anything can happen & then it’s one man’s word against another. Better yet, why didn’t the passerby simply ASK Gates or the man she saw what was going on? This wasn’t at night in a deserted area, it was in the middle of the day on Ware Street, a dense residential area right near Harvard with lots of people around. No — she impulsively calls the cops. This reveals a paranoid mindset, but not necessarily a racist one. And for Gates — yes, losing your temper at the cops is never good. Even when they are in the wrong. Remember the guy who got tasered. Don’t give them any excuses. It almost sounds like Gates was TRYING to get them to react in some way. From experience, my blue-eyed, white — and law-abiding, church-going, student-council member — son learned the lesson that cops are always right and he is always wrong. When he was 14, a cop told him to quit sitting on a low wall at a high school football game. Since he wasn’t in a dangerous place and wasn’t blocking anyone’s view, out of curiosity, he asked “Why?” Because of his question, I had to come pick him up from police custody. There’s an old African-American expression everyone of us needs to use in every dealing with the police: “yassuh.” There is no winning with any other response. I read the police report. If true, it sure sounds like Gates was being a royal a*hole, never a great idea when the policeman is trying to figure out what’s happening. I’m not a great fan of the Bible, but “a soft answer turneth away wrath” is a doggone good piece of advice. [re=366720]norbizness[/re]: Um…thanks, I think! The response to that episode here in San Francisco was SO the opposite of Boston. Most of the people who found one of the things (they were distributed around SF too) got on-line together, and brought their devices to a party at a North Beach bar. Cops are not very smart people. They don’t so much solve crimes. They show up afterwards, string yellow tape all over and tell passersby to move along. When they show up and see two black men together, they assume there’s a crime in progress. It could be any two black guys. Most cops would arrest Obama if they saw him talking to another black guy. Because cops are so dumb, once they decide a crime has occurred, it’s really hard to convince them you’re innocent. Somewhere in Cambridge there is an assistant DA about to lose her shoe is some cops ass. [re=366769]A Better American Than YOU[/re]: yeah, this is exactly the attitude that bothers me, and it’s easy for a situation like that to escalate if, say, your son was taken more by surprise and had no idea what it was about. A lot of the stupid cop interactions I hear about (and I don’t go searching them out) are of that nature. [re=366773]One Yield Regular[/re]: what episode? [re=366771]ZombieRichardFeynman[/re]: The thing about police reports, they’re written by the police. They tend not to represent the entire story most of the time. Besides, being abrasive is not against the law. If it was, Sean Hannity would be on the most wanted list. Maybe he should have should have taken a line from Eddie Murphy as the cops nailed him to the ground and pulled their guns: “Is there a problem, officers?” and smile. In places where cops don’t have guns they are usually quite polite. naw, I don’t hate cops, I just feel better when they’re not around Albuquerque has recently seen an epidemic of “contempt of cop” citations, upwards of 70% of which are dismissed out of hand, once a sober DA sees them. I’m a milky-white American who currently lives a few blocks away from The Square, and I can tell you a few things that I hope will put this in context. Many people here barely know their neighbors – but they are all up in each other’s business with a typical “’cause I know better” attitude. It’s not surprising to me that someone in Cambridge would call the po-po immediately upon seeing something that looked a little bit like a house break-in. I’ve had Cambridge’s finest come over to my place more than a few times to convey “concerns” or issues from overly-sensitive or snooping neighbors. As ticked as I’ve been at the accusations, I know enough to treat the exchanges with humility and humor, and offer the cops a can of coke or bottle of water for their trouble. Any sensible adult knows this. Heck, one of those cops is now someone I chat with when I see him on the street. What’s lost in so much press coverage and the commenting (which tends to express outrage!! that the police investigated whether Gates’s house was being broken into) was that Gates didn’t react sensibly at any point in the exchange – and it was his reactions and anger that got him rung up, nothing else. Had he said, “sorry for the confusion, I just flew back from China, and boy are my arms tired!” it would have been the end of it. Also, the “Boston is racist” stuff is so 1970s. Seriously. Things are no worse or better here than anywhere else, but it’s definitely different — the racists aren’t white dudes from the neighborhoods named Sully and Murph any more. The only real “racists” I know here (the kind that talk in hushed tones about “The Blacks”) are recent European immigrants with PhDs and Asian-Americans. Sully and Murph? They’re busy listening to hip-hop in their oversized tees and flat-brimmed baseball caps, and rooting for the all-black Celtics. Why are you not reporting on Molly the dog being found!?!? Shame on you Wonkette [re=366730]finallyhappy[/re]: Where’s the “funny” in THAT???!!! [re=366731]Sara K. Smith[/re]: The balance was tipped when the cabby started speaking the French. The complainant wasn’t a neighbor. She was calling from the offices of Harvard Magazine, which is down the street from Gates’s house. She lives in infamously lily-white, all-rich Hingham. All charges against Gates have been dropped:. Sara, that’s nowhere near as satisfying as jumping to conclusions and seeing the world in fucking black and white, where you can be a fucking idiot on a computer and decry RACISM based on an initial news report, without thinking that there might be more to the story or something. Anyone who got all sarcastro in that previous thread is a fucking idiot. Fucking. Idiot. Meh. Both sides acted badly. This, from Philly, makes you wonder how much the police get away with: The headline is misleading – the copy isn’t bullying the woman he’s freaking GRABBING HER BY THE NECK. The cop’s son rear-ended the woman (not teh buttsecks, with his car, sickos), fled the scene and returned with daddy in tow to…make things infinitely worse. Later, the cops stopped by twice trying to convince the store to erase the tapes of the incident. [re=366709]Bypartizoa[/re]: more important, why hasn’t called about that black man who broke into 1600 Penn Ave? [re=366843]cantabrigia[/re]: I live in Arlington, MA, and I second everything that you say. Heck, I’ll even third it. The actual charges are “bad attitude, lack of respect, failure to obey authority”. A lot of cops these days are bullet heads, jacked up and armored who think they are Robocop. Getting stopped, or having any interaction, can be a life threatening experience. The best way to deal with them is non-threatening but firm. Fault on both sides. [re=366724]CrunchyKnee[/re]: [re=366731]Sara K. Smith[/re]: But we can all agree that it is the Muslin’s fault, right? I’m sure it’s the typical MO for a daytime home burglar to take a taxi to the scene of the crime. The driver is then paid with a pillowcase stuffed with objects d’art – a handsome tip, indeed… [re=366763]Roger27[/re]:No — she impulsively calls the cops. This reveals a paranoid mindset, but not necessarily a racist one. No, actually, I’d go with racist. If you read the report, she was *still* standing outside, with her cell phone, when the cops arrived. So she didn’t just see someone hitting the door, and run inside to phone the cops. She saw the whole sequence of events. You are walking along the street, you see a guy whacking the front door with his shoulder. Reason to be concerned and maybe even get your mobile out. Then you observe that one of them is a little old guy with a cane, you watch the luggage being brought inside, you watch the younger guy get in the cab/town car and drive away. Anyone who has a functioning brain will have figured out that in fact, the door was stuck and the old guy belongs in the house. It’s pretty clear that BLACK BLACK BLACKITY BLACK overwhelmed all high brain functions in this case. Also, for those saying Gates was a dick — he got pissed when the cop came *into the house uninvited*. Which is in fact illegal and probably why he was demanding the cop’s name and number. The Cambridge police ought to be better trained in all sorts of things than the average podunk cop but they don’t seem to be. Frankly, if I was in the presence of a senior citizen who was getting all “loud and tumultuous” on me I’d assume the odds were pretty good he was having a stroke because I’ve seen that happen. But “medical situation” always seems to be way down on the possibilities list. Evidently cops are still trained to be paranoid. Oh this will be rich when satirically treated by the Harvard Lampoon. No one’s posted the ‘Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle’ jail clip?

Let’s Just Agree to Disagree Often in a discussion, whether in person or online, the person I am talking to will declare, “let’s just agree to disagree”. Sometimes I accept this and let the debate end there, and sometimes I get a bit annoyed and try to press my point. When I do the latter, I am told that I’m a bad sport, or I’m accused of suffering from an obsession to force people to agree with me. Let me explain how I decide my course of action when I hear those familiar words. If there is a genuine stalemate, that is, if there are key issues to the discussion that simply cannot be resolved through objective, rational means, if our views clearly cannot be reconciled through progressive, evidence based discussion, then I have absolutely no problem agreeing to disagree. I may even suggest it myself. What really presses my buttons, is someone hiding behind “let’s just agree to disagree” to save face while retreating from an argument that they know they have lost. Imagine, if you will, a football (soccer) match where one team is enjoying a triumphant 6-0 score-line, but with two minutes left to play, the losing side picks up the ball and marches off the field saying, “well, let’s just call it a draw (tie)”. That is how some people use the “agree to disagree” excuse. Sometimes I can even see it coming. I watch as they summarise each of their points just one last time, just to check that they can’t argue any of them any further, before they say it. So, who’s the bad sport? This is exactly the point where they should be conceding defeat. Now, coming out of one discussion badly doesn’t mean that you’re wrong all together, or that you have to change your beliefs on the spot. However, I’m reminded of a face to face discussion I had at work last Christmas with a fundamentalist Christian. After nearly an hour of intense but amicable discussion, he told me, “I can’t answer your points. I’ll have to go and think about what you’ve said and look into the arguments you’ve made more closely”, after which he held out his hand and shook mine warmly. Now, that’s sportsmanship. I aspire to do the same. If I genuinely can’t refute someone’s arguments, I try to have the intellectual honesty to accept it, and the courtesy to acknowledge it. I have noticed this during discussions with a wide range of people on a wide range of topics, but I tend to find it more so with Christians. To be fair, that could be because I debate with Christians more than any other group. But I do often find the same thought occurring to me after long discussions with the followers of Christ – defeating them in a debate is easy, but getting them to realise or admit that defeat, that’s the real challenge. I think you’re horribly wrong…but we can just agree to disagree about it…hehe. :-) liza - August 25, 2007 at 9:23 pm | the soccer game described sounds a lot like the black knight scene from “monty python an the holy grail.” i suppose, in a christian’s mind, that if they lose, god loses. so they simply do not admit defeat. overcaffein8d - August 25, 2007 at 9:32 pm | @ overcaffein8d I’m a massive fan of Life of Brian (big surprise!) but I haven’t seen The Holy Grail for years. I’ll have to check it out again. I think in some cases that does happen, the idea of God not existing truly is incomprehinsible to some believers. @ Liza Lol. Yes, well, I suppose I asked for that! ;) tobe38 - August 25, 2007 at 11:14 pm | God.Damn.Spot.On!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tobe, you hit that nail smack dab on the head.This gors to the top of Must-Read posts. You are so right. As for Monty Python. You must go watch the Holy Grail. I got an “A” on my Arthurian Legend English course in college on this movie. Back on the early 70s (were you alive then?) Spanish Inquisitor - August 26, 2007 at 3:29 am | @ Span Cheers, all coming back to me now, and I found it on You Tube as well. Hilarious. It’s uncanny how much it illustrates the point I’m trying to make! :) Oh, and no, sorry, missed the 70’s. tobe38 - August 26, 2007 at 8:39 am | This is the one I remember. Of course, my memory of matters from the 70s could have been affected by all the drugs. ;) But, still, add this post to your Must Reads list. I was serious about that. Spanish Inquisitor - August 26, 2007 at 3:19 pm | Wouldn’t you rather live in a world of “Let’s agree to disagree” rather than a world of “Let’s agree that I should kill you because you’re obviously wrong!” That’s how most of those debates ended in the old days….be they religious, tribal, or individual. There’s nothing like a culturally acceptable saying or proverb to defuse a situation. liza - August 26, 2007 at 4:53 pm | @ Liza Of course I would (what have I said that suggests otherwise?). Even better still would be a world where people have the humility to admit they are wrong and concede arguments, or at least points within arguments. I have no idea what you’re getting at. Liza, I’m talking about debate here, not phsyical battle. Just discussion. And if someone in a situation that really could lead to genuine harm were to say, “let’s just agree to disasgree”, I couldn’t somehow see that doing much good. Let me put it bluntly: are you disagreeing with my point that people who know they’ve lost an argument or a point within an argument should have the common decency to acknowledge it, rather than just try to worm their way out of it? tobe38 - August 26, 2007 at 5:27 pm | tobe: I think you’ve made a silly point in this post. If I read you correctly, debating for you is a matter of winning or losing. That’s cool if you’re in a debating competition, but not in real life. Yes, the person who says, “let’s just agree to disagree” after you feel you’ve “scored” the coup de grace is giving your ideas a smug dismissal. But after all, your “job” is to make your points and leave others free to agree with them or not. That’s what real-life discussion is. Maybe we here in the Atheosphere — and Christians in their own Jesonet — have become so used to being patted on the back for every doctrinaire platitude, that we’ve lost sight of what discussions are. A discussion, as I see it, is an opportunity for two or more people to express their views and to have those views given a fair hearing by others. Discussions do not have winning and losing sides. If you’re actually tallying the number of Christians you’ve convinced to reevaluate their belief, I suspect your score is zero. If you’re lucky, it might get up to as many as ten or twenty over your liftetime, which would be fine work. But if you continue counting — and judging yourself by that count — we’ll all be visiting you in the loony bin before long. The Exterminator - August 26, 2007 at 7:54 pm | @ The Exterminator I did wonder if someone would make this point. Personally, I think it’s a bit naive to see a discussion as a case of one person putting his views forward, and the other person putting their views forward, and then both going away to consider them. I don’t see anything wrong with a healthy sense of competition. The way I see it is that I want to know the truth, whatever it is. The views that I hold at any one time are held precisely because I think they’re true, based on the evidence. If someone disagrees with me, then I’m happy to engage them in debate about it and yes, I do want to persuade them that I’m right. I know a lot of people see may see that as aggressive or whatever, but I don’t. For me, it’s the point of holding the discussion. I want to know the truth, but I also want everyone else to know the truth too, and debate and discussion is a good way to do that. But I want to persuade through reason and evidence, not force, and in turn I’m prepared to put my beliefs on the line and have them scrutinised. I’m prepared to be wrong, and if I am, so much the better! If I’m holding a belief that I think is true but is actually false, then the sooner I’m rid of it the better, and I would thank my opponent for helping me to do that. Now, I’m guessing you’re wincing because I used the word ‘opponent’. I use “competitive” vernacular because it’s easy and applicable. I know it’s not an actual competition. But it can be competitive and I really don’t see a problem with that. One thing that really annoys me about political correctness is it’s view that being competitive is a bad thing. It’s not, as long as it’s blended with honour and fair play. Even in this discussion now, I want to persuade you that I’m right, but I’m prepared to admit I’m wrong if you show me how. You might say that we’re competing and working together at the same time, because we both want to know the truth. And I stand by the point I made in the article: even in a casual discussion, saying “let’s agree to disagree” because you can’t answer someone’s points is cowardly. tobe38 - August 26, 2007 at 8:21 pm | My point is only that the saying is not a cowardly end to a debate, although I suppose it could be used as one. Usually, its used more as a way to peacably move on from a heated argument. The Exterminator has touched on the issue in his comment…which is that being “right” in your relationships with others and “winning” debates is not really conducive to healthy relationships and a balanced life. I keep witing for my husband to learn the “right” way to do things and admit “defeat”, telling me how correct I am in all my ways…..uh….hasn’t happened yet. :-) Of course, that is not to trivialize the importance you place on your intellectual pursuits, but merely to say that’s not all othat life is about. liza - August 26, 2007 at 8:59 pm | I’m a terrible typist…sorry. liza - August 26, 2007 at 9:01 pm | tobe, you said: One thing that really annoys me about political correctness is it’s view that being competitive is a bad thing. It’s not, as long as it’s blended with honour and fair play. Oh, I agree wholeheartedly. However … I wasn’t talking about political correctness. (If you’ve been reading me lo these many months you probably know how ridiculous it is even to suggest such a thing.) I was talking about reason. We atheists are all so ‘et up (as they say in the Southern U.S.) with reason, that we forget how many people in the world go through life without ever reasoning at all. At best, it’s impractical and a waste of time trying to reason with such people. To me, it’s unreasonable trying to reason with such people. Because I’m a reasoning person, I know that a strategy of reason will not work with them. Now, in a discussion, as opposed to a debate, two or more people express their views. Obviously, you want your view to “prevail.” It’s the view you espouse, whether it’s arrived at through reason, or blind faith, or the reading of goat entrails. If the discussion devolves into a debate — which discussions often do — you try your best to “sell” your position. Sometimes, though, you have to accept that you’re not going to make that sale right away; it will only come later when the person who has “agreed to disagree” evaluates what you’ve said. But you’ve got to leave him room to retreat if he’s going to do that comfortably. If, instead, you decide to press on with a hard sell, you’ll almost definitely fail. I’ve found that very few people change their minds on deeply held convictions because they credit another with creating an “aha!” moment. So instead of trying to win every debate there and then — that is, if you can swallow your intellectual pride and accept that your impeccable reasoning doesn’t make a damn bit of difference to an unreasoning idiot — it’s better to plant a small seed of skepticism and let it grow on its own. You don’t have to lay out your entire worldview and get an immediate stamp of approval; all you need to do is encourage you “opponent” to indulge in some healthy self-questioning. The person who “agrees to disagree” may seem like he’s dismissing your ideas in the heat of the moment. And nine times out of ten, or nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, that will be exactly the case. The moron was unreachable anyway, no matter how brilliant and articulate you think your arguments were. Ah, but there’s always that one other person. If you’ve managed to express yourself cogently, without putting him or her in the position of having to defend the indefensible turf of superstition in the heat of verbal battle, you may have succeeded in sowing doubt without even realizing it. I’ve found this, in my personal life, to be a far more successful tactic than indulging in a shouting match. A shouting match is much more fun, and makes you feel mighty self-righteous. But planting even the tiniest nugget of doubt is far more effective. The Exterminator - August 27, 2007 at 3:30 am | Hi Exterminator, you might be right; I’ve argued with my family on issues of theology and have left them lost for words and their arguments in tatters. And it’s changed…absolutely nothing! Even when I de-converted, it wasn’t by somebody destroying all my arguments, because I might have just clung even more to my faith. I had to make the steps myself and learn myself, after seeds of doubt provided by critical thinking had been sown. When I debate with theists online however, who try to preach or just attack evolution, or have no interest in discovering truth, all I do is refute their arguments for the benefit of onlookers, because the person you’re debating with (most of the time) really has no interest in truth, only converting you, and as soon as they realise you’re a waste of time they’ll probably give up and try somewhere else. evanescent - August 27, 2007 at 10:29 am | Well, Tobe, you can probably guess where I stand based on our e-mail exchange a while back. I mentioned exactly this point. I agree with the Exterminator about discussions being about presenting one’s point of view. But, I don’t think it’s a silly point you’re making. It’s two sides of the same coin. The problem with debating something sensitive like this is that the theistic side doesn’t see the issue as a search for the Truth as much as the defense of their deepest relationship. There was a discussion about this topic just recently over at Friendlychristian.com. You’re putting your arguments on the line, but the theist is putting their hearts and (literally for them) souls on the line. Doubt means possible Hell. Religion is different from most topics. I find that treading carefully is more conducive to building a relationship or at least an amicable interaction that won’t have the other side resenting me as a know-it-all atheist out to convince them that they’re an idiot. But, if there is a theist who feels he/she can argue without the emotional baggage “just for sport” then by all means, go for it. But, more often that not, it’s a one sided competition. Like the fat kid on the basketball court who just wants to throw the ball at the hoop, while you are trying to destroy him with repeated slam dunks as he watches on in growing disdain for you and your skills. Um…not that I’m speaking from experience or anything… ;) Polly - August 27, 2007 at 3:15 pm | @ Liza I think I covered this in the article. Sometimes it’s appropriate and necessary to agree to disagree, sometimes people just use it as an excuse, as I showed. Why do I suddenly feel like I’m being psycho-analysed? My relationships are fine. My friends and family know I have strong opinions, and most of them do too. We have lively, passionate discussions, but we’re always fine after them. Lol. I quite agree, and if I implied that I thought that, I didn’t mean to. @ The Exterminator The political correctness comment was really meant as an aside. I didn’t mean to imply that you were being politically correct, and for that I apologise. With the kind of people you are talking about, I agree. The kind of people who annoy me when they say “let’s agree to disagree” are people who at least purport to have reason on their side, and are quite confident that the evidence is in their favour. But when shown that actually it isn’t, they don’t want to acknowledge it. I agree, but again, I think I accounted for this in the article, here: I completely agree that people won’t change their mind on the spot, but they could acknowledge that you’ve given them something to think about – as the Christian I debated with in the example did. I know what you’re saying and I pretty much agree. It just annoys me when people are happy to engage in discussion and claim to be using reason to make their points, then don’t have the humility to acknowledge that things are perhaps not what they first thought. Most of the time I do let it go. Where did shouting matches come from? If you met me in person I’m about the least confrontational person you could imagine. I hate shout ups. I do agree with you though. @ Evanescent Me too with my family mate, but on issues other than theology. @ Polly You’re quite right, and if I’ve created the impression that I try to bully people into discussion that they don’t want to have, then I’ve mislead you. I’ll engage people exactly as far as they want to go. You’re right that religion is different, but should it be? This is where Richard Dawkins’ point about religion getting undeserved respect comes in to play. Why should we pussyfoot around? I don’t want to offend anyone, but sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade. If people don’t want to talk about it at all, I won’t press them, but if a discussion is in full flow I will speak my mind. Lol. I played basketball a lot in my teens, and because nobody else in Britain played I was relatively good (it was where I got my revenge for being forced to play rugby!). I was very competitive and not very merciful. Your point hits a bit close to home… ;) tobe38 - August 27, 2007 at 5:50 pm | Hah! How ironic. I wasn’t sure whether I should include that analogy because I didn’t know if basketball is even played in the UK. I think I’d be killed playing rugby. I think the overall approach can be summed up by knowing your “oponent.” Sometimes, we don’t know where others are coming from – and this can be about anything. Religion, whether we like it or not, IS different because so much of a believer’s own self is invested in it. I don’t respect religion so much as the person. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to separate the two, in many cases. However, we definitely shouldn’t shy away from giving our own reasons for why we don’t believe, when the conversation steers in that direction. But, some sensitivity is always appreciated while still saying exactly what we mean. compare: “You’re worshiping a damn lie with no more factual evidence than the loch ness monster…and perhaps even less. At least we have fotos of old Nessie…” (Do I think that? Yes.) vs. “I just don’t feel there’s sufficient corroborating historical evidence for the events described in the NT/OT/Koran for me to take the claims at face value. I am deeply disturbed by the passages that depict god ordering the slaughter of innocent human beings, children, etc…” I think a focus on our own reasons and experiences, rather than a blunt force frontal assault on others is helpful. btw-I don’t at all get the sense that you beat anyone over the head. So, this is just a friendly discussion about methodology. If you disagree, that’s OK ;) Polly - August 27, 2007 at 7:09 pm | You know, tobe, I think we’re basically saying exactly the same thing. Let’s agree to agree. The Exterminator - August 27, 2007 at 7:56 pm | tobe: I’ve jumped off from this post in a post of my own, showing a real-life practical application of agreeing to disagree. You might enjoy reading it. The Exterminator - August 27, 2007 at 8:25 pm | @ Polly Very true, but you could argue that this is all the more reason to be honest. The more siginificane a belief has for the individual, the more important it is that it’s true. I agree completely. It is important that we show respect and sensitivity while engaging theists. Sometimes when they do not recipricote it’s hard not to stoop to their level, but I admit it’s important to try. I always think the best comments in the face of provocation are the ones where we don’t rise to the bait, and keep our composure. Lol. To be honest, I do agree with you on this. @ The Exterminator Lol. That works for me :) I’ll check out your post and comment on it. tobe38 - August 27, 2007 at 9:00 pm | Tobe38 – seems to me these nice folks posting comments just simply don’t like debate and/or understand what debate is. I thought you presented your case very succinctly and to me at least it makes perfect sense. In fact you made me think about this as I hadn’t before – I will now be aware of that tactic in future debates. It sounds like the commentors just don’t want you to debate religion with those of that faith. They seem to be reading way too much into it. hunky - August 27, 2007 at 10:09 pm | hunky: A debate is a competition in which two parties, or teams, present their ideas for an audience to judge. A discussion is a conversation in which the parties themselves judge one another’s ideas. Let’s stop using the word “debate” every time we mean “disagreement.” Those of us who spend so much time debating need to ask ourselves, what audience have we swayed? I don’t know about anyone else in the Atheosphere, but I’m willing to admit that I’ve scored damn few points persuading religionists to renounce their silliness. On the other hand, I have persuaded some of them to listen to my views and try to understand why their pious fervor sometimes infringes on my freedom. That understanding could result in real political change. I just don’t see it as my mission to hawk atheism to people who don’t want to hear what I have to say. Those atheists who act as if they’re Darwin’s Witnesses need to put their energies to more practical use than figuratively knocking on doors. The Exterminator - August 28, 2007 at 5:18 pm | Exterminator said: “I just don’t see it as my mission to hawk atheism to people who don’t want to hear what I have to say.” I wholeheartedly agree. Perhaps some enjoy that sort of thing. I never relished the idea of HAVING to go out and convert the world to xianity. So, I’m damn sure not interested in converting others to materialism – as liberating and wonderful a worldview as it might be. :D Polly - August 28, 2007 at 10:21 pm | I see nothing wrong with competitiveness and sportsmanship but there’s not much of that talking one-on-one with a theist. There are people who think we should try to “cure” theists. There are some who have instructional videos on YouTube about this. I think that’s 99.9% a waste of our time to attempt such stuff. I do see the value in arguing points. First of all, you can’t let some issues like pushing creationism into schools go unchallenged. Second, if there’s a public audience like say an online forum, the argument is not so much for converting your opponent or in any way “defeating” him, but for the sake of the onlookers. I know I venture into places where they don’t experience anyone thinking different from themselves so it’s valuable to them to hear my views. Lastly, the experience of arguing something strengthens your knowledge of an issue. I have come face to face with the “we’ll have to agree to disagree” line when I’ve felt I’ve put forth a stronger argument and yes, it’s frustrating. If one one one, I’ll let it go but if there’s an audience, I won’t because it sends the message that both sides are equally viable when in the case of creationism vs evolution in science class for instance, they are not. phillychief - August 31, 2007 at 8:34 pm | Phillychief, Regarding the difference when an audience is present – very good point, which I hadn’t considered :) tobe38 - September 1, 2007 at 3:05 pm | This was recommended to me by someone else, and I think there is a major cultural difference here. Can we agree to disagree on that? I suspect that the sentiment comes from the heart of the culture that believes that winning isn’t the most important thing, it’s the only thing, and the zero-sum game is the only game in town. Steve - September 3, 2007 at 10:33 am | […] “absence of evidence” quote is normally one of the last resorts before the proposal to agree to disagree. To my mind, it is to all intents and purposes a concession of, and withdrawal from the argument. […] The Absence of Evidence « A Load of Bright - September 20, 2007 at 5:34 pm | I know this is old, but really – I couldnt agree more. Although I must say, what i think it comes down to, is truly just pride… I have a few friends who have so much pride, there is just no way they would be willing to let it go even just once. @daxfrost - August 5, 2009 at 12:38 pm | […] In Blogger on Thu 2007-08-30 at 13:32 Re: Agreeing to Disagree (Atheist Revolution),Re: Re: Let’s Just Agree to Disagree (A Load of […] Re: Re: agree to disagree « a small dark light - May 31, 2010 at 6:29 am | In cases where “the discussion … simply cannot be resolved through objective, rational means, if our views clearly cannot be reconciled through progressive, evidence based discussion” is quite possibly the only point where ATD makes sense. For example, I am a Christian and, consequently, I believe in a G-d which created the universe. However, I also recognize the existence of such a G-d necessitates My G-d be transcendent of physical reality because, as noted, My G-d created that reality. As such, My G-d’s existence can neither be proven nor disproven by “progressive, evidence based discussion” and, quite frankly, I am okay with that conclusion. My faith works for Me and I do not expect it to work for Anyone Else. Nobody Else has to adopt it for Me to maintain My faith. In fact, I should not even want the existence of My G-d to be provable by “progressive, evidence based discussion” (although, I readily admit proof by logical deduction could be considered a nice thing to have) because evidence based proof would destroy the very point of having faith. No, for Me, I am quite content to go about My business without evidence one way or the other and to let Others go about Theirs in similar fashion because, the way I see it, My G-d recognizes a lack of belief on Anyone’s part is not going to hurt My G-d any time soon, if ever, and My G-d is far more concerned with how We treat Each Other than whether We believe. Brian P. Rabbit - August 1, 2012 at 3:28 pm |

April 1, 2045 Legendary Tenor Sings the Role of Nemorino for the 10,000th time Opera elder-statesman and venerable icon Rolando Villazón, 73, made operatic history by performing the role of Nemorino in Donizetti’s comic classic L’elisir d’amore for a record 10,000th time last night in front of a delirious jam-packed house at the famed Wiener Staatsoper, in Vienna, Austria. Although the trademark jet black curls and eyebrows that Mr. Villazón sported for so many years have long since turned into billowy white clouds, the idolized singer still moves around with remarkable athletic agility using his walker. Opera Babble Magazine, Senior Edition, dispatched crack reporter Joanna from New York, 104, for an exclusive interview with the spry septuagenarian after the record-setting performance. JNY: Mr. Villazón, thank you for the interview. RV: Eh? Speak up. My hearing aid was turned off. JNY (Louder): I say, Mr. Villazón, thank you for the interview. You know, for a man of your years, you certainly haven’t lost a step. RV: (Patting his walker proudly): Yes, this little baby does 10 meters per hour! Pretty sweet, huh? Oh, and please call me Rolando. JNY: Impressive! Now, Rolando, after all these years, audiences still can’t get enough of your Nemorino. Everyone who has not been living under a rock for the last forty years knows the reasons for your unparalleled success in this role, so we won’t dwell on the obvious. And the highlights have been legendary: Barcelona. London. Rochester, New York. Mars. The list goes on and on. But in 10,000 performances, there must have been some “lowlights,” too, I would imagine. Some performances where things didn’t go so well. RV: Absolutely! Those were some of the most fun performances I’ve ever done! JNY: Tell us about them. RV: Well, there was that performance here in Vienna in 2027 when I was juggling the pins, singing “La, la, la, la, la, la.” My timing was off that night, and one of the pins hit me on top of my head, knocking me out cold. I mean, they had to stop the performance for ten minutes until I regained consciousness. Then for some reason I thought I was performing in La bohème, and I grabbed Belcore and started singing “O soave fanciulla.” He seemed pretty surprised, and not the least bit in love with me. Then there was the production in Baden Baden in 2012 with the Eskimo theme. JNY: Wasn’t that the one you both directed and starred in? RV: Right! Well, the stage was full of igloos, and we all wore huge parkas and boots. Anyway, we decided to have Dulcamara enter on a dogsled pulled by a team of huskies, you know, like in the Itidarod. Well, something spooked the dogs, and they bolted, sending both Dulcamara and me flying head first into the orchestra pit—the tuba section, to be exact. Believe me when I tell you that getting your head stuck in one of those things is no joke. RV: Yup. JNY: As I recall, you had already been banned once before when the 2019 production of Hoffmann went horribly awry. The story goes that the prop master decided to play a practical joke on you and filled the wine bottle with tequila. RV: Yah! By the time I got to the third act, I couldn’t figure out why there were ten Giulietta’s, all twirling around in circles over my head. I couldn’t tell which one was real! As I reached out to grab one, I missed and kind of fell into the orchestra pit. JNY: You seem to spend a lot of time in orchestra pits. RV: I love the members of the orchestra—they’re so friendly! They don’t mind my unannounced visits. JNY: Rolando, we know that throughout your career, you’ve been a notorious risk-taker, and that “Danger” is your middle name, but don’t you take things a bit too far? Shouldn’t you have been wearing a helmet all these years? RV: Not at all! Opera is a full contact sport. One of the proudest achievements of my career has been helping to make opera an Olympic sport. Play big or go home. And forget the helmet—it only makes you cautious. JNY: I worry about you. But, anyway, back to the story. As I recall, the citizens of Paris threatened a general strike unless you were allowed to return, taunting officials with banners that read, “Give us Villazón or see if your trash ever gets picked up again.” The Mayor of Paris had no choice but to demand that the theatre lift the ban and allow you to return for a run of L’elisir in 2020. Yet you managed to get yourself banned for life a second time! Can you tell us how it happened? RV: Well, that was the first and the last time that I ever performed with the Three Baritones—you know the Welshman, the Russian, and the American. Humph. The “Barihunks.” Give me a break. Anyway, the Welshman took on the role of Dulcamara, and the Russian played Belcore. The American wasn’t actually singing; he was just there for moral support, cooking barbecue back stage and playing poker with the stage crew. Anyway, there’s been this rivalry between those guys and myself going back to forever. They’ve been trying to steal my villazonista ladies from me since 2011, and they swore they would never give up. Their strategy that night was to steal the Lucky Boxers given to me as a talisman by my dear villazonistas, and bring about my downfall. Their plan was so cunning and daring…and it almost worked! At first, the performance was going along just fine, and I began wondering if maybe I had judged them too harshly. But then the audacious attack! In plain sight! You see, I was about to sing “Una furtiva lagrima,” and the harp and bassoon started to play. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the trio leap on stage, and without disturbing my pants, thank God, they ripped the boxers off of me in one fell motion! They whisked down the aisles gleefully tossing my undies back and forth with taunts of, “Sing your big number NOW, Mr. Rockstar Tenor! Say goodbye forever to the Blog Villazonista and hello to the Blog Barihunkista! Mwa-ha-ha!” I was horrified! How was I to sing without my Lucky Boxers? What was I to do? Within seconds, I saw that my faithful and valiant ninja villazonistas were there to save the day yet again! But then I cried, “No, my friends! Today I take the matter into my OWN hands!!” And I shook my fist at the villains and thundered, “I’ve had enough of you boys—TONIGHT YOU’RE GOING DOWN!!” JNY: (Fistpumps): Yes!! You showed them, Roli! You da man, damn it! High five! RV: (Surprised, but continues): Somehow, some sort of super power got hold of me! I took flight as the crowd roared, “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Super Rolandito!” I swooped down on the trio, snatching the amulet from their thieving hands. JNY: Yippee! Go on! RV: As I rushed back to the stage, I realized I couldn’t put on the Lucky Boxers where they are meant to be worn without, well, a certain…awkwardness, so I had to be content with wearing them on my head. As long as I had them on somewhere, that was all that mattered. Then I sang “Una furtiva lagrima.” JNY: Afterwards, they say the house erupted like no one had ever seen or heard before! RV: Yes, and then I sang the bis. JNY: Who can forget the headlines! When the bis ended, there was a momentary hush followed by what sounded like an atomic explosion; it went on and on and on. The walls shook harder and harder until everyone present realized that the violent roars and foot-stomping had triggered an earthquake, which was later revealed to be a mighty 6.2 on the Richter scale. The audience rushed to the exits with a mixture of terror and delirious joy, cognizant of the fact that they were witnessing a night that would go down in history. RV: Hey, who’s telling this story, anyway? JNY: Quiet! I’m on a roll! RV: rolls his eyes. JNY: (Leaps to her feet, totally pumped up): The walls of the Bastille crumbled like the walls of Jericho before Joshua’s trumpet! All of Paris shook! The gargoyles of Notre Dame crashed to the pavement below! The Eiffel Tower swayed like it was made out of rubber bands instead of steel! Countless mirrors at Versailles shattered! And worst of all, the Mona Lisa burst into a huge goofy grin, leading horrified officials at the Louvre to claim that the original had been stolen!” (JNY jumps up and down, whooping and hollering like a hillbilly.) RV: Did I do all that? JNY: (Nearly knocks her dentures out): “Chaos reigned supreme for days! Yes!!! Go, baby, go! Rolando, man, you showed those baritones who’s boss! And with those Lucky Boxers handsomely wrapped around your head, you sang “Una furtiva lagrima” like it had never been sung before! Does it get any better than this? Yee ha!!” RV: Maybe you’re the one who needs the helmet. JNY: (Stops in her tracks, eyes wide open): Oh, sorry. I got a little over-excited. I think my babushka is tied on too tight. I’m OK now. Ahem. Please go on. RV: Anyway, the President of France declared me an enemy of the state, calling me “The Human Wrecking Ball.” I guess I deserved it. Here I was, an outlaw on the run! I escaped under cover of darkness to live in exile until the public demanded a pardon, which was eventually granted. JNY: What a story! Yes, music historians called it the bis to end all bises. It was the first and only time in history that the aria brought the house down. Literally. Ah, and what about the poor Mayor? RV: It was said that he went stark raving mad and spent the rest of his days curled up in a ball under a table, rocking back and forth, twirling a strand of hair for hours on end, muttering, “Make the bad man go away.... Villazón…Villazón…Villazón….” JNY: Poor, wretched man. RV: I know. I still feel bad about it. JNY: Rolando, you’ve had an amazing history in this role! But, with respect, you are getting a bit on in years. How long do you plan on playing Nemorino? RV: Good question. Every year I say, “This is it. I’m going to retire and do something relaxing like sky-diving or bungee-jumping. Something nice and quiet.” But then another phone call comes asking for just one more Nemorino. JNY: Hmmm. Asking? Don’t you mean begging? RV: Well, I guess so. Anyway, it’s hard to say no. Right now, the next five years are booked up solid, then that’s it. I’m done. Finito. Absolutely no more Nemorinos. No way. That’s my final word. Villazón’s phone rings. RV: Hi, yes, I’m great, how are you? What’s that? You want me to do another L’elisir in six years? I’m so sorry, but I’m not booking any more performances….I know you’re begging….Yes, I know you’re on your knees….You would…you would offer up your first born? No, wait!…I suppose I could…hmm…Let me get my calendar…. JOANNA FROM NEW YORK JOANNA FROM NEW YORK Joanna d'où vous vient cette imagination débridée !!!ResponderEliminar vous êtes extraordinaire .Je suis morte de rire :o)))))))) Continuez !!!! Oh Joanna, I was laughing the whole way through the piece. Wonderful. The ONLY thing I would change is his age-- in the first line you should make Rolando 96 years instead of 73! At 73 he'll still be running around the stage like he's got a ball under his feet and is going for a goal.ResponderEliminar Ja, ja, Joanna, you're impossible! De todas maneras espero que te equivoques en tu predicción sobre el Elisir de Baden Baden 2012.... igús, esquimales???? No por favooooooorrr!!!!!ResponderEliminar Dear Joanna, your comic talent (almost ;-)))))) equals Rolando's! Thank you for making us laugh.ResponderEliminar ah, ah, ah, ah, ah !!!!! j'en ai mal au ventre de rire!!!!! aie ! aie ! aie !ResponderEliminar Némorino c'est comme Tintin,toujours aussi jeune, même à 77 ans !!! Thank you all very much!ResponderEliminar Claudine, a wild Rolando is an endless source of inspiration! Leonie, I can easily see Rolando STILL kicking a football around at age 96, but by my math, that means I was 127 when I did this interview. All I can say is one thing: vodka. Judit! Oh, no! I let Rolando's secret out! Just stay away from the orchestra pit, and you'll be fine. Nika, Rolando's comic genius is definitely one of a kind! Danièle, Rolando is/will be young at 40, 77, 96, whatever, because Rolandito keeps him so. Viva Rolando! ahahahaha... pero que divertido!! despues de leer la parte de los "Lucky Boxers" tuve que parar y calmarme un poco, no podía dejar de reír como loca frente a la computadora, pero que buen humor!!... aunque estoy segura de que muchos nunca nos hartaremos de escuchar/ver a Rolando-Nemorino... gracias Joanna!!ResponderEliminar Hilarious, dearest Joanna ! You are the best reporter ever. I am sure Rolando will never again have such an interviewer.ResponderEliminar You made my day!! I hope and I know almost for sure that Rolando will read your chronicle and that from then on he will want only you as his personal private reporter. You both have an equal sense of humor and equal comic talents. When are you performing as a duo with him. Now, seriously, thank you so much for making our Villazonista life so happy and cheerful! Joanna, pour écrire ces lignes, j'essaie de retrouver un peu de sérieux... mais c'est très difficile après la lecture d'une chronique aussi désopilante, je peux même dire "délirante".ResponderEliminar Je suis totalement admirative devant une telle imagination, qui comprend, certes, une part de vérité quant à Rolandito....mais je ne suis pas certaine qu'il lui soit salutaire de lire cette page car cela risque de lui donner des idées...il pourrait même apporter des modifications à SA prochaine mise en scène de l'Elisir à Baden Baden, où il ferait alors bien... froid(!) Les lignes de ses "aventures" à l'Opéra de Paris m'ont particulièrement réjouie et j'envisage d'aller coller une affiche sur le fronton, avec une belle photo : "Wanted Rolando Villazon". J'attends vos suggestions, chers amis villazonistas, pour fixer le montant de la récompense....... Thank you SO MUCH, dear Joanna ! humour, fantaisie,tendresse, folie (douce): un merveilleux cocktail à déguster en ce premier jour du printemps 2012 qui sera placé, comme tous les autres mois, sous le signe de l'unique et "indestructible" Rolando VILLAZON !! Thank you, Catherine, you bring up some very excellent points.Eliminar Yes, the mise en scène for Baden-Baden is a very risky proposition in every respect. There is a rumor that Rolando, knowing that I ruined his surprise, has decided to go a different route at the last minute. Inside sources (sorry Rolando!) have suggested that the new version involves hot-air balloons and...elephants? As a citizen of the City of Light, you are very right to plaster the city with a wanted poster. And the reward? No doubt it will have to be stratospheric. Those mirrors at Versailles aren't going to fix themselves. Rolando and Spring: now that's a match made in heaven! ¡jajajaja!!! ¡Buenísimo, Joanna! Me encanta la foto de Rolando con las "nubes blancas".ResponderEliminar Thanks, Natalrol! You're right--not everyone can wear that look.Eliminar Thank you Fernanda and Mariù!ResponderEliminar How true, Fernanda, we never have too much of Nemorolando! Mariù, you're probably right that Rolando has never had such an interview before. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. ;-) Viva Nemorolando! Be confident, dear Joanna, this is the best ever interview he gave or received. It is absolutely positif and you are hired, from now on.ResponderEliminar Love you Ha, ha, Mariù, it's difficult to grab Rolando long enough for an interview, but we don't give up easily. More like not at all. ;-)Eliminar Joanna, comic scriptwriter extraordinaire (from Nooo-Yawk), is ageless. She will be on hand whenever her avid and loyal readers need a lift (not the plastic surgeon kind, although hey now that I think about it...). She brings cherry tree blossoms into our dreary March landscape of melting snow and mud. Love you. Thanks.ResponderEliminar Leonie, I like to think of myself as ageless, too, and here is my secret: vigorous daily exercise. I am the captain of the Olympic senior water ballet team and damn proud of it. Look for us in London this summer.Eliminar Joanna, are you serious? That's amazing. I started life as a ballet dancer-- scholarship student at the Joffrey School on 6th Ave.-- but that was so many years ago. I'm afraid of crowds, otherwise I might consider London-- but maybe I'll see your team on TV. I'll be in NY for a couple of days in April, I don't expect you to make time for me, but it would be fun to meet.Eliminar Dear Leonie, I must confess that, as much as I would love to be the captain of the Olympic senior water ballet team, I cannot claim such an honor. :-((( I do not know water ballet or terrestrial ballet, although I did win a polka championship once. The Joffrey Ballet is mad famous and prestigious! Wow! You must have great stories to tell, which some day I hope you will do in person. Alas, I am about 350 miles from NYC, or I would be glad to meet you! Will you be coming to NYC for the Requiem in October? Also, what's with "I don't expect you to make time for me"? The pleasure would be mine, I assure you.Eliminar Dear Joanna.ResponderEliminar You deserve the Pullitzer, and a lifetime supply of herbal medicine for Glaucoma. Thank you so much, dear Agente! Now, while I do appreciate the virtues of herbal medicine, wouldn't it be easier to stick with the universal panacea and elixir of youth--vodka? Then my failing memory only has to remember one thing. Hmmm...what was it? I can't remember.Eliminar Bueno, querida Joanna, ya has visto las reacciones que producen tus "entrevistas"...espero que no sea la última que veamos por aquí ;)ResponderEliminar Thank you, dear Teresa, for giving us this wonderful blog where my admittedly "unorthodox" way of supporting Rolando and amusing (I hope) my fellow villazonistas finds such a merry home.Eliminar Viva Rolando! Viva Teresa! Vivan los villazonistas! You had me going...! I'm thinking about attending the Verdi Requiem. Where are you? Sometimes I go upstate to Saratoga.ResponderEliminar Leonie ha puesto en su mensaje anterior su email, pero no lo he publicado, para evitar que se llene de spam. Si alguien está interesado en el email de Leonie, que lo solicite al email del Blog (columna derecha, arriba).ResponderEliminar

Improvisation, N: the art of thinking and performing music simultaneously Grove Dictionary of Music I learned a priceless lesson about jazz from Miles Davis, Diana Krall, Steve Gadd, and Susan Muscarella. (The final name represents my first real combo teacher.) Know the changes, Master your instrument, And listen to others in the group. Then you can improvise. Here’s what that means: When I first started improvisation, I labored under the illusion that it meant being completely spontaneous, unstructured, and free. It signified “just playing what you feel.” (I’m a drummer, and you know what that sounds like.) Thankfully—especially for the families that hired me for their wedding receptions—I quickly found out that jazz improv is not energetic chaos. What I’ve also learned instead over the past three decades or so is that improv requires structured chords that offer the backbone of the tune. In jazz terminology, that’s “the changes.” For example, a blues song in the key of F generally follows a twelve-bar pattern, four bars on F, then four on B flat, one on C, one on B flat, then back to F for two bars. Only certain notes sound good when played over an F blues set of chord changes. It also means a dedication to the instrument, a commitment to play your “ax” (in jazz slang), that is, drums, sax, or piano skillfully. And finally, jazz is a community event, played out among the various members, creating a synergy that is (by definition) greater than any one member. When all those come together—knowing the chord progression, mastering your instrument, listening to others in the group—then you can both think and perform music simultaneously. You can improv. In this sense, life is jazz improvisation. From a commitment to structure and form, extemporaneous expression happens. Put more broadly, good planning and spontaneity together make a beautiful life. There’re the changes over which we can improvise. That is to say, saying No to chaotic ineffectiveness while affirming spontaneous, creative effectiveness implies a Yes to learning our skills, to listening what’s happening around us, and to creating plans. What’s true in jazz remains critical to succeeding in sports. In my earliest years of life, I played a lot of tennis. I spent summers in a white cotton hat, on hot asphalt courts, drinking from metal Wilson tennis ball cans filled with fuzzy water (tennis ball fuzz, that is). That’s not a bad existence for a California kid. I even managed to improve my overhead, collect a handful of trophies, and get a tan in the process… all by age 8. Nevertheless, an element of those years was failure, and here’s the worst one I ever experienced experience. It wasn’t losing to an opponent. Or breaking a string. It was this: I had a match to play two hours away. Our family knew it was an 11am. So we all woke up early, my brother and I jumped into the brown bench seats of our Mercury Monterey, and my parents drove us to the match. I arrived a full 20 minutes early, waited ‘til about 15 minutes ahead of schedule—when players checked in with the tournament desk—and didn’t see my opponent. “What’s wrong with this guy? I guess it’s time to tell the desk that I’m the winner because of a no-show.” I arrived triumphantly at the desk with this information. Here’s what I heard: We already defaulted you. You’re ninety minutes late. Your match was at 9:30. I’m sorry. (No way, you idiot! Can’t you keep track of the draws? I mean…) I’m not sure I understand you. Are you saying I missed my match? I thought it was scheduled for 11:00. Check the draw sheet. You’ll see that the match was scheduled earlier. We consulted the draw sheet, the schedule of all the matches in the tournament. Yes, the match was an hour and a half earlier. After that day, “check the draw sheet” became a Cootsona family motto because we had painfully realized the significance of preparation. (I was still a few years away from learning it via jazz.) We need order because life is a chaotic system. So check the draw sheet and know what’s coming up. Figure out in advance how to respond to what lies ahead. If you not, you might drive four hours to Clovis, California and never play your tennis match. I draw several implications. On the one hand, preparation is important and not something just for the tennis “set” (as it were). Unfortunately, I see so many people who have no plans and flit from one impulse to the next (a tendency inflamed by MTV-generated attention spans). And with the Power of No, I’m trying to help you circumvent undirected kinesis, the kind of very active, but essentially unproductive life a speaker once described: “I strapped on my jet pack in the morning, bounced from project to project, and hoped no one got hurt.” Or to draw another sports analogy: Bill Walsh, football coach during the glory days of the San Francisco 49ers when they took home three Super Bowl titles, developed the concept of “scripting” the first fifteen plays of the game. Here’s what Bill Walsh instituted: Before the chaos of twenty-two bodies flying at each other took over, the ‘Niners would begin with fifteen plays that they had drilled in preparation for the game. That way the Forty-Niners set the agenda. In reality, they never actually did every single play in the script, but it offered a means to start the game well. It’s akin to memorizing the changes and knowing your instrument before the improv begins. So back to jazz: Each morning I like to prepare my personal daily “chord changes”—that is, to look over the flow of the day’s activities and figure out what tasks I must accomplish, what tasks I’d like to accomplish, and where the spaces are in the day. Then I “script” the day’s changes, offer a prayer for peace and strength, and begin the game! I’ve found that once I’m in the midst of a day in full gear, then I know what to hold onto and what to let go. As the jazzers would say it, I know the changes, listen to the world around me and respond, and then begin to improvise. Incidentally, I’m focusing here on managing your own professional performance, but the harmony of form and flexibility is also critical to managing others. If management is central to your work, you can apply the same principles with minor changes. For example, allow others to improvise through personal expression and the particularities of their skills and personality, but also offer structure—through clear guidelines and realizable objectives. Encourage them to hone their skills and respond to their environment. On the other hand, we need spontaneity. As the legendary jazz guitarist, Joe Pass, phrased it: “If you hit a wrong note, then make it right by what you play afterwards.” Not every note is played perfectly. And not every part is written out. So now I’m speaking to those who have just a slight control issue: We cannot expect our life to play out in a predetermined, classical mode. There are simply too many factors that we would never be able to foresee and over which we have no control. Partly, I take this insight from the startling discoveries of quantum physics, which by the 1920s revolutionized contemporary science through emphasizing the openness of all physical systems, where one step necessarily and inexorably follows what precedes it. In the subatomic (or quantum) world, nothing is absolutely determined and predictable, only probable. Quantum theory threw out the clocklike, deterministic world of Isaac Newton’s 18th physics with its precision and reliability, replacing it with an improvisational universe. In other words, jazz describes the nature of the physical world. And what science knows as the fundamental structure of nature corresponds to our individual lives. It is open-ended, a bit scary, and quite often exhilarating. What I’ve discovered is that the best parts of the day usually do not result because of planning. Instead they’re gifts. For example, I hate to wait—it still doesn’t make sense to me that when I go to the doctor’s office that they’ve prepared my time with boatloads of magazines because they’re planning on my waiting. But I’ve learned to see waiting as an unexpected gift of time and I always try to bring a book, a pencil, and a place to write notes. Similarly, I also get bothered my interruptions at work. As a pastor, my need to revise the budget may be slightly less important than counseling a member in marital crisis, right? What proper planning for improvisation allows is to see (some) interruptions as serendipities. Henri Nouwen, the spiritual writer I’ve already mentioned glowingly reframed this aspect of work for me: “My whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I discovered that my interruptions were my work.” So there’s a need to harmonize spontaneity with planning, which is the essence of improve. An excellent musician has been “in the woodshed” (a phrase associated with Charlie Parker who used to practice for days on end in—guess what?—a woodshed). Musicians woodshed as they dedicate themselves to their axes. I remember my first piano lesson with Susan Muscarella (after she had taught my combo how to play jazz). She had instructed me, “Learn all the scales on both hands, and then you can start on the piano.” I arrived and knew about seven out of twelve on the right hand and one or two fewer on the left. She looked at me a little astonished and stopped the lesson right there. At that moment, I learned that despite how sweet Susan is, there would no second lesson without those scales in hand. Do you take the time to excel at the skills needed to improvise? Have you learned only half of the basic scales in your profession? How else do you expect to find the freedom to express your individual skills and passion? Likewise, we master our instrument when we know our own particular style and make-up. Our lives are successful when we allow for “regional variation.” Some need more form. Some need more flexibility. The pianist Bill Charlap, for example, is quite meticulous in preparation: he studies a song’s history, who and how it’s been played, and how they’ve arranged the tune. Others desire more freedom to “be in the Now” (to quote the philosophically sophisticated movie, Wayne’s World). Or as Miles Davis expressed it, “I'll play it first and tell you what it's called later.” In other words, take time to learn your particular voice. Jazz improvisation illustrates some keys to a successful life. Say No to both over-planning (because life is not fixed and completely predictable), say No to chaos (master your instrument and know the changes). Say yes to improvising a life of spontaneity, creativity, and beauty. Practicing Your Changes One final note: Jazz is all about getting your “training your ear,” listening to jazz masters so that you can intuitively hear when it “swings” (that’s good) and when it doesn’t. I close this chapter with ear training—put another way, exercises to improve your improv. Ponder these quotations on jazz improvisation—and the ones embedded in the previous chapter—and see which best fits your improvisational style. Why? Write down three to five ways you might change or deepen your daily life accordingly. • “Learn everything, then forget it all.” The “monster” (a positive expression in jazz) of be-bop alto sax, Charlie Parker. • “Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn.” “One more once” (to quote the great band leader, Count Basie) from Charlie Parker. • “Don't play what’s there, play what's not there,” from the cryptic and protean trumpet master, Miles Davis • Next list the essential items daily that constitute the changes for your day and for your week. Ask yourself, “Do these tasks define the way I spend my hours each day? Or when I review a day or week do I see a random variety of impulses?” • Ask these questions and make adjustments: Do I want more structure of less? • Each day for four weeks, review the daily “chord changes.” Adjust accordingly.

When looking for places to Stay in Las Vegas the choice is pretty simple. Do you wan to stay in a Huge luxury Hotel Casino on the strip or are you looking for something else? The vast majority of people stay in one of the large resort complex’s either on or just off the Strip. But there are a few other options. Our run down of the Best Places to stay in Las Vegas will guide you through our favourite Strip Hotels, then give you the other options for accommodation in Las Vegas. Strip Hotels The Vast Majority of people who come to Vegas Stay on the Strip. And with Good Reason. Part of the Vegas experience is staying in one of the major parts of the trip. The opulence the Luxury, Being in the heart of it all. It’s not like they are insanely expensive. for City hotels, they are probably the cheapest in the country, try looking for a New York hotel room for these prices. For these reasons we really do recommend you stay on Strip, especially if it’s your first trip. That only slightly narrows things down. But we have our favourites like everyone else so here is our top 3 in each budget. However, if you are reading this there is a good chance you are not looking for advice on the Strip. You know all about that and have been a few time before, and are now looking for some alternatives. Well Bare with us (or just skip ahead) we get to that below. Top End $$$ Bellagio Probably the most famous Casino Hotel in Vegas. Its Iconic fountains are one of the most enduring images of Vegas nights. While the incredible shows are free to all, there is something pretty special about staying in one of Las Vegas’s iconic hotels. The Hotel offers Italian Classical Elegance and this is the theme throughout the Hotel. The Bellagio is a must see when in Vegas but to stay here really make you feel very special. While we have put this into the top bracket it can be surprisingly cheap at certain times. and could easily fall into the mid range pricing, we have seen prices as low as $150! But the higher end rooms are always very pricey and deservedly so. Wynn / Encore After being almost muscled out of Vegas by MGM Steve Wynn decided to fight back by building the Ultimate in Vegas Luxury hotels. What we ended up with is the Wynn complex comprising of the Wynn and the Encore. Combined they are the 7th biggest hotel in the world and regularly win awards. Unanimously recognized as one of the best hotels in the world. Steve Wynn completed one hell of a fight back. Staying at either the Wynn or the Encore, it doesn’t really matter which is an incredible experience. You really are experiencing one of the best hotel offerings in the world. While Prices are STEEP. They are not unthinkably expensive, with prices often as low as $299. Aria This Super Modern Luxury hotel is one of the Vegas New Breed. Its ultra stylish modern design exudes luxury. But this is a clean modern interpretation of Luxury. Expect clean lines and minimalist architecture. If you are looking for old school luxury, Aria may leave you cold. It doesn’t have the charm and character of more classical Hotels. You will find everything you need from a hotel here with stunning pools and incredible dining options, along with a huge casino. If an ultra stylish modern hotel is exactly your thing you will adore Aria. Mid Range <$200 Caesars Palace Overall probably our favourite Vegas Hotel. It’s enough Luxury for us without being too expensive. While once in a life time trips can more than justify the splurge on the top end. Hotels like Caesars are perfect for return trip / regular trips. The Palace is a very opulent hotel that caters in manufactured luxury. That is everything looks very grand and opulent like what would befit an emperors Palace. But really its all a bit fake, but it looks great from a distance, very Disney like! The Location is what really gives Caesars an edge it really is right in the middle of everything. And of course thanks to a certain alcohol withdrawal based film, Caesars is always busy and popular. The pools are always a very lively place to be. MGM Grand Another Vegas Titan The MGM Grand is far more affordable than you might imagine. The rooms are all very modern and updated and you can normally bag a large suite with Jacuzzi bath for similar prices to normal rooms in other hotels. The Pools complex is one of the best in Vegas with a great Lazy river to float along and cool of on when the temps are soaring. The Mirage We love the Mirage for its Polynesian theming. really we just love all things Hawaii and this is as close as you can get, without visiting the islands. The incredible Volcano Is a must see but not really a reason to stay. However, the clever blend of Polynesian and modern luxury is every reason to stay. Along with a very tropical themed pool complex and loads of shows, clubs, and restaurants on site. We often think the Mirage is very underrated, well not underrated but overlooked. It every bit as good as its rivals, and has added Hawaii Magic! Budget (strip) <$100 Flamingo This makes the list as it’s our favourite Casino. The one we actually do some gambling in! Why? Min Bets are low and the drinks flow freely. But we are not reviewing the Casino but the hotel. And while it’s not the best on the strip its also not the most expensive! And the location simply couldn’t be better. Right across the Strip from Caesars, you can sit in your hotel room thinking of all the money you’ve saved, Before blowing all that money in a slot machine! While it may lack a small amount of the luxury of the higher echelon hotels it’s still a very well appointed establishment, and for the price you pay It’s out of this world compared to other US Cities! New York New York A bit like the mirage this probably make the list as we just love anything New York based. While we admit the hotel is a VERY poor substitute for the real thing it’s still a very fun place to stay and commands a great position on the Strip. Rooms can be had for really bargain prices and its really a far more upmarket experience than its pricing suggests. Excalibur A bit of an odd ball choice this on and hard to describe why we like Excalibur so much. Maybe it’s just because we are British and like castles…or at least find humour in the American take on castles and British culture. Or maybe it’s the very competitive pricing. We are not sure but there is just something we like about this place. The location could be better, but it could be worse, and with prices this low you expect compromises. Off Strip By Off Strip, we mean near the strip but not technically on the actual strip. These offer almost all the advantages of strip hotels while often offering lower prices than equivalent Strip locations. They are not too distant from the strip so you can still get to the strip easy enough. And use you saved cash for more drinking and gambling. The disadvantage of being off strip really helps these resorts up their game to attract clients. Palms Casino resort A top quality Las Vegas hotel with all the trimmings of a top resort, but at a lower cost due to it’s off strip location. The Palms is a very lively resort that has a fantastic reputation especially with the young. Often a haunt for the odd celebrity as well. Hard Rock Hotel and Casino A really good lively resort with all you need and still quite close to the Strip. With everything, this resort has to offer there really is no need to leave. Of course, you still should though as you will be missing out if not. The Hard rock Brand is obviously very well known and trusted so you should have no problems here. We have a hard time decided between this and the Palms! Stratosphere Technically on the strip but its so far up the southern end it can be classed as off strip. Another mid+ hotel resort and casino at more budget prices. Being this far up the strip does mean you are also close to Downtown. And it obviously has the tower on site which offers incredible views plus some frankly insane rides at the top. Also consider: Rio, Gold Coast, Westgate. Downtown Staying Downtown is a completely different experience to the Strip. We don’t really recommend it to Vegas newbies more for people who have done the strip and are looking for a new experience. This is more like Vegas of old, but a more disneyfied safe recreation. Rather than the crazy Mob run sin city of yesteryear. The Casino / Hotels of Downtown really of a unique experience and something that is highly recommended if you think that’s your kind of thing. Maybe tag a couple of downtown nights on to a more conventional Strip stay? just to see if it’s your kind of thing. Budget For some people, a low price is all that matters. The reality is often a hotel is nothing more than a place to lay your head. The money could be better spent on other things. With this in mind, there is a number of REALLY cheap motels that are perfectly adequate for a base only stay. There are options very close to and a bit further away from the strip for those really looking to maximise their stay. Really these Motel type places are nothing more than a room so are much the same as each other. You won’t be staying in them long so that’s all that matters. Really our only advice is to base your decision on price and location. They will all adhere to a basic level of cleanliness so you won’t have to worry there. This option isn’t for everyone and not really recommended to anyone but the absolute bargain hunters. Prices in Vegas are really cheap even for pretty incredible hotels so scraping the barrel really is only for the most budget conscious travellers. Villa / Apartment A popular way of finding accommodation now is to rent a whole villa, house or apartment privately. We find this a great way to visit a large number of locations. However, we have never really had much success in Vegas. Which is quite surprising as to us it seems an ideal place to rent a villa. This doesn’t mean you won’t have more luck finding the property to suit you. Just for us, the hotels offer a better proposition. Sites such a VBRO and Homeaway are out “go to” sites for privately rented properties. And give you some back up in the unlikely event of issues. Air B&B You can also try Air B&B to try and find unique or cheaper alternatives to the hotels. Either shared or whole accommodation options are available though the app. Again in Vegas, we have never felt the need. But you can always try it and see if there is something to suit you? Where to Book Hotels Often People book a package holiday to Vegas and often that is a great option, especially if you are coming from outside the US. However, It can be cheaper if you book flights and accommodation separately. Not always but can be. It also offers a lot more flexibility. We rarely ONLY stay in Vegas and its just part of a wider trip and so booking separately is a must. There are hundreds of booking sites out there all with the cheapest prices and best service. Our favourite and the one we use time and again is booking.com. We often find it has the cheapest prices even when we extensively search most other sites. We also just get on with the interface and find it easy to find the hotels we need. The FREE cancellation is also a major reason we use it. you can find the hotel you want book it. Then begin the search to see if you can beat the price. If so great, cancel and rebook. If not you have your accommodation sorted. We often find that after booking prices drop and could have got the room cheaper. With booking.com that’s no problem you can simply cancel and rebook at the lower price…we have done this countless times! Not all hotels are bookable with free cancellation but a good number in Vegas are. Resort Fees We can’t write about staying in Vegas without mentioning Resort Fees. The nemesis of all Vegas traveller’s. Part of the reason the hotel prices seem so cheap is a large portion of the cost is kept hidden. Then slapped on at the end as a resort fee! These not insignificant fees would be fine if they were optional. The cover things like use of the pools, Phone calls, Gym use etc… but if you don’t wan to use the facilities you still pay the fee. This makes them mandatory and is just a way of making the headline figure look smaller. It’s all a bit underhand! The way we see it is we just accept its part of the cost and factor it in when making our decisions. Almost all Hotels charge them so there is very little choice to avoid so we just add them on to our room price when considering which hotel. Complaining endlessly about it won’t help, taking it out on the employees won’t help. You just need to accept it or not come to Vegas, Unfortunately, its creeping into most place in the United States now. Maybe soon it will be outlawed but if that happened the resorts would just raise their prices, you would still have to pay it, it would be just included in the headline price. Where do you stay in Las Vegas? Are you a strip only type of person or have you tried the other options? Let us know in the comments below. Also feel free to ask us any questions. We love hearing about anything Vegas related.

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Ergun Caner has been at the center of controversy recently. Mohammad Khan, a Muslim, has launched a website called fake ex muslims. Mohammad has used this website to point out errors and contradictions in Ergun Caner’s testimony, speeches and publications. Last week I posted evidence on my blog that indicates Ergun Caner was born in Sweden, moved to America before his fourth birthday and has remained here ever since. This is a contradiction to Ergun’s biography on the Liberty University website which states he immigrated to the United States in 1979. Following the start of this controversy, Ergun’s biography was removed from his own website; clicking the BIO link continues to give a not found error as of today. I want to be very clear that I do not endorse, condone, or share motivations with Mohammad Khan. In fact, I emailed him today calling him to repent and urging him to trust in Jesus alone to save him from the wrath of God he deserves. Mohammad is deceptive in his approach to Ergun Caner and Mohammad’s entire premise is false. The blogger who writes under the pseudonym TurretinFan has posted a three part response to Mohammad’s claims. Ergun Caner is indeed a real ex-Muslim. As my blog post shows, Ergun’s father fought in court for the right to train his children in the Islamic faith. While disagreeing with Ergun’s Muslim critic, I also call on Ergun to explain why the exposed legal documents contradict his testimony, his speeches, and his biography. A boy who came to America as a toddler and was trained in the Islamic faith for some time, then was saved by a mighty merciful God is a glowing testimony to God’s glory. Why would you want to try robbing God of His glory and invent a testimony that is not your own? I call upon Jerry Falwell, Jr, Jonathan Falwell and the Liberty University staff to hold Ergun Caner accountable for being honest. I challenge Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia to be wise stewards of God’s cooperative program resources and prayerfully consider if Liberty University is bringing God glory. I call Mohammad Khan to repent of his sin and put his faith in the One True God, trusting Jesus alone for salvation. Most importantly, I call upon Ergun Caner to give God the glory in his salvation and share with the world an honest biography and testimony. -Jason Smathers. * Subscribe to my blog. * Follow me on Twitter. **. Thank you! Would love to see some of those questions answered, not just seeing the people who ask them hammered. Hey guys, I wanted to check out the blog myself see what it was saying. It came across this site. I was wondering if that was the site you guys were talking about? Thanks Strange. A man who has told ‘mis-information’ is raised to high position. and a man who has told the truth is now advised to ‘repent’. What is going on? Presumably you’ve followed the back-and-forth between Caner and James White (AOMIN)? White has been holding his feet to the fire! Wow this is such a funny article. I am a Christian and I thank Mr Khan even though he is a Muslim for exposing Mr Caner. You just admitted your self “I call upon Ergun Caner to give God the glory in his salvation and share with the world an honest biography and testimony” which means he has been lying openly and Mr Khan has actually realised all his lies. Please my Christian brothers why not look into Mr Khan’s evidence rather than his faith. Also just because Ergans father won the right to train them in the Islamic way means only 2 things. 1, does not make him a muslim because of this and 2, his father must not know anything about islam as Mr Caner clearly does not know anything, Mr Khan has over 80 points that prove he knows nothing. My son was a big fan of Dr Caner, he is 19 years old and after Mr Khan’s evidence he no longer follows this deceiver. Open your eyes i urge you Hello all, yes i would totally agree with Tony Ja, After watching all the videos of Caner it clearly shows he was never a truly practicing muslim. His mistakes are far to many and far to profound to say he was ever a muslim. A muslim would never make mistakes on the simplest mistakes for example the testimony of faith. I read the responce to fake ex muslims but they are not really proofs and evidances against Mr Khan. The article is short and Mr Khan has many many points against Caner which have not been touched upon. There are alot of sincere christians out there but i just dont see caner as one of them at all. And i truly thank Mr Khan for his time and effort. As i have studied Islam i do have a good understanding of the religion. However most Christians don’t. And that is why i can see how caner tries to fool Christians. So i can understand why Mr Khan would make this vids. But we should all come together and learn from each other instead of muslims learning Christianity from muslims and Christians learning islam from Christians. Thanks all I think you and Tony Ja might be missing Jasons point a little bit. Jason can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe he is not telling Mr Khan to repent because he exposed what, by him, appears to be lies by Ergun Caner, but that Jason is calling him to repent of sin(in general as all should) and put his faith in Jesus Christ. When I read the post this is what I picked up Jason saying: 1) He doesnt share motivations with Mr. Khan. 2) Yet he is asking the same questions as Mr. Khan. 3) Can he get some answers from Ergun Caner? Matt, May I suggest that we not allow this thread to be a forum for Muslims to air their hatred and opinions regarding this? That seems like it would be a big distraction and (if I read him correctly) counterproductive to what Jason is trying to do in this writing. Could we keep this more “in house”? Who is airing their hatred? I must have missed something? People have opinions. From what i can see no one is saying emotionally irrational statements to start arguments. I asked that b/c there was a comment or two (which no longer appear) that were headed in that direction, and because I thought that should those kinds of comments come (which inevitably they would) it would distract from the main discussion at hand and (I think) the spirit in which Jason’s post was written. If those removed comments are any indication, I guess admin agrees with me on that! lol o ok, i didnt see them. I call Mr. Khan to repent of sin in general and to put his faith in Jesus alone to save him from the hell he deserves. I emailed Mr. Khan to address his sin of plagiarism, where he has taken my words and posted them as his own on his blog. In his mission to expose deception from Dr. Caner, he has himself been very deceptive. I agree with Mr. Khan on the point that Dr. Caner should account for the discrepancies in his story. However, Mr. Khan’s premise is wrong, Dr. Caner is indeed a real ex-Muslim — with questions that need answered. If Mr. Khan were to die today, this would be one of many sins he would be called to account for before God. No amount of good can tip the scales in his favor, he has sinned against a Holy God. Even after a million years in hell, his sins would not be atoned for. Jesus is his only hope. Jesus lived a perfect sinless life and did not deserve to die. Jesus died on the cross in place of all who repent and believe, then he rose on the third day – conquering sin and death! Mr. Khan, put your faith in Jesus alone to save you and He will. The righteousness of Jesus will be imputed onto you and you will have eternal life. I urge you to repent and believe this minute. God is always glorified in Truth (even when the lost speak it)… and He is never glorified in Deception… Never! The fact that Ergun Caner has take down his bio information from the web-site is an admision of his guilt… He should either resign, or the University should remove him. There is absolutly zero room from deception in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace Always, This whole discussion (and the ongoing feuds related to it) should trouble us deeply at some level as believers. That doesn’t mean we just sweep everything under the rug and pretend things never happened, necessarily. But it does mean that both those questioning and those defending Dr. Caner should have an attitude of brokenness at the accusations involved and the way many (on both sides) have conducted themselves in front of a watching world. Perhaps this issue would be resolved more quickly, I wonder, had those involved had not been entangled in previous feuds with each other. There seems to be times when it is better to allow a friend (or at least someone with relative neutrality) to ask tough questions, rather than those who clearly do not like each other to start with. Unfortunately, this whole situation as it currently stands is tied up more in the feud between two apologists and their followers over soteriology than about actual issues. I think those involved (on both sides) in the former feud should back out and allow for cooler heads to sort things out. If not, it seems that more heat than light will continue to be generated. (If you don’t believe me, just stroll other blogs related to this topic, and see how quickly the passions and name-calling escalate.) [and please do not reply to my comment with debates about the theological issue mentioned in the last paragraph. not the place for that.] Josh, the problem is that ‘friends’ never ask the hard questions needed to be asked. Are there any neutral? I am certainly trying to be. I question Caner’s integrity. I also wonder about Mr. Khan’s reasons and tactics. But my charge is to judge those INSIDE the Body, not the world outside. (1 Corin 5) I also believe, at this point, it would be a huge witness to Muslims if Caner would step down in repentance. He got caught fabricating his bio for shock value and to promote himself. That much is quite obvious. It seems the reaction from Caner/Liberty has been to confuse us even more and circle the wagons. I think one of the most incredible explanations is that the president of an institution of higher learning does not understand the term ‘debate’ as in debating well known Muslims who claim they have not debated him. Have folks forgotten these claims made by Caner? We are either about ALL truth or we are not,as Christians. ALL Truths. Matt, Since I don’t know you or your particular involvement in any of this, I can’t really comment as whether you are a neutral party. I was merely pointing out that unfortunately some of the key movers to uncover the “truth” or who rallied in Dr. Caner’s defense were already involved in unrelated spats with Dr. Caner, thus muddying the waters so to speak. I’m not saying that all people doing that are such, just many that I have seen in the blogosphere. This is to Jason’s last comment. Jason what are you doing? You cant get someone to believe and put their trust in Jesus by just saying ‘do it now’. I could say Mr Khan believe in Superman right now so he will save you other wise you are going to hell. Come on Jason trying to convert someone over a blog is not the best place plus you have not given him a reason to. You say he is going to hell yet he has saved many from it by exposing Dr Caner (if he is a doctor) one of them my son. How can we expect our Muslim brothers and sisters to come to christianity when there are people like Ergan Caner promoting it? What we should be doing is telling people that Ergan Caner does not represent Christianity and to stay away from him. Yes completely agree with Tony Ja, Btw Jony Ja is that kung fu actor right? LOL But yes merely saying to believe in something is nothing unless there is proofs and evidence. And with a lot of muslims that i come across one thing they tell me is that their religion is based upon proofs and evidence. And this is quite shocking because most religions are just blind faith. So from what I know just to say believe will not help because they do have their proofs and evidences on why they feel their religion is correct. And that is why i think its good to study other religions, compare and come together on common terms. Arguing or even lying wont go anywhere. Coming together and discussing through logic and reasoning and not through emotions would defiantly help Christianity and other religions come closer. Thats the way i see it. Lifes too short. 100 years ago we were nothing. But now we are here and thats a mirracle. God put us on this world for a purpose to become rightous god fearing good people. Not to argue and deldude people into what you believe. BTW regarding DR Caner being a Doctor. I think there is a video of him by Mr Khan showing that his PHD is even debatable. It probably on his site. Or maybe you can search it on youtube. I believe he has a Doctorate in Theology, not a PhD according to his Liberty bio. Hey check out this video of Mr Khan regarding Ergans PHD: Let me what you think Josh. Thanks p.s i like ur little screen pic lol u look rather confused. The end of the vid is actually funny regarding him mum. This kind of post is not only pathetic, but it’s sad. It also makes me have a little sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Wow…if you didnt put up what the other blogs were posting on, this would be my last visit to SBC Voices. David This sort of comment is what is so confusing in this matter. It is ad hominem lacking any content. Does this sort of response actually work for people in real life? Issues are not discussed concerning content or evidence but simple blanket insults? Another interesting aspect of this entire issue is that we do not need Mr. Khan’s website to see the problems with Caner’s own words vs. verifiable facts. Good point mat. We shouldnt need Mr Khans website this man should have been taken down a long time ago. But because so many people blindly follow this man im not supprised why the muslims are doing the job instead. David, What exactly is “pathetic” about this post? Whats funny is that someone(you) who endorses an approves most of Peter Lumpkins blog is calling this post “pathetic.” Do people not try to see objectively at all anymore? Matt, The reason Peter is posting what he’s doing is due to the incessant attacks on Dr. Caner by 5 point Calvinists, who dont like Caner due to his anti-5 point stance; and by the liberals, who dont like his “fundamentalism.” Also, all of these posts by the “Get Caner” crowd are really looking more and more like the Jerry Springer Show. I’m not really interested in character assasinations and Jerry Springer type posts. David David, First, I have never written anything about about Dr. Caner, ever. Second, this post isn’t “attacking” Caner. it is merely asking for questions to be answered and its been awhile since they have been asked. Is there a reason many of the questions Jason has posed have gotten completely ignored? Is there not any validity to his questions? Yet, while these valid questions get ignored here you are brushing them off and calling them pathetic. Please, please, try posting and saying something productive. I have publicly spoken against White, even at peters blog, when he crosses the line in his dialogues with Caner… But Jason has not crossed a line- he is asking valid questions. People like you and peter just dont want the questions to be answered or Caner held accountable for his words so you slam the people asking the questions. I think Peter needs to reread his “girly men” post and take a long look in the mirror, along with his “cronies.” David, Instead of posting nothing of value- why cant anyone just give decent answers for the questions being raised? That is what is pathetic. Oh yes, Matt, let’s all spend our valuable time trying to “get Caner.” Why, we might catch him mis pronouncing an English word…..woooooooooo….then we can all brand him as a fake American. Hallelujah! That will bring revival to the SBC. Let’s do it, Matt. C’mon. Call Dr. White and tell him to get all the 5 point Calvinists to get out there and hunt down any and all Pastors who’ve ever made a mistake in their life. Yes, I can see it now. We can start a blog called the SBC Enquirer. No, wait, just change the name of SBC Voices to this. Because, after all, inquiring minds want to know. Yes, yes, yes, I can see it now. We’ll start taking pics of Pastors actually taking an hour and a half lunch breaks, instead of an hour. We’ll make this a big deal,and “get him.” We’ll get our crack journalists out there digging up any dirt that we can on any SBC Pastor that we can “get.” Well, on those who dont believe like us, that is. And, we’ll expose them. We’ll be the first to crack the big scoop about Pastor Bubba Barns, who used to drink moonshine a long time ago, and HE STILL LISTENS TO LYNYRD SKYNYRD MUSIC! He should be thrown off the SBC bus. His church should kick him out on his overalls. Yes….this sounds great….doesnt it? lol Thats not what I am saying at all… Please post something productive, thanks. Here are two video clips that show Ergun Caner claiming to be born in two different places. It’s a YouTube world… Wooooooooo….now, we have Jay showing us the video posts that give us the very revealing facts of this big conspiracy. Stay tuned for more exciting new revelations and expose’s about this person who’s the head of an independent Seminary in Virginia. lol David David, You denying evidence that Ergun hasnt answered for makes you look like a fool. If these accusations arent true, I dont understand the silence… David, Is honesty a virtue in your world? Is lying a sin? The man is giving false information from differing pulpits concerning his Christian testimony. For the love of God, that’s not a conspiracy, but his own words. One can’t even explain such blatant contradiction. It must simply be repented of. What if President Obama said he was born in Kenya and Hawaii? Would that concern you or would anyone who pointed out such an inconsistency be accused of conspiracy? This has nothing to do with Calvinism. If John Piper or R.C. Sproul gave conflicting testimonies, they too would have some serious explaining to do. Yeh how can a man get wrong the country he was born. This is proof he is lieing. Did you check out the video i pasted above it was quite funny. But still i do appreciate the person who wrote a reply to the videos. Even though the arguments are not strong enough but at least they are making an effort. Hopefully they will just accept him as a lier and a froad and maybe caner will loose his job and all the money he has made from his lies. Ladies and Gentlemen, I congratulate you all on having the courage to look, investigate and call them as you see them. There are a lot of people making a lot of money from the flock who are chrome plated phonies. It’s one big Club. It’s up to you guys and others to “fix” this problem and others within the SBC and carry the message forward to the up coming SBC meeting. I’m only a believer but I have a son with a couple of degrees(legitimate) including one from a Baptist seminary and he doesn’t tolerate bologna. Right is Might. Don’t waste time and energy fighting each other. Change the “rules” Good Luck. As an old man I now have some hope! Oh yes, Jack now has hope. After all, if we can just “get Caner” it will make all the ills of the SBC go away. If we can just turn the SBC into the Jerry Springer-Geraldo Rivera show, then we can finally cure what ails the SBC. lol This is getting more pathetic by the minute. I am having a hard time getting my head around your comments,Volf. They sound a lot like my 16 year old son on a rant. You said: “Call Dr. White and tell him to get all the 5 point Calvinists to get out there and hunt down any and all Pastors who’ve ever made a mistake in their life.” But this is not one mistake. There are ample examples of the bio changing in different venues. There are also the claims of “debating” Muslims who claim to have never debated him nor is there any evidence of said “debates”. Then the term ‘debate’ was qualified to mean casual conversations. Caner right now has a serious credibility problem. He represents a Christian institution of higher learning with many young minds putting him on a pedestal. This is something to take seriously. In fact, his own fabrications of his past lend more toward the Jerry Springer variety than any questions asked to discern the truth. Caner: Trained as hardened terrorist? Is it not possible for you to see the problems with such a testimony in this day and time? David, again, your comments have been the most pathetic thing about this post- if they continue I will just start deleting. Try something that deals with the issues and questions at hand. Matt, This whole thing to “get Caner” is because he’s outspoken on Calvinism, and you know it…I know it…everyone that’s willing to see knows it. Also, on the other end of the spectrum, the liberals are jumping in on this crusade, because they love to “get a fundy” anytime they can. Matt, I remember Dr. Caner apologizing for exaggerating. I remember Dr. Caner apologizing for mis speaking at times. But, I doubt that this will be enough for the “get Caner” crowd. The apology wasnt good enough, or the aplogoy wasnt worded right, or didnt go far enough, or they cant find it on the internet anymore….will be what’s said about that. Also, Matt, I have debated with people many times about different issues. They were not formal debates. lol. They were conversations in person, writing on blogs, etc. I use the word debate when speaking about these things sometimes… do you? I bet you do. Is that lying? No. Anyway, we all know what’s this about, and I’m wondering why you’re jumping on the “get Caner” bandwagon. I mean, havent we all seen this enough from “Dr.” White and Debbie K.? Now, it’s SBC Voices, as well? David Im not on the “get Caner” bandwagon. Notice, I did not write this post. I just think legitimate questions have been asked and they should be answered. Also, I think this is an issue of integrity and honesty, not “calvinism.” The Southern Baptist Convention has been the Jerry Springer Show for decades now. Right now, you all must be breathing a sigh of relief that the media is obsessed with the Catholics again. Then again, I’ve already read several local newspapers that have detailed that it’s just not the Catholic chuch while documenting Darrell Gilyard and others. How long until that brushfire erupts? HAHAHAHAHAHA I JUST WATCHED THIS…. CHECK IT OUT ITS HALERIOUS WATCH IT AFTER 3 MINS LOLLLLL ERGUNS A LEGAND. Mr. Khan is himself a deceiver. We should not be using his material to support claims against Dr. Caner. There are however inconsistencies in Dr. Caner’s claims that require explanation. These inconsistencies can be found in Dr. Caner’s own words. Furthermore, public records reveal a story much different than what Dr. Caner says. We do not need to turn to the deceptive website of Mr. Khan to find this information. Here is a big question: When did Ergun Caner come to America? a) 1970 or earlier as public records reveal. b) In 1979 as his bio on Libery University’s website says. c) In 1981 (age 15) as he has said in his testimony. The answer has huge implications because if the answer is C, then maybe he is justified in selling CDs saying he was a hardened terrorist growing up in the Islamic Youth Jihad. Which are claims that he has made. If the answer is A, then Dr. Caner needs to explain why he often gives a testimony indicating otherwise. this whole post and thread just seems creepy. it doesn’t seem right to publicly question someone about the details of their testimony. i know you said you e-mailed him, but perhaps you should let it stay there. shouldn’t this be a private correspondence? i just don’t get this thread at all. it seems to me an ongoing private dialog should continue before public demands and character questions are made. perhaps this thread should be taken down? is it glorifying Christ? is it a good witness? i’m just one, subjective person, but I have to confess at my own blog I’ve taken a couple posts down before. just some thoughts Mike, You might be right, I considered taking the post down. Here is why I kept it up: 1) leaders do need to be held accountable. 2) I believe, I myself, and MANY other have asked Ergun these questions privately, but to no avail- thus, publicly is the only option. 3) I told Ergun if he made the necessary clarifications to me privately, I would still take this public post down- which I will. So yes, I like Jason, but I did consider not posting this. Not because it doesnt raise valid questions, but my thought was – “is it productive?” While I could be wrong, I do think our leaders need held accountable and if it hasnt worked privately, our only option is to do it publicly, if it works it will be deemed productive. I could of made a wrong decision in posting, but I don’t believe that I did. I have always respected your(mike fox) opinion and have enjoyed dialoging with you. But, I do assure you I out considerable time in thinking whether or not to let this post stand. thanks for the reply. i’m new to these issues concerning dr. caner and didn’t realize this has been an issue for a while yet he hasn’t seen fit to address it. Mike, Caner is a public teacher of the Word. He is the one who has made this a public matter by his own inconsistencies. Think about the fact he claims to have debated Shabir Ally in Nebraska. It never happened. Perhaps he ran into Shabir at the airport and that was his debate. Did he have a phone conversation with him? In fact, what is going on here is an excellent witness. And Caner has an excellent opportunity to make it a very fruitful witness. And a lesson for all his young charges who might be tempted to fabricate stories when they are teaching. Would you suggest that Paul was in error for publicly rebuking Peter for his very public behavior? dude i take it you didn’t read my response to matt s.’s reply? try that and then get back to me Yep, Volfan, its just a bunch of malcontents trying to “get Caner”. That’s the first reaction when scandal breaks out in the Baptist ranks. Blame the questioners. Blame the reporters. If there are victims, certainly blame them! They did it with Gilyard when the allegations first came out. Oh, it was racially motivated, those women saying Gilyard was a sexual devient. No proof, Gilyard’s defenders said. We believe Gilyard becauses he’s such a fine preacher, he’s a “man of Gawd”. They even did it with Ed Young when he was found to have leased a plane…fly in the prez of the Florida Baptist convention to tell us how much integrity Ed has….followed by the preacher buddy who defended Ed Young, and spoke negatively about the reporter. Baptists do it with sexual deviants like Bob Gray at Trinity – oh, he is a “man of God”, the accusations of abuse are the work of Satan, its people “out to get Gray” because he’s a fundamentalist. And now Volfan is falling right in line after a long tradition of the same: when a preacher is caught in scandal (and trust me, the Caner bio flap is a huge scandal that will be busted wide open, probably by the secular media very soon), M.O. is to attack those who question. Make it about the religous views of those who present evidence. Use ad hominem arguments, set up straw men arguments in defense. Volfan adds a bit of twist to this strategy, trying strong doses of sarcasm and condescension. LOVE IT, Volfan… Volfan, you and others like you will be so embarrassed when the full scope of Caner’s deceptions are known on a wider scale. Thank God we live in America, where we have freedom to blog, and the media has freedom to broadcast. Amen and Amen! Tom R, You say, “Volfan, you and others like you will be so embarrassed when the full scope of Caner’s deceptions are known on a wider scale.” First of all, we should pray that this issue can come to a peaceful end that doesn’t cause more doubt and skepticism from the watching world. NOT be giddy over the prospects of seeing a brother in Christ taken down, or embarrassed, or lose their job. If there are any people really hoping that Dr. Caner is guilty and out at Liberty, check your heart motives. I’ve personally been in a situation where misinformed “Christians” were simply gunning for my job and it’s not fun to go through. We should deal with the facts first, accept whatever consequences they bring, and do so in a way that promotes truth and seeks the eventual good of those involved. I appreciate Matt Svobada’s work in communicating with Dr. Caner and (I hope) he is doing so in a Christlike spirit. I applaud his refusal to publish their private email correspondence and wished we had more of that in the SBC blogosphere. If I ran a mile for every private email published online in the SBC in the past few months, I’d be Forrest Gump. Josh – no giddiness here. Only grave concern over what is happening to the SBC. The real shame, Josh, is there has to be so many “private” emails. Matt, Private emails are a good, personal, peaceful way to hopefully communicate and come to an understanding in a Christ like manner. Im not sure I understand your problem with private emails. Josh, I hope I am also doing it in a Christ-like manner. I assume that I am since Dr. Caner has been so willing to communicate with me! I truly thank God for that. Matt, I was referring to the reason for the need for so many private emails that one would not want published. Denotes a deeper problem, friend. I was referring to this: If I ran a mile for every private email published online in the SBC in the past few months, I’d be Forrest Gump. I would think at this point, Mr. Caner would not want backchannels but light. My question is to Jason Smathers. You said the following “Mr. Khan is himself a deceiver. We should not be using his material to support claims against Dr. Caner.” Can i ask that you prove this as I have seen almost all of his videos and so has my wife and son and even some of my family members and we never found Mr Khan to be decieving not once Please justify your statement or simply take it back Thank you Tony Ja, Take a look at my blog post, Ergun Caner’s Secret Biography, at then compare it to Mr. Khan’s web page titled The Real Biography of Ergun Caner. When you do this, you will notice that the majority of my words are reprinted by Mr. Khan, as if they were his own. He has today added a brief attribution for the source of his documents, but still continues to take my words and represent them as his own. If you look through his words, he has simply copied and pasted my post, adding a few things and changing around a few things, but the majority of my post remains in tact on his website where he represents my words as his own. When I asked him to remedy his plagiarism, he responded saying that he has the right to copy anything on the Internet unless it is for sale. In effect, Mr. Khan is saying that if it is easy to steal, it is acceptable to steal. I also recommend that you read over this blog for an objective criticism of Mr. Khan’s comments on Dr. Caner: Blessings, Jason You must ensure that what you have written about me in this comment actually reflects what I told you, because if I chose to publish my message that I sent you, your statements that you have made about me will be proven to have been blown out of proportion and exaggerated, similar to the fashion of Ergun who exaggerates, lies and manipulates Islamic texts and then attributes the incorrect and exaggerated conclusion to the beliefs of Muslims worldwide. I will respond to this post in the near future. lol here it goes. I guess, what goes around comes around. David I of course disagree, but will wait to see you full post before responding at length. I remain firm that copying my exact words and posting them as your own is plagiarism and I am disturbed that your response to me was one defending your actions. I speak of my own words, not the public records, which are just that – public record freely available to anyone that walks into the court house. You can use copyscape to see how many of my exact words are reprinted word for word without attribution on your own post: Every highlighted portion is text that you copied and pasted and called your own. Most of the parts that are not highlighted are due to slight word order changes or rephrasing. When I approached you in private, you defended your actions. The thoughts and words are not your own and require attribution. Mike Fox – let me tell you what is “creepy”. What is creepy is when I listened to Caner’s 11/20/01 sermon last week, 8 years after I first heard it live at FBC Jax as a member in the congregation. How creepy was it to hear that this man stood in front of us to claim he was “raised in Europe”, until the age of 15 was trained in “Islamic Youth Jihad”, and came to “Ah-meer-di-cah” at age of 15 to become someone who was “trained to do that which was done on 11 September”. What is very creepy is a man who would do that, to use the 9/11 tragedy and our still raw emotions, to come to our church and paint himself as one of THEM, to launch himself as an expert in all things Islam. That, sir, is “creepy”. And it deservers to be exposed and discussed and ultimately explained. sure, but i’d like to see some different buzzwords in your rhetoric, you know, like “restored” and “reconciliation.” we all have a bird of prey within us. let us pray we find the dove of peace as well. Very, very, good word. Just for the record, I don’t come from a Southern Baptist background, and what little of the Calvinism-Arminianism debate I’ve encountered during my few years in SBC circles makes my eyes cross, my head spin and my stomach hurt. Believe me when I say that discussion is WAY down the list of things I care about. Furthermore, I know what it’s like for the breath of truth to inconveniently blow down MY little house of cards, so far be it from me to cast stones. But TRUTH is exactly the whole point here, isn’t it? to mat svoboda “**.” no1 will believe u unless u post his actual statements, whats the point of ergun explainin the problems 2 u privately, wat does that achieve? definately sumthin fishy goin on here Adam, If he would of explained these things to me sufficiently it most certainly would of achieved something- I told him Id delete the post if he proved Jasons statements as false. If he does not want to go “public” that is his choose, I told him I wouldnt publish our interactions and I wont because I gave him my word. If he would of proved them false this post would be taken down immediately. for the record i TOTALLY believe matt. and i respect his decision not to publish a private correspondence. just sayin’ Truth is the whole point. That a person is a crook and will steal then begs the question of what he has stolen. If someone has prostituted themselves then the question is how much money does it take. Once people are charged in public others usually come forward with other accusations. When it gets to people abusing others by using their “position” or “titles” in the church then you’re talking about destroying peoples lives and the ruinination of their faith. For children to have this experience is horrible. People are leaving the denomination because of this stuff rather than fight it. People joke -SBC means “Slowly Becoming Catholic”. I know this to be a fact in spite of their current problems. The Money has left and continues to leave our churchs. What is left won’t support us in the lifestyle to which we are accustomed.The people that are left can either fix it or stay to try to get a retirement or just die hopeing that a miracle turns things around. A once proud professional that once occupied our pulpits is slowly being replaced with a nothing “who’s good because he doesn’t charge anything” If the restaurant is losing money and you take meat from the sandwichs then guess what happens. The “meat” is leaving our churchs and what is left in many cases are old people and the sick and infirm. You can either “fall on your knees” or “Stand up, Stand up”. But to do nothing is exactly what you’ll get – and deserve. Is there a Doctor in the House, or Air Line Captain or just somebody with a fake piece of paper that doesn’t mean anything that can stand in? It’s you’re future and it doesn’t come without a price. Witch hunt White whale hunt “get Caner” And, we take the words of Muslims about this whole thing. Like they wouldnt have a reason for “getting Caner.” lol David I asked this earlier, Volf: ” Think about the fact he claims to have debated Shabir Ally in Nebraska. It never happened. Perhaps he ran into Shabir at the airport and that was his debate. Did he have a phone conversation with him?” Have you seen an explanation about the claim of debating Shabir? Has Caner met him? Talked with him by phone or e-mail in an informal debate? This claim should be relatively simple to answer directly. But Caner has not. FWIW: This is a believer asking. A believer who watched the debate of Shabir and Jay Smith in Toronto. Shabir does debate Christian scholars and would most likely keep track of exchanges how ever informal. Matt, This whole post and the comments are the most un-Christlike thing I’ve seen in…well, I dont want to go there, because a whole host of his followers will attack me to the Nth degree. I really want to encourage you to cease and end this. It’s sad, and it’s getting sadder by the minute. David David, Instead of speaking in bland, useless generalities post something productive. You have failed over and over again to make one substantive claim about the “unchristlikeness” of this post. Making baseless accusation is a waste of time, so please stop or I will just delete your comments. Jason, on the other hand, is not making “baseless” accusations- he is asking serious questions in order for truth and integrity to be upheld. What has been unchristlike, exactly? Trying to hold a leader accountable for their words and actions? That seems to be very Christ-like to me. Asking valid questions that need answers? Again, this is not my post. I am letting it continue… If you think it should be removed talk to the author of the post. Im the Editor, yes, but I see no grounds for me removing this particular post. Also, before you judged me or the “camp” you think I am in, wait until my post comes out tomorrow. I wrote it early today and it will be posted early tomorrow morning. Matt #55, Thanks for the clarification. I posted this erroneously on another blog thread blasting Caner. It should have gone here. My apologies. Matt S. I’m no fan of nor enemy of Egun Caner. As a preacher of nearly 32 years, I’m sure I’ve made my share of misstatements and such. My life certainly would not fare much better with the same brutal attacks blogged about here. Particularly disturbing is Aron. I’m surprised you would allow someone to make fun of another person’s blog picture. How that advances Christianity in any way, I must admit, confuses me. I see nothing “christian” about any of Aron’s comments. I find his attitude disturbing at the least and disgusting at its worst. This is your blog and you can allow whatever you want, but for what it’s worth — perhaps 2 cents — I think some of the posters have an agenda that is less than honorable. Someone commented, “Truth is the point.” You hear this a lot on so-called “Christian” blogs. As long as something is true — however hurtful — it must be presented. That however is not what the Word of God teaches. Solomon said, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter [grace], but the glory of kings to search out a matter [power]” (Prv. 25:2). When John describes Jesus he uses very specific terms in a very specific order, “The only begotten of the Father full of GRACE and truth” (Jn. 1:14). It took me many years in ministry to learn to apply this principle. I failed many times — especially in the unrelational environment of blogs. I’m just suggesting a little grace might make the pronouncement of the truth sound a little more legitimate. I find all of this to be very distressing. There is nothing quite so unseemly as Christians bashing Christians. Yet here we are. We can blame each other, the Calvinists, the bloggers on both sides. But the truth is, Dr. Caner made this an issue by embellishing his family history and education. It appears that the only course of action for him is to either continue to lie (or make excuses) or tell the truth. If he had been completely truthful, the likes of Mr. Khan would have never had an opportunity to post his evidences on the web. I’d bet that most of us have made our own lives ‘more colorful’ by adding a few embellishments to it. I am guilty of that and only the GRACE of Jesus could have ever made me whole. Only Dr. Caner can provide a full accounting. However, the body of Christ does not have to (nor should it) endorse Dr. Caner’s actions. If Dr. Caner is really concerned about the body of believers, then he will either tell the truth and await the outcome, or resign from his position and seek the face of God. There have been many examples of Christians having lost their way, and then put their feet upon the right path. Dr. Caner shouldn’t be any different. I would be the first to extend full forgiveness to him. The main point is that i can see most people here realise is that the guy is a lier. But most importantly he has lied to his own fans and audiances. So the best thing to do it let everyone who supports him know which all the proof that is out there. And if anyone still wishes to support that man then they can do what they like. What I mean by “truth is the point” is that I don’t care what Ergun Caner’s theology is and I have no hidden agenda to undermine him. I have no reason or desire to see him brought low. I would just like to know the truth, and even more important, he needs to TELL the truth, regardless of whether or not it puts him in a bad light, is embarrassing, or provides ammunition for his critics. Again, I speak as someone who has been through the process of having to own up to the truth after trying to hide from it, so I can sympathize with how hard it is to do. But I also know that living a lie eats a person up from the inside, and thankfully God loves His children too much to let deceit destroy them. Hariette, You were right, the Lumpkins comments and the ones preceeding them were out of place. I have deleted them and now I have shut down the comments to this thread because good conversation stopped on this thread a few days ago. Matt

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You will not die tomorrow. You repeat this to yourself as your withering body greets the procession that stamps its way over the shiny white floor to your bedside to say goodbye. Your brain's been leaking blood for two weeks, but you're still sharp enough to have convinced yourself that it's the opposite. They're saying hello, dammit, and you'd swear by it, and you say out loud how nice it is that so many of them are taking the time out of their busy days to do it. Your father rubs his eyes. The flight from Germany has caught up to him early. Your mother, who lives down the street and has been with you since the stroke, sits in silence, watching over you through the glass walls that separate you from innumerable machines and workers dressed in white. Your daughter, Megan -- 16 years old, if you can believe it -- comes in and out of the frame. She never seems to stop moving, taking care of something, gathering the latest information. She's in control of this whole gig. Your open heart surgery, your two bouts with cancer, now this. She's seen as many cold, sterile corridors as you. The rest of them keep filtering in. Your twin sister, Kirsten. The rest of your relatives from Boston, where you grew up. Your infielders, your pitchers, your AA sponsor. Faces, sometimes clear, sometimes blurred, depending on the hour. Faces you've shaped into smiles with ease in the past -- just an inappropriate joke away -- not smiling today. You're sure they think they're not allowed to. Normally, you might tell them they're wrong. But you'll save that energy for tomorrow. You've had two heart tests already today, and they show that the infection of the artificial valve that was put in three years ago has caused swelling. The minor stroke that landed you in this bed two weeks ago had you slurring and unable to move for a few days. The doctors had to wait out the bleed as long as they could before pumping you full of thinners that would let them go back in and replace the bad valve. Megan told you this and you nodded at the words, but here you are: cracking wise, staggering around the ICU with a walker. It's nothing new, this mantra: fall down seven times, get up eight. It's the chorus you wrote, one of your favorites to sing, and when you leave this hospital, you'll sit down at the piano and belt it out louder than ever. The visitors continue to march in. To them, you're the classic hard-luck pitcher, the guy who's already labored into the extra innings of life, scattering a run or two but doing all he can to keep himself and his team in the game. You don't have the energy to tell them it won't go down like that this time, that you've got a lot more left in that 52-year-old right arm. So you'll do what you always do. You'll get up. You rise and look out the window of your enclosure. There's no view of the Victorian rooftops or the hills rolling their way to the Golden Gate to fill you with get-well-card nothings. There's not a lick of sun in sight. This comforts you more than the kind words of a nurse or the wisdom of a daughter who has become a woman before you, maybe in this very room, and you smile, knowing there are still two things you can be sure of. The fog never lifts before noon in San Francisco in May. And you, Stefan Matthew Wever, will not die tomorrow. Errant champagne spray, white dots of beer foam, thick plumes of cigar smoke and a mass of bodies, still in sweat-soaked jerseys, mixing together, rolling around in the damp, ripe carpet. Teammates hollering, posing for pictures with index fingers raised, and drinking the fatigue away. It might have been the ultimate baseball cliché, but on that night, Sept. 11, 1982, it was their cliché. The Nashville Sounds had just beaten the Jacksonville Suns for the Southern League title, and the tiny clubhouse at Greer Stadium was being ripped from its Double-A moorings, floating up through the soupy Tennessee air to heaven. Stefan smiled, overseeing his first real victory party while standing in the middle of the room, the quaking celebration's six-foot-eight, 240-pound epicenter. He was the team and league MVP. Sixteen wins in the regular season and two more big ones in this playoff run. An earned-run average of 2.69. More than 200 strikeouts. And, better than all of that, the stirring notion of what might be to come in George Steinbrenner's Bronx. He had been patient, never resting to think about what it would feel like to climb atop a pitcher's mound before 55,000 with the 4 train rumbling in the shadow of the big courthouse and the lights -- so many lights -- bouncing off the timeless white of the façade. He knew the 1982 Yankees were playing out a pathetic string and that they were pitching-poor. But he also knew that his command of a 95-mph fastball, his diving forkball, his improving changeup, the health he'd shown throughout the summer and his growing maturity had made him their best young arm. Still, this was the New York Yankees, and Stefan was still in Double-A. Which meant that he'd drag his suitcases, his baseball bag and a major league hangover to the airport later that morning, catch a flight back to San Francisco, finish his Bachelor's in English at Berkeley during the winter, and meet his buddies again the next March in Fort Lauderdale for spring training, where he planned to lay claim to the No. 1 spot in the rotation for Triple-A Columbus before the poor catcher even felt the sting of his first heater. One more good year and he'd be primed for the big club. No, make that the biggest club. Stefan was only 24, but he'd seen his share. Watching him on the mound, fans and opposing hitters might have thought everything came easy for him, but his awe-inspiring numbers at Lowell High School didn't inspire much awe from college recruiters. Their reports read that he was pitching against a bunch of San Francisco stiffs, so his masterful senior season and the two-shutout doubleheader against Lincoln only got him as far as UC Santa Barbara -- a dot on the Division I map known more for gnarly surf breaks than championship hardball. But after you fall down, you get up. He toiled in the classroom, set on achieving straight A's to keep up with the throng of MAs and PhDs that had been springing from his family tree for generations. He pitched well enough against the big boys on the Gauchos' schedule to rise above overmatched teammates and the school-record 17 losses they hung on him. By his junior year, he was a legitimate scout magnet, and while minor elbow problems and the fear that they would some day become major kept him out of the first round, the Yankees came calling in the sixth. Raised in Boston until he was 12, Stefan never imagined he'd feel anything but defiant hatred of everything pinstriped. Yearly communal suffering amongst his Red Sox brethren was a birth right. Playing for the Yankees? Ha! That would never happen. But in 1979, the dastardly Yankees were offering Stefan a signing bonus of $15,000. He held out for $16,000, and soon enough he was off to rookie A ball in the upstate New York hamlet of Oneonta, the beginning of the climb to a dream. Crisp Oneonta spring nights bled into steamy summer ones in high-A Fort Lauderdale. By 1981, Stefan had made it to Nashville by way of cruising through lineups with an ERA of 2.00 and 80 strikeouts in 81 innings. Teammates were from all over: sons of Iowa farmers, Bible-belters, ghetto survivors and poverty-stricken Dominicans. Stef was the left-coast liberal, often the lone voice crying in the wilderness of 10-hour bus-bound arguments about abortion, homosexuality and the death penalty. He learned how to keep it civil. And he learned that success in pro ball, as in life, is about how you get up after you fall down. The examples, and the cautionary tales, were close by. Todd Demeter, the Yankees' second-round pick the year Stef was drafted, got more than two hundred grand, a record bonus at the time (the rumor was that four Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises were part of the deal). He was a big outfielder -- six-foot-four, 200 -- who was expected to get bigger and hit towering home runs for Yankees World Series winners for years. Todd's father, Don, played 11 big league seasons in the 1950s and '60s. Todd had the pedigree and the right-handed power. But as the steadfastness of his Christian beliefs grew, so did his strikeout total. He'd saunter to the plate with two runners on and two out and the team trailing by a run, pop out to the second baseman and walk back to the dugout in what seemed like a blissful trance of serenity. He was out of organized ball after seven seasons, having never made it past Double-A. Then there was the skinny 18-year-old from Indiana who was picked in the 19th round of that '79 draft. Stef and the rest of the team would cringe while watching the hapless Hoosier flail his way through batting practice in Oneonta, barely getting the bat around on rookie-league fastballs. But something about this kid was different. An engine burned hot inside, incapable of slowing down. Donnie Mattingly was sure he'd be a big league star, and his exhausting sessions in the batting cages and on the back fields of baseball outposts made sure he was right. And Stefan? When he arrived in Nashville, he was still a typical wild hard thrower as capable of walking six batters as he was striking out 12. He got by because of weak competition -- all the stuff and no clue how to use it. When he got hit hard, he'd look for any excuse. A slippery mound because of the previous night's downpour. A sore neck because his roommate loved to crank up the air conditioner. A bedeviling inability to grip the ball because of the sweat caused by the humidity. None of it mattered to his Double-A pitching coach, Hoyt Wilhelm, a 60-year-old Hall of Famer who made it through 21 big-league seasons with nothing more than a knuckleball and some serious guts. It didn't take long for Hoyt to teach Stefan all he'd need to know. The salty coach didn't care about the pressure points of fingers on the seams of the ball or pronation or optimal leg positioning or repetition of delivery. He cared about one thing: what was going through a pitcher's head while he had the ball in his hand. "Just grip it and throw it," Hoyt would say, and the frankness of his gaze and the certainty of the cadence of the words were enough to belt any pitcher in the jaw with how simple it all seemed to be. All Hoyt wanted was for his guy to battle, to know that the talent in his arm was good enough and the power of his conviction -- the confidence to take that arm and go right after hitters without hesitation and without fear of failure -- was everything else. "When a guy makes it to first base," he told Stef, over and over, cracking a Cooperstown grin, "you want him to turn right, not left." Stefan had listened, and now the Nashville Sounds were champs and the big righty was presiding over a serious party that had no end in sight. It was around midnight when the clubhouse boy tapped Stefan on the shoulder, pointing him to the closed door of the manager's office. Johnny Oates sat behind his desk, and Hoyt, still wet from champagne, pulled up the chair next to Stef. Both elders had glares etched into the faces that would feature kind smiles of encouragement on most days. Their grim silence told Stefan something was wrong. "Weve, I'm sorry to have to tell you that there's been a change in plans," Johnny said. "You won't be seeing any of your friends at the airport when you arrive tomorrow." Stefan didn't catch on right away, but a slight twinkle in the manager's eye gave him the opening to play along. "Why's that, Johnny?" "Because you'll be landing at JFK on your way to Yankee Stadium." The grown men hugged and laughed and cried. Hoyt told Stefan that no one had ever deserved it more. Stefan walked back by the lockers in a daze, shook hands, packed his things, opened the door that led outside and walked into the still-warm early-morning air of a lifelong dream. In 1964, when Stefan and Kirsten Wever were 5 years old, their mother and father went to see a matinee of "A Hard Day's Night." Mom, Dorothy, was a piano player, chamber singer and music teacher. She wanted to see what The Beatles hype was all about. On the way out of the theater, the Wevers bought tickets for the whole family to see that night's late show. "You need to hear this music," she said, with a seriousness he hadn't seen from her. The next week, Dorothy showed Stefan a C chord on the piano. The week after that, a C minor. The week after that, a C7, and so on. He was hooked on all of it: music he could hear but also touch and make his own; the work and time that would go into to mastering those eighty-eight keys; the innovative melodic progressions, lyrics, instrumentation and personalities of John, Paul, George and Ringo, whom he was convinced had descended in a spaceship, just so happening to crash into a cobblestoned street in Liverpool where a few guitars had been left out with the previous night's rubbish. He hopped into the taxi at the airport curb 18 years later, almost chuckling while telling the driver, "Yankee Stadium." Then a pause. Then, with appropriate dramatic emphasis: "Players' Entrance." He looked out the window at a cloudless sky, perfect for the Sunday afternoon game that had already started, and allowed himself to wonder, just for a second, what his big-league locker might look like. This time he let the chuckle happen. The cab rumbled along over potholes. The only noise escaping the front of the car was incoherent Brooklynese barking from the intercom, but if Stefan were to sit back now and soundtrack the scene, he would cue up some Fab Four right as The House That Ruth Built came into view. "Why leave me standing here?" Paul would sing at that instant. "Let me know the way." The astonishing thing was how the way already knew him. His feet had hardly hit the pavement (not that he noticed) before he saw them crowding around him, already asking for autographs. Stef couldn't sign because he was holding eight months of clothing in five pieces of luggage, but he heard them. How could he not? They knew how to pronounce his name. They recited his numbers from Nashville. "Go get 'em, big guy," they shouted. He told them he would. It was the second inning out on the field of the old ballpark as he navigated the dark basement corridors within. The empty clubhouse spread out before him like a cavernous jewel box. He had figured on a locker in a marooned corner, maybe by the toilets, and a uniform number of 93 or 84 or something fitting for a former spring training afterthought who might only be in the Bronx long enough to notice the graffiti. And then the whirlwind: His locker was in between Dave Winfield and Goose Gossage, two players headed for the Hall of Fame. He had No. 25, last worn by Tommy John, who'd been an All-Star three times and already had close to 20 years in the bigs. He suited up in slow silence, savoring the feel of the cloth, before walking through the tunnel to the light of the dugout. He first saw Sammy Ellis, the Yankees' pitching coach, whom Stef had worked with in instructional league a few years back. Ellis introduced him to the manager, Clyde King. He spent the rest of the day rooting for men he didn't know, faces from TV and baseball cards that had come to life as they descended the steps before him and slapped his hand: Winfield, Ken Griffey, Graig Nettles. The Yankees beat the Brewers 9-8 in the bottom of the ninth. Winfield and Gossage, when not besieged by writers whose beltlines encroached on Stefan's limited space, were friendly neighbors, tossing chit-chat his way. Ron Guidry, the staff ace, the former Cy Young Award winner, walked over, extended his hand and said, "Welcome to the New York Yankees." On the charter flight to Baltimore that night, Stefan was handed his meal money: more than $600 for the long road trip ahead. He watched his new teammates as they pulled out their money clips, almost in unison. He would have to get a big-league money clip, now, wouldn't he? He'd also have to buy new suits. Six-foot-six Winfield spent the flight listing the best Big & Tall stores in the cities of the American League. It got even better at the hotel, a luxury high-rise. Stef was supposed to room with Jay Howell, a rookie up from Triple-A, but the team's traveling secretary, Bill "Killer" Kane, pulled him aside to tell him the team's backup catcher, Barry Foote, was taking a hiatus to be with his sick wife. Would Stefan mind taking Foote's room? Why, no, he wouldn't. And, man, that room was something -- an ornate suite that overlooked the Inner Harbor. A gold-plated telephone hung from the bathroom wall. And his luggage, which he hadn't touched since arriving at Yankee Stadium that morning, was waiting for him in the front hallway. He turned the light on, took off his shoes, laid down and stretched out his long legs, sighing and thinking he might take a nap just for the hell of it -- to see if he'd really wake up in the same bed and the same body. But the word was out, a serious poker game was on, and it didn't matter who had done the inviting. Stef was the host. Room-service beers and snacks arrived as if on a conveyor belt as the players filtered in: Lou Piniella, Bobby Murcer, Oscar Gamble, Willie Randolph, Jerry Mumphrey, Winfield, Gossage, Nettles. Stefan bluffed when he shouldn't have, forking over hundreds from that first big league paycheck he hadn't yet received and laughing through it all. Sammy Ellis stopped by and Stefan told him his arm had never felt better, forgetting the fact that he was at over 230 innings for the season and that he had logged routine pitch counts of 130 and higher in most of his starts. "Don't worry, Stef," Sammy said. "You'll get in there soon." Stefan cleaned up the party and watched the sun rise over Baltimore. He wouldn't be able to sleep for hours, but he didn't care. It was a night game, he was in the major leagues, he was the top prospect for the New York Yankees, and nothing would ever stand in his way again. He didn't think it. He knew it. Years after his career was over, Stefan Wever decided to write a book. His life had become so extraordinary that it had to be documented, and why not? Stefan had always been able to write songs, to find the right words to go along with the piano riffs that would come to him at odd times -- in the car or the shower or right before falling asleep. So he could do this, no problem. But first, he'd need a title. He chose one that seemed to say it all, "My Right Arm," and began. When I awoke on Friday, September 17, 1982, I felt like an 8-year-old on Christmas morning. It really set in when I opened the sports section of the paper (delivered, naturally, to my "suite") and went to the listing of Today's Starting Pitchers and saw: New York (Wever 0-0) at Milwaukee (Caldwell 15-11), 7:30 p.m. I spent the day wandering through some super-mall in downtown Milwaukee feeling pretty good about myself. I bought some things with my newfound wealth (meal money) that I would never have considered buying the week before, like $50 sunglasses. I tried not to think about that night's game, but I didn't have much luck. Everywhere I went, I saw Milwaukee Brewers paraphernalia, and everything I read talked about the incredible offensive prowess of the team (something I would find out about first-hand a few hours later). It had rained most of the day in Milwaukee, and we weren't sure if there was going to be a game. Some of the guys had assumed we wouldn't play because weather conditions were still bad in the afternoon, so they made tentative plans to go out that night. We finally got the word that the game was on, although batting practice had been canceled. All that meant was that I had more time to lounge around the hotel and think about the game. By the time we got to Milwaukee County Stadium, I was ready to go. I received a few words of encouragement from some of the guys, while others left me to my own thoughts, either out of courtesy or because they didn't know or didn't care. The other pitchers knew, however, that this was the biggest night of my life. Stefan wrote on and off for a year, describing his arrival at the chilly, misty ballpark and the mud-slicked mound he would be tasked with digging into and pushing off of for what he hoped would be all nine innings. As he pressed the pen to the notebook page, he took the reader with him into the bullpen, where he warmed up with such nervous wildness that he forced himself to pretend he was in Nashville again, staring in at the glove of a Double-A catcher. He wrote about making the slow stroll to the dugout and sitting there, dazed, while the top of the Yankees lineup went in order against Mike Caldwell. Before I knew it I heard my name being announced as the starting pitcher for the New York Yankees, and my teammates were going out to play defense. I walked out to the mound slowly. This was it! He put his pen down, not inspired or awake or confident enough in each detail, save the ones that still stuck him in the side like a jagged knife. He stashed the book on a high closet shelf after 15,000 words, figuring he'd get back to it when his schedule cleared and he could devote the energy and perspective that it deserved. He never finished the book. Stefan would be one of the few -- maybe the only -- pitchers to start his major league career facing two future Hall of Famers. It started when Milwaukee's leadoff man, Paul Molitor, stepped into the batter's box ... A scalding surge of adrenaline. I'll bet I can throw it a hundred tonight. But Molitor gets enough of a pitch to send it through the right side for a six-hop single. OK, fine. No problem. Get the next guy. The Brewers' No. 2 hitter Robin Yount digs into the wet dirt by home plate and lashes a no-doubt double to right center. Molitor scores, and the Brewers lead 1-0. Oh well. No shutout. Get the next guy. Cecil Cooper. Stef throws him a good changeup, but even though Coop is fooled by the slower offering, swinging way too early and way too hard, the bat still catches the bottom half of the ball and lofts it to shallow left center. Stef cranes and looks behind him, sure he's gotten his first out, and watches in silence as Mumphrey breaks back as if it's going to the wall before realizing his mistake, charging, and overrunning the ball, which had dropped onto the soggy turf. Shake it off. Do what Hoyt would do. Battle. It starts with a good pitch right here. Ted Simmons steps in and more rainy-night blues ensue. Simmons hits a routine ground ball that skips under the legs of the shortstop, Andre Robertson, for an error that should have been the second out. Cooper lumbers to third. Ben Oglivie flies out, but there are still runners on the corners with the American League home run leader Gorman Thomas striding to the plate wearing a scowl out of a Rapid City saloon. Fastball, high. Ball one. Changeup for a strike. And then the twinge. It's in his right shoulder. It's not a pop and it's not a burn. More a little tug, enough for him to know something isn't quite right. It doesn't hurt, but it's there. It's not going away. Stefan stops for a second, walks to the back of the mound and leans down for the rosin bag. No way in hell I'm having the trainer come to the mound during my Major League debut. No way they're going to peg me as the soft-hearted, injury-prone complainer I was made out to be before Hoyt toughened me up. He focuses on the catcher, Rick Cerone. Two pitches later, Thomas hits one over the fence. Dammit. These guys just don't stop. With his arm hanging like overcooked linguine, Stefan somehow retires the next two hitters but exits the first inning with his team losing 5-0. In the top of the second, Piniella lines a ball to left field that looks like a double to start a rally, but Oglivie dives on the sopping grass and comes up with it. Caldwell, a soft-tosser, gets out of the inning unscathed, prompting a near-fit from Piniella in the dugout. Piniella paces up and down the concrete walkway in front of the bench, barking to himself about how a no-good pansy like Caldwell should never have gotten him out. He stops in front of Stefan, who's staring into his own bad fog. Piniella points to Stefan and addresses the team. "You see this guy? He's making his goddamn major league debut, and you guys can't make a single play for him," Piniella says. "The other team makes those plays. That's why they're going somewhere and we ain't doing squat." Nobody answers him, but Stefan is jerked out of contemplation and brought right back to the cold, hard bench, the water collecting on the dirt of the first-base line and the unexpected benevolence of a teammate he hardly knows. He nods his thanks at Piniella and charges up the steps. The rest is a mixture of increasing raindrops and plummeting hopes. He throws three wild pitches. He gives up eight hits. He walks three batters. Twice he has chances for double plays, and twice the second baseman, Randolph, can't make the throw to first to finish them off. With two out in the third and the Yankees trailing 7-0, King trudges to the mound, and Stefan knows why. Clyde sticks out his hand and Stefan hands him the ball. "Not a bad job," Clyde says. "It wasn't all your fault." Clyde pats him on the rear and Stefan walks back across the infield. As the rain continues, the stadium lights seem to dim. And it's over. Just like that. Stefan Wever loved to talk about adversity. It was the lesson he gave the pitchers of the Redwood High School varsity baseball team when he coached their first game in 2009. On that perfect March day, with the tree-lined peak of Mt. Tamalpais framed against the bright blue Marin County sky, he soaked in the warmth of the spring sun, his boys rapt on aluminum bleachers, and spoke of the events that had conspired to bring them together. He told them about his Double-A season in 1982 and how much he had failed: the six losses; the nine home runs allowed; the more than 80 walks; the seven wild pitches. Then he told them about how much he had succeeded: the 18 wins; the 200-plus strikeouts; the Southern League title; the call-up to the Yankees. He left the story there, giving the young athletes a fitting parable of how optimism and the ability to rebound from life's low points identifies character and defines what it means to be a winner. "It's not how you fall down," he told them. "It's how you get up." Stefan Wever didn't tell them everything. He didn't tell them about the aftermath of that night in Milwaukee, when the twinge in his right shoulder turned out to be a torn rotator cuff and torn labrum, when the two years of conservative rehabilitation at the behest of the Yankees took his 95 mph fastball and nine-inning durability and turned it into 85 and five, tops. He didn't tell them about how he arrived at spring training in 1983 and the Yankees' new manager, Billy Martin, took him aside and said, "Stef, you're gonna be my No. 5 starter." That year, Stefan pitched only seven games at Triple-A and put up an ERA of 9.78. He didn't tell them about the shoulder that never seemed to improve, even after rigorous offseason workouts, and limited him to seven games back in A ball in 1984. Then came the two-years-too-late surgery and the five-game comeback attempt with Double-A Albany-Colonie in 1985, throwing through pain until he made a final, crushing decision, picking up the phone one morning and dialing a familiar number in San Francisco. "Mom," Stefan said, staving off tears, "I'm coming home." The Redwood Giants didn't need to hear the details of the ensuing 23 years -- 23 years that had led their new coach to this motivational moment overlooking infield grass still damp with dew, but they could figure it out for themselves with Google and a free hour. Stefan had wandered the hilly streets of his hometown looking for a new career and a new passion, but he often ended up escaping the fog of his deferred dream by finding a barstool instead of a use for his English degree from Berkeley. He met a kind and gorgeous woman named Melinda and married her in 1988. Three years later, he and a friend turned their mutual admiration for the comfort of booze and dark places into a business. It was the Horseshoe Tavern on Chestnut Street in the Marina District, a yuppie phoenix sprouting from the ash and rubble of the Loma Prieta earthquake. Liquor flowed, money followed, and Stefan and Melinda, no longer worried about rent, bought in the lush, suburban hot-tub paradise of Marin. Astute patrons who connected Stefan's Yankees portrait on the wall of the Horseshoe with the older, super-tall athletic guy pouring doubles behind the bar might strike up a conversation. They might end up likening the proprietor to Sam Malone, the big-league pitcher-turned-barkeep from "Cheers." Stefan got a lot of Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, too. That was Burt Lancaster's character from the movie "Field of Dreams," the one who lamented the fact that he had played only one game in the major leagues. A few wiseasses full of Anchor Steam might even quote the flick, spewing forth hacky Lancaster mimicry before the rolling eyes of Stefan. "You know," he says, "we just don't recognize the most significant moments of our lives while they're happening. Back then I thought, 'Well, there'll be other days.' I didn't realize that that was the only day." When he was feeling philosophical, Stefan compared his plight to that of a hypothetical Luciano Pavarotti who'd ruined his vocal cords on his first night as a tenor. "That's how I look at it," he said in an article on MLB.com. "It might be egotistical, but that's how I have to look at it." If he wasn't looking back, he was looking sideways, never ahead. Megan was born in 1993, but the responsibility didn't stop Stefan from searching for his life's direction at the same old parties. It wasn't shocking, then, that Stef and Melinda had split up by the time their baby girl was 7. One night when Megan was 12, Stefan, as usual, stayed at the Horseshoe, getting a solid heat on after hours with countless Miller Lites and a few bumps of cocaine. Next thing he knew, it was 10 in the morning and he was back in Marin, looking for his house. He hadn't even seen the police car until he had to stop. Did he run a red light? Well, probably. That's what the cop said, anyway. It was Stefan's third DUI. He was facing prison -- automatic sentencing in California -- but he had a plan. He quit drinking and drugs that night, entered Alcoholics Anonymous and got a six-month ankle bracelet instead of a six-month cell. Fall down? Sure. Get up again? You better believe it. Stefan had considered sharing the bullet points of that R-rated curriculum vitae with the Redwood team on that March morning four years after he got sober. He'd thought about telling the boys they were getting a leader who had risen from the depths -- a man who'd lived up to promises, staying clean and serene and recommitted to reaching his potential. He'd thought about telling them that he was taking care of himself better, too, having had open-heart surgery in 2007 to replace a defective aortic valve. "I'm still not a perfect human being," he'd thought about saying, "but I talk a good game." He'd thought about mentioning that he was playing piano again, writing songs and popping up at Café Bazaar near his bachelor pad in San Francisco for open-mic nights. He didn't bother offering them copies of "The Gardener," the full-length CD he had cut at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley at the end of 2008. In fact, if he had a Steinway sitting in front of him on the third-base line, he could have launched right into lyrics – "I felt so fragile, my suffering I can't overstate/But then I looked ahead and I finally stood up straight" -- that he was sure would have connected better with these malleable minds than the timeworn platitudes of any speech he could deliver. But he'd decided that all that stuff would have to wait. A season was beginning, he was a varsity coach for the first time, and he wasn't going to lay too heavy a trip on these guys too soon. They had ballgames to prepare for. They had a team concept to buy into. It was time to take a losing program and make it a winner. Fast. And he did it. When May rolled around, the Giants were playoff-bound, having already won 14 games in a season in which many of the parents and administrators expected five or six. The players listened to Stefan. They learned from his experience. Of all the things he could have told them that he decided to blow off for their own good, there was one piece of information he couldn't hold onto any longer. On May 13, 2009, before a road game, Stefan summoned the boys down the right-field line. Everyone took a knee, and their coach explained why he had missed some practices. He explained why he had lost 40 pounds during the last few months. He explained why the gland in his hip was so swollen and infected and why he would have to leave the team the next day. Stefan had been diagnosed with a rare, ultra-aggressive form of cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Even if the intense chemotherapy he'd soon face knocked it out, there was no guarantee it wouldn't return. The boys didn't cry, and Stefan pleaded with them not to. He was going to beat this and he'd be back coaching them the next season. The Giants played hard that night, but they lost. Megan Wever was blessed with her father's sense of humor. OK, maybe blessed isn't the right word -- burdened, cursed, hell, even doomed might have been more fitting. Stef always had a knack for saying the oddest, most off-putting thing at just the right -- well, wrong -- time. If you didn't know him, you might think he was looking for a brawl instead of good old shock value. In a San Francisco Chronicle survey of random people on the street called "Two Cents," Stefan added a lot more than his when posed this question of the day: "What do you use your garage for?" His answer: "A BDSM dungeon." In another, he and 10 others were asked, "What's your favorite place to visit in Southern California?" He deadpanned, "The departure terminal at LAX." Maybe Megan didn't know how much she was like her dad until the afternoon she walked into the hospital room right after the diagnosis. He repeated the four strange words that had attached themselves to his body and mind forever: anaplastic large cell lymphoma. He told her what they'd told him -- that this type of cancer accounted for only 1 or 2 percent of all lymphoma cases. Hell-bent on doing whatever she could to cheer him up, she looked him square in the eye, the man she'd always known as her "forever daddy," and let loose with the first bit of positivity she could muster: "Well, at least it isn't testicular." He laughed as she knew he would, and she laughed, too, and maybe that was enough to get them through the day. Stefan knew that if McCartney were around to pick a line to sing, it would be, "Take a sad song and make it better," and here was his 16-year-old daughter doing just that. She was there at Kaiser when chemo began in June. Stef told her it felt exhilarating, like it was the night before a crucial start. Soon he'd have the ball in his glove again with a chance to get a win: three months of CHOP, a four-drug cocktail designed to rid the body of the lymphoma. If that worked, the next step would take place at Stanford University in early September, where Stefan would be given a chest catheter and undergo preparation for a procedure that would remove his own bone marrow, clean it out, and let healthy stem cells "harvest" before being put back into his body. If that didn't work, nothing would. If it did work, he'd be home, cancer-free, for the holidays. He told her it wouldn't kill him, wouldn't even break him. He meant it. One night in late June, home after the day's chemo and a week removed from his first post-diagnosis haircut, Stefan sat at the piano in his living room, playing a ballad in a minor key. He heard Megan creep into the room and sit down behind him. He knew she was watching as his nimble, elegant fingers found the right keys without effort and massaged them in perfect time. A lilting melody overtook the room and everything else. She began to cry but tried to hold it back, pretending to sniffle, clutching at the idea that she could still be the Megan he had taught her to be: ready to attack challenges with a stoic, hardened face that would shout at the world that she couldn't lose. No fear out there on the mound, or in life. No excuses. No tears, if you could help it. She couldn't. She let go and he stopped playing and sat by her side, holding his little girl who had only so much courage left. He pulled her close. "Megan, I'm your forever daddy," he said. "Nothing could ever take that away. Nothing will." Megan stayed by his side. Dorothy helped navigate the new world of dietary specifications. Melinda provided rides and rediscovered companionship. The chemo worked, and in September Stefan began injections of a drug called Neupogen that pushed the stem cells into his blood for the upcoming harvest. Then, another win. And again, Megan was there at his side, this time at Stanford in October, when the bone marrow transplant was deemed a success and Stefan was sent home for a month with almost no working immune system, wearing a mask that made him look like Darth Vader. On November 5, 2009, Stefan's doctor told him (and Megan, of course) the good news: there was no more cancer in his body. He was at home and happy, already plotting out the starting lineup for the following Redwood season. He had gained back more than 20 pounds. Megan, who had transferred from Redwood to nearby Tamiscal High School where she was working on an independent-study-based curriculum that allowed her to be her father's 24-hour caregiver, was holding a 4.0 GPA. Three months later, on Valentine's Day, the father and daughter were in the car, rolling down Geary Street to Dorothy's house for dinner. Stefan's cell phone rang, he answered it and pulled over. Megan wondered why he didn't play the call through the car's speaker system like usual, but she didn't ask him about it. He said everything was fine. He was quiet at dinner until he broke the news to Megan, Melinda and Dorothy. The cancer was back. The women cried, but before he went home he swore he'd be OK. He'd make it through this, too. His doctor had mentioned a drug called SGN-35, not yet approved by the FDA, that he could receive instead of chemo. His oncologist told him that it had yielded good results so far. He said he couldn't wait to give it a shot. Five days later, Stefan was approved to receive SGN-35 at Stanford as part of a clinical trial. He would take one pill each week for three weeks, take a few weeks off, take the pill again for three weeks and undergo radiation. Then he'd have another bone marrow transplant, but this time with marrow from an outside source. And he had a perfect match: his twin sister Kirsten. "We're going into extra innings," Stef emailed a friend, "and I've always been pretty good in those situations." By April, the cancer was gone again. The SGN-35 had been so effective that he didn't need the bone marrow transplant. It was tough for him to get out of bed in the morning, but he made it to practices and games. He lagged at the field, but the team did not. The Giants were winning. They were on their way back to the playoffs. In the dark early-morning hours of April 28, Stefan woke up and got dressed, ready to head to the field. He walked into Megan's room and told her he was going to practice. She looked at the clock. It was 3 a.m. Before she could ask him what the hell he was talking about, she heard it. His body, back to its 240-pound playing weight, had fallen to the floor like a cut sequoia. He was next to her bed, breathing heavily and slurring. He couldn't get up, but he was trying and slipping down again. Megan had no prayer of lifting him, but she remembered one thing she had read during the long days of cancer recovery: that a 99-degree temperature or any other slight abnormality could mean death. She told him to stop trying to get up because he would hit his head. She called 911 while he spit out incoherent insults and demands. Megan kept calm and explained in a clear, strong voice what was happening. Six paramedics arrived and put Stefan in a special chair. Megan called Melinda and the two got in the car, following the ambulance to Kaiser, where he was taken up to ICU, motionless, expressionless. And barely alive. You love San Francisco because it's yours. When you rise at 6 in your Inner Richmond house and you can't see the car parked across the street, you feel like the all-encompassing fog was placed there to enclose you in an impenetrable force field. You can operate on your terms in this crazy metropolis of hills and forests and bay and ocean and houses piled on top of each other -- it's the only claptrap chaos you've ever seen that makes any sense. You can take care of the necessities of the day with every purposeful stride. And believe it: you are striding again. You knew you'd wake up that May evening in the room with no view, and you were right. And now, more than a year later, you're still here. The valve-replacement surgery after the stroke, the one everyone but you was sure would kill you, the one that got your father on a plane from Germany to say goodbye when you were convinced he was just saying hello -- it took nine hours. But Megan and Melinda were watching as you opened your eyes, and they heard you say something offensive the next day and knew there was no brain damage. You were back. Maybe it was just another miracle, you surviving two go-rounds with cancer and now a stroke. McCartney would have sung right there on that ICU floor that in your hour of darkness, there was still a light that shined on you. He might have added a line about how much more work was in front of you. "No problem," you'd tell him. "Good things are ahead." Like this: Two days before you were moved to a rehabilitation facility in Vallejo to regain the strength on your left side, redevelop muscle tone and reclaim your ability to write, type, speak, your Redwood Giants beat Drake 7-3 to win the Marin County Athletic League championship with your jersey hanging outside the dugout. The boys came to your bedside at Kaiser that weekend and brought you the pennant, hanging it next to the Red Sox banner Megan had pilfered from a nearby saloon. And this: In early June, Megan graduated from high school. She was headed for the University of Oregon, where she was set on studying political science and sociology. She told you she'd enter law enforcement and ascend to the highest levels of counterterrorism. You were in no position to argue. By the end of June you were back home; by August you were walking again; and by November you were driving, although you said you made sure all your friends were off the road first. The Horseshoe had continued to thrive despite your absence. You couldn't play piano anymore, but you could still sing, so you wrote more songs and had your friends from Café Bazaar come over to play them. You had to quit Redwood because you couldn't play catch, couldn't see the ball until it was 10 feet in front of you, couldn't throw batting practice because you'd lose your balance, and couldn't hit fungoes. You recommended that the young man who replaced you on an interim basis, Jeff Packman, be given the full-time job right away, and the administration honored your wishes. The father of one of your players wrote you a letter. "You saved the program," he told you. You saved the letter. But you couldn't give up on the game, not after reveling in the joy it had brought you when you went back to it after all those lost years. You knew you could still coach and teach, so you're doing it. You're back at Redwood, volunteering with the freshmen, trying like mad to rein in those unhinged hormones -- to get these kids to learn the mental part of the game early instead of late, like you did. Well, you're not at Redwood quite yet. Not this morning. There's traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge and fog so thick you can't see the Headlands until you're almost on top of them. But as always, once the 101 takes you through the Waldo Tunnel, the one with the rainbow painted on it, the fog vanishes and you're greeted with the overpowering sunlight of Marin. Only a few more miles. You park and head to the field under a sparkling sky. Today's project is a pudgy left-hander named Robbie. He's maybe 5-foot-9 and a bit absent-minded, but he's got a great arm. That's why you took him out of right field and put him on the mound. From afar, you've seen the problem. Robbie throws hard, has great stuff for a kid his age, but he likes to nibble. He likes to come up with tricks and passive ways not to get beat instead of digging in, rearing back and coming strong with everything he has every time, knowing that he's better than that fool with the bat in his hands -- knowing that his best should be good enough. Now you're in his face for the first time, and he doesn't seem to like it. You're testing his manhood. You're telling him that a pitcher with a power fastball who doesn't have the stones to throw it right down the middle is a wasted body on a baseball field. You're telling him that just for a moment you'd love to see him forget everything he's been taught about mechanics, pitch sequences, location or the count. "Just grip it and throw it," you tell him. "All you need to know is that when a guy makes it to first base, you want him to turn right, not left." Robbie thinks about it for a second and laughs. You nod your head at him, squint at the blinding sunlight and watch. He nods back. He turns, looks at the catcher, and lets it go.

First, my thanks to everyone who has contributed to views_slideshow, it is awesome. This may be a feature request, but here goes as a support question. Is there some way to have the views slideshow auto pause when it is off the browser screen and resume when the browser screen is scrolled back to show the slideshow? Thanks, Izzy Files: Comment #1redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented You would have to add javascript Here is a small function that checks to see if it is visible. You'll need to set a timeout to check for visibility so it can now if and when to pause it. I haven't tried this so there may be some bugs. Comment #2izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented Thanks for the fast response. Sorry I'm new to this. Can you help me with the steps: Do I just place this in a separate file or add it to an existing file? Where do I need to put the file? And how do I set the timeout? Izzy Comment #3redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented This would be a separate file. You can add it through your theme .info file by doing scripts[] = yourscript.js Here is a rewritten one with the timeout. It's set to check every 100ms. Comment #4izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented Again, thanks for all the help. I have copied the code and added the following line to the theme info file in my zen subtheme: scripts[] = scrolled_into_view.js It does not appear to be working and I am getting 1 error with firebug. I turned off js aggregation but still not really sure how to debug this. I'm willing to try whatever you can suggest. Thanks, Izzy Comment #5redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented You need to make sure the #my_slideshow_id is replaced with the actual id's from your slideshow So #my_id would change to something like .view-slideshow and #my_slideshow_id would change to something like .views_slideshow_singleframe_teaser_section If you use these values then it's going to effect every slideshow you have on your site so you'll probably have to be more specific in your css if you have multiple slideshows. Also don't forget to clear your cache. Comment #6izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented Just to test this out I used '.view-slideshow' and '.views_slideshow_singleframe_teaser_section' in both places, but still to no avail. [edit] I also tried '.views-slideshow' without success, I did leave the quotes [/edit] Yes, I cleared the cache. I also cleared Firebug errors and they are not returning so that may be unrelated. But, unfortunately the auto pause is not working. I am using Firefox 3.6.2 and might have to test on other browsers. Do I have to add something else to the css besides the one line scripts[] = Thanks very much for your help and persistence. Izzy Comment #7redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented I think I've gone as far as I can go without looking at a site. Is there a site I can look at so I can test this? Comment #8redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented Ok here is some adjusted code. Pay specific attention to the checkStatus call on the very last line. There is an id there that corresponds to the id of the div that wraps all the slides. Replace it with your id. I have confirmed this to work on my test instance. It will pause it unless the entire slideshow is showing. Comment #9izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented @redndahead, You have been incredible. Sorry, I had to head off to a Drupal users meeting. I just tried the new code and I'm still having problems with the auto pause not working. Yes, I do have a site you can view if you don't mind. I'll send you the link through your contact form. Thanks. Comment #10redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented I have some bad code up there. Try this Comment #11izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented Thanks, but it's still not working. I've also been taking a look at firebug and I'm getting a jquery error when loading or refreshing the page. I'm not sure what is causing this and out of my depth to offer more than just the willingness to test things and learn. I really appreciate all your effort. Comment #12redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented One more adjustment Comment #13redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented Comment #14izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented This is fantastic. It works like a charm. Thank you very much. Hope I get to thank you in person one day. When you get a chance ... As is the slide show auto pauses whenever the slide is not fully visible. What would I need to change to keep the slide show active even if x% of the bottom is not visible? This would keep the slide show going if some slides are larger such that the bottom portion of the slide might be out of visible range. Thanks Comment #15izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented There may still be another tweak needed. It works great on the page that has the views slideshow but on all other pages I am getting a javascript error. Not sure why. Comment #16redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented This fixes the error. [Edit] I fixed a bug [/Edit] This may handle the percentage. Not tested so may die completely or not work. Comment #17redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented Now to wrap it all up into one nice package. Here is a version that will allow you to enter in the percentage that needs to be shown before it is paused or the amount of the slide height in px that needs to be shown before it is paused. Also if you don't specify anything then it will require the entire slideshow to be shown. Alot more documentation added also to hopefully help you understand the code. This has been tested on my local machine. Comment #18izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented Wow! I won't have time to test this before dawn tomorrow but will let you know as soon as I do. Thanks, PS. I think this really counts as a feature, but will leave the issue fields as is for now. Comment #19redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented And a patch would look something like this. Adds a new option Pause When the Slideshow is Not Visible Comment #20intyms CreditAttribution: intyms commented Thank you for new features ! I tested the patch in thumbnail mode: My actions: I set the value to 50%; I scroll down. And i see that the slideshow stops. I scroll left but i see that the slideshow does not stop. Can this feature be implemented for use with horizontal scroll? Comment #21redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented I'll look into it. Will complicate things quite a bit more. It will become how much of the total slide is visible. And I'll have to figure out how I can calculate the visible area of the slide. Comment #22redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented Just so I can come back and look at it. area_showing = (total_width - left_missing - right_missing) * (total_height - top_missing - bottom_missing) Maybe this should add another select option. Pause if any portion of the slide is not visible Pause based on amount horizontal visible Pause based on amount vertical visible Pause based on amount of the total area that is visible Comment #23izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented I don't think you need amount totally visible, just horizontal and vertical. It's about position not area. Comment #24redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented Let's say you set it to 50% horizontal Then you move it so 51% horizontal is showing. Then you move the slide so only 1px of it is showing vertical. It will still rotate because 51% of the horizontal is showing. Comment #25izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented I thought it would be an OR not an AND, so if either the horizontal or the vertical were showing less than 50% it would pause. Comment #26redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented Here is one that takes care of all options. Please test. Comment #27izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented Patch in #26 applies without any problems and works great for vertical tests. Both the "Set amount of vertical" and "set total area of slide" do the job. Haven't setup a horizontal test case so can't comment there. Maybe someone else can. Seeing how well it works, I'd be inclined to move the "Set total area of slide" to the second option under "Entire slide" and who knows, it might be the best choice all round. It might be a bit confusing to understand is the presumption that this is the total area from the center of the slide, or the top left corner? Maybe, the option can be "Set total area from center of slide". And I also had a momentary mind curl when I wondered, since this is 2D is 50% really 1/4, you know 1/2 the width and 1/2 the height :-) Oh yes, the jquery errors on other pages are gone. Thanks very much. You've been awesome. Comment #28intyms CreditAttribution: intyms commented #26 redndahead Thanks for the patch. How to reproduce: Check "Pause When the Slideshow is Not Visible" Choose "Set total area of the slide" Enter 50% for the Amount of Slide Needed to be Shown Press "Update" Click the gear to edit the Slideshow style once again. I applied the patch to VS 6.x-2.2. I am using Views 6.x-2.11. Comment #29izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented @intyms I'm not sure what the difference is but "Amount of slide needed to show" is saving for me. I'm using VS 6.x-2.2 with the patch and Views 6.x-2.x-dev dated 2010-Jun-17 Comment #30intyms CreditAttribution: intyms commented Firstly i applyed the patch no.1 (#19) and configured my slideshow to stop when the height is less than 50%. Then i deleted the VS directory and downloaded a new one. Then i applied the patch no.2 (#26). Maybe "Amount of slide needed to show" is not saving because of the conflict between these 2 patches? Comment #31redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented Fixed spelling error that fixes #1 and #3 #2 unfortunately this is a side effect of form api and checkboxes. Themes don't mark this as bold. I don't plan on changing the css because I feel it's the themes job to take care of that. Comment #32intyms CreditAttribution: intyms commented @#31 redndahead Hello thanks for quick patch. Tested it using thumbnailhover mode ("Set total area of the slide" and "set amount of horizontal") The value inside of the "Amount of Slide Needed to be Shown" is saved now. Thanks. Everything else is working well. Comment #33redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented I'll look into #1 #2 was kind of a trade off. I figured not many people would run into the resize issue, otherwise I think I would have to keep polling the window and I didn't want to waste those resources. Comment #34redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented I really appreciate you guys really testing this. It helps out tremendously. Fixed #1 and #2 Comment #35izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented @redndahead #34 Patch 4 including the new fixes works for me. But, in singleframe mode resizing the browser horizontal width causes the block to overflow into the right sidebar. May be because of page caching although other blocks seem to cope. Flushing all caches after resizing corrects it. Thanks. Comment #36redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented Yeah nothing in that patch deals with layout. So it must have been something else. Thank you for testing. @intyms if you feel this patch is good then please mark RTBC Comment #37intyms CreditAttribution: intyms commented @#34 redndahead Thanks for the patch. "When the slideshow is scrolled out of view this will pause the slideshow. Resizing the browser window to hide a part of the slideshow, will force the slideshow to stop playing" Sorry for my english ;) Update and save the view. Then i resize the browser window to +/- 40% of the slideshow width; The slideshow still is playing. The slideshow will stop to play when the window will resize to +/- 30% of the slideshow's width. Comment #38intyms CreditAttribution: intyms commented Comment #39izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented This might not be of high importance to some, but if a client user base consists of many people whose desktops are still configured for IE6 it becomes essential. I also don't know at this time if other versions of IE are affected. More tests are needed. The problem occurs when a user visits a page containing a VSS with the pause when not visible. (I have not tested without the pause setting, yet.) If they stay on that page long enough for the slideshow to change IE6 will freeze and become "not responding". If they quickly scroll so the slideshow is not visible and the slideshow pauses or they navigate away to a page that does not include a slideshow IE continues to remain responsive. I tried changing the VSS IE options to no avail. Is this problem related to this patch or is it a separate issue? I do not know. Thanks. Comment #40izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented I am wondering if the problems I am experiencing with IE6 are related to the fade effect as described in another issue I am using fade-zoom. I don't know if I should reopen that issue or start a new issue to not contaminate the current feature request for auto pause which this issue and the patches here are about. Thanks. Comment #41izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented ok, I can confirm the pause when not visible works well with IE6 using singleframe mode. The problem I encountered is that many of the singleframe effects do not work with IE6. But, there are a few that do. So rather than hijacking this issue any further I can post a new issue as a support ticket and answer the question myself with details for anyone else interested in that problem. Thanks very much for the pause when not visible feature. Even though it may need some work it is already a ++ for me. Comment #42redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented @intyms This patch fixes #1 and #2. Can you give suggestions on where I can improve the help text? Comment #43intyms CreditAttribution: intyms commented @42 Thanks for patch. it's working great! We can change this: The amount of the slide that needs to be shown to have it rotate. You can set a percentage such as 50% or the height in px such as 250. New version of the text: The amount of the slide that needs to be shown to have it rotate. You can set the value in percentage (ex: 50%) or in pixels (ex: 250). The slidehsow will not rotate until it's height (or width, total area) is less than the value you have entered in this field. Comment #44redndahead CreditAttribution: redndahead commented This patch was committed thanks everyone!!! This was an awesome issue to work on. Comment #45intyms CreditAttribution: intyms commented Great thanks to you too. Congratulations with a new nice feature! Comment #46izmeez CreditAttribution: izmeez commented Yes, my thanks too. The feature is great and the process was fantastic. I'll pick it up in this morning's dev release.

A pretournament tournament was held in Booneville, California at the one and only Anderson Valley Brewery Company, the home of Poleeko Gold Pale Ale and Summer Solstic Cerveza Crema (in a can). The Trees Group (or Resinators) consisted of: Mr. Intermediate DMoney, Oscar's Daddy, Mr. Epic, GRoney, and ArvinJulius. The Queens or "The Kid and Dog Group" consisted of: moi the dentist, Big Arm Hemmings, Mr. Dizzle, Chenzo (my girlfriend drives a Vespa and works at a Bakery...is this Italy or Fort Bragg?). As the title of this post reveals the day belonged to Big Arm and Roney. HemHaw shot an impressive -7 (even with his handicap) and GMoney shot an also impressive -3 (even with his handicap). The playoff saw both contestants birdie hole 3 (the orginal hole 1) in impressive fashion. GMoney parked it 20 feet out and HemHaw hit a big 40 foot putt (how far was the putt Heminngs?). Which brings us to hole 4 (the original hole 2). GMoney shoots first and in an unlikely turn of events he attempts to hyzer it around that pesky tree but low and behold Rex, who was sleeping in the tree, grabbed G's disc and held it up in the tree resulting in an unfortunate 4. Hemmings throws his putter straight at it but at this point Rex was down from the tree and knocked HemHaw's disc right into the tree. Hemmings lays up and pars out and wins the pretournament tournament. Other News: Rex...opps I mean Rye Bread challenges the dentist to a bagtag challenge unfortunately Rye Bread has been eating too much candy on his recent trip back East and ends up on his back in the dental chair. The Dentist shoots 3 under and Bread shoots 3 or 4 over. Can someone post the rest of the scores? Lets get the party started...I will see y'all next weekend at the BeerFling! P.S. Does anyone have an oversized (big) tent that I can fit my airmattress in? LETS GO MCFC! daveyd Monday, August 30, 2010 Sunday, August 29, 2010 Rainbow Bridges and Stardust Moon Pies In his search for the finest, softest and most luxurious sod, Rex discovered paradise. Surprisingly, Rex's heaven on Earth was located at a nursery and gardening center in Farmingdale, NY (Home of the Fightin' Dalers). Rex was sent out to the Starkey Landscaping Depot on official business by the NYC Department of Things Golfy. He had spent the better part of a year in search of the perfect tee box surface. There were many others like him; looking for putting greens, fairways and even some straw-like rough. Rex liked working with others, but when it came to tee box grass, he could only work alone. Unlike the others, Rex wanted to see the grass grown out. He didn't like the stressed out, short, over-fertilized look of putting grass. He knew that many courses have been using this grass for tee-boxes and it enraged him. "How could the same turf be used for such different applications", Rex thought. Rex preferred to lay in grass about two to three inches tall and imagine it mowed perfectly to 3/8". Rex had found many adequate sods, but not the one that would end his search, that is not until he arrived at the garden center on this particular day. Rex wandered the aisles for hours checking out potential yardage markers such as Rhododendron (pink, white and yellow), Fuchsia, Calalilys (for around the sprinkler heads), and even some gorgeous Rock Rose (which he intended to use in his own yard). He checked out the latest in fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides as well as the fine assortment of potting soils and planting mixes. Finally he found himself in the area of Sod samples. He didn't need to look long before he found it. Soft, luscious, elegant and sweet. As Rex laid down in the grass (as he always did, to confirm its characteristics), a puff of powder billowed up. Rex's eyelids grew heavy and just as an associate came running over shaking his head and trying to tell Rex to stand up, Rex could not make out what he was saying, he just fell into a deep, comforting, easy, Sleep. No longer restrained by his body, Rex flew freely through the store, out the front entrance and into the open sky. He flew west and watched the buildings grow larger and taller until he was over mid-town Manhatten and had to dodge the Empire State Building. Passing the city he was instantly over the saltmarsh of the Meadowlands in Eastern New Jersey. As he traveled he saw the forested hills of the Poconos in Pennsylvania. These hills gave way to the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys. He now needed to gain elevation because despite the flat landscape he knew the Great Continental Divide of the Rocky Mountains was coming up. Up over the Rockies, through the great western desert and finally over the spine of the Sierra Nevada and Rex was where his mind was taking him... Mendocino. A small, quaint Victorian village on the north coast of California and Rex decided to take a break in a nice field with a view of the Point Cabrillo Light House to the north and Grey Whales breaching to the west. His meditation was broken by a shout of "Shister!". What Rex saw only lasted a brief moment. There were men, dressed in drab, earth-tones. Their hooded sweatshirts and sturdy hiking sneakers seemed to be some sort of uniform. Rex saw them throwing frisbees at a cage ringed with chains. When one of them landed in the cage and cheered for a Birdie, Rex was astonished. Birdie means one less than par and par is on a golf course. What is this game? "Wake up sir", the pimple faced sales associate said. Rex tried to convey his vision to all of the people around him. "They were playing golf without clubs and balls. Just thin wide hockey pucks." Rex knew he could never teach these New Yorkers about this game, so off to work he went, supplying sod for tee boxes and never again tried to share his dream of the Perfect Game. Posted by ryan at 8:06 AM 2 comments: Friday, August 27, 2010 manchester tourney its happening again this year. sure to have a larger turnout. its gonna go down oct 23rd, i got some flyers to give yall. and big news is 50% off cabins. and night rounds. Lunch will be provided again. Franny will bring cookies!! We got to represent its on the mendo coast after all Posted by d roc at 12:00 PM 1 comment: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 Erin Ain't Errin' In a thrilling playoff, Erin pulled out the victory on Sunday by edging out AJ on the second playoff hole. AJ's drive at the top of the world missed the uprights by a scant three inches, and after both players bogied, Erin made AJ pay by knocking down a 40-foot putt on the next playoff hole, hole 8, for the win! Both players made it into the playoff by shooting a strong 4 under their handi in windy but shockingly sun-drenched conditions. It was Erin's first victory in a number of months, but proved that under the right conditions, even a 7-under handicapper can win. Great 11 down under adverse conditions, Erin! By the way, E, AJ asked me if the C course was up on the blog. I believe you said it was, but it doesn't look to be listed with the A and B course maps? Posted by Jim at 2:25 PM 9 comments: Monday, August 16, 2010 2010 Boontfling! Pre-Register NOW Posted by Jim at 2:38 PM 26 comments: Three-peat Averted Just a quick post to let all who were rendered sleepless by fear of another Ryebread three-peat that you can rest safely once again--the honor of the MCFC (yes, you heard me, MCFC) was successfully defended on this windy Sunday, despite a strong effort by the aforementioned Mr. Bread. The scores below: Tai: +11 Nate: +3 Vince: +1 Brady: -3 Erin: -3 Ryan: -6 Davey: -9 Jim: -11 and the win Posted by Jim at 12:08 PM 1 comment: Monday, August 9, 2010 Threepete? Since the inaugural MFC tournament back in 2006 only one player has achieved the sought after and extremely fickle three tournament wins in three weeks. There have been a few back to back wins which triggered a landslide of attention, but with the exception of one, all of these attempts have landed wide of their target. The only successful run was made by the author of this post. As it is my style, I will now address the reader directly concerning this record/fact. When I completed the coveted threepete, there was little fanfare as we were a young organization and could not have understood how momentous an occasion we were taking part in. I can say from my perspective that my threepete was made possible by the slow working out of fair handicaps. At that time I was just beginning to find a stroke as I had only played this game for less than a year and was only just starting to take it seriously. My handicap at the beginning of the run was +4 and worked down to +2 for the third game. I was playing much more inconsistently and happened to find my stroke for three weeks. I think my third win was with a -5 (-7 handicapped), and looking back I think that win was huge for my bourgeoning game. I do recognize that the circumstances surrounding handicaps allowed for my threepete. The only way to achieve this feat of strength and stamina is to play three rounds in a row with better and better results as you go. With players in the low handicaps (-6/-7), this becomes a daunting task. Can someone throw in the middle to high double digits three weeks in a row? Circumstances will always come into play. Last week I won with a -5 (-2 handicapped). No one played a stellar game, and what I look at as a decent round took the match. If there had been 15 players, I would never have stood a chance. I remember both Davey and Nate Dog going for the third and having huge turnouts that can easily drown out a decent round and require your absolute best. I consider myself lucky for the first. I scored a -10 (-7 handicapped) this sunday and had no real challenge from the field. This was my second double digit win within a month and I know my handicap will reflect it. Now, unlike the first time, I will have to work through a much tougher handicap and hopefully a much larger turnout to achieve the unachievable again. I look forward to all challengers next sunday as I will be playing my best and will put any skepticism to rest as to the circumstances of the allusive THREEPETE. Posted by ryan at 11:15 AM 5 comments: Wednesday, August 4, 2010 Tahoe throw down hey guys i sure have missed you all. ive been up north seeing music and hangin with my family. i hope all'yall are doing great, anyone want to go to tahoe to play a nor cal series tourney at bijou a super fun course. i am super excitesd for it as i have now rose to 3rd place overall in the nor cal series in the int division, im really hoping we can make a mfc roadtrip out of it.lets do it, i wont be at sunday tourney again cause its frannys bday and we are going to go float down the russian river. i will prob give yall a call to see if i can spark some interest in the tahoe trip peace D Posted by d roc at 9:07 AM 4 comments:

How to get a hen to sit on eggs February 16, 2018 I really like the idea of a hen choosing to sit on a clutch of eggs to hatch into chicks. It took me a few years to get the right information in order to have a nest of chicks to hatch. Do you think it is weird for a species to not have the ability to reproduce? For decades, poultry producers have been working to breed out the broodiness of hens. One of the reasons; and it makes sense, if you are in it to make money off of eggs, once a hen goes broody, then she just sits there and doesn't lay more eggs. I myself don't really want ALL my hens to go broody every summer. Because I want lots of delicious fresh eggs! A lot of breeds of chickens don't have the ability to go broody any more. I have had success with my Buff Orpington mixed breed. In my favorite chicken book called "The Small-Scale Poultry Flock" by Harvey Ussery; it says that the heavier breeds like Cockins, Brahmas, and Bufff Orpingtons have a reputation for being mored likely to brood than other breeds. Mr. Ussery also says that the older more historic breeds of chickens still have that broodiness trait. He mentioned Old English Game, Asils, Malays, Shamos and Dorkings tend to go broody. Lots of people have success with Silkies and Bantams. In my flock of 20-25 hens I normally have 2-3 hens go broody a summer. I think that is a good number for my needs. Since my kids take care of the chickens on a daily basis, I have them pay attention to see if any of the hens have went broody. It is a good idea if you want your hens to go broody is to start a nest box with 12-15 golf balls. When you collect eggs every day, it is harder for the hens to go broody. But there is something about when they sit on a nest full of eggs that starts that broodiness hormone. Those golf balls feel like a nest of eggs to the hen and she may start to have some motherly instincts. One of the ways to tell that your hen has gone broody is she is not joining her friends at night on the roost. Also when you put your hand close to you she will let off a shrieky squawk and try to peck your hand. She will flatten her body in the nest and raise her feathers. I normally watch her for another day or two and see if she is in the same frame of mind. If she is, I will remove her from her nest and give her an area of her own, away from the rest of the flock. Here are the reasons why; Reason 1: when she needs a potty break and to eat and drink, another hen might come in and lay an egg and the hen could mistakenly go into another nest box. The clutch of eggs does not need any more eggs added to it! Bad Idea! Reason 2: Your broody hen also needs a way to get her chicks to be able to reach the ground once they hatch. Reason 3: I feel much better when new baby chicks are safe from the rest of the flock for at least ten days till they get stronger. Trust me, you need to separate her. There will be so much less confusion. When I separate a broody hen, I put her in a portable dog kennel. It is best to move her at night when she has less awareness of what is going on. She will be a whole lot calmer. I put straw in the kennel. I also put an old blanket over her kennel so she is more likely to stay broody. She is more likely to stay broody if you put her in an area of a shed or barn that doesn't have a lot of busyness and racket going on. It is best if she is in a quiet place. Before you put her in there. Put a clutch of golf balls in there. 12-15 should do the trick if she is a large breed. If she is on the smaller side, only put in 9. Your broody hen is so smart that she knows just the right amount of eggs that she will be able to keep warm. If she doesn't have enough golf balls under her she will lay one every day until she thinks she has enough eggs. If she still is broody in 2-3 days, replace those golf balls at night with real eggs. The fertilized kind would be ideal! If you don't have a rooster, you won't have fertilized eggs. No rooster=no fertilized eggs=no chicks. I put an odd number of eggs under her. At the most, 15 eggs for a large Buff Orpington. For a smaller breed, perhaps you should do 5 - 10 eggs. Always do less eggs if you are not sure on how many to put under her. If any of the eggs get chilled. The baby chick will die in the egg. Mama Hen will continually rotate her eggs so if there are one too many eggs, you could have most of your eggs not hatch. It is better to set fewer eggs then to risk not having many hatch out. I have learned the hard way a couple times now. Don't be like me... Don't give eggs to a hen unless she has sat on the golf balls on the nest where she is going to hatch out her babies for at least 2 days. If she gets up on her own in those 2 days she is either not broody any more or losing her broodiness. As soon as you put eggs under the hen, write down on your calendar when you put her on the nest and when the hatching date will be. It would be a mistake to add any more eggs after you put the original eggs in there. Your hen will start hatching those cute little chicks on the 20th day. In the incubator it will 21 days. See, your hen is going to do a better job than the incubator! After 10 days, of her sitting on the eggs, go out at night and candle those eggs. If there is an unfertilized egg it will be dark and there won't be any movement in there. A blood ring will be in there if the egg is not viable. Research how to candle eggs if that is not familiar to you. Take out any eggs that don't seem like there is a chick in there.In ten more days there should be some little chicks hatching under her. Since I put the eggs under her when it is dark outside, that is typically when the chicks will start hatching. Go out and check to see if any chicks are hatching on day 20. Normally there will be a couple chicks under her. For 20 days I have something to look forward to. If you ever feel like life has gotten mundane or not exciting, get some chickens, especially a mama hen with some eggs under her. I can't wait to see the miracle of new life. I realize these are chickens, but you can see the handiwork of Someone much greater than ourselves at work! A mama hen can go days without eating. She seems to not need much sustenance. She can even lose up to a third of her body weight. I don't want my hens getting too skinny so I either provide water and food in an area that she can get to easily, or I take her off her nest so she can stretch, go to the bathroom and get some food and water. By the way, when she goes to the bathroom, it is a smell that is quite horrible! I like to throw some straw or wood chips on top of it to take care of the smell. Do not let her be off her nest more than 15 minutes. If her eggs cool to long, she will not be able to hatch them out. Also do not put 2 broody hens in the same space even if they are in separate kennels. If one hen hatches out her chicks before the other one, the hen that is still waiting for her chicks will hear those little chick sound and wonder where her chicks are. She is a chicken; she will not realize that she needs to wait a little longer and she will turn into a confused mother that is looking for her chicks. I had that happen and the hen wouldn't sit on her nest anymore on the day before her chicks were due to hatch. The chicks started hatching and I lost 5 chicks because mama hen wasn't sitting on the nest. They got too cold and quickly died. Luckily I had another broody hen that I put the remaining unhatched eggs under her and she hatched them out. I have been able to get a mama hen to adopt more chicks that had lost their mother to a coon that got into the building that they were in. They were a couple weeks old already so they didn't need to be under their mother as much. I put the orphan chicks in a small dog kennel, put the mama hen in the same small room with the orphans but yet separated by the kennel. They were able to meet. This mama had 8 of her own babies. I also put the food and water next to the kennel so they would have to all be in the same area. My thinking was that the hen would start seeing those chicks as her own. Sure enough, I let the orphan chicks out in about 4 hours and the mama hen didn't treat the new chicks any different. My kids have made the comment that baby chicks that hatch under their mother look so healthy. Their eyes look so bright, their fluffy little bodies look healthy and they look content. We have seen a lot of chicks hatch with incubators and can see a real difference! Maybe that's the difference when there is someone to take care of you when you hatch! Here's a verse for you: He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.

Introduction: “The End of History” That Never Ended In a recent article published in The Guardian on 29 October 2014, there was a rhetorical question and critical analysis about the current global climate of post-Cold War instability that regional conflicts are causing.. Four years ago, even The Economist ran an article entitled “The End of the End of History”, trying to analyze the nonsense in Francis Fukuyama’s politically motivated book about the end of the Cold war that was supposed to deliver fundamental changes with the triumph of the capitalist West. The issue is not a politically-motivated book that does not reflect the realities of the post-Cold War global power structure. After all, there are many such books peddling all kinds of political agendas, and authors have the right to present their views in pluralistic societies. The larger question is how entrenched interests in the US either actively supporting or simply going along with the anachronistic Cold War power structure, political economy, aggressive foreign policy, and defense policy as though nothing has changed in the world in the last three decades. When it comes to foreign affairs and defense policy, “the Washington establishment“, which includes everyone from elected officials, to lobbyists and consultants, operates essentially under the same assumptions and solutions in 2014 as it did throughout the early Cold War. In fact, because the assumption is that the US “won the Cold War”, it is simply impossible for the various policymaking elements, including private analysts, to go beyond that framework and assess the current world structure and US position on their merits today and not on the basis of what took place under Truman and Eisenhower. In other words, policymakers and molders of public opinion are “entrenched in the past”, because it represents bygone glory they wish to recapture. In this short essay, I will analyze some of these issues, looking back at Cold War paradigms on which Republicans and hawkish Democrats, the media and defense lobbyists along with an assortment of militarists are basing their arguments when they equate a “strong America” with a militarized interventionist America. Advocates of old-style militarism under new rhetoric serve old defense corporate interests. They have failed to grasp and to accept the reality of the new global power structure where military solutions have severe limitations and undermine the civilian economy, social structure and democratic institutions. Living a romantic messianic dream of a powerful America having its way as it once did under Truman and Eisenhower, the militarists of our time want to freeze time in the past. Their road to American greatness is more money for defense, while the few critics who have a faint voice in society argue that militarism is the road to disaster. Which road to greatness is the one to carve out and which is to be avoided? 1. Is the Defense Budget Adequate for Current Global Challenges? According to critics of the Obama administration’s foreign and defense policy, the US is militarily underprepared and the US is losing prestige and influence on a world scale because of it. After all, why are Russia, Syria, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, to mention just a few countries troubling Obama critics, not submitting to US demands for integration into the international capitalist economy under US guidelines and limit their foreign and defense policies to what Washington dictates? Such arguments about military weakness not yielding the desired political leverage with friends and foes alike have been around from the Truman administration until the present, because no one has ever been criticized in the US for supporting greater spending on defense as opposed to health and education, or social programs for impoverished children. To be a patriot means to be an advocate of ever-higher defense spending in a culture that has always supported strong military regardless of the consequences to the civilian economy and social fabric. Because of similar out cries to strengthen the military in the late 1970s-early 1980s, the US defense budget skyrocketed under Reagan, taking along with it on an upward trend the defense budgets of the entire world. A slow decline of defense allocations started in the 1990s and the civilian economy expanded substantially in the middle of the decade until the contraction of the late 1990s related to stock market and corporate abuses that governments never addressed until a decade later and the recession of 2008. Reversing course after 9/11 and reaching a peak in 2010, Department of Defense (DoD) suffered reductions from 2011 until 2013. In 2004, the US defense budget was $623 billion, while the defense budgets of the world stood at $1.1 trillion. In 2009 global military expenditures amounted $1.531 trillion, or 2.7% of world GDP. Led by the US, which spends about half (46.5%) of the above figure, world defense spending was 49% higher in 2009 than in 2000. This is despite the economic crisis and Obama who pledged to the American voters that he would change course from the previous administration. While the public debt stood at one trillion dollars when Reagan took office, it reached $5.7 trillion under Bush, adding 28% to debt-GDP ratio, while Obama added another 18% - debt-to-GDP in 2013 at 103%. Exactly much more “effective deterrent” does an extra $300 billion buy for a nation with the most effective deterrent on the planet? One reason for the reductions after 2011 has been the attempt to bring costs under control so that the public debt does not explode and the dollar as a reserve currency becomes even weaker against other currencies, thus making the sale of US treasuries less attractive for the Chinese, Japanese, Arabs, and other investors. In short, DoD has not been singled out for cuts under Obama, but it is part of an overall government policy to cut costs across the board in order to contain the public debt, strengthen the economy and then spend more when the balance of payments deficit looks a bit better than today. Even with the Obama cuts that are relatively light, the US and Europe combined spend nearly 60% while Asia spends one-third the US-EU amount of the world defense budget. According to critics of defense, the US has nothing to show for defense expenditures in terms of greater safety and security around the world, in terms of greater stability in the Middle East, in terms of reducing the war on terror that is only becoming broader in scope, in terms for tangible results in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in terms of utilizing defense spending as leverage to secure more global influence, for in that area China seems to have the upper hand. Despite the absence of any tangible results of the greater defense spending under Bush and the interventionist foreign policy, the US is on the brink of a new wave of militarism, greater foreign policy tilt toward unilateralism – a policy of going alone without first consulting allies and securing their approval – and greater overt and covert operations, direct and indirect intervention in various parts of the world. 2. Does the New Cold War Demand Old Militarism? Is the US preparing to launch another arms race, although the Cold War is over, even now that the Communist threat has been transformed into a nationalist threat by Vladimir Putin? While it was easy to justify a war against Communism because of the ideological demonizing of the latter, how does the US justify creating an enemy that is nationalistic and demands to protect its regional influence threatened by NATO encirclement as though the Russian Federation is still the USSR? Not just Russians, but many people around the world are wondering if the US ever wished to abandon the Russian-American confrontation that Truman and Stalin started over the “Northern Tier” (Greece, Turkey and Iran) as strategic buffer zone protecting the Arab and Iranian oil fields to secure energy for the US and the West. In short, the struggle for energy and minerals during the Soviet-American confrontation is continuing today when there is no Communism, thus exposing the myth that the US as the world’ policeman was defending freedom and democracy. To what degree will the militarism of the 21st century help achieve US goals of retaining its “superpower status”, even if Russia abandons the struggle to maintain some influence in Eastern/Southern Ukraine and in other former Soviet republics? Even if Russia, which has an interdependent economic relationship as much with Europe as with China, agrees to everything the US wants and it is reduced to a mere Western satellite serving Western geopolitical and economic interests will the US reduce its defense budget? In the late 1980s, there was a great deal of rhetoric in the US about how the end of the Cold War would mean major savings from defense cuts. Although there were indeed some cuts, the new Cold War with the “war on terror” meant a return to militarism under Bush. We had Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) in 1991, which resulted in the limitation of long-range nuclear arms for both the US and former USSR republics to 6,000 warhead. We also had START II in 1993, which limited each side to 3,500 warheads by 2007, and agreement to prohibit MIRVing of missiles (multiple independent reentry vehicles on intercontinental ballistic missiles.) A year after the 9/11 attack in New York and Washington, Russia agreed to strategic offensive reductions, which was then amended by another treaty signed in 2010 to limit strategic nuclear warheads. All of these were significant, but the question is the degree to which they contributed to the “peace dividend”. When we look at the US defense budget from the early 1980s until the present, do we notice a lasting peace dividend or a temporary one? If not, then we have the advocates of militarism arguing that the reason is for the US to maintain its global influence. Will militarism strengthen US political, economic and military influence around the world? Or will militarism hasten the road to economic decline in a world of decentralized power structure in which China holds enormous economic leverage and it is bound to enjoy even greater leverage, regardless of a US decision toward militarism. Has the foreign policy, intelligence and defense establishment allowed ideology to become so important that Republicans and some Democrats are crying out for massive defense spending, oblivious to what harm the civilian economy would endure? Will the application of science and technology in defense help the US maintain its military dominance? If so, can science and technology applied to defense solve international political crises, and what domestic problems would the country confront by the asymmetry between strong defense and weakening economy? If the American people elected Obama on an anti-war platform, a multilateral foreign policy rather than unilateral and militarist, are critics now manufacturing one crisis after the other in order to set the stage to reinforce the anachronistic Cold War policy of “containment militarism”? This was a policy that prevailed for most of the post-WWII era and Washington maintains because it is inconceivable to the advocates of the military-industrial complex, ideologues and those living in the culture of militarism to transcend the militaristic past. In the late 1980s, Georgy Arbatov, Kremlin advisor on Soviet-American affairs, sarcastically warned the US military and political establishment that depriving America of its arch-enemy was the worst thing Moscow could do. At the time, it seemed that Arbatov was enjoying his witty sarcasm. Today, I am sure he was wrong to be so optimistic because the US rediscovered its old enemy and in the process created new ones where none existed before. The road the militarists are advocating, no different than during the Reagan, Bush I and Bush II presidencies, may be the only way to achieve greatness to which they aspire for America. However, that road may be one closer reflecting the realities of today’s US economic strength and prospects in the multi-polar global power structure in where China has a central role. Without wishing to delve into the domain of historicism, my guess is that the militarist road will hasten the decline of the US. 3. Republicans and other Advocates of Militarism Campaigning for Republican candidates, and trying to fire up the party “faithful” in Iowa, on 27 October 2014 Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner said: "Does anybody think that Vladimir Putin would have gone into Crimea had George W. Bush been president of the United States? No! Even Putin is smart enough to know that Bush would have punched him in the nose in about 10 seconds!" Trying to bring some balance to such statements, journalists noted that Bush was president when Putin invaded Georgia but nothing happened, despite the US claiming Georgia as a key ally. Speaker Boehner’s statement was almost a carbon copy of one that Ann Romney made, claiming that: “I believe Putin would have known there would've been consequences to that." Mitt Romney also stated that the US military has shrunk substantially under Obama along with US “involvement” in the world. The Republican Speaker of the House and the Republican House Speaker and Mrs. Romney are passing the message across to the American people and the world that the issue of foreign affairs comes down to personalities, politicians committed to military solutions, rather than institutional decisions made on the basis of interests as the White House defines them based on disparate interest groups that provide input. It is true that in authoritarian societies where there are no checks and balances and no congressional oversight, the head of state can do as he or she wishes without any accountability, except to a small inner circle of power. Not that the circle of influence regarding defense spending is democratic in the US, but the advocates of militarism wish to make it even less so in a society that has already sacrificed many of its civil rights in the name of national security. The Republicans are engaged in hyperbole because it is campaign season and one could easily dismiss the rhetoric as meaningless. However, pro-defense advocates are invoking rhetoric of the early Cold War and the Reagan era. Despite the massive rise to the budgetary deficits and rising public debt as a result of so much capital absorbed by defense, the militarists of our time are interested in further slashing of social programs in order to put more resources to defense. In July 2014, the National Defense Panel published its report. When the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) issued its report, Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04), Chairman of the House Armed Services Sea power and Projection Forces Subcommittee, issued the following statement.“The National Defense Panel’s conclusion is stark: unless we change course from the failures of recent years, our Armed Forces are at a high risk of not being able to fully execute our national defense strategy. The Panel not only calls for more resources and a renewed commitment to military innovation, but notes that future challenges require a focus on unmanned carrier aviation, space, undersea warfare, offensive surface-warfare, and long-range strike. I could not agree more strongly with the Panel’s finding that a stable balance of military power in the Asia-Pacific is among our ‘cardinal’ strategic priorities.” One would notice here the emphasis on the Asia-Pacific and the implication that the US must use its military might to counterbalance China’s growing power. Except that China is focused on economic strength first as a foundation for all other powers it may wish to enjoy at a later point in its history. The irony about the National Defense Panel’s report is that the United States Institute for Peace helped to construct it. Despite its pacifist name, the bipartisan congressionally-created US Institute of Peace is anything but a peace-driven group and its endorsement of the QDR report is ample proof. It is not true that from Truman to Obama the strongest advocates of military solutions have been just Republicans or that they are the ones pushing an agenda of strong defense. US foreign policy has always been bipartisan, and defense policy usually follows along, because it is very difficult for an elected official to voice opposition, to say nothing of prevailing over the militarists. Moreover, advocates of militarism secure the “easy votes” from constituents, where the pacifists risk losing elections because the media and militarist establishment labels them “soft on defense”, thus soft on commitment to a “strong America”. 4. Messianic Foreign Policy and Militarism The sense of messianic foreign policy imbedded in Manifest Destiny and expansionism can only materialize with a powerful defense sector that is second to no other nation, even if this means weakening the country’s finances and economy, further weakening the once robust middle class, and undermining the already fragile social safety net whose origins date to the Progressive Era, through the New Deal, and Great Society. Will the transformation of America for the sake of militarism, making it less pluralistic and less wealthy worth the price for militarism, or is militarism the only road to the glory of the past as some Democrats and most Republicans claim?”. Let us assume the US had both the resources and political luxury to double the defense budget. Let us also assume that the US becomes militarily involved in just about every part of the world where it wishes, from Ukraine to North Korea, from Syria to Venezuela, from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, and beyond. Let us also assume that the US manages to squeeze out some sort of a dignified symbolic victory in every place it intervenes militarily at minimal cost to US lives, though not necessarily so for the “enemy”. What would be the immediate result of all this in military, political, and economic terms? What benefits would derive to the US and what would be its costs other than the adolescent satisfaction characteristic of teenagers obsessed with war-video games knowing it has lots of weapons and the political resolve to use them without any concern that there are other players around the world waiting for the US to engage in reckless military adventures so they may gather even greater political and economic strength? During the eight years of the Bush-Cheney era the US was spending more on defense than the rest of the world combined. Despite that reality, how far did the US get with such fire power in Iraq and Afghanistan? Exactly what has the US, its Arab and EU allies accomplished in their covert war against Syria’s Assad? What is the legacy of US military intervention in Muslim countries, other than one trillion dollar cost? Failing to accomplish every single publicly stated goal of the US when it invaded and leaving behind countries in shambles with millions of refugees, destabilizing entire regions is hardly a policy that engenders stability and confidence. If US power is defined strictly in terms of defense, the nation is already bankrupt politically and economically, to say nothing of moral bankruptcy because that is hardly an issue with nations pursuing “national interests” and ready to kill en masse and destroy entire nations invoking such vacuous claims. In a book entitled The New American Militarism, Andrew Bacevich tries to analyze the causes of this phenomenon that has bipartisan support and it appears to unite much of the public behind a utopian ideology of democracy. It is true that the end of the Cold and the new Cold War based on “the war on terrorism” combined more recently with a rivalry with Russia over what the latter regards as its historic sphere of influence has frustrated not just the average American citizen living in dreams of the glorious past, but politicians, popular right-wing TV and radio personalities, military and intelligence officers, right wing ideologues, Christian fundamentalists, and all kinds of consultants and business people knowing there is a profit to be made peddling conflict politics and militarism. Whereas I think that Bacevich tries to capture the spirit of militarism in the recent period, I would argue that there is nothing new about the militarism of our time or the policy formulations on defense policy. It is true that Russia has become the latest thorn in US foreign policy, while at a much subtler level China remains the ultimate rival. Knowing China is rapidly catching up with the US economically many Americans see a military solution as the panacea to all the problems that befall society. If only we could just bomb Russia out existence, and then do the same with all jihadists in the world, and then the same with North Korea, Cuba, and so on with all enemies, so many of them that hate America around the world because they are jealous of its freedom expressed so well at gunpoint! Only then, could America recapture the glory it once experienced in the US-Mexico War of the 1840s, the Spanish-American War of 1898, WWI and WWII. If we could have stopped time in 1945, or at least go back to the Truman and Eisenhower era? 5. Romanticizing Militarism This romantic illusion of power through militarization that politicians and the media are inculcating into the mainstream culture is a very dangerous road not just for the declining debt-ridden US economy, but for democratic institutions that have been toward a slippery slope resembling increasingly a semi-authoritarian society where police and military violate the social contract between citizens and the state. Power comes in many forms from intellectual and aesthetic to raw animal strength that is very direct and invariably appreciated by the masses as popular culture of most societies throughout history have shown. But perhaps the question should not be about the nature of power as Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes assumed without questioning the benefits/harm of power on their subjects and on people beyond the borders of the country exerting power. If we compare a country whose government has wielded inordinate power domestically or internationally against a country where government is more focused on best serving the welfare of its subjects and less interested in power for the sake of glory, etc., the latter would be a more harmonious and constructive society than the former. Yet, human nature is such, perhaps conditioned by the aphrodisiac-power-based culture, most people would probably rather live in the society where government exercises power in all forms at the expense of the majority. We do not live in the worlds of Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, or Charlemagne when military expansion entailed economic prosperity through military conquest and blatant and direct forms of looting and slaughtering. We do not live in the age where political might is identified with military supremacy concentrated in one nation-state. Even when political night and military supremacy were interconnected, it was only because there was a strong economic base behind such powers relative to the rest of the world. There is a school of thought among Roman historians whose thesis is that the decline and fall of Rome was caused primarily by internal decay, especially economic in the consuming Latin-speaking West, while the commercial Eastern half of the empire (Byzantium) survived. Similarly, the path to military and political power contributed to the downfall of the mighty European empires whose existence rested on war and occupation to the neglect of the civilian economy. The direct correlation between long-term defense spending and economic decline seems to be lost on the militarists of our time just as it was fifty years ago, a century ago, and throughout history. After WWII Japan and Germany, with very low defense expenditures, partly because the US assumed that role, quickly became the strongest economies in their respective continents and trailed the US that helped re-industrialize them and subsidized their defense. By contrast, the USSR, which was a political and military power, spent itself out of existence as it sacrificed its civilian economy for an outward-looking defense sector. Who knows how the history of the USSR would have evolved if it focused on inward-oriented economic growth and development, instead of extraordinarily costly military and political power beyond its borders? And what affords today's Russia more leverage domestically and internationally, the gas and oil pipelines or its nuclear weapons? After the Nixon visit to China, the Asian Communist nation began to transition to global capitalist integration while maintaining its political regime committed to strong defense. China currently spends 10 times less on defense than the US. As a serious contender for the preeminent economic and political position at some point later in this century, China would benefit immensely if the US increases its defense budget and recklessly engages in the kind of adventures we saw in Iraq and Afghanistan, combined with stealthy low level warfare, ranging from drone planes to government-funded NGO’s instigating instability against a regime that Washington opposes. Nothing hastens the decline of a great power more than overspending on defense as an illusory crutch for a declining civilian economy where the social structure is undergoing downward mobility. The US became a great power with global military and political influence because it first established the foundations for global economic preeminence in the 19th century and took advantage of its preeminent role in the 1940s when it established an international system that would serve American interests for the coming decades. More than ever a country's political and military power today rests on its economic strength, assuming of course that economic resources are prudently managed with ongoing investments in education, health, science, technology, and creative endeavors that enrich society as a whole instead of enriching a small class of the privileged few absorbing most capital. After the demise of their empires, Great Britain and France continued to devote considerable resources on defense as members of the nuclear club and continued their ambitions for continental and overseas preponderate influence. But the political and military influence of either France or UK on a world scale is minor in the absence of the US behind them. And is India a rising power because it has nuclear weapons and presumably deterrence, or because its economy has been strengthened in the past two decades? Also part of the nuclear club, Israel, which has a military-based if not a war economy, enjoys regional power status at the expense of its own population, but it status is largely owed to the US as a devoted ally in every respect. 6. Consequences of Militarism To fund an astronomical defense budget, as Republicans demand, the government will: a) engage in further borrowing thus undermining the dollar’s value as a reserve currency and making the US economy less competitive globally; and b) the government will raise taxes on the lower classes that will mean reducing consumption power that has been the driving force behind economic growth. Of course, there are other things the government could do to afford the higher defense sector, everything from higher taxes on corporations and on the top 20% of income earners to slashing corporate welfare programs that absorb billions every year. The safe course would be devaluing the dollar, raising taxes on the middle and lower strata, cutting social programs, and shifting budgetary priorities so that DoD secures a larger slice of the Federal funds. To justify a new militarism with substantial defense allocations, the US would have to define “the enemy” and imminent threat it poses to US national security. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey has stated publicly that Russian foreign policy toward Ukraine, strictly an EU-Russia matter, means a return essentially to a Cold War situation with Moscow. Going even father, Dempsey stated that the US must respond toward Moscow in 2014 the way it would have during the early Cold War. “That’s why NATO was created… to increase stability, offset Soviet aggression at the time, but maintain a stable Europe. And we’ve been successful at that for 60 years. “So the first step here is to have that conversation in the halls of NATO while recognizing the change and taking stock in ourselves – in our capabilities, in our readiness, in our deterrent capabilities.” Almost on a daily basis in 2014 US officials have accused Russia of political interference if not military involvement in the Ukraine where the US and Europe covertly helped to overthrow the previous regime in spring 2014 so that a pro-West anti-Moscow government would take power as part of a wider containment policy that has as much to do with energy as it does with the regional balance of power. Raising the military solution as the best option so far not taken by the US, the Obama administration and its critics are setting the stage for the post-Obama era when Republicans will most likely be back in the White House and most likely returning to Reagan-style defense spending. Using the Ukrainian crisis as a pretext, the US has been urging NATO members to increase their defense budgets. This also goes for the debt-ridden Southern and Eastern European members under austerity suffering double-digit unemployment and immense cuts in incomes, social security and social programs. The US has been encouraging its allies surrounding the Russian border to engage in greater defense readiness, to turn their attention toward Russia and behave as though it is about to invade every former Soviet republic. NATO members have been under US pressure to do more to pressure Russia militarily. What does this actually mean in practical terms? Enforce sanctions on Russia, which has already backfired because Moscow has imposed its own sanctions, hurting the weakest NATO members that are the debtor nations and under an IMF-EU austerity regime. At a time that NATO members have their own problems with underperforming economies, the US demands that they place even greater pressure by allocating more on military expenditures that weaken the finances of the debtor nations, and shift precious resources from the civilian economy. What would be the end result of all this, considering that Communism is no more and nationalism has been threatening the US-led transformation model as expressed through globalization? Regime change in Russia does not mean that a new government would sacrifice vital national interests, economic and strategic, to satisfy US demands. On the contrary, a new regime could be even more nationalistic than the current one. Even if Moscow agrees to every single demand of the US, how weak should Russia be to suit US geopolitical interests? Is it to US interests really to have a very weak Russia? The militarists of 2014 are setting stage in Obama’s last two years in office for the next administration that would increase defense spending. This is similar to what took place during the Jimmy Carter administration’s last two years when Cyrus Vance went and in came the more militarist team that Zbigniew Brzezinski was leading. Just as today we have the neo-isolationist militarists who demand a shift toward greater unilateralism as though the US has the same global power as it enjoyed under Truman and Eisenhower, similarly, there is an outcry by various pro-military solution groups that believe a multilateral foreign policy and political solutions to crises entail weakness. Even Brzezinski who has undergone transformation from a hawkish National Security Advisor under Jimmy Carter into a more rational analyst, advising that the US provide “defensive weaponry” to Ukraine as part of sending a strong military signal to Moscow. The defense sector in the US and throughout the world has a reputation as one of the most wasteful, parasitic, and corrupt. Not just European, Latin American, and Asian defense companies, but US as well have been involved in scandals involving hundreds of millions in cost over-runs and bribes. In November 2013, the New York Times revealed details about Inchscape Shipping Services that has been involved in scandals that the Justice Department had been investigating for contracts throughout the Bush administration. The company in question had contracts around the world and it operated no differently than German, Russian and French companies, namely, through bribery according to court documents. Although politicians know the level of waste, over-costs, bribery and corruption involved in defense contracts, they have no problem pushing more funds in the direction of such contractors. However, if a single mother was cheating the welfare system by listing three children instead of one she actually has, now that is an unforgivable crime punishable by jail time and a heavy fine. Defense spending at levels that the national economy cannot support simply weakens the civilian economy, despite incidental derivative benefits. When governments, including the US, combine inordinate defense spending with a fiscal system that favors the top ten percent of income earners while also providing various contracts as part of a privatization craze as well as subsidies, the net result of this mix is an overall downward income pressure on the middle class and massive capital concentration. From 1940 until 1980 in the US, the percentage of total share of income accruing to the top 1% the top 1-5% and the top 5-10% of income earners remains in a relatively flat line, ranging from 8% to 15% from each of the three groups. From 1980 until 2010, the line for the top 5-10% group rises in percentage terms, for the top 1-5% income share rises above 15%, while for the top 1% of income earner the share rises from 15% in 1980 to 15% in 2010. During the corresponding period, we have a sharp rise in defense spending and a steady drop in the middle class and working class living standards. The political and financial elites have to decide if they wish to have such polarization in incomes that simply result in political apathy and erosion of democratic institutions all for the sacrifice of stronger defense and a strong capitalist class. 7. Militarism and Culture of Violence The assumption that greater defense spending buys greater security, greater influence in the world, and greater economic leverage is one on which the military-solution unilateral foreign policy advocates are operating. The only question here is about the assumption’s validity. We must not forget that even if all else goes as planned, militarism, which many in politics, media, businesses, lobbyists, consultants, and right wing ideologues are advocating, undermines democracy because of the reliance on military solutions and reinforcing the culture of militarism within the US and globally.”. There is a video game called Destroy All Humans!: Make War Not Love that has been around for a few years. While young people play this game to fill the void with pent-up energy that the video game allows to release, the logic of the game is based on the reality of what takes place in the real world today. The logic imbedded in this video game is not so different than what the militarists are advocating as far as defense build up and a more aggressive unilateral foreign policy. War has its own logic rooted in ideology, value system, adolescent psychology, opportunistic and delusional politics, pseudo-economics, and a culture of grandeur. I do not blame the people for falling into such traps of militarism, because it is the leaders of society and institutions that inculcate militarism into the public mind. There are those who maintain there is a link between popular acceptance of militarism as a solution to problem solving and the culture of societal violence, including random gun violence involving children and adults. It is indeed very surprising that the Cold War ended but the American people to a certain degree continue to behave as though it is still going on over the Ukraine. I am not all certain that they care Russia that is a much smaller country than the USSR, or that it has an elected government, or that it is above all a capitalist economic country with social structure that reflects the hierarchy one expects in such a system. As far as many Americans are concerned, Russia is still the eternal Communist enemy they love to hate. After all, what is the point of projecting the image of a superpower with a messianic mission if there is not formidable enemy at the other end? Given such assumptions that the media, right wing ideologues and politicians reinforce, it is not surprising so many support militarization, even those knowing that defense spending entails diverting resources from the civilian economy. The American love affair with militarism is also reflected in the culture of gun violence and adamant opposition to any form of gun control. In other words, there is a direct correlation between a predisposition to resolve disagreements through military solutions and the domestic culture of the gun. However, even beyond the love affair with militarism and guns reflected in video games, motion pictures, popular books – fiction and non-fiction – war monuments and museums, and just about anything to do with military and the gun, there is the question of associating power with the gun, with military solutions. About the only other modern societies where we find such a culture of militarism is Japan and Germany from 1870 to 1945. Never mind that both of those countries suffered utter destruction and caused even more on others in the world. What matters is the glory militarism brings to the romantic adventurist mind. It is surprising that the culture of militarism and the preeminence of the gun as solutions to conflict remain a core value in America paid with the blood of innocent people. It may be difficult to predict where this militarist-gun-loving culture is headed in the 21st century that will mark the downward social mobility of “middle America”. My guess is that American culture will become more deeply entrenched into the “glory of past” that represents military glory now a myth in the minds of those nostalgic about an era that will probably never return. Needless to say, all militarist cultures glorify the past associated with military victories. Not just the Germans and the Japanese in the 1930s, but even the French in 1848 were glorifying Napoleon as a war-hero who glorified the nation by making it an Empire, although he was defeated and the Empire did not last. While the mythology of power is understandable as a propaganda tool by the elites wishing to have the masses on their side, it is more difficult to understand how so many among the elites could be immersed in the illusion that militarism is the road to maintaining global power, instead of realistically assessing the situation and realizing a quickened decline is imminent. The road to decline is not visible while it is taking place today in the US any more than it was to the Romans throughout the third and fourth centuries. Because decline is ever so gradual, there are those who argue that alarmist scenarios are pointless about militarism bankrupting the US. The only response to such criticism is to ask if the US is enjoying the same global status and domestic prospects for growth and expansion in the second decades of the 21st century, as it was when Eisenhower warned about the military-industrial complex undermining the economy and society. Where would the US be today if in the 1960s it followed a more balanced, realis5tic and rational approach to the defense sector?

Soon. But while these actions may have caused resentment, the editors argued, they could not plausibly have motivated one of [the September 11] suicide attackers. Similarly with American policy in the Middle East: while its approach to the Palestinians and Iraq was acknowledged as a major source of anti-American feeling in the Arab world, it should be balanced against the efforts of American administrations to bring the Israelis and Palestinians to a settlement, and its success in protecting the Muslims of Bosnia and Kosovo. American leadership in the world is not perfect, the editorial concluded, but those who do not like it should stop and think how the world would look if the Soviet Union had won [the Cold War]. As for the reasons behind September 11, in truth, it is difficult to find plausible explanations, . . . except in the hatred and moral confusion of those who plotted and perpetrated them. As an explanation of what motivated Mohammed Atta and his associates, this editorial left a great deal to be desired. While clearly and unambiguously repudiating the claim that the United States had somehow brought the September 11 attacks upon itself, the Economists attempt at an alternative explanation ended where it had begun. The sources of the envy, hatred, and moral confusion driving the terrorist network responsible for the attacks remained a mystery. For regular readers of the magazine this should be no surprise, for the obvious sources of this envy, hatred, and moral confusion are to be found in two of the Economists major blind spots: globalization and religion. In the editorial the role of fundamentalist Islam is not even canvassed, and the possibility that globalization might be a source of resentment is dismissed as ridiculous at the outset. This was perhaps an unfortunate choice of words. While globalization is preemptively ruled out of the Economists explanation, the possibility that September 11 might have been motivated by resentment at Americas refusal to pay its dues to the United Nations is given careful consideration. The Economist would soon be given another opportunity to address the issues it had overlooked. Shortly after this editorial was published, the New Statesman carried a piece by the political theorist John Gray in which he put globalization squarely in the dock”and religion squarely in the witness stand. Gray argued that the collapse of communism had been seized upon by the victorious West as a historic opportunity to launch yet another vast utopian project”a global free market. The world was to be made over in the image of Western modernity”an image deformed by a market ideology that was as far removed from any human reality as Marxism had been. Indeed, Gray continued: what is striking is how closely the market liberal philosophy that underpins globalization resembles Marxism.. For market liberalism there is only one way to become modern. Free markets and individualistic values are compulsory for all, and if a peoples religious beliefs or their patterns of family life make this difficult for them, too bad”that is their problem . . . . You cant make an omelette without breaking eggs. After September 11, in Grays view, the entire worldview that supported the markets faith in globalization has melted down . . . [and] it cannot be reconstituted. The wealthier countries are no longer insulated from the chaos produced by the collapse of the state in Afghanistan, much of Africa, and parts of Russia, and this represents a grievous blow to the beliefs that underpin the global market. Even the concept of modernity now appears questionable. Is it really the case that all societies are bound, sooner or later, to converge on the same values and views of the world? Countries must be allowed to find their own version of modernity, or not to modernize at all. The attempt to force life everywhere into a single mold can only fuel conflict. We will never understand September 11, Gray concludes, until we learn to see it for what it is: a genuine rejection of Western modernity. A great deal of the case Gray made against globalization and market liberalism in his New Statesman piece restated the argument set out in his recent book, False Dawn. Nevertheless, the timing and the provocative nature of the article ensured it a wide audience”so much so that the Economist felt compelled to address Grays claims directly in its next issue. Far from rebutting Gray, however, the evasiveness of the editorial seemed to prove his point. Describing globalization as nothing more than the idea that people should be left free to trade with each other in peace, the editors referred to the study published in the magazine that week showing that globalization does not undermine democracy or the welfare state, is consistent with good environmental policies, and is the most effective force for reducing poverty in the Third World. But given that Gray did not dispute any of these points in his New Statesman article, this argument rather missed its target. Evasiveness characterized the Economists response to Grays substantive claims as well. Considering the question of globalizations impact on local cultures, the editorial pointed out (somewhat disingenuously) that under a market system, economic interaction is voluntary, the implication being that if a country does not like the cultural impact of trade it can opt out. This may be true in theory, but autarchy has little appeal in practice. It is also true, as the editors went on to say, that if people all over the world are eating McDonalds and wearing Nike they are doing so through choice, not coercion. But it does not follow necessarily from this (as the editorial claims) that non-Western cultures should feel threatened by globalization only to the extent that they feel threatened by individual freedom. Globalization does not militate against religious diversity, the editors argue, but no one claims it does. Grays point was that globalization often entails a secularist drive to push religion to the periphery, and it is this, rather than religious imperialism, that raises concern. Secularism is also the concern underlying claims that globalization leads to the homogenization of culture. The Economist dismisses this question by pointing to the differences between countries like the United States, Sweden, and Japan, where globalization has been running at full power for years. But the real issue is the universalization of a certain form of instrumental rationality, and the narrow concepts of human nature and human well-being that underpin it. The exchange between the Economist and John Gray over September 11 is important for several reasons, not least because of the unsatisfactory way in which it concludes. It brings together an eminent advocate and an eminent critic of globalization, but what it produces is not so much a conversation as a dialogue of the deaf. For Gray, globalization is the Wests last revolutionary project in pursuit of the millennium. For the Economist, globalization is the pragmatic extension of pr oven economic and political practices around the world to improve the lot of ordinary people everywhere. In Grays view, no one of good will and intelligence could be in favor of globalization; in the Economists view, no one could be against it. It is an argument dominated by the question of economic liberty, its rights and its limits. But it is also shadowed by another question, the dark horse of religion. Both sides have a vague idea that religion is important in some way or other, but where it fits, and the role it plays, remains unclear. September 11 has required us to be a great deal clearer about a great many things. The most important of these, without doubt, are globalization and religion. In coming to a deeper appreciation of the relationship between globalization and religion it is helpful to start with an unbiased observer. Pope John Paul II is a natural choice for this role. His pontificate has been distinguished by a profound and thoroughgoing engagement with contemporary culture and the forces that form and impinge upon it, not least of all the economy. His 1991 encyclical Centesimus Annus brought a new dimension to Catholic social teaching, emphasizing the irreplaceable role that transcendent reference points play in ensuring the fruitfulness of freedom, not only in the life of the individual, but also in the life of society, the polity, and the economy. Without reference to the transcendent reality that constitutes human life, the open society, democracy, and the free economy risk becoming little more than different forums for an unending contest of power. Freedom attains its full development only by accepting the truth. In a world without truth, freedom loses its foundation and man is exposed to the violence of passion and to manipulation, both open and hidden. The Popes linkage of freedom and truth has manifold implications, including an unambiguous, if conditional, endorsement of a market economy that is circumscribed within a strong juridical framework which places it at the service of human freedom in its totality. Towards the end of Centesimus Annus the Pope briefly discusses globalization in the context of promoting justice and enabling peoples presently excluded or marginalized to enter into the sphere of economic and human development. Achieving this will require change, both in individual lifestyles and patterns of consumption and in the established structures of power which today govern societies. In pursuit of this end the globalization of the economy is not to be dismissed, since it can create unusual opportunities for greater prosperity. The main challenge is to establish an appropriate framework within which globalization can operate. The Pope observes that this task is beyond the competence of any individual state, even the most powerful on earth, and will require increased cooperation between both states and international agencies. Much remains to be done in this area, the Pope wrote in 1991, not least to ensure that sufficient consideration is given in decision-making to peoples and countries which have little weight in the international market, but which are burdened by the most acute and desperate needs. Some commentators have taken the support John Paul II expressed for the market in Centesimus Annus as a break or departure from the tradition of Catholic social teaching. Certainly, some of the nineteenth-century popes were altogether more skeptical, if not actually hostile, to the forms that democracy and capitalism took in their day. John Paul IIs discussion of globalization, however, locates Centesimus Annus clearly in the tradition of twentieth-century papal approaches to social issues. As Samuel Gregg has shown, what we now call globalization was the subject of careful papal study from its earliest stages. In the encyclical Mater et Magistra (1961), Pope John XXIII drew attention to an increase in social relationships in modern life, especially at the international level. It was not just a matter of new and different forms of associations, but of their increasingly complex interrelation. The phenomenon that John XXIII addressed was subsequently (and not very helpfully) described as socialization, and its main focus was not economics but the broader relationship between the developed and developing worlds. But John XXIII saw the Churchs responsibility towards socialization in the same way as John Paul II sees the Churchs responsibility towards globalization. The object of concern is not so much the phenomenon itself as the form it is given and its implications, positive and negative, for human flourishing. John Paul II himself has said this explicitly:. In an address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences last year, the Pope observed that since the fall of communism humanity has entered a new phase in which the market economy seems to have conquered virtually the entire world. While globalization has brought a greater interdependence of economies and societies, and works powerfully to eliminate barriers to the movement of people, capital, and goods, it also brings rapid changes in social systems and cultures. Many people, especially the disadvantaged, experience this as something that has been forced upon them, rather than as a process in which they can actively participate. This last sentence raises the key questions that must be asked about what we have made of globalization so far: Does it promote justice? Does it respect cultures? Does it work to enfranchise people? Does it serve or subvert freedom? Does it serve or subvert the truth about the human person? In another address on this theme towards the end of last year, John Paul II emphasized that the Church is called to discern and evaluate the cultural novum produced by globalization. This discernment has for its primary object the image of man that globalization proposes, the form of culture it favors, and the room it allows for the experience of faith and the interior life. It is the cultural and ethical features of globalization that are of special and greater concern to the Christian community, although any assessment of this necessarily entails its economic aspects as well. In this address, and in the earlier address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Pope makes it clear that to the extent that globalization operates as a system in which freedom in the economic sector is not circumscribed by a strong juridical framework, its cultural and ethical impact will be decisively negative. In this situation the logic of the market becomes the medium for a new culture. It imposes its way of thinking and acting and stamps its scale of values upon behavior. For this reason, peoples efforts to defend the common good”are vitally necessary if individuals and intermediary groups are to maintain their centrality. But globalization often risks destroying these carefully built up structures by exacting the adoption of new styles of working, living, and organizing communities. (Emphasis added.) The danger posed to intermediary groups and bodies is of particular concern. Quite aside from the role they play in the life of culture and community and in making individual and political freedom possible, any economic system that destroys intermediary groups denies itself legitimacy and undermines its own sustainability. Michael Novak argues that an international economic system genuinely concerned to liberate the poor of the earth from the prison of poverty must work through institutions that rest upon, and nourish, voluntary cooperation. Such a system would exhibit a sort of universal solidarity, married to the healthy practice of subsidiarity, with local communities playing a major role in decision-making and providing the main source of initiative and energy. The tendency to undermine intermediary bodies identified by John Paul II works directly against Novaks vision of what globalization might be, and recalls the radical capitalistic ideology identified in Centesimus Annus, which refuses even to consider these problems . . . and which blindly entrusts their solution to the free development of market forces. It also highlights the importance of the legal safeguards mentioned by the Pope in his address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, and by commentators like Novak. In other words, governments and international agencies have an important role to play. The realization of what John Paul II calls in Centesimus Annus a society of free work, of enterprise, and of participation . . . demands that the market be appropriately controlled by the forces of society and by the state with the principle of subsidiarity guiding their cooperation. It is important to stress that John Paul II does not approach globalization as a partisan in the public debate. From the Churchs perspective, globalization is something to be studied deeply so that any ethical issues arising can be discussed on the basis of objective knowledge. The Popes concern for the impact of globalization on what are sometimes called the mediating institutions of society is not something expressed in the absence of evidence. In a paper presented to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at its meeting last year, Professor Paul Dembinski argued that the erosion of intermediary bodies can be a function of the integration of international markets and the continuously expanding width of information made possible by information technologies. This is particularly so when it comes to the influence of financial markets on local economies and enterprises. The global information used to put a value on the assets and possible outcomes involved places these local projects in the perspective of an artificial and illusory totality. A change in share price based on this information then forces a local operation to react to events that may not be related to its activity and over which it has no control, but on which it has been made dependent by the integrative action of financial markets. Social actors, enterprises, or governments can only influence by their decisions a limited set of realities, but through the integrative power of financial markets, they are exposed and have to react to a much wider spectrum of information and realities. In this respect, one can argue that the widening scope of information taken into account by the financial markets increases the asymmetry in the feedback loop between the financial markets and the underlying elements of the real economy. For medium-sized enterprises, for smaller countries, the asymmetry between the width of global information used to assess prices of assets they represent and the effective reach or influence of the underlying economic actor is particularly strong. As a result, especially for the smaller economic players, interdependence turns into their dependence on the verdict of the financial markets. The net result of integration in this area is the progressive withering away of any remains of subsidiarity in the field of money and finance. Dembinski also explains how a global market operating without the benefit of an adequate framework of juridical and social controls imposes its way of thinking and acting on cultures and stamps its scale of values upon individual behavior. The consequentialist and utilitarian form of rational behavior that is appropriate to decision-making in the purely economic realm can be confined to that realm only if economic life is considered one part of life among many. The more important the economy becomes in the life of a community, the more difficult it will be to prevent self-interested modes of thinking from penetrating other spheres of life. The importance of the market economy today arises from its immense capacity to generate wealth, but before this became generally apparent the economy acquired its importance from the role it played in stabilizing social life. Dembinski argues that one of the major concerns of eighteenth-century political philosophy was how to check or harmonize human passions so that social stability could be more permanently established. Adam Smith provided the breakthrough with his identification of self-interest and the desire to better ones condition as the source of both prosperity and domestic peace. Giving people the freedom and scope to get on is obviously a much easier thing to bring about than the management of the passions, and this brilliant solution to the problem of social stability was one of the main reasons for the enormous success of The Wealth of Nations (1776). Of course, Smith was a moral philosopher and he saw self-interest, operating under conditions of honesty and fair-dealing, as (in the words of Gertrude Himmelfarb) a moral principle conducive to the general interest. He had no desire to establish the economy as a realm completely autonomous from politics, religion, and society. That this tendency has emerged is partly the consequence of unforeseeable and unconnected developments such as the decline of faith, and partly the consequence of the enormous success of Smiths ideas and others in transforming economic practice and securing social stability. On the one hand, the erosion of religious belief in the West and the rise of materialist and utilitarian philosophies made the extension of economic modes of thinking to the rest of life almost irresistible. On the other hand, the desire to replicate Western economic success created an openness to these modes of thinking in other cultures which, quickly extending beyond the economic, came to serve as vehicles not so much for Westernization (as is often alleged), but for secularism. In the West these ways of thinking coalesce with a consumerist mentality that constantly redefines the concept of a decent or normal life upward, requiring, in Dembinskis words, an ever-higher level of income to maintain, with adverse effects on the way [people] share their time between for-market and not-for-market activities. As Pierre Manent has put it, Profit, not religion, is the spirit of this spiritless world where one must overwork in order to live. The Pope is thus right to point out that, in other cultures, there is the impression that a new scale of values is being imposed, derived from criteria that are regularly arbitrary, materialistic, consumerist, and opposed to any kind of openness to the transcendent. People feel that they are being trampled by faceless mechanisms and losing their sense of identity and dignity, while their culture is not accepted and respected in [its] originality and richness. Globalization will be what people make of it. In considering what we have made of globalization so far and what it might be, its impact on culture and society looms large. It might almost be said that this question has taken precedence over the question of its economic impact. This may be due to the fact that, as John Lloyd points out, it is hard to disprove the claim that the free trading system is, by and large, good for rich and poor, and that the more open a poor state the more likely it is to grow rich. John Paul IIs approach to globalization seems to reflect this. The questions he suggests we should ask”What is the image of man that globalization proposes? What culture does it favor? Is there room for the experience of faith and the interior life?”actually take us beyond globalization to what some describe as the problem of religion in the modern world. And the real question this problem poses is whether there can be any genuine solution to the challenges confronting globalization without religion. In calling for globalization to respect the diversity of cultures, John Paul II is calling for respect for freedom. Globalization must not deprive the poor of what remains most precious to them, including their religious beliefs and practices, since genuine religious convictions are the clearest manifestation of human freedom. There are many who would dispute this view and contend that religious convictions are in fact a major impediment to the extension and preservation of freedom. Michael Lind argued last year that it is not Christianity and Islam that are at war in the struggle against terrorism, but humanist civilization and religious civilization. The Judeo-Christian tradition has contributed nothing to the development of a free, tolerant, individualist, commercial society in the West, Lind claims. Christianity has always had far less in common with humanist civilization than with orthodox Islam. The hostility of Christianity and Islam to reason is seen clearly in their opposition to feminism, gay rights, abortion, contraception, and freedom from censorship, it being well known that there can be no rational basis for querying these things. Far from being the source of humanist civilization . . . Christianity in its traditional forms is incompatible with a liberal, democratic, secular society that has an economy based on applied science and commercial exchange. Andrew Sullivan has written that one of the good things to come out of September 11 is that the influence of theoconservatives such as Michael Novak, Father Richard John Neuhaus (whom Lind accuses of openly flirt[ing] with sedition in the End of Democracy? symposium in FT, November 1996), and Marvin Olasky on the Bush Administration will now decline. After all, it is hard to fight a war against politico-religious extremism if you are winking at milder versions in your own political coalition. Apparently, the argument that a free society needs transcendent reference points is tantamount to arguing for a total fusion of religion and politics in pursuit of a theocratic order. John Paul II addressed this line of reasoning directly in Centesimus Annus. If there is no transcendent truth, in obedience to which man achieves his full identity, then there is no sure principle for guaranteeing just relations between people. The Church realizes the danger of fanaticism or fundamentalism, in which people claim the right to impose on others their own concept of what is true in the name of an ideology which purports to be scientific or religious. But Christian truth is not of this kind. Since it is not an ideology, the Christian faith does not presume to imprison changing sociopolitical realities in a rigid schema, and it recognizes that human life is realized in history in conditions that are diverse and imperfect. It is not new, but as George Weigel has noted, the project of making the United States a country in which religiously grounded values and arguments have no place in public life . . . continues to this day. The Catholic Church is seen as the largest institutional obstacle to the realization of this goal, and despite the fact that over the last thirty years it has been the worlds foremost institutional promoter of the democratic project (in Central-Eastern Europe, the Philippines, and throughout Lýtin America), the charge is still made that the Church is irremediably antidemocratic. But as Weigel points out, the charge that Catholicism is unsafe for democracy is a stalking-horse for another argument altogether, the argument over what democracy should be. It is not an argument that America is having alone. Fr. Anthony Fisher, O.P., Australias leading Catholic bioethicist, recently described attending a major conference on artificial reproductive technologies in Melbourne. One of the papers given argued strongly that governments and regulators should refuse to receive submissions from groups like the Catholic Church, because it is not directly affected and in no special position to represent children or morality. After all, it was argued, democracy has nothing to do with morality; it is about respecting individual choice. But according to John Paul II, such a view is incompatible with genuine democracy. The assumption that agnosticism and skeptical relativism are the philosophy and the basic attitude that correspond to democratic forms of political life, and that those who are convinced that they know the truth and firmly adhere to it are unreliable since they do not accept that truth is determined by the majority, opens the way for ideas and convictions to be manipulated for reasons of power or”as shown by the way transgressive developments in biotechnology are driven”financial gain. A democracy without values easily turns into open or thinly disguised totalitarianism, and unless values are grounded in the very nature of the human person they will serve merely as the justification or legitimation of a system, rather than as the safeguard of all that is human in any system. Democracy is not just a set of institutional arrangements that once in place will run themselves. In Weigels words, Democracy is a way of public life, a way of being a political community, and if it is going to work it requires a critical mass of people who have made their own the values, the moral truths, that teach us to be civil, tolerant, respectful”in a word, democratic.ý Institutions by themselves are not enough, and a democracy that excludes any consideration of binding moral norms as a horizon for its public life, on the grounds that moral truth [is] either illusory or sectarian, places itself in a situation where issues can be resolved only by resort to force, exercised through the capture and control of those institutions. As Leszek Kolakowski has pointed out, without truth, the freedom of democracy becomes a realm where anything is possible. This is not a triumph for the human spirit, but a profound defeat. Freedoms need for truth is not something that is purely Western-specific. Arising as it does from the fundamental truth about human life and culture, it is true for human life and culture everywhere. How then might the argument for faiths role in supporting and sustaining authentic democracy in the West translate to other cultures and other situations? In particular, how does it translate to the world of Islam? Merely to ask this question in the aftermath of September 11 is to highlight just how easy it is to make the secularist argument that religion is inimical to the growth of freedoms dominion, that the secularizing tendency of globalization is a force for human liberation, and that freedom can never be secure in a culture where religious faith is the primary passion in peoples lives. But going in this direction leads only to a dead-end. As we have seen, there is a very real danger that globalization will serve as the means for replicating throughout the world the sorts of problems that the regime of freedom-without-truth has created in the culture of the West. How Islam might respond creatively to this danger, without turning in on itself and against the rest of the world, is not something that is immediately apparent. On the face of it, the relationship between democracy and Islam seems troubled at best. Freedom Houses annual survey of freedom for 1999-2000 found that of the forty-seven Muslim countries in the world, fewer than one-quarter are electoral democracies, compared with more than three-quarters of the 147 non-Muslim countries. Muslim states make up seven of the ten countries listed as the least free countries in the world, and they do not compare well at other points along the scale. Of non-Muslim countries, the Freedom House survey rated 58 percent as free (that is, fully democratic), 14 percent as not-free (that is, strict dictatorships of one form or another), and the remaining 28 percent as partly free. Of the forty-seven Muslim countries, however, only one, Mali, was rated free; of the others, 38 percent were rated partly free, and 60 percent were rated not-free. What these figures make clear, as Joshua Muravchik has pointed out, is that Muslim countries account for a majority of the unfree states in the world. Muravchik argues that this is not a function of poverty”the African countries in the survey have an annual per capita income about half that of the average for Muslim states but considerably better freedom ratings. Nor is it a function of religion in itself”from past Freedom House surveys it can be seen that Muslim states had much better freedom ratings twenty years ago. We should also recall how it used to be said that Confucian values in Asia and Catholicism in Latin America meant that democracy would never develop in those regions. Muravchik notes that it is in the Middle East that things are bleakest for democracy in Muslim countries. His explanation puts a heavy emphasis on the rise of Islamic extremists and the cycle of violence and repression this has generated as the secular regimes that have been in place since postcolonial times seek to ensure continuation of their own power. But this account leaves the rise of Islamic extremism unexplained and sheds no light at all on the broader question of Islamic culture and its openness to freedom. Radical Islam shares with the socialism, secularism, and pan-Arab nationalism that preceded it during the 1950s and 1960s a desire to restore the prestige and power of Muslim countries in response to the ascendancy of the West. The secularist modernizers attempted to revive Muslim greatness by adopting Western ideas and technical innovations to overcome the legacy of corruption, incompetence, and failure bequeathed by the Ottoman empire. Islamism also seeks to revive Muslim greatness and to overcome a legacy of corruption, incompetence, and failure, but its preferred means is the restoration of an ahistorical pure Islam and the transformation of the nation into a faithful community of believers. While both approaches were driven by a desire to assert Muslim independence and manifested themselves as movements of defiance and resistance against the West, both were decisively shaped by Western influences. It will be obvious how this was so for the secularist modernizers. Secularism, socialism, and nationalism were not ideas that occurred naturally in the Muslim world. While secularism was part of the repudiation of a failed religious culture, nationalism and socialism appealed in no small part beýause of their antidemocratic and anticapitalist animus, as Bernard Lewis has convincingly shown. Mixed in with this was the conceit that despite their weakness, even secular Muslim states represented a more spiritual and more authentic civilization than the soulless consumerist world of the imperialist West. Radical Islams relation to Western influences is considerably more convoluted. Islamic extremism as we encounter it today can be traced back to the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt by Hasan al-Banna in 1928. In the period after the Second World War, the Muslim Brotherhood became increasingly radicalized, and after falling out with the Nasser regime it internationalized with the assistance of Saudi Arabia. One of its most important figures was Sayyid Qutb (1906-66). Malise Ruthven describes Qutb as the intellectual mentor of modern Islamism, and his influence on Islamic radicalism cannot be overestimated. In the words of Frédéric Volpi, Since Qutb, it has been one of the central tenets of Islamic fundamentalism that politics does not involve merely the confrontation of competing political organizations, but also of entire philosophical systems. Despite this, Qutb drew heavily on Western ideas in the formation of his own philosophy, in particular Henri Bergsons vitalist approach to culture and existentialist ideas of action-oriented commitment. The first radical group to emerge in Egypt after Qutbs execution by the regime took this last point a step further, drawing its inspiration not solely from Islamic ideas but also from the Baader-Meinhof gangs concept of the propaganda of the deed. Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhallah Khomeini, who was radicalized by Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavis attempts to break up the huge land-ownings that helped sustain the power of the Shia religious establishment in Iran, was also deeply influenced by Western ideas, especially those of Sartre and”not least of all”Marx. Far from being exclusively Islamic, the ideologies of Muslim radicals are hybrids that reflect a perverse form of engagement with both modernity and the West. That this particular form of engagement is so fruitless is doubtless partly attributable to the fact that the sources drawn on lock those using them into the political and philosophical discourse of the West in the 1930s and 1960s. To some extent, the disaffection to which radical Islam gives expression is similar to that which has fed into extremist political groups in the West. Urbanization has proceeded rapidly in Muslim countries, and for those whose character and outlook have been formed in the traditional faith of the rural hinterland the confrontation with the chaotic and pagan world of big cities, either at home or abroad, can be profoundly dislocating. Education and economic developments have made it harder to maintain the traditional extended family structure and are changing the roles that women are allowed to play. The encounter with the new worlds of cinema, satellite television, and information technology, and through them with Western-style consumerism, also plays a part. For some, this change is experienced not as a liberation but as an attack on culture, tradition, and religious observance. It is also experienced as a humiliation. The Westernizing trend of these changes and the preeminence of the West over the Muslim world are clear to all who can see. For Muslims, however, the world divides into two realms, the realm of believers (dar al-islam”the house of Islam) and the realm of unbelievers (dar al-harb”the house of unbelief, or war). While it is proper and natural for believers to rule unbelievers, it is blasphemous and unnatural for unbelievers to dominate believers. According to Bernard Lewis, many Muslims believe that having to accept this situation leads to the corruption of religion and morality in society, and the flouting and even the abrogation of Gods law. The corruption of religion and morality through the invasion of foreign ideas and ways of life has been apparent for some time, but more recently its effects have begun to be felt in the most private realm of the family, where emancipated women and rebellious children now threaten the believers mastery in his own house. At the same time, however, anger and resentment at the impact of the West coexists with a strong sense of the attractiveness of the Western way of life and of the appeal (for some) that a free society has as an alternative, in the words of Anatol Lieven, to the multiple failures of development and progress within the Muslim world. Complicated and important as the question of radical Islam is, the crucial question both now and longer term concerns the openness of Islamic culture to freedom. Lewis has commented that the emergence of Osama bin Laden and the Taliban provides a new and vivid insight into the eclipse of what was once the greatest, most advanced, and most open civilization in human history. To the Western observer it is precisely the lack of freedom that underlies so many of the troubles of the Muslim world. Freedom in the Islamic world generally refers to national independence or to the freedom of the community of believers to maintain religious observance, rather than the freedom of the individual. Ali Belhadj, one of the leaders of the Algerian Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), claims that the object of the West is to weaken the Muslims resolve to do good and reject evil under the pretense that individuals are free in choosing their acts. For Belhadj, at least, Islam entails a different concept of human nature from the one common to the West which sees individuals as free agents. The word Islam means submission or obedience, and in its expansionist phase Islam was certainly spread through compelling the submission of conquered peoples rather than through persuasion or conversion. The main requirement of the believer is to obey Gods commands and use [his] intelligence in discerning truth from falsehood. He will be held responsible for how well he has done this on the day of judgment, and responsibility implies freedom to act. But this responsibility is not the personal responsibility that arises from living out ones faith according to the lights of conscience; and the freedom of action it implies is not the freedom of choice that Westerners assume goes with it. It is the freedom to submit or surrender to Gods sovereignty, as measured primarily against the external requirements of the five pillars.* But Islam is about more than outward forms of observance. For example, while jihad is typically understood in the West to mean holy war, the first meaning of the word is exertion or struggle, and Malise Ruthven points out that, as traditionally formulated, the believer may undertake jihad by his heart, his tongue, his hands, and by the sword”the most important of these being the first. The emphasis on interior struggle is sometimes referred to as the greater jihad, and it was the path adopted by Sufism, Islams mystical offshoot, which directed some of Islams energies towards inwardness. This deepening of religious experience, however, was not undertaken in opposition to outward observance but as a means of perfecting that observance and maintaining it even more strictly. And while its focus was on individual religious experience, it did not seek or work to displace the corporate foundation”family, tribe, dar al-islam”of the believers identity. It is quite a different situation with Christianity. While the Koran also speaks of Gods love, the overriding emphasis given to the demands of that love in the Gospels leads in another direction altogether. Christs answer to the lawyers question about the greatest commandment”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:36-40)”makes this direction abundantly clear. The life of faith is first and foremost the inner life, and the deepening and cultivation of that life is enjoined both as the means of living out the law and of sustaining it as a law of love. The concepts of responsibility, freedom, and the human person implicit in this are radically different from those at work in Islam, and without them, as Kenneth Minogue has pointed out, the individuality and individualism that we take for granted in the West would never have emerged. Many significant consequences flow from the differences between Christianity and Islam for the development of democracy and a free society. In one sense, Islam is individualistic. As there is no church in Islam, the believers relationship with God and His commands is direct and unmediated. But the consequence of this is to leave the individual exposed to greater domination. As Ruthven argues, the lack of any central institution in Islam impeded the emergence of its counterweight in the shape of the secular state. The [Islamic] law developed separately from the agencies entrusted with its enforcement, and so military-tribal rule became the norm. The state was thus something which sat on top of society, not something which was rooted in it. A related issue is that Islamic law (Sharia) only takes cognizance of individuals. The Sharia does not possess a concept of juridical personality for corporate entities, and the public domain is treated as simply the sum of its private components. In contrast, the medieval Church in Europe generated a great range of mediating institutions within and outside itself, and canon law recognized these as legal persons from the beginning. It also provided a bureaucracy for resolving disputes and the institutional permanence necessary for sustained development. In this way it not only laid the foundations for what would one day become the democratic polity of the West but also prepared the way for the development of capitalism. The absence of institutional boundaries and legal recognition for intermediary groups in Islam has meant that even today it is struggling to develop a legitimate public realm in which economic and political freedom might develop. This is compounded by the fundamental role the family plays in Islamic culture. The family is the only corporate entity the Sharia recognizes. It occupies a privileged position in the law and is accorded a degree of real independence. But when combined with the lack of a clear delineation of public and private and the problematic position of the state in relation to society, the consequence is to make government and institutions unusually vulnerable to capture and corruption by powerful extended family networks. The profound impact that Islam has had on forming the culture, character, and society of the countries it dominates, and particularly in the Middle East, represents a critical obstacle to globalization. It also represents an important challenge. Globalization is not going to go away (at least in the foreseeable future), and although it is a powerful force in the world, it is not irresistible”as the history of the first half of the twentieth century shows. Islam is not going to go away either, nor will it be relegated to the status of a private lifestyle choice. It is possible to find a way forward on these terms, although doing so will require a radical reexamination of secular presuppositions about what is assumed to be the exclusively negative role that religion plays in political life. John Paul IIs reflections on this question are a good place to start, and the interaction between the West and Islam is a good place to try applying them. In doing this, we might just discover that far from being a critical obstacle, religion is in fact the critical ingredient in making freedom around the world possible. The problem with globalization as it currently operates is its tendency to foster secularization among peoples and cultures that are not secular and do not want to be secular. The impression for local people is as John Paul II has described it: the sweeping away of the social norms and the cultural points of reference which had given [people] direction in life, and the imposition of a new scale of values derived from criteria that are regularly arbitrary, materialistic, consumerist, and opposed to any kind of openness to the transcendent. These consequences of globalization should not be dismissed blithely as the price that must be paid for the promise of a wealthier country. It goes without saying that globalization makes change unavoidable, but if it is to be a positive force and to make a positive contribution to the spread of political and economic freedom it must work in a way that respects and does not undermine the most important points of reference for local people. On the Wests part, this will mean abandoning the illusion that there is only one way of being modern, one way of being democratic, and one way of building and managing a free economy. In Kenneth Minogues words, democracy emerged in the West out of an organic development of customs and institutions lasting centuries, which today helps sustain it at a profound level. As Michael Novak points out, this is not a purely rational, abstract, conceptual achievement, but the product of many generations of social experimentation. This will also be true for Muslim countries. We tend to forget that the openness of democratic development means that it can move in various directions and take various forms. This is one reason why it is so important to observe and study the experiment with democracy currently underway in the Islamic republic of Iran. Although by no means perfect, it should not be considered unworthy of attention merely because it is not an experiment with secular democracy. For its part, Islam will have to rediscover some of the intellectual suppleness that produced the scientific and cultural greatness of the period that fell between the ninth and fifteenth centuries. The concept of democracy as it is understood in the West is problematic for Islam, in part because it is associated with Western domination, and in part because the underlying principle of the sovereignty of the people makes it irreconcilable with the sovereignty of God. What is required is the development of a concept of the person which accepts that, along with attributes such as love and reason, freedom is part of what constitutes human nature”and that this gives rise to a legitimate autonomy under the supremacy of the truth. Clearly, this is a very long-term project, since Islam tends to see freedom as something external and conditional on the sovereignty of God, rather than as something interior and constitutive of human being. Law and morality are seen in a similar way, as external precepts imposed by the will of God, rather than as formulations of the practical knowing of the good written on the heart that serves as the basis of the Christian concept of conscience. Engaging in a genuine conversation with Islam on these issues and along these lines would also assist in furthering the concept of human rights. As long as human rights continue to be seen as advancing the interests of sovereign individuals against the claims of family, community, and faith, they will continue to be rejected in the Islamic world as a Western device for introducing a socially corrosive individualism. Secular attempts to respond to this by basing the universality of human rights on some lowest common denominator, such as the desire to avoid pain and humiliation, do not help because they deliberately avoid the underlying philosophical questions about human nature and the conditions of human flourishing. For both parties, an encounter with the personalism of John Paul II might open new possibilities for mutual understanding and common ground. The engagement between globalization and Islam requires positive responses on both sides. Encouraging greater sensitivity on the part of the media towards cultural values overseas is one example of the practical and immediate measures that might be considered on the part of the West. Electronic media and the international advertising industry exercise a powerful impact on local cultures, and sensitivity to Islamic values in the depiction of women and in normalizing relationships and modes of behavior that Muslims consider aberrant would be an important step forward. A priority for Islamic countries, in turn, if only to address the problem of corruption, is to encourage the development of clear boundaries between the public and private domains. Some Muslims claim that the Sharia is immutable, but even so it has always been supplemented by customary and state law, and this continues to be the case to varying degrees today, even in the six Muslim countries which have declared themselves Islamic states. There is scope, therefore, for the development of a concept of juridical personality for corporate bodies that would assist mightily in delineating a legitimate public realm and in encouraging both political and economic freedom. The development of effective and efficient government and nongovernment welfare agencies would also help in countering the appeal of radical Islamic groups, whose extensive welfare organizations play a significant part in generating and maintaining support for Islamism among the poor and displaced in the cities. Many more suggestions could be added to these, but underlying most of them is the need for an intellectual shift on the part of the West so that religion is seen no longer as a stumbling block for freedom, but rather as its cornerstone. Muslims are human beings and freedom is part of their nature, whatever the constraints that history and culture may have placed upon it. Democracy can develop in the Islamic world, just as it developed successfully in some very unlikely places in the last thirty years of the twentieth century. It may not develop soon; it may not develop quickly; and almost certainly it will not develop in our own image. Keeping this possibility open is one of the goods that globalization should serve. The wrong sort of globalization, however, could close it off for generations. The outcome depends on the willingness of the West and of international agencies to reconsider the values and assumptions that drive globalization, and the sort of culture it favors as a consequence. The acid test will be the capacity of globalization to take religion seriously. The faith at the center of peoples lives in non-Western cultures has to be respected and engaged so that the extension of freedom and prosperity that globalization seeks can be realized through genuine participation. The real question is whether the West can overcome its secularist bias to achieve this. Leaving room at the center of the culture for the experience of faith and the interior life does not mean pandering to theocracy. Truth and freedom is not an either/or proposition. Democracy needs to rediscover this, and globalization needs to learn it. For the fatal conceit is not that freedom can succeed against religion, but that it can do so without it. Michael Casey is Permanent Fellow in Sociology and Politics at the Australian session of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family and a sociologist on the staff of Archbishop George Pell of Sydney. This essay won the Acton Institutes 2001 Novak Award. Soon.

Economic Updates - Exclusive Articles On July 18, 2011, the Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs promulgated the Industrial Relations Ordinance, 2011. This Law in terms of Section 1 (2) extends to the whole of Pakistan and in terms of Section 1 (3) it shall apply to all persons employed in any establishment or industry in the Islamabad Capital Territory or carrying business in more than one Province. The preamble to the said Ordinance mentioned that the Ordinance has been promulgated to consolidate and rationalise the Law relating to the formation of trade unions and improvement of relations between employers and workmen in the Islamabad Capital Territory and in Trans-Provincial Establishment and Industry. Under the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973, prior to 1 8th Amendment there was a Concurrent Legislative List. Item No 26 and 27 of the said Concurrent List read as under: ---- 26: Welfare of labour, conditions of labour, provident funds, employers liability and workmen s compensation, health, insurance including invalidity pensions, old age pensions. ---- 27: Trade Unions, industrial and labour disputes. In other words, prior to the 18th Amendment in the Constitution, passed by the Parliament on 20-04-2010, the Labour Laws pertaining to Trade Union Industrial and Labour Disputes, welfare of labour, workmen s compensation, old-age pension, invalidity pensions could be promulgated both by the Federal Government as also the provincial governments. However, the Parliament passed the 18th Amendment on 20-04-2010, whereby the Concurrent Legislative List was omitted and all the matters mentioned therein came within the jurisdiction of the province for the purpose of making the legislation dealing with the said law. This aspect of the matter has been dealt with extensively by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in Constitution Petition No 24 of 2011 titled Air League of PIAC Employees vs Federation of Pakistan, Ministry of Labour and Manpower, Islamabad decided by the Full Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and announced on 2nd June, 2011. In terms of Para 18 on Page 17 of this judgement, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has been pleased to observe as under:- Furthermore by means of Eighteenth Constitutional Amendment the Concurrent Legislative List was abolished and the Federal Government had lost the power to legislate regarding Labour Welfare and Trade Unions, which subject devolved upon the provinces, it is to be noted that presently, no Federal Legislation can be made on the Labour matters except recourse to the provisions of Article 144(l) of the Constitution, which provide that if one or more Provincial Assemblies pass resolutions to the effect that Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) may be law regulate any matter not enumerated in the Federal Legislative List in the Fourth Schedule, it shall be lawful for the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) to pass an Act for regulation that matter accordingly, but any Act so passed may, in respect to the Province to which it applies, be amended or repealed by the act of the Assembly of that province. The Trade Unions, which are operating within one province, can be dealt with under the Labour Laws enacted in that Province and the workman can also avail the appropriate remedy provided under the said legislation. Again in Para 27 on page 25 of the said Judgement the Supreme Court of Pakistan were pleased to observe as under: Now turning towards the submission of the learned Amicus Curiae on the vires of the Provincial Labour Laws on the ground that there are many Institutions/Corporations which have their branches all over the country and there were countrywide Trade Unions but now Trade Union can only be registered under the legislation of a specific province. It is to be noted that instant proceedings have been initiated under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution, with a limited purpose of having a declaration that IRA, 2008 on the basis of 18th Constitutional Amendment stood protected and continued till 30th June 2011, therefore, the vires of the same cannot be considered in such proceedings. However, as stated earlier Article 144 (1) of the Constitution has provided a mechanism for making central legislation in respect of matters not covered in the Federal Legislative List. Reading the aforesaid Judgement of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in terms of Article 189 of the Constitution is the decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan which is binding on other courts. This provision of Article 189 of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 reads as follows: Any decision of the Supreme Court shall, to the extent that it decides questions of Law or is based upon or enunciated principle of law is binding on all other courts in Pakistan. Furthermore Article 190 of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 provides as follows: All Executives and Judicial Authorities throughout Pakistan shall act in aid of the Supreme Court. Reading the judgement of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the aforementioned Articles of the Constitution of Pakistan, including the 18th Amendment, it is very clear and obvious that no Federal Legislation can be made on labour matters except recourse to the provision of Article 144 (1) of the Constitution which provides that if one or more provincial assemblies passed resolution to the effect that the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) may by Law regulate any matter not enumerated in the Federal Legislative List in the 4th Schedule, it shall be lawful that the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) pass an Act for regulating that matter accordingly. Even before Supreme Court of Pakistan it was pleaded that there are Institution and Corporations having branches all over the country and Trade Unions country wide, yet keeping in view the 18th Amendment, the Supreme Court of Pakistan have reiterated its earlier observations and laid down guidelines as under:- However, as stated earlier Article 144 (1) of the Constitution has provided mechanism for making central legislation in respect of matters not covered under Federal Legislative List. It is, therefore, very clear and obvious that IRO, 2011 promulgated by the Federal Government on 18th July, 2011 is not only ultra vires the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 read with Constitution (18th Amendment) Act 2010 but is also in clear breach and violation and in contempt of the judgement delivered by the Apex Court in the case of Air League of PIAC Employees in C. P. No 24/2011. The correct course of action should have been for each of the four Provincial Assemblies to have passed resolutions to the effect that Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) may by law regulate any matters not enumerated in the Federal Legislative List in the Fourth Schedule to pass an Act for regulating that matter accordingly in relation to Unions whose membership extends to more than one province. Needless to mention it is not open for Majlis-e-Shoora either to circumvent or bypass the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973 and or even the decision of the Apex Court as in the instant case. Invariably Supreme Court of Pakistan in its judgement does not lay down and provide any guidelines for Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) as to how they should ensure central legislation is promulgated even in respect of matters not covered in the Federal Legislative List. However, it goes to the credit of an independent judiciary of this country presided over by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice lftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry who has specifically laid down guidelines which should be followed and to be adopted by the Provincial Legislature Under Article 144 (1) of the Constitution, these would enable the Majlis-e-Shoora to make central legislation even in respect of matters not covered in the Federal Legislative List. The preamble to the said IRO 2011 provides for consolidation and rationalisation of law relating to formation of trade union and management relations between employers and workmen in the Islamabad Capital Territory and in Trans-Provincial Establishment and Industry. This phrase Trans-Provincial Establishment and Industry does not appear in the Constitution of Pakistan Federal Legislative List, Item No 13 of Part II of Federal Legislative List referred to Inter Provincial Matters and Co-ordination . This is altogether different from Trans-Provincial Establishment and Industry . Already Supreme Court of Pakistan has provided guidelines in the judgement in C. P. No 24/2011 to cater to those unions who are what is otherwise known as Industry wise Trade Unions meaning Trade Unions whose membership is in more than one Province, then admittedly Provincial Government cannot frame legislation in relation to such Trade Union. It is for this purpose the apex court gave in larger national interest observations aimed at guiding the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) as also provincial assemblies to the effect that if they so desire the Federal Government to promulgate the law which is now no more on the Federal Legislative List, then the provision of Article 144 (1) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973 may be invoked by those Provinces passing resolutions and authorising Federal Government to promulgate Ordinance to be approved by the Majlis-eShoora. The phrase inter Provincial Matters and Co-ordination as used in Item No 13 of the Part II of the Federal Legislative List is not be equated with those establishments or industry whose branches or unit extends in more than one province. The entire IRO 2011 is therefore ultra vires the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973 and has been promulgated by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs in violation not only to the Constitution but also the guidelines provided for and the interpretation given in Constitution Petition No 24/2011 in the case of Air League of PIAC by the Apex Court and is liable to be struck down. It is not out of context to point out that IRA 2008 expired on 30-04-2010. In between on 20-04-2010 18th Constitutional Amendment was passed by the Parliament. In terms of Article 270AAA (8) on the omission of Concurrent Legislative List process of devolution of matters mentioned in the said List to the Province shall be completed by 30th June, 2011. The process of devolution having been completed on 30th June, 2011, promulgation of IRO 2011 on 8~h July, 201 1 is even ultra vires Article 270AAA (8) of the Constitution of Pakistan and even on this ground is liable to be set aside. Needless to mention on 30th April, 2010 IRA 2008 expired by virtue of the Sunset Clause namely 87 (3). All the four Provincial Assembles have since then made their own Legislation in respect of Industrial Relations in keeping with the essence and spirit of 18th Constitutional Amendment. Punjab Industrial Relations Ordinance was promulgated on 30thJune, 2010 and its life extended up to 30th September, 2010 and thereafter on 9th December, 2010, Punjab Industrial Relations Act 2010 has been passed by the Punjab Provincial Assembly. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IRO 2010 was promulgated on 14th July, 2010 and since then converted into Act. Balochistan Industrial Relations Ordinance 2010 was promulgated on 22nd July, 2010 and was replaced by BIRA 2010 Act on 15th October, 2010. In Sindh Industrial Relations (Revival and Amendment) Act 2010 was promulgated by the Province of Sindh whereby IRA 2008 was revived w. e. f. 1st May, 2010. The vires of Sindh Industrial Relations (Revival and Amendment) Act 2010 has already been challenged before Division Bench of the Sindh High Court, where Full Bench of the Sindh High Court has been constituted by the Chief Justice. Needless to mention even when the 18th Amendment was not passed by the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) the Islamabad Capital Territory was not a province, yet there was a separate Labour Court for Islamabad and the one of the sitting judge of the Islamabad High Court was notified as the Labour Appellate Tribunal in relation to Islamabad Capital Territory. There was under the circumstances no need for promulgation of IRO 2011 in relation to Islamabad Capital Territory as such law did exist even prior to the 18th Amendment in the Constitution and Labour Court and Labour Appellate Tribunals were functioning and continued to do so even this day in respect of Islamabad Capital Territory. It is very clear and obvious that the entire IRO 2011 has been promulgated with mala fide intention at the behest of an Institution in order to justify continuation of its existence aimed at registration of Trade Unions whose membership extends to more than one Province. This Institution had been adversely commented upon by the High Courts both of Punjab and Sindh. One of the judges elevated from the Labour Bar, Justice Shahid Anwar Bajwa an icon of Labour Laws in our country, in his judgement reported in PLD 2010 Kar 1 has very admirably summed up the purpose of Labour Courts and National Industrial Relations Commission by reproducing extracts of the judgements in relation to these two organs of Labour Judiciary earlier given by the Sindh High Court and Lahore High Court. Justice Shahid Anwar Bajwa has observed as under:- What kind of ill can executive control lead to is so commonly understandable and so widely comprehended that one need not say anything in this regard? As far as the Labour Judiciary is concerned, just three instances may suffice here. There is an interesting case law in this regard and the case law is reported as A and B Beverages Shama Labour Union vs. Sindh Labour Court (2000 PLC 389). The facts were that a person in judicial service as Additional District and. Session Judge was dismissed from service in 1992 after due enquiry of corruption charges. However, thereafter the Chief Minister of Sindh set aside the dismissal order. The High Court did not recognise him as a Judicial Officer and he was not allowed to resume duty. The Government of Sindh posted him as Presiding Officer of Sindh Labour Court. The judge went on to say: There is absolutely no doubt that he is still reputed to be corrupt and it is very unfortunate that such a person has been assigned the vital task of deciding the matter under the Labour Law. However, the judge ordered that office should send a copy of the order to the Labour Appellate Tribunal for information and to the Chief Secretary and the Secretary Law to consider whether such a person who is still reputed to be corrupt deserves to be retained in service. Justice Ihsanul Huq Chaudhry in Nishat Group of Industry s case (1997 PLC 622) noted the pathetic state of affairs in the National Industrial Relations Commission and passed the following observations: It is a matter of great regret that the Government makes appointments to such sensitive posts recklessly. The Government, if serious to these institutions for the industrial peace in the country then these Tribunals has to be manned by persons of integrity and quality otherwise it would amount to sheer wastage of public funds. Let a copy of this judgement be sent to Mohammad Zaman Qureshi, newly appointed Chairman, National Industrial Relations Commission to take up the matter in the concerned quarters. The matter did not end there, or shall I say, the rot did not stop there. Justice Tanveer Ahmed Khan in Pakistan Telecommunication s case (1999 PLC 320) made, probably the most scathing remark ever made against a Judicial Forum, against N. I. R. C. when his Lordship said: Before parting with these cases after going through the judgement dated 15-07-1998 of the Chairman N. I. R. C. and the judgement, dated 31-08-1998 of the Full Bench both subject matter of these Constitutional petitions one comes to an irresistible conclusion that there is a judicial anarchy in the working of the N. I. R. C. The Full bench as quoted the observation of my learned brother Ihsanul Haq Chaudhry, J, qua the working of N. I. R. C. reported in Nishat Group of Industries and another vs. Chairman N. I. R. C. and others (1997 PLC 622) which is in the following terms: It is a matter of great regret that the Government makes appointments to such sensitive posts recklessly. The government, if it is serious to these institutions for the industrial peace in the country then these Tribunals have to be manned by persons of integrity and quality, otherwise it would amount to sheer wastage of public funds. The Learned Counsel appearing for both the sides have also made reference to such an atmosphere prevailing in the Commission. I myself fully subscribe to the view of my learned brother quoted above that the working of the Commission is on decay and if some steps at the earliest are not taken to arrest this deteriorating situation it would be then too late in the day to mend the same. It Shahid Islam s case (PLD 1996 Lahore 699) it was noticed that an advocate who had not yet completed the requisite ten years of enrolment as advocate High Court was appointed as a Member of N. I. R. C. in violation of rules prescribing such qualification. It is very clear and obvious that once again certain individuals contrary to larger national interest and the unanimous approved Constitution (18th Amendment) Act 2010 have tried to not only circumvent the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973 but even the decision of the Apex Court by assisting in the framing of the IRO 2011. Obviously this Institution was angry as a result of the decision of the Apex Court which was entirely based on the interpretation of the Constitution (18th Amendment) Act 2010. Benjamin Franklin one of the founding father of USA has aptly observed as under: Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame. Aforementioned observations of Benjamin Franklin reflects shame whilst promulgating IRO 2011 ignoring altogether the fact that Constitution (18th Amendment) Act 2010 was unanimously passed by the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament). This institution has disturbed hornets nest which should expect to be swamped by the stinging wasps and would end up with swollen face once Ghazab Corruption Ki Ajab Kahani is revealed to this nation. French Author Julis Renard has remarked: I fully know what distinguishes men from the other beast: financial worries. It is not known if Julis Renard had in mind the Institution who in order to save their Bread and Butter and continue with corrupt practices already referred to hear in above as enunciated by the Lahore High Court and Karachi High Court have misguided the Federal Government to ignore not only the decision of Apex Court but even the Constitution (18th Amendment) Act 2010. Rational human being would have followed guidelines laid down by the Apex Court in the case of Air League of PIAC and had asked Provincial Assemblies to pass resolutions in terms of Article 144 (1) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973 authorising Federal Government to promulgate the Law. Unfortunately this has not been done and people of this country continue to suffer not only wilful and deliberate violation of the Constitution of Pakistan but even the decision of the Apex Court who have in good faith not only correctly interpreted the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973, including the Constitution (18th Amendment) Act 2010 but have even given guidelines to the provincial assemblies which have all been set aside and IRO 2011 have been promulgated to add to the woes and misery and suffering of people of this country in general and the working class of Pakistan including those, in Industrial and Commercial Sectors in particular. It is not that Government of Sindh is conscious to the abolition of Concurrent Legislative List and the completion of devolution process by 30th June, 2011. In a letter published in English Daily Dawn Karachi dated 20th July, 2011, Mukhtar Hussain Soomro, Secretary Labour Department Sindh has challenged and claimed that Provincial Governments are not prepared to handle Labour Laws. He has rebutted the impression sought to be created with the following letters whose extracts are being reproduced verbatim: Apropos of the letter Labour Laws need to be simplified (July 8), the writer conveyed his impression that provinces are not prepared to implement and handle Labour Laws, particularly those of EOBI and WWF. This perception is not based on facts as the Labour Department, Government of Sindh, took measures which came under print for public consumption on May 19, by Dawn s Mukhtar Alam, under the heading Labour department devolution likely to meet June 30 deadline . He has mentioned in his letter that the federal government should continue to oversee the functioning of Labour affairs. In this regard, it is clarified that this would be in contravention of Clauses 8 and 9 of Article 270AA of the amended Constitution, which clearly stipulates that on omission of the Concurrent Legislative List, the process of devolution shall be completed by June 30,2011, through an Implementation Commission. From the above provision of the Constitution, it will be seen that matters which were mentioned in the Concurrent Legislative List stand devolved to the provinces latest by June 30, 2011, and after the said date the subject Labour, including its components, WWF and EOBI, its infrastructure, assets and liabilities, including funds, are to be maintained and regulated by the provinces and any action or decision taken by the federal government will be in conflict with the provisions of the Constitution. The 18th Amendment is a major breakthrough in the constitutional history of Pakistan and will go a long way to consolidating the federation of Pakistan. Since the provincial autonomy was long cherished and awaited demand of the provinces, the government of Sindh, therefore, through its Labour Department initiated all necessary draft legislations for placing before the Provincial Assembly so that no hurdles came while discharging public duties. Sindh province, taking the lead, also assisted its sister provinces in preparing a draft legislation of federal Acts and Rules, which needed to be provincialised in view of the passage of the 18th Amendment. However, extra efforts are required to be put in by the provinces to make it a success whereas the federal government is constitutionally bound to facilitate the implementation of the ~ Amendment in totality. The word Trans is not a legal dictionary term. Its definition does not appear in Blacks Law Dictionary Revised Fourth Edition, nor in Ballentines Law Dictionary, Third Edition. No such word is legally defined in Legal Thesaurus by William C. Burton. This phrase Trans Provincial does not even appear in the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 nor in the Federal Legislative List either in Part I or Part II. In Item No 13 of Part II of Federal Legislative List the item refers to is: Inter-provincial matter and co-ordination This above phrase is not similar or akin to Trans Provincial . Even in IRO 2011, the expression used in Section 57(5) explanation is industry wise trade unions and Federation of such trade unions. In flagrant violation of Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act 2010, the phrase Trans Provincial has been coined and an artificial meaning assigned as the same as industry wise trade unions in more than one Province which is in violation to Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act 2010. In brief IRO 2011 is ultra vires the Constitution of Pakistan, ultra vires the Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act 2010, in wilful disobedience and contempt of the decision of the Apex Court in the case of Air League and in violation to Article 144 (1) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973. Courtesy: Business Recorder Forex open Market rates & comments Archive

Ooligan author Brian K. Friesen made an audiobook for At the Waterline, and we got the chance to hear about his process and the exciting results! What inspired you to produce your own audiobook for At the Waterline? I had been hearing about the recent surge in audiobook audiences, and wanted to see if I could get on that train. I thought it might give book sales for At the Waterline a boost. Perhaps it will lend my novel a sense of legitimacy by having the audiobook version available and listed beside print and ebook versions. I’ve had people tell me that I have a good reading voice. I decided to believe them and to see if I could develop that voice a little with practice. I enjoy reading out loud and exploring stories in that way. Trying different inflections and rhythms to see what works well. Recording my own novel was invaluable to me as a reader and even more to me as a writer. The internal voice that many readers have while reading can get tripped up by awkward sentence structures and rhythms. It can be hard to hear that as a writer. It definitely helps you to detect subtle imprecise language if you read your own writing out loud (or hear someone else struggle to read it out loud). I have mixed feelings about audiobook listening while multitasking. In my own experience with audiobooks, giving only a portion of my attention to a book robs me in a lot of ways. There are audiobooks I’ve listened to while riding my bike to and from my day job. Or washing dishes. Or filing away emails. If was being honest, I wouldn’t really claim to have “read” some of those books by the time I’m done listening to the final track. My limited ability to focus on multiple stimuli at the same time means I’m not hearing every single sentence. It’s more like listening to an abridged version of the book, even if the audiobook is unabridged. That being said, I also think that getting stories into the ears of listeners who wouldn’t otherwise pick up a book is a good thing. I wanted to reach as wide an audience as possible with At the Waterline. Ultimately, how they read it or experience it is not for me to judge. If people are getting narrative into their lives, whether it is radio theater, podcasts, or movie novelizations for junior readers, their lives are richer for it. Had you ever done a project like this before? If so, how did that experience shape your decisions for this project? If not, how did you prepare for this project? I’ve never done an audio project of this size before. The final audiobook version of At the Waterline is 9 hours, 24 minutes long. I have done some work with audio before. I recorded a poetry radio show for a couple years at Golden Hours Radio. They broadcast their content through Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). They had studio space and equipment that I learned to use. I learned a lot there about writing content and speaking for a listening audience. I learned a little about equipment and recording and editing. I’ve also done some undergraduate work recording interviews with various people. I have an oral history project I did for the Oregon Historical Society. All that experience helped me with reading and recording At the Waterline. I learned about some of my own verbal tics, and how to filter some of those things out while recording: annoying breathing habits, “ums,” “uhs,” tongue/nose whistling that can happen with some consonants, repeating phrases, preambles, and general throat-clearing and nasal-sniffing grossness. The audio recording/editing software was relatively new to me, so I had to research and learn a lot about what was available out there. I opted for free, open-source software (I mostly used a program called Audacity), which had a lot of online tutorials and forums for problem-solving. I had to buy a semi-decent microphone (I got a set of Logitec headphones with a mic wand that I could swivel out of the way. I set up a makeshift studio space in the attic of the house where I live. It took a few tries to find a decent chair that didn’t make a symphony of audible squeaks and ticks and groans. I hung carpet up to create a kind of booth, and found ways to dampen the laptop noise so I could record in front of a screen. What was your favorite part of working on the audiobook for At the Waterline? My favorite part was how it reopened the novel for further exploration. There were certain characters that became fleshed out more as I found voices for them. I tried out lines of dialogue in many different ways until I found a tone that I liked. Jack’s intensity came alive for me as I discovered a lower, gruffer vocal register that seemed to capture something closer to his personality. I wore my vocal chords out trying to record lines of dialogue for him. It made my voice even rougher, as I “performed” him. The shadow side of this enjoyable exploration was that I saw flaws in the manuscript and further changes I wanted to make. By this time, the book was out, so I couldn’t feasibly start up the editing process again! I think it was Paul Valery who said, “A poem’s never finished, only abandoned.” Of course, that’s also true for novels. What was the hardest part of the production process and what did you learn from that experience? By the time I had all the tracks recorded and had edited out all the obvious mistakes, I thought I was done. I submitted the audio files to Audible (via) and Author’s Republic (who distributes to over a dozen other audiobook entities) and the audiobook didn’t meet some technical standards. I learned a bit more about how to tweak audio files so that they were consistent in their db range, their noise floor, the file size, and a number of other specifications. I started noticing more sound spikes and clicks and background noise that the mouth-breather narrator made all through the audiobook. So I made hundreds of more small edits to clean the files up and make them more presentable. In the process, I accidentally deleted sections, misnamed files and made a general mess of things. I had to re-record a bunch of scenes and get all the tracks and sections in order. I saved multiple versions of files in different places depending on where I was trying to work. I made the mistake of trying to work on multiple computers, and ended up saving files in different places and lost track of which files contained the most recent edits. I probably should have gone to the Cloud with all the work in progress and had a single place where I backed up everything I was doing, but I didn’t. Even when I was done-done, I still wasn’t done-done-done! Some of the final files had the wrong file names, so I had to make sure all the files really contained the content that matched the file names. It seems like I learned everything the hard way. And often relearned the same lessons the hard way! So, for me—someone who is naturally un-systematic in general—editing files and submitting them three and four times to audiobook distributors took a lot of time and energy. During the three or four months I was trying to submit to Audible, I put the earlier audiobook files up for sale on SoundCloud and on Bandcamp. I sold a few that way, which was encouraging. Finally, it was accepted by a number of online carriers, including Libro.fm, Audible, iTunes, B&N Nook Audiobooks, and a bunch of others. I’m still waiting to hear back from Overdrive, which could make it available at more libraries than it is currently. You can already check it out from a number of library systems in the Pacific Northwest, which is exciting. What advice would you give to other industry professionals (authors and/or publishers) who are interested in producing their own audiobooks? Get help! That may take the form of gathering information from professionals who do this kind of thing for a living. Or taking tutorials on YouTube. You can find help listening to podcasts that cover audio recording and studio work. You might interview professionals over the phone. It’s going to cost you more money and/or time than you think. If you don’t have thousand-dollar bills burning holes in your pocket, you may find it difficult to pay a studio, hire a voice actor, or farm out technical work to production/marketing companies. If you want to do most of the work yourself, plan on it taking about ten times as long as you think it will. I was a one-person-shop, and it took me nine months to complete. I had some experience with audio voice recording and editing, but I still had learning curves to navigate at different stages of this project. You may not think you need a studio, but you do, even if it is just a space where you can cobble together sound-dampening cushions or pieces of fabric to hang in front of you (and preferable to each side of you). I’d invest in a screen/filter to place between your mouth and the microphone. Something to dissipate all the breath-heavy consonants (p, t, b etc.). I could have saved myself a lot of extra editing work if I had invested in equipment that would capture a cleaner initial recording. Audible and other companies will require you to cleanup background noise and sound-spikes if there are too many of those in your recordings. You can do a lot of work to finally get your audiobook submitted and accepted, but that doesn’t mean that anyone will see your book or want to pay you to listen to it. Even with a growing audiobook market, it still takes savvy marketing and industry connections to get your work out there and into people’s ears. I was surprised by the blurry dividing line I’ve seen between the traditional publishing industry and audiobook publishing. They really are on different production timelines, and they require unique marketing skills. I did what I could: I joined audiobook groups on Facebook; I promoted on Twitter and Instagram; I got to know a few narrators who promoted my audiobook on social media; I became active in online forums; I contacted reviewers; I made audiobook trailers; I had contests. So far, I’ve mostly been fishing around in the dark as I try to promote the audiobook for At the Waterline. I imagine you can get more traction if you invest more money up front into audiobook production. There are studios and audiobook professionals that are more connected to the well-worn paths in the audiobook industry. If you are a writer, you’ll want to ask yourself if you are willing to sacrifice the time you could be spending writing new material. Even if you work with a professional studio, it will probably take you months of time to narrate an audiobook. As I went along, I was very torn between audiobook work and new writing. I honestly don’t think I would volunteer to do the narration on my next book. I’ve done a lot of work to promote At the Waterline, but, more often than not these days, I’m deciding to focus on other projects. I know the audiobook could be selling a lot better, but I can only do so much. If there is going to be another audiobook in my future, I’d probably put it in the hands of other people to narrate, produce and market. I’d love to watch an learn about how it is “supposed to be done!”

Industry placements: capacity and delivery fund (CDF) for providers delivering in the 2022 to 2023 academic year Information for 16 to 19 providers delivering CDF industry placements for the 2022 to 2023 academic year. Applies to England Purpose The purpose of this information is to set out the arrangements for delivering industry placements through the CDF for those providers in receipt of a CDF allocation in the 2022 to 2023 academic year. All providers issued with a CDF allocation in the 2022 to 2023 academic year should read and become familiar with this guidance. It is no longer possible to apply for this funding if you do not already have it. The opportunity to do so closed in December 2020. As T Levels are rolled out, funding through CDF will reduce. The 2022 to 2023 academic year is the final year of funding for providers rated as ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’ by Ofsted. Those CDF-funded providers with an Ofsted rating of ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ will be able to access this funding in the 2023 to 2024 academic year, after which they will be able to deliver the full range of T Levels and CDF will no longer be required. For the 2022 to 2023 academic year, the CDF funding rate has been reduced to £160 per qualifying student for both level 2 and level 3 students. This guidance provides an overview of the requirements for delivering placements, completing the monitoring returns and recording industry placements. Providers must comply with this guidance for CDF industry placements delivered in the 2022 to 2023 academic year. Failure to do so may result in the CDF allocation being removed. Additional links can be found in the background section of this guidance where there are supporting documentation and useful resources that providers may wish to refer to when planning and delivering CDF placements. Background CDF is funding allocated to providers delivering vocational and technical classroom-based programmes for students aged 16, 17 or 18 on level 2 and level 3 programmes. The purpose of this funding is to build provider capacity and capability to deliver high quality T Level style industry placements for students undertaking vocational and technical programmes in readiness for delivering T Levels in the future. These are large placements that must be occupationally specific and focused on developing the practical and technical skills required for the profession or trade the student is studying towards. Building these industry placements requires a significant investment of time and resource in building employer links, developing processes and procedures, preparing students for the workplace, and delivering and monitoring the industry placement experience. Further details on the core industry placement principles providers of CDF have to follow, industry placement delivery guidance, a student guide and other guidance resources and video and paper-based case studies are available to support providers with their planning and delivery. Policy and funding priorities from the 2022 to 2023 academic year Policy updates that were introduced for the delivery of CDF from the 2020 to 2021 academic year also apply for the 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023 academic year. These include: - the ability to deliver CDF industry placements over 2 academic years where a student is on a 2-year qualifying programme - a minimum target of delivering a placement for 25% of total qualifying students - a requirement to prioritise delivery of level 3 placements rather than level 2 industry placements As T Level delivery is being scaled up, we are keen to ensure that T Level industry placements and CDF industry placements are not competing in the engagement of employers for industry placements. To support a smooth transition to T Level delivery, the following changes were introduced for CDF from the 2021 to 2022 academic year. - we will require providers to prioritise the development of level 3 industry placements by delivering a larger proportion of level 3 placements than level 2 placements within their overall 25% target. This reflects the fact that T Levels are level 3 programmes requiring industry placements at the appropriate level - in the 2022 to 2023 academic year, the funding rate will be reduced to £160 per qualifying student for your level 2 and level 3 students - in the 2023 to 2024 academic year, access to CDF funding will be limited to those providers with an Ofsted ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ grade as they will not be able to deliver the full range of T Levels until the following year - CDF funding will no longer be available after the 2023 to 2024 academic year Industry placements need to include genuine and meaningful on-the-job experience where the student is able to experience the full range of realities of working, such as timekeeping, commuting and interacting with colleagues’ face to face. Industry placements must be undertaken in a physical workplace environment and therefore industry placements cannot be delivered remotely or virtually. The expectation is that all industry placements should commence in the first year of a student’s study programme where they are on a 2-year programme (and during the CDF funded year), with a minimum of 50% of a provider’s industry placements being successfully completed by the end of the first academic year. The remainder of industry placements would need to be successfully completed by the end of the second academic year. Those industry placements that span over 2 academic years can only count towards the minimum delivery target set in the academic year when the industry placement started and was funded. Funding calculations based on qualifying students CDF allocations made for the 2022 to 2023 academic year will be calculated based on the number of qualifying students enrolled on a level 2 or level 3 vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) with each provider in the 2020 to 2021 academic year. As a requirement for this funding, providers are required to deliver industry placements to their funded students on the sector subject area (SSA) relevant to future T Levels. The relevant percentage targets for placement delivery are calculated based on the total number of qualifying students. An allocation will be made to all existing CDF-funded providers unless they opt out prior to the allocations date in March 2022. General vocational To calculate a provider’s minimum delivery target, we will: - take the number of students enrolled on qualifying programmes (see above) in the 2020 to 2021 academic year to give us your total qualifying students at level 2 and level 3 - apply the minimum delivery target of 25% to both the level 2 and level 3 qualifying students to provide a total minimum industry placement delivery target, split by level 2 and level 3 - prioritise level 3 industry placements: the ratio of the level 3 against the level 2 minimum delivery target is uplifted by 25% to provide us with a revised split at level 2 and level 3 with a total minimum delivery target of 25% of qualifying students For example, where a provider has 1,000 qualifying students (number of level 2 students is 600 and the number of level 3 students is 400). - providers will need to deliver placements to 25% of their qualifying students, so 250 industry placements - without the 25% uplift the minimum delivery of placements for level 3 students would be 400 x 25% = 100 - the minimum delivery of placements for level 3 students including the 25% uplift for level 3 is 100 x 1.25 = 125 - the overall minimum delivery target remains at 250 therefore the minimum delivery of placements for level 2 students becomes 125 To calculate a provider’s CDF allocation, we: - will multiply the funding value of £160 by the total volume of level 2 and level 3 qualifying students to give us the funding allocation - and where a provider delivers both CDF and T Levels, we will reduce the number of CDF qualifying students by the number of planned T Level student starts for that academic year before calculating the funding ESFA will not apply a minimum allocation for CDF for the 2022 to 2023 academic year, as was the case in earlier years. CDF allocations are simply based on the number of qualifying students enrolled with each provider in the 2020 to 2021 academic year. The CDF is provided to support the delivery of successful industry placements and is subject to 3 specific required deliverables: - capacity building to improve the infrastructure to deliver high quality substantial industry placements - development of relationships with employers to enable the sourcing of suitable industry placements - 25% of a provider’s qualifying students should complete an industry placement We are not being prescriptive on how the funding is used to build capacity, so long as it is used for the purpose intended, which is to support the delivery of substantial industry placements within current and future T Level routes and represents good value for money. This funding must not be used to deliver placements within a T Level programme or displace other funding. Providers should be clear that receiving CDF funding does not imply future eligibility to deliver or receive funding for the development or delivery of T Levels. Budgets to support CDF industry placement delivery from the 2022 to 2023 academic year are not guaranteed and are subject to the government spending review which is expected to be confirmed later this autumn. Qualifications that count towards the CDF target for the 2022 to 2023 academic year onwards From the 2020 to 2021 academic year, we narrowed the focus of CDF delivery to ensure that CDF would facilitate sufficient capacity building for industry placements across relevant programme areas as we roll out T Levels. Providers were therefore expected to arrange industry placements for students studying qualifications relevant to T Level areas only as part of their 25% minimum delivery target. This will be the case for the remaining phase of CDF, so applies to this academic year too. Sector subject areas for general vocational qualifications Qualifying students on qualifications from the Sector Subject Areas below will count towards the minimum delivery target: 01.1 Medicine and Dentistry 01.2 Nursing and subjects and vocations allied to medicine 01.3 Health and social care 01.5 Child development and well-being 02.1 Science 03.1 Agriculture 03.2 Horticulture and forestry 03.3 Animal care and veterinary science 03.4 Environmental conservation 04.1 Engineering 04.2 Manufacturing technologies 05.2 Building and construction 06.1 ICT practitioners 07.3 Service enterprises 07.4 Hospitality and catering 09.2 Crafts, creative arts, and design 09.3 Media and communication 09.4 Publishing and information services 15.1 Accounting and finance 15.2 Administration 15.3 Business management 15.5 Law and legal services These are the applied general qualifications (AGQs) that fall within the sector subject areas which, while they are excluded for the purposes of identifying qualifying students, can be counted towards the 25% delivery target. These are all at level 3. Applied general qualifications that fall within the sector subject areas ODS, 6.5KB This file is in an OpenDocument format How to determine if a qualification counts towards the delivery target To determine if a learning aim or qualification undertaken counts towards the 25% delivery target, providers can refer to the Learning Aims Reference Service (LARS). By searching for the learning aim or qualification within LARS, a provider will be able to confirm the sector subject area (SSA) the learning aim or qualification is attributed to. Providers can then compare that to the list of SSAs included within this CDF guidance to ensure the learning aim or qualification can be counted towards the CDF target. The SSAs listed in the guidance include all the general vocational qualifications at both level 2 and level 3 and the AGQs at level 3 that count towards the CDF delivery targets. 2022 to 2023 academic year monitoring return requirements Monitoring returns are mandatory and must be submitted as a condition of receiving a CDF allocation. Monitoring returns provide us with information on the progress being made in building capacity and capability to deliver high quality industry placements as we scale up the delivery of T Levels. They also provide assurance that the funding is being used for the purpose intended. Monitoring returns for the 2022 to 2023 academic year are required twice a year by the following dates: - for Friday 2 December 2022 we will ask for evidence on how funding was spent for the 2021 to 2022 academic year as well as plans for the 2022 to 2023 academic year - for Friday 9 June 2023 we will ask for information about progress and challenges faced with placement delivery in the 2022 to 2023 academic year Your CDF allocation may be at risk should you fail to demonstrate that you have continued to source, develop, and deliver industry placements and prepare students for the workplace and have used CDF for the purpose intended. Your CDF allocation may also be at risk if you fail to submit monitoring returns as this would be a breach of the funding agreement. Any misuse of your CDF allocation will result in recovery of funds. We will send a link to the monitoring return form and guidance on how to complete this to all providers with a CDF allocation – usually 6 weeks ahead of the published return date. Monitoring returns will provide the opportunity to opt in or out of CDF delivery for the following academic year. By “opting out” through the monitoring return, you will be indicating that you do not wish to receive an allocation for CDF delivery in future years. Once you have opted out, there will be no further opportunities to access CDF. DfE Sign-in account and access to the monitoring returns To access the monitoring return, you must sign into your DfE Sign-in account. We strongly advise you to check that your DfE Sign-in details are valid and that you have the appropriate permissions to access DfE Sign-in in advance of the deadline of the first monitoring return due by 2 December 2022 If you do not currently have an account, then you will need to create a DfE Sign-in account. Once you have an account, then the service ‘Online Collection Service’ and role ‘Industry Placements CDF Monitoring’ will need to be added to your account by a DfE Sign-in Approver at your organisation. Once you have access to the monitoring return, go to the DfE Sign-in page and enter your email address and password. This will take you to the Services page where you will need to choose ‘Industry Placements CDF Monitoring’. Once you have access to the DfE Sign-in account, you will then be directed to the relevant monitoring return. Open the monitoring return and complete the relevant sections. There is a save and return function if you would like to revisit your responses before you submit. Once you have answered the questions in the monitoring return, please submit your responses. You will then be sent an email confirmation with a pdf attachment containing your monitoring return responses. You can view your responses at any time by logging on to your DfE Sign-in account. Recording substantial industry placements and how this data will be used To continue receiving a CDF allocation, it is a requirement that you record all industry placements fully in the individualised learner record (ILR) or school census at each data return point. Providers have been notified of the minimum number of industry placements they must deliver for students on either level 2 or level 3 programmes in the 2022 to 2023 academic year. Only qualifications in the relevant SSAs or from the eligible AGQ list will count towards the target. We will be reviewing the data to confirm that the number of placements providers have recorded in the ILR, or school census matches the data provided in monitoring returns. Providers must ensure that each industry placement is recorded correctly, showing the start and end date and the number of planned hours. The learning aim reference number for recording CDF industry placements on the ILR and the school census is ZWRKX002. CDF industry placements must take place on top of the existing study programme hours as CDF funding is allocated in addition to mainstream funding for qualifying students. Therefore, industry placement hours must not be included in the planned hours recorded for the study programme. It is also important to note that, where hours are currently spent on work experience that is an existing and compulsory part of the qualification hours in a study programme, these work experience hours cannot be counted towards the industry placement hours delivered through CDF, because providers are already being funded for these through mainstream study programmes funding. For the industry placement to be counted, students would need to do the required industry placement hours (minimum of 315) on top of the hours of work experience that are recorded as planned ‘qualification hours’ on the ILR and school census. Providers that have been selected to deliver T Levels from the 2022 to 2023 academic year must deliver an industry placement for each student, but these cannot be counted as part of the CDF target as they are funded through the T Level funding. T Level industry placements must be recorded using the learning aim reference number ZWRKX003. This learning aim reference is specifically for T Level industry placement activity and that code must not be used for CDF industry placements. The guidance for how T Levels will be funded can be found on GOV.UK. Supporting students financially Providers engaged in industry placement delivery are also encouraged to ensure their bursary policies are able to respond to the needs of students undertaking industry placements. A few students may find themselves facing financial difficulties due to incurring extra participation costs, for example, because they need to pay for additional travel to their placement. These students may only need support for a short period of time. Bursary fund policies must clearly set out what type of help the institution offers, for example, help with transport, books and equipment, field trips and other course-related costs and whether bursary support is available to contribute to the costs of attending industry placements. Providers delivering industry placements should enable students to apply for help from the bursary fund at any point during the year. Further information relating to supporting students financially can be found on GOV.UK. Annual funding agreements/contracts for services with providers Clauses in our annual funding agreements/contracts for services with providers, include conditions relating to CDF funding: - where a provider does not meet the minimum number of industry placements, ESFA may seek to recover funds, and/or may take this into consideration when considering future CDF allocations - where a provider is assessed to be financial health inadequate, or there are significant quality of delivery concerns, ESFA may withhold any remaining profiled allocations, and may take such assessments into consideration when considering future CDF allocations - where the provider does not submit the monitoring returns by the dates published, ESFA may halt the 2022 to 2023 academic year CDF allocation and recover any funding paid These clauses may vary by provider type; therefore, providers should review these new clauses in their Funding Agreement/Contract. ESFA enquiries If you require further information regarding CDF please contact ESFA Enquiry Service. Key dates for providers delivering industry placements in the 2022 to 2023 academic year Published 20 October 2021 ContentsRecommend0 recommendationsPublished in Resources Responses

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16, 1966 UNITED STATES of America ex rel. Frank DeFORTE, Relator, v. Vincent R. MANCUSI, Warden of Attica State Prison, Respondent HENDERSON, District Judge. Relator, co-defendants Joseph DeGrandis and Ernest Zundel, all officers of Local 266 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America, and twelve other defendants were indicted in Nassau County, New York, for conspiracy (Penal Law, McKinney's Consol. Laws, c. 40, § 580), coercion (Penal Law, § 530) and extortion (Penal Law, §§ 850, 851). The indictment involved alleged monopolization of the juke box industry in metropolitan New York City. Trial was held in the Nassau County Court, and the jury found defendants DeForte, DeGrandis and Zundel guilty, but acquitted the remaining defendants. Subsequently the relator was sentenced to from three to five years' imprisonment. He is presently serving that sentence in Attica State Prison. Appeals by the relator to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court *fn1" and to the New York Court of Appeals *fn2" were unsuccessful, and certiorari to the United States Supreme Court was denied. *fn3" A previous application for a writ of habeas corpus, on other grounds, was denied and that denial affirmed on appeal. *fn4" It appears that the relator, with respect to the present issues, has exhausted his available state remedies as required by Title 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Relator's petition contains two claims (1) that evidence was received against him in the course of trial which had been seized in violation of his Fourth Amendment rights, and (2) that illegal wiretap evidence was also improperly received. The second claim has been withdrawn. Involved in the first claim is the manner in which certain books and records of Local 266 were obtained. It appears that these books and records were secured through the issuance, by the District Attorney's office, of a "forthwith" subpoena duces tecum addressed to Local 266. *fn5" The Local apparently did not surrender its books and records upon service of the subpoena but, without the consent of its officers, the books and records were taken by those serving the subpoena. The Assistant District Attorney, who has appeared in opposition to this application, has not attempted to justify this use of the subpoena. Initially, the relator concedes that he, as a union officer, can claim no Fifth Amendment privilege with respect to the production of union records. See United States v. White, 322 U.S. 694, 64 S. Ct. 1248, 88 L. Ed. 1542 (1944). He notes, however, that the Supreme Court decided Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, 81 S. Ct. 1684, 6 L. Ed. 2d 1081 (1961) before his conviction became final and, accordingly, that the Fourth Amendment's proscription against unreasonable searches and seizures would apply to his state court trial. See Linkletter v. Walker, 381 U.S. 618, 85 S. Ct. 1731, 14 L. Ed. 2d 601 (1965). Under Jones v. United States, 362 U.S. 257, 80 S. Ct. 725, 4 L. Ed. 2d 697 (1960), particularly as that decision is interpreted by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Henzel v. United States, 296 F.2d 650 (5 Cir. 1961), *fn6" relator claims that he, as an individual, has standing to challenge the seizure and use of the aforementioned union records in his state court trial. In Jones, supra, the Supreme Court reviewed a narcotics conviction in which the defendant had been denied standing to move to suppress because he neither claimed ownership of the seized articles nor claimed a greater interest in the searched premises than that of an invitee or guest. Speaking in the context of Rule 41(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Court, at page 261, 80 S. Ct. at page 731, observed initially Court went on to point out that: "The exclusion in federal trials of evidence otherwise competent but gathered by federal officials in violation of the Fourth Amendment is a means for making effective the protection of privacy." The Court then concluded that: "Ordinarily, then, it is entirely proper to require of one who seeks to challenge the legality of a search as the basis for suppressing relevant evidence that he allege, and if the allegation be disputed that he establish, that he himself was the victim of an invasion of privacy." However, upon reviewing the tests which the lower federal courts had applied to determine if an individual had demonstrated that he possessed the requisite interest, the Court found those tests to be deficient. In effect, those tests had pinioned a defendant, either requiring that he risk loss of his Fifth Amendment rights or, in saving his defense, encouraging that he perjure himself in order to establish his standing to assert his Fourth Amendment rights. Finding this dilemma presupposed "* * * requirements of 'standing' which we do not find compelling," the Court found that two separate lines of thought effectively sustained Jones' claim of standing. The Court, 362 U.S. at page 263, 80 S. Ct. at page 732 held that where: "The same element in this prosecution which has caused a dilemma, i.e., that possession both convicts and confers standing, eliminates any necessity for a preliminary showing of an interest in the premises searched or the property seized, which ordinarily is required when standing is challenged." Secondly, and here speaking more generally, the Court, at page 267, 80 S. Ct. at page 734, held: "* * * that anyone legitimately on premises where a search occurs may challenge its legality by way of a motion to suppress, when its fruits are proposed to be used against him." In those cases where a Fourth and Fifth Amendment dilemma could occur, i.e., generally those cases involving contraband, the fruits or instrumentalities of a crime and resulting Fifth Amendment problems, the wisdom and fairness of the new guidelines are immediately apparent. Equally apparent, however, is the absence of any such dilemma when corporate or union books and records are involved. See Wilson v. United States, 221 U.S. 361, 31 S. Ct. 538, 55 L. Ed. 771 (1911) and United States v. White, supra. Although no such dilemma was involved, in Henzel v. United States, supra, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, applying and relying upon Jones, concluded that the sole stockholder and president of a corporation, absent when his corporation's records were illegally seized, had standing to challenge the seizure. This result, and the Circuit Court's comment that the corporation's president "had an interest in the property at least as deserving of protection as the interest of the defendant Jones," *fn7" in this court's view cannot be reconciled with existing precedents. Not only do Henzel's holding and the aforementioned comment overlook the absence of the Fourth and Fifth Amendment dilemma to which the Jones' guidelines apply, but its holding and comment ignore the personal nature of Fourth Amendment rights. See Hale v. Henkel, 201 U.S. 43, 74-77, 26 S. Ct. 370, 50 L. Ed. 652 (1906), Wilson v. United States, 221 U.S. 361, 374-386, 31 S. Ct. 538, 55 L. Ed. 771 (1911); Essgee Co. of China v. United States, 262 U.S. 151, 155-158, 43 S. Ct. 514, 67 L. Ed. 917 (1923); Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, 655-657, 81 S. Ct. 1684, 6 L. Ed. 2d 1081 (1961); Wong Sun v. United States, 371 U.S. 471, 492, 83 S. Ct. 407, 9 L. Ed. 2d 441 (1963); United States v. De Vasto, 52 F.2d 26, 29, 78 A.L.R. 336 (2d Cir. 1931); United States v. Antonelli Fireworks Co., 155 F.2d 631, 636 (2d Cir. 1946); Lagow v. United States, 159 F.2d 245, 246 (2d Cir. 1946); United States v. Guterma, 272 F.2d 344, 346 (2d Cir. 1959); United States v. Fago, 319 F.2d 791, 792-793 (2d Cir. 1963). That Jones' "on the premises" test is singularly inappropriate when applied to corporate books and records would appear to require little discussion. *fn8" Envision, for example, a case in which the corporation's janitor was present during an illegal search and seizure but the corporation's vice-president was not. Accordingly, the court joins in the view of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in United States v. Grosso, 358 F.2d 154, 160-161 (3rd Cir. 1966), to the effect that the Supreme Court, in Jones, confirmed the general rule as to standing and created an exception applicable only to a limited class of cases. Specifically, for the reasons heretofore stated, the court concludes that those cases involving corporate or union books and records do not fall within that class of cases governed by Jones. The court is convinced therefore, that United States v. Antonelli Fireworks Co., 155 F.2d 631 (2d Cir. 1946); Lagow v. United States, 159 F.2d 245 (2d Cir. 1946); United States v. Guterma, 272 F.2d 344 (2d Cir. 1959) and United States v. Fago, 319 F.2d 791 (2d Cir. 1963) are controlling authority and, accordingly, finds the relator lacks standing to raise the present objection. The writ is dismissed. In view of the recent authority contrary to this court's holding, a certificate of probable cause for appeal is granted. Permission to appeal in forma pauperis is denied with the qualification that the relator may file with the Clerk of the United States District Court, United States Courthouse, Buffalo, New York, a notice of appeal without the payment of filing fees. This denial does not prevent the relator from applying directly to the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, United States Courthouse, Foley Square, New York City, for permission to prosecute an appeal in forma pauperis. So ordered. Assigned counsel James L. Lekin has devoted much time to this matter with skill and

Apparently, one of the most common complaints wives have about their husbands is that they don’t listen to them. Who would have guessed that? 🙂 On the flip side, the most common complaint from husbands is that their wives complain too much! But let’s leave that one for another day. As Emotionally Intelligent men, we want to treat all complaints as valid feedback… right? So let’s start by dealing with this issue of becoming better listeners. The reality is that as husbands, parents, managers, colleagues or friends, we can probably all benefit from improving our listening skills. Because there are times to debate, there are times to negotiate and there are even times to argue. But sometimes what we really need to do is shut up and listen. However, that’s not as easy as it seems. Listening is a skill. And like all skills, it’s something that needs to be practised. So with that in mind, here are ten tips to help you become a better listener. Note: I’ve written most of these tips with regards to relationships, but many of the same principles will apply at work or in other areas of life as well. 1. Switch off so you can switch on You may think you are a master multi-tasker, but the chances are you probably suck. Inevitably, if you are trying to do more than one thing at a time, you’ll most likely end up doing both of them poorly. And regardless of this, one of the most important aspects of being a good listener is that the other person feels they have been heard. So if you even appear to be distracted whilst trying to listen it sends the wrong message. One of the best things you can do to help yourself concentrate on listening and to signal to the other person that they have your full attention is to stop whatever you are doing and turn towards them. The physical act of putting your phone down, closing your laptop, or turning the TV off (that’s right – not just turning the volume down and watching it out the corner of your eye!) can be really powerful. Not only does this change your physiology and remove distractions, but it also sends a clear message to the other person that you are genuinely interested in what they have to say. Developing the habit of switching off distractions and turning to face the other person is the first step to becoming a better listener. It’s important in all situations, but especially in a relationship and especially when your partner is upset. After years of studying couples in the lab and working with them directly, it has become clear to me that happy couples live by the credo: “When you are in pain, the world stops and I listen.”Dr. John M. Gottman 2. Listen with your eyes as well as your ears. When you are listening, it’s important to pay attention to more than just the words. A huge part of communication is non-verbal, so be aware of this and engage all your senses when you are listening to someone. Watching for facial expressions, body language and eye movements are great skills to develop which can help you better understand what the other person is feeling. And be aware of what your own body language is saying. Try to maintain eye contact (but not in a creepy way) and use your gestures to signal that you are listening. Lean in, nod and physically acknowledge what the other person is saying. You can even try a technique called mirroring. This is where you copy the body language of the other person to try and build rapport. But be careful. If you get this wrong it is just going to make you or the other person feel awkward. So, maybe choose a different time to practice this skill. In fact, if you are truly engaged in the conversation, then mirroring often occurs naturally and subconsciously. You may have noticed this when you observe two people in deep conversation who are sitting the same way or making the same gestures. This is a good sign they have established a strong rapport. 3. Summarise what was said to confirm understanding You may have heard of the term ‘Active Listening’? Active Listening is a concept that was developed by Carl Rogers and Richard Farson in 1957. It’s now widely used by relationship counsellors. One of the key elements of active listening is that each person has to repeat back what the other person has said to confirm and demonstrate that they have understood it correctly. Sometimes when we are listening to someone we are subconsciously applying filters and preconceptions to what they are saying. We may even be adding in words or thoughts based on our own assumptions. By repeating back or paraphrasing what was said, it forces us to remove our assumptions and concentrate the mind on exactly what was said (not implied). Remember, you are not necessarily agreeing with the other person, you are simply restating (in your own words) what they have said. For example, you can use phrases like “What I’m hearing is…” or “It sounds like you are saying… “ or “therefore this made you feel….” to paraphrase and confirm what the other person has told you. Again, this one takes a bit of skill and good timing or it can end up feeling awkward. And pay attention to your tone. If this is done with even a hint of sarcasm it can come across as condescending and is going to have exactly the opposite of the intended effect. But if done correctly, with genuine interest on your part, not only does it show the other person you have understood them, it also makes sure you are understanding the issue from their perspective. 4. Listen more than you talk “If we were supposed to talk more than listen we would have been given two mouths and one ear.”Mark Twain This quote from Mark Twain can be used as a good rule of thumb to help become a better listener. It’s known as the 2:1 rule. The 2:1 rule states that you should try to maintain a ratio of at least two to one when listening to another person i.e. you are listening twice as much as you are speaking. By keeping this rule in mind, you can try to ask two questions for each statement or point that you make. You should be learning twice as much about the other person as they are about you. And on average, the other person should be talking twice as often and for twice as long as you are. 5. Ask open-ended questions A good way to ensure you are listening more than you are talking is to ask open-ended questions. This encourages the other person to better explore and explain what they are trying to communicate. It also demonstrates that you have a genuine interest in what they are telling you. If you are asking questions that solicit short yes/no answers, then it’s possibly more of an interrogation than a conversation. So re-think and re-phrase your questions to encourage longer, more thoughtful answers. Closed-ended questions can be easily answered with short responses that don’t require much thought or explanation. These questions often start with words such as ‘are, was, did, will, aren’t, would.’ E.g. - Are you feeling okay? - Did you enjoy the movie? Open-ended questions encourage the other person to respond with longer answers that might include thoughts and opinions rather than simple facts. These questions use words such as ‘why, how, what, can you describe, or what do you think about…’ E.g. - How are you feeling? - What did you enjoy most about the movie? Note: This is a great tactic to use with kids. For instance, instead of asking “how was school today?” and getting the typical single word answer, you could ask something more creative like, “what was the most challenging thing you did at school today and why?” or “what were three new things you learned today?” 6. Don’t be thinking about what you are going to say next We’ve all been guilty of this one right? It’s very common in the workplace or in social situations where we feel self-pressure to say something that will make us seem intelligent or interesting. But, if you are thinking about what you are going to say next and playing it out in your mind to imagine how witty you are going to sound, then you are not actively listening to the other person. And let’s be honest. Particularly when listening to your partner, you will get plenty of other chances to demonstrate your wit and intellect. So perhaps now is a better time to shut up and listen. If this is something you have a habit of doing, then be aware of it. And each time that you catch yourself thinking “oh – I need to say this next”…. snap out of it and bring yourself back into the moment. I heard someone propose the idea of treating each conversation like an improv comedy sketch. You know the ones where you have to wait until the other person finishes saying something and then pick up the story from where they left off? Maybe that’s a way to look at it? You don’t actually need to decide what to say until they let you know it’s your turn. Then you can choose an appropriate response based on all the information they have shared with you. Including the most recent bit. 7. Embrace the pause If this was a gunfight, then speed would be important. Because he who shoots last is dead. But this ain’t the wild west. And often, with important conversations, the opposite is true. For instance, expert negotiators will tell you that when discussing price, the one who speaks first is usually at a disadvantage. And whenever you are actively listening you want to make sure the other person has finished what they were saying before you jump in. So start getting comfortable with uncomfortable pauses. If it helps, you can apply ‘the two-second rule’….. Once you think the other person has finished, count to two in your head…. (one one thousand, two one thousand)…. and then open your mouth to speak. This two seconds may seem like a lifetime to you, but sometimes the other person is still thinking of something else they want to add. Therefore the pause gives them a chance to continue speaking if they want to. And worst case, it gives you a couple of extra seconds to respond more thoughtfully. “Words are very unnecessary. They can only do harm”Depeche Mode – “Enjoy the Silence” lyrics Note: if the topic you are discussing is particularly emotional, or if you can feel yourself getting frustrated or angry, then now may be a good time to take an even longer pause. You can always suggest “let’s take a break and continue this later”. But make sure you remember to come back and finish the discussion once you have cooled off. 8. Don’t respond with solutions Men are often guilty of this one. We are problem solvers by nature and we sometimes want to jump straight in with solutions. But don’t do it! Especially when listening to your partner, understanding always proceeds advice. Your first job is to make sure you fully understand what the other person is saying (and feeling). Advice, ideas and suggestions (if warranted) can come later. But sometimes the other person is not looking for advice or solutions, they simply want to be heard. 9. Validate the other person’s emotions and show empathy An important part of being a good listener is to ensure you have correctly interpreted what the other person is feeling. A great question to ask is “I heard you say X – how did that make you feel?”. By letting the other person tell you how they feel, you can avoid the trap of looking at the situation through your lens. Everyone experiences things in different ways. So, despite what you may be thinking or how you may have interpreted the situation, try and respect the other person’s perspective. Don’t judge their emotions, just recognise them. 10. Think Win-Win Okay, so “win-win” is an overused and often abused phrase, especially in business circles. In fact, I think you get some points for this one in the bullshit bingo game. But let’s be honest, when it comes to relationships with your partner, surely win-win is what we should continually be striving for? I realise this is sometimes easier said than done, particularly if the topic of conversation is something you have done to annoy them. But here’s how it can work ‘in theory’….. Firstly, if your partner is complaining about something you’ve done, then try not to get defensive. Instead, try to make sure you have understood a) what specifically you did to upset them, b) how that made them feel, and c) what you could do differently next time. This is what’s known as the X, Y, Z approach to complaining. i.e. you did X, it was a problem because of Y, and to make it better you should do Z. Good luck with that one 😉 And secondly, here’s a bonus tip from the marriage expert – Dr John M. Gottman. If your partner is complaining about someone or something else, then your default response should always be to take your partner’s side. Period. According to Gottman’s research, successful couples have a ‘we versus them’ mentality. So, to foster this attitude in your relationship, he advises that you always start by taking your partner’s side when listening to them. It doesn’t mean you have to necessarily agree with them. But you should at least make them feel heard and understood and you should never respond by taking the other person’s side or telling them they are wrong to think that way. And finally, in the case where it’s not actually a complaint we are dealing with, then even better. Finding a win-win should be easy. Your partner wins by feeling heard. You win by becoming a better listener. Practise being a better listener Remember that listening is a skill and like any skill, it requires practice. By embracing each conversation, be it at home, at work or in a social situation, as an opportunity to improve your skills, you’ll not only be making others feel heard, you’ll be teaching yourself to be a better listener. Have read and understand this phylosophy. If all could “do this” there would be a lot more happy and satisfying relationships. Many thanks for starting the “dad train” Do hope it helps many Dads!!!

the early 1880s, Geronimo was the most prominent leader among the Apaches. His revengeful raids into Mexico and along the southern borders of Arizona and New Mexico were taking a heavy toll in life and property. President Grover Cleveland finally put pressure on General Crook to “rein in the terror at whatever cost.” Kyetena, whose demeanor contained all of the earmarks of bad company, was the influential son of Nina, chief of the Warm Springs Band of the Chiricahua Apaches. He was released from Alcatraz early so he could be enlisted as a scout for the 4th Cavalry. In 1886, he was instrumental in talking Geronimo into surrendering to General Crook. The scout, who was suffering from severe dehydration at the time, was offered half a tin cup of water. He declined, saying that he would accept nothing less than a full drink, a testimony to the durability of the desert Indians. The iconic Geronimo was a prisoner of war for 27 years. He died at Ft. Sill, in 1909, of pneumonia after being thrown from his horse and spending a cold night supine on the ground. On his deathbed Geronimo, who had long since learned the judicious lessons of what not to believe, muttered, “I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive.” During the Indian Wars, small canteens were fabricated to hold enough tobacco for a short bivouac. This one, made of copper and heavily patinated, contains the original tobacco. It was probably crafted by an army trooper and given to Kyetena, perhaps by General Crook himself. The writing on the rondelle says: FORT BOWIE 4TH CAV SGT KYETENA 1886 U.S. ARMY scout Wow. And wow again. Proof that the treasure chest still only contains a fraction of FF’s collected treasures…. WOW, just WOW Mr. Fenn! Please keep your stories and personal treasures coming. Never thought I would be viewing Kyetena’s canteen. So rewarding for those of us who absolutely love Western and NA History. Thank you! Great story, history lives all around us. I like reading history. F writes it well. I will not give up the search. The small tidbits of history sometimes tell a better story then the history books themselves. GG, small moments of time are the strands which weave the fabric of life. Individuals and where they intersect with others are more interesting than the whole. Unbelievable That is so awsome , I’m a novice Apache item collector, what I’d give for that canteen. So cool. Would love to hear how FF came across that. Thank you sharing, Mike Awesome Forrest! Can ya please keep’em coming…can ya, can ya?!!! (remark edited by dal)…Like he said Usually… when people call other people a derogatory name, it is a reflection on how smart they are NOT. Hear Here !!! Is opportunity knocking ? Deb I believe so: > “… who had long since learned the judicious lessons of what not to believe…” A true pearl of wisdom among many pearls! Thanks for another interesting story, Forrest. And I agree Starlight. I’m reading and rereading many of Forrest’s books/scrapbooks and my string of pearls keeps getting longer! i feel like I’m collecting quite a treasure. @Jenny/Sixer – Thank you Jenny for your dedication to Forrest and the excellence which directs your website. The intelligent dialogue and occasional spiritual focus are a delight to read. Thank you Jenny. Your poise and gracious generosity is very admirable; not to mention the fruit it’s bearing as Swan stated so nicely. Please spend as much time with us as you wish, Forrest. Thanks for the story. 🙂 I whole heartily agree with you specialklr ; ) And for a really good laugh; an ode to all the odious: Wonderful story, even though the ending was very sad. I look at that canteen and wonder what Forrest thinks when he touches something of such historical value, artistic talent, esthetic beauty, and spiritual influence? I’m speechless (almost!) Warriors, caught in difficult times, transitional times. One can close ones eyes and almost be there, in spirit. Do men go so fearlessly now? Maybe our chiefs don’t, but our warriors still do. “I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive.” I empathize with him in his situation, but I preferred your stance of shutting a door as with Skippy. Sometimes though when one surrenders, it’s a rough pill to swallow when you realize the other person can’t forgive or look inward at all. *life lessons* Nice story Forrest….thanks. It’s a main theme in TTOTC that everyone’s afraid to talk about. Forrest said that Peggy would rather switch than fight, but sometimes you have to fight in order to not loose too much of yourself. Though Geronimo knew this lesson, he failed to act. That’s a heavy thing to realize on your deathbed. Crazyfamily, I’ve wondered about that statement and yet Mr. Fenn’s adoration of his wife is strongly present in the memoirs. I do agree with your statement and every true battle I’ve fought in my simple life has been to preserve the person I was created to be -just like the Native Americans fought to preserve who they were. There’s a reason to wonder about that statement, but your comment “just like the Native Americans fought to preserve who they were” I think is not accurate. They always seemed to fight to a point and then quit. In the end most tribes lost everything, but most importantly they lost thier spirituality. Many have been successful at rebuilding themselves but really they are just a shell of what they once were. These days they have attorneys do their fighting, and why is there a need to keep fighting? I think it depends on what you’re fighting for too. Fighting for land…fighting for fairness….sometimes ego gets in the way, sometimes greed. Sobering truth The Native Americans were smart enough to understand annihilation was not the answer. They realized they needed to survive as a people in order to survive as a nation, so they refused to fight physically, when they can overcome by being who they are. Today, they teach heritage in the res schools in hopes to rise above the negative assumptions the general populace has regarding their future. They are striving for the respect due them, just like everyone deserves. Awesome. I enjoyed the story. Seems the lesson is to never surrender… Opportunity, why are we all idiots? Like who said? “Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.” – Sitting Bull “I believe much trouble and blood would be saved if we opened our hearts more.” Chief Joseph – Nez Perce “The White Man goes into his church and talks about Jesus. The Indian goes into his Tipi and talks with Jesus.” – Quanah Parker, last Comanche Chief “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” – Chief Seattle Swan Perfect reply to the story. 🙂 thanks BW. Hope you are well today. Every day is a good day…….Thanks. Who does this remind you oF? Perceptions of Geronimo were nearly as complex as the man himself. Geronimo was nearly as elusive as Mr. Fenns treasure chest! Keeper of precious things, you make our imaginations sing. A very sobering story w/a gorgeous collectible. Thanks Forrest…. Beautiful artifact, Forrest. I’m wondering how big it is? Smaller than a horseshoe? Bigger than a belt buckle? To all, esp. Crazy Family: An excellent book came out in 1995 that I happened to come upon in a used book store. From The Heart—Voices of the American Indian, edited and narrated by Lee Miller. It’s a very readable, thorough, yet concise, history of Native Americans’ encounters with the white man told, region by region, from 1492 onward, in the actual words of the chiefs and tribespeople, and the lies, treaties, and entreaties of whites in Washington, New York, the army, etc. For example, p. 196: “Several black robes have come to our villages, to preach the religion of white people; they told us the religion of the whites consisted in a few words; that was, to do unto others as we wish that others should do unto us . . .we wish you to put the above Christian rule in practice . . . .If you really want to ameliorate our condition, let us have the land given to us . . .this pretence of bettering our situation, it appears, is only for a temporary purpose . . .we shall have forgot how to hunt, in which practice we are now very expert, and then you’ll turn us out of doors, a poor, pitiful, helpless set of wretches.” Wyandot delegation 1812 To hold a piece of history like that in your hand is so cool. Thanks for the vicarious experience, Forrest. Water- I can answer the size question. It’s 3.25″ in height…not a very big item. Thanks, Dal and Forrest. Curiosity satisfied. The name St. Joseph has come up several times this week and in past blogs. I believe it refers to a young man, not a mountain but welcome your ideas. Trying to decide how important it is to chase the lead or let it rest. Anyone??? Nor, go for it! If you don’t, someone else will, and you may lose out! Reach for each star and feel its warmth, that is the only way to live. Donna, Thanks for your encouragement. If you want to ride with me on this one, observe closely the b&w photo of gallery opening Forrest, Peggy w/spanish lady painting in TOTC. IMO there may be a child on the way which Forrest never speaks about. Perhaps i’m wrong, perhaps Forrest didn’t disclose for personal/painful reasons. In TFTW there is a prevalent illustration of a boy fishing on inside flaps – who is he? Now, you understand my hesitation. Never want to bring harm to others for the sake of answers or clues. Nor, I can answer the question of the boy (woman) fishing on the inside flaps. On page 95 of TFTW you will find the same picture, The caption says it is Peggy. Thanks Fred. Have to say, given Peggy’s beauty the illustration IMO missed the mark. Peggy looked like Jackie O. Anyway. thanks for your help Fred. Enjoy your weekend. Baby Ruth candy bars was thought at one time to be named after Grover Cleveland daughter as a rumor. Bone in the wood was something baseball players use to do by taking a big bone and rubbing it real hard on the wood bats to make the wood more dense. Geronimo is buried close to where I live he never got to go home again not even in death I take offense to that . He fought off terrorist and invaders of his home land hmmm I guess he was home land security .we look down on countries now that treat their natives the way this government has done its natives hipacracy at its greatest excuse my spelling Kyetena was a Benedict Arnold he turned on his own people to help his self a act he probably wished he could take back no one will remember his name but Geronimo will be remembered forever Everyday I am confronted with the realization that “they” are us, and “we” are them. When we speak of the nobleness of a man or the vileness of another we are speaking not of just one man or woman but also ourselves and everyone else in our human family. Raven… indeed. If we could begin to see each person as a gift to be opened containing special qualities. Differences often sever relationships before they have the chance to blossom. I try to find commonality and celebrate how unique others are, but often fail at the task. Regardless of religion, The Creator made each of us and we all need to be loved and respected rather than changed. Opening people is a really really bad idea, believe me-I know from experience! …who had long since learned the judicious lessons of what not to believe… Is Fenn telling us something? Hi there, I think he is always “telling us something” – he’s just clever that way of course … lol ; ) But, the incredibly interesting thing about it is that depending on what we have inside our own hearts/minds determines how we will interpret what he’s said. Don’t you think so too? I’ve noticed that In everyday life people tend to project their own tendencies onto whatever things may be occurring at the moment. If someone is good and trust worthy for example, they tend to be trusting of others more often than not, etc. and also vice versa. (Just my opinion though. = ) Maybe the world of art is like that too, everyone sees the same thing – but each one likely sees it differently and goes away with different conclusions of what was there. That’s what I like so much about these blogs – the tapestry is beautiful, thank you Dal. And Hi there to you Starlight. I’ve found it’s far better to see things as they really are rather than project what’s inside our hearts/minds on to someone/something. That is difficult to do at times; but if you can’t see or don’t accept reality, you have no chance of understanding or altering it. I agree with you about the world of art. Fenn is good at pointing out the absurdness of the art world…..It doesn’t matter who you are, it only matters who they think you are. And I certainly agree with you about different folks seeing different things looking at the same piece of work. I’m negotiating with a fellow now who is willing to pay a ridiculous amount of money (at least to me) for a photograph I almost threw away. I enjoyed Fenn’s seventeen dollars per square inch story…….it shows how the business world and art world collide at times. As Fenn knows the art world has very little to do with reality. YOU NAILED IT !!! Kind of like that wonderful sound when the club head hits that dang golf ball on the sweet spot! I think it’s certainly the goal and you put it very well. I also think it’s rather challenging to overcome confirmation bias when solving TTOTC. (Don’t you just love a game of wits?) That’s very interesting insight on the art world. Well wishes to you and I hope you get your price on the photo. Goofy star – enjoyed seeing artwork/art world discussion. It’s not often brought up on blogs but given ff’s rich history with art I believe it somehow ties in to the treasure somewhere in the Rocky Mts. IMO My take on artwork… well, I’m not quite sure how to word this best. Some of the best artwork hangs on walls and some are statuesque. Some are strucural while another form are of words. Even dance and movement are included in form. Sometimes art is not recognized at first glance, kind of like those messy-looking 2 dimension imiges that suddenly change into 3D after staring puzzlingly at them for a while. THE CREATOR decides how to create HIS artwork and then puts it up for display. Imagine how this blind man felt when he traipsing (sp?) around in the art gallery of the world we live in to have experienced that 3D-popping-out feeling when, in the blink of an eye(or two), he saw, in a different light, what art was displayed before him. No need to be retouched since it’s making. One of a kind and unable to be duplicated. This blind man amazed by THE artist’s light brush strokes. Art in its grandest form. Awestricken and with a smile the blind man stood and with smile, and contentment. I hope f is pleased with me. Oh my, I feel as if I have just stumbled upon the existential paradigm of the chase. And on most days my brain is too dilluded to follow, prob this one as well. but I see a realist, an artist, a cloak, and an eloquent involved in this convo, and might i add some of my most favs on this blog, if only halogetter would join…. so yes, ff is telling us something, of course, he is older and wiser from a life that most do not see from their windows. he has existence from research, time on the water, reading, military, war, entrepreneuring, enriching family moments, flying, exploring, selling, buying, thinking, being, reflecting, exploring lots more, writing, … don’t you all think that when it comes down to it we are just ppl on this awesome rock who have just tried to survive? And f is simply try to tell us to take it all in and learn, grow, be understanding, and be happy. then you may see as he does. then that will lead you to the treasure bold. My guess is yes, Who had long since learned the judicious lessons of what not to believe…Forrest Fenn So hear me all and listen good, Your effort will be worth the cold. If you are brave and in the wood I give you title to the gold. Ok, so why does ff correct everyone that he hid the chest and says I didn’t say I buried it. Too me that last stanza explains if you found the chest. It legally belongs to him. Its because he hid it. He will help you through what every process or means to win his/your claim to it and then hands it over to you. Lets look at this scenario. If you found the chest in the National Park, there is a good chance it will be taken away from you and perhaps even arrested. Yet, the law of the land on claims is very clear. If a person hides something anywhere on U.S. property, he or she will always be the rightful owner forever. Now if he said he buried it then it becomes abandoned. Then the Federal government can claim it. So the last stanza creates a contract to all and for the owner. That’s why he put his poem and memoir in the chest so the Federal Government will have no claim to it because he hid it. ALL RISE: 1: All people in the court are required to listen 2: What every happens will be worth it. 3: Be brave until the wooden gavel strikes, then the chest belongs to ff at that moment. 4: He knows he will be there right beside you when he wins and then he will hand it over to you. So what if someone finds it after he passes? His testament is in the Olive jar. You can see he is a builder of our time. Sorry, couldn’t wait to get this out there. I just had to toss my bone out for what it’s worth. Just me thinking…Why? because I am a…. If you would like to know more about my solve you can write me. Oh yeah, I found this book on ancient writings of the southwest. The running man, well you will have to ask me. What do you think? Hi Geydelkon, really interesting and different than we’ve seen. How may I write to you to learn more about your solve and The Running Man? I would be happy to share information I have with you as well. Thank you for sharing with others. I’ll look for your response tomorrow. =) The interpretation of the poem is just how I look at the possible one ending event of the chase. Safeguards were placed to protect the chest. The poems events are real to me. Some in the past and the future. To me where warm waters halt has not happened but it is a event that will happen. All chasers on here and there have some great things to say. It really gets you thinking especially when the comments come to a halt. I wonder at times if they researching the facts or are they thinking to discount there own solve. I have been on both ends. Geydelkon I am an Indian Scout and a Saint. [email protected] If de-solidifying the deep thoughts perhaps the solve will find itself once it appears. Could I unlock what is unlocking. Just my way to my peace after the past few years on the chase. Geydelkon, The silence on the blog is deafening today. Hope everyone out there is chasing their dreams of treasure in some beautiful meadow, and not just sick. I find peace in reading poetry/poetic books like the psalms, and hope you find the peace you seek. There’s nothing that says “If you bury something it (becomes) abandoned.” That’s not the definition. ff knows where it is and he is “involved” in multiple ways helping and discussing things about his treasure so therefore he cannot and has not “abandoned” it. James, exactly but different. That’s why he said he hid it. The previous stanza explains the condition. He used the word trove. You can write property law expert John Orth, a professor at the University of North Carolina. Perhaps he can clarify. My comments on the last stanza is just what I have researched. Anyone else have any thoughts? Theres a Legal Ponderings page here on the site. – I’ll comment on the legal definition of trove there. Geydelkon, Your interpretation of that stanza is keen. Time to start training for that marathon. 23 I like your picture. Quickly down I was once thinking. That bird has down feathers and quickly moves. Hummingbird is my ʻaumakua, so that works…did you know a hummingbirds tongue is grooved like the shape of a W? I can see your way of thinking…We would like to hear more of your experiences. Geydelkon, I used to share search stories on Chasechat but it got competitive over there so I just feel content reading Dal’s blog with Forrest’s stories/pictures. No searches lately to share but plan to go to NM in the fall when the TOTC $aving$ account is built back up again. 23 I got thinking and I know how many of the chasers feel about my endless thoughts. I think not only outside the box but within at the same time. It’s like drawing a box and let my bright light shine inside at the same time but from on direction. Just like I think the chest is laying on its end. Why because to me the blaze is not a physical object. To me it’s a process. I think I said something to that effect months ago about another part of the poem. Then recently after my pompous judicial correlation, I proceeded to the conclusion of “found the blaze”. Then wahla but I keep saying that way too many times. Alas Geydelkon, we have a winner; that’s why a flashlight is needed 🙂 I like your idea of chest being on end; something Fenn would do. Swan, Well he did tell us in the book, which state it’s in and how the chest was laying. Maybe tobacco is the right direction. Interesting validation…only In Colorado. Lol just 180 from most states. Wow that is some deep thinking. Lol I am rolling over here..lol Geydelkon – I’ve been without the books. They joined f’s ball of string in the hinterlands w/o me knowing. Just received new TOTC and will try to locate your reference to where TC is. Any hints? I only search mt. I love these stories. It encourages me to read more about our Native American history. Interestingly, most of the articles I found spelled the name ” Kayitah” and the promises made to him and the scout Martine who both helped persuade Geronimo to surrender, were not honored by the US government either. Too bad he had not ” learned the judicious lessons of what not to believe” before agreeing to become a scout for the US. “I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive.” The phrase shows he wanted to live, regardless of the outcome. Geronimo was a medicine man. People will treat you like a hoar if you let them………….Go on all around us. You lost me on this one. i think I would like to BELIEVE what Geydelkon is puttin down! I too, believe it. Warm springs…Hmmm.. No-one else spot that? Gotta love the history that built this country…..without the past there would be no future……. Missed this S.B. Forrest has Awesome stories and cool stuff! I Love all things Native American. Makes me feel sad. I am reading some good books about Joseph right now. Do t know if this sb holds hints but it was enjoyable reading older material I hadn’t seen. Wowee, Zowee. What a collection, you have Forrest! And I’m sure these vignettes you share are only scratching the surface of it. Again, thank you for sharing with us. I had no idea that back in the day there were such a thing as novelty canteens, where an unsuspecting trailrider would grab their canteen for a cool drink of water and get a mouthful of tobacco instead! Great gag! Humor is both universal and timeless! In other news, I am now all caught up on reading Forrest’s vignette entries from earlier times! Woo-hoo! I guess I’ll check out the abberrations, next! (Have the snows melted yet?) 🙂 Canteen Flask Hiccup

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Book Review: Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds by Brandon Sanderson you haven’t checked it out yet, Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds is the perfect opportunity to read Brandon Sanderon’s beloved series featuring everyone’s favorite schizophrenic genius detective. Featuring the trilogy of novellas, including the never-published-before Lies of the Beholder, this omnibus collects all the adventures starring our eponymous hero in one handy volume. Speaking as someone who has only listened to the first book in audio back when it was originally released (but somehow never managed to get around to the sequel for years after that), I was happy to finally experience the completed evolution of this extraordinary character and see how his remarkable story arc came to be resolved. Our journey begins with Legion, the first novella introducing Stephen Leeds. To the outside world, our protagonist appears to live by himself in his sprawling mansion, but that is a very different picture from the reality he perceives. Affected with a mental condition that allows his mind to generate a variety of hallucinated people—who are all unique in their individual personalities, skills, and knowledge—Stephen is never truly alone. His hallucinations, or aspects, share his space with him, taking turns advising him whenever he needs more information on certain topics. This has earned him the label of “genius” as well as celebrity status among psych experts who long to pick his brain, resulting in a never-ending line of people showing up at his door with requests for his help on some highly unusual cases. Legion features our first mystery, involving the search for a stolen camera that can apparently capture images from the past. I read this one again for my review and found that I loved it as much as I did six years ago when I first listened to the audiobook, for everything about it is pure Sanderson. Despite it being a departure from the types of stories he is known for, the concept of Legion and Stephen Leeds’ aspects is as well thought out and unique as any of the author’s magic systems, and I believe even readers who are skeptical of the author’s non-epic fantasy will be able to come around to this novella’s modern, urban setting and science fiction vibes. The second novella, Skin Deep, features Stephen and his aspects (even though they number in the dozens, there are only about three or four who are always tagging along with our protagonist) on a case to recover the stolen body of a biotech mogul who was known for using himself as a guinea pig in a lot of his experiments. Needless to say, everyone believes his corpse holds the key to all kinds of ground-breaking technological advancements and dangerous secrets related to his work. Not surprisingly, this sequel had the distinct quality of being a fast-paced thriller; to prevent the devastating spread of an unstable piece of biotechnology that can cause cancer, Stephen must race against the clock to find the one responsible for the theft, once more tapping into the expertise of his hallucinations for the knowledge he needs to solve this bizarre crime. Finally, we come to the third and final novella, which this omnibus makes available in published form to readers for the very first time. Lies of the Beholder attempts to address several key questions that have popped up over the course of the series, including the nature of Stephen’s relationship with the mysterious Sandra, who has been brought up multiple times in the first two books. This one also seeks to bring the main character’s story arc to a close as we continue to explore the way his mind works, probing into his heavy dependence on the aspects’ knowledge and companionship. Is Stephen’s condition a blessing or a curse? What would happen to him if his hallucinations were no longer around? The three stories featured here are light mysteries, to be sure. But like a lot of Sanderson’s work, one can find deeper themes and meaning these novellas if you care to look. Religion, ethics in research and science, mental health, and many other subjects are touched upon and discussed in the context of these mini-adventures that offer a lot more than just light-hearted entertainment. Beneath the clever and often funny banter between Stephen and his aspects, we also have messages about the value of relationships. While no one else can see his hallucinations, to Stephen they are as real as the world around him, but the question is whether it will be enough. This forces him to confront some difficult truths, some of which he may have tried to bury for far too long. I’ll be honest, I had initial concerns about how Sanderson would stick the ending. He’s a brilliant guy and I’m a huge fan, but he tends to write endings that, for lack of a more appropriate term, piss me off (see Mistborn, The Reckoners, and even his middle grade series Alcatraz). I grew even more worried when I saw Stephen’s rapid descent into confusion and instability as soon as Lies of the Beholder started, believing this final volume would be a rush job which would fail to provide a satisfying conclusion. To my surprise though, I was actually quite happy with the way things ended. Perhaps it was because I’d braced myself for potential disappointment, but whatever the case, I felt this final novella was in fact a worthy sendoff for our characters. I won’t deny it had its gut-punch moments, not to mention that as a series, this isn’t exactly Sanderson’s most polished or mind-blowing, with more than a few loose ends and plot holes. Still, I found the Legion novellas magnificent and inspiring in their own way. So would I recommend this omnibus? Without a doubt, yes. Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds is another masterful piece of speculative fiction from the talented mind of Brandon Sanderson. It is a little different from a lot of his other work, but with his trademark brand of creativity and style still on full display here, fans are guaranteed not to be disappointed. Awsome to know that out of the 20 people selected for the ARC, you and my wife were among the selected.👍🏻. Great review. I was sent a finished copy, actually! But so cool that she received an ARC! LikeLiked by 1 person So cool! Yeah we live a bit far to be sent physical coppies i think. Or do you request from other sites aswell? I am really on the fence about reading this or not. I gave both previous novellas 3 stars but for very different reasons and at the end of the review for Skindeep say I want him to keep writing these stories. But now that he’s wrapped it up, I don’t know. I haven’t vacillated about a book this much in a very long time… Might be worth it just to borrow this from the library and finish up the series, since it’s just one more novella. Actually, I wouldn’t have minded if he had decided to write more Stephen Leeds stories either, especially since I felt the third story was a bit rushed. But I get the feeling that when Sanderson decides he’s done, he’s done – and if he has to fudge things a bit, so be it 😛 LikeLiked by 1 person This may very well be the first Sanderson I read. I don’t really know where to start with the others. Great review! Yeah, I can see why deciding where to start might be a challenge! He’s got so many series! Pingback: The Fall Book Tag – Siobhan's Novelties I didn’t realize this was a collection of novellas, I’m definitely tempted! Yeah, at first I thought this was a re-edition of the first novella! Oh yes I was really curious about this one too! I hope you get a chance to check it out! Huh, sounds quite different from a lot of his other stuff. May have to give this a try! Definitely different from his fantasy! But he’s been really branching out into other areas of spec fic lately! LikeLiked by 1 person I read like the first? THis not feel it…oh wait did I listen to it? You probably did – I remember for a while the first book was only available in audio (and was free from Audible) while the print version was ridiculously expensive and hard to get your hands on. This collection does not sound only intriguing (the mysteries of the human mind are always fascinating), but also quite different from what I’ve heard about Sanderson’s production – so my curiosity is doubled 😉 Thanks for sharing! Sanderson is not only a prolific writer, he’s a very versatile one as well! I think you will find this to be very different from traditional fantasy, but it’s 100% Sanderson in terms of his creativity and imagination 😀 I confess that I get confused with all of Sanderson’s series – he seems to release so many that I can’t keep up. I still have Oathbringer – I bought it on audio but it’s so huge (55 hours) that I just keep looking at it and then walking away. Plus, I can’t decide if it was a good decision or not to buy audio because I read the first two and my experience with audio so far seems to be that I love the books that I listen to that are new (to me) but when I pick up a book in audio that is a second or third in series (and where I read the first) it doesn’t seem as enjoyable. Oh well, I’m still new to audio I suppose Lynn 😀 Yes, I can’t believe I actually read Oathbringer, it took me weeks! These days, I prefer audiobooks for these super tomes! Oh maaaaan, I’m dying to give this one a go. It sounds sooo good. The premise, the character, your review, everything sounds soooo good and enticing! Thanks for sharing and I’m glad you got the chance to finally read them all! 😀 Sanderson is always a treat! I hope you get a chance to check it out 🙂 LikeLiked by 1 person Pingback: Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads | The BiblioSanctum I don’t think this side of fantasy SF would suit me with the hallucinations and things. But that’s why I like reading your reviews as I get the detail about books that help me make more informed decisions! Great work Mogsy! Eeh. I don’t know how I feel about the ending, still. It felt — I don’t know. I didn’t want all the aspects to be gone (and however the ending spun it, I didn’t feel like they were really still around; just remembered). Ah, OK. I haven’t read any of the Legion stories. Is this the same thing as the TV series? I will need to pick this up. Pingback: STEPHEN LEEDS Gets a New UK Jacket… – Zeno Agency Ltd. Pingback: New Edition of Brandon Sanderson’s THE MANY LIVES OF STEPHEN LEEDS out now in the UK! – Zeno Agency Ltd.

History The Evolution of Economics Instruction at USNA - The Origins of the Economics Major (1933-1970) No mention is made of economics being taught at the Naval Academy until the academic year 1933-34 when the newly formed Department of Economics and Government began to offer 2 hours per week in the fall term and 3 hours in the spring term to first class midshipmen. The instruction was..."designed to give the midshipmen an understanding of economic terms and reasoning, and their applications to modern conditions." The text for both terms was Rufener's Principles of Economics, and since the "lock-step" curriculum prevailed at the time, all midshipmen received the same course before they graduated. Three years later the Department of Economics and Government was merged with English and History to become the Department of English, History, and Government; subsequently, economics was dropped from the curriculum as a course of instruction. The next decade saw only a cursory nod paid to economics education. The second class midshipmen received a course of lectures titled "Trends of Social and Economic Events, 1900-1938" during the summer terms of 1939 and 1940. In 1940, the Executive Department, headed by the Commandant, gave first class midshipmen one period per week of instruction in economics and personal finance which did not appear as part of their academic training. Over the next several years this instruction of one hour per week evolved into a course called "Leadership and Personal Finance", which was described as encompassing finance, insurance, and elementary economics. No academic credit was given. This pattern of instruction prevailed until academic year 1947-48 when economics re-entered the mainstream of academics at the Academy. During that academic year, second class midshipmen were required to take introductory economics in their fall term. The course was offered by the English, History, and Government Department, and had the purpose of acquainting..."midshipmen with the fundamental concepts of economics and the nature of current politics-economics problems." The text was Whitaker's Elements of Economics. A year later the Department selected as a text the first edition of Paul Samuelson's Economics, a popular book destined to run through many editions. What seemed like a solid commitment to instruction in economics took a curious turn over the next few years as the three-hour semester course had training in speech added to it; the instructors then began to allot one hour per week to teaching "speaking". At that time the texts became Morgan's Introduction to Economics, and Monroe's Principles and Types of Speech. Throughout the 1950's speech continued to be part of the economics course which was required for one semester of the midshipmen's second class year. Few of the instructors in the course considered themselves economists, and perhaps felt more at ease teaching speech than economics. Most also taught courses in English, history, or government. While the rigorous Samuelson text was used from time to time, many other introductory texts by well known economists like Spiegel, Burns, Bach, and Peach were also tried. By the late 50's the purpose of the economics course was described as..."to teach the midshipman the laws of economic behavior, to give him a comprehension of American economic institutions, to familiarize him with the role of government in the economy in peace and war, and to develop his understanding of the elements of personal finance." By this time also, two additional texts were added to the required reading in the course: The Federal Reserve System, Its Purpose and Function, and Outside Readings in Economics, edited by Hess, et.al. Serious debate about changing the lock-step curriculum at the Academy came to the fore in 1958, and advanced placement exams were given to entering midshipmen for the first time in academic year 1959-60. Those midshipmen who "tested-out" of certain required courses were then allowed to substitute "electives." No longer were all midshipmen of the same class taking the same courses. Gradually, the number of midshipmen validating required courses in math, languages, chemistry, and physics grew, and the number of elective courses available for them also grew. The English, History, and Government Department added such courses as economic geography, public finance, economic history, history of economic thought, comparative economic systems, defense economics, money and banking, and international trade. The mid-1960's saw the Academy adopt a curriculum that required each midshipman to declare a minor and complete about 15% of his course work in a selected discipline. Only a step away from a majors program, many departments began adding enough courses to permit a midshipman who had validated several courses, and/or was willing to take a heavy course load, to achieve a major by taking around 30 hours of course work in a discipline. - The Economics Major (1970-Present) The majors program became a reality in 1970 when Adm. James Calvert initiated a re-organization and re-structuring of academic departments along discipline lines. Departments were given substantial autonomy over majors within their discipline. The Economics Department was formed and placed in the Division of U.S. and International Studies. At this time the modern structure of the economics program at the Academy was virtually in place. To the courses mentioned above had been added others like intermediate micro and macroeconomics, labor economics, government-business relations, economic development, econometrics, transportation economics, urban economics, and the economics of technology. Commensurate with the adding of economics courses, a number of young economists had been recruited to join the faculty directly out of graduate school. Now economics was being taught by people trained as economists to students who had voluntarily chosen it as a major. The excitement and enthusiasm for the subject grew. Economics instruction remained vibrant throughout the 70's as almost all midshipmen enrolled in the basic course and many non-majors chose economics electives. The number of midshipmen majoring in economics remained modest, however, with most classes having 25 or fewer. In 1984 the Academy dropped its management major, and moved several courses including accounting and financial analysis to the Economics Department. At about the same time, the policy of requiring that around seventy percent of a class must major in engineering, math, or science was relaxed. Thereafter the number of midshipmen majoring in economics began to increase until there were 75 or more in each class. In the mid-80's an honors program was added to the major which allowed talented students to enhance their education by taking advanced microeconomics, advanced macroeconomics, econometrics, and an expanded senior seminar. Two to five midshipmen per year took advantage of this program, and this trend has continued to the present day. In the late 1990s, the number of economics majors grew further. In May 2000, 134 midshipmen graduated with a major in economics -- some 14 percent of the graduating class. In 1997, an interdisciplinary major, Quantitative Economics (SQE), was approved by the Superintendent. This major was developed jointly by the Economics Department and the Mathematics Department. It consists of six courses in Economics, six in Mathematics, a jointly taught senior seminar, and one course from either discipline. The first Quantitative Economics Majors (ten in number) graduated in May 2000. The Quantitative Economics Major has since attracted, on average, 20 and 30 majors per year. In recent years, the department has modified the economics major to adopt a stronger quantitative emphasis, both in terms of the set of required courses students must take, and within many of the existing courses. The modified major is now named "Quantitative Economics (FQE)", while the SQE major has been renamed to "Mathematics with Economics (SME)," which more accurately reflects the strong interdisciplinary nature of its curriculum, as it requires substantial coursework in both mathematics and economics. The Class of 2018 was the first to be offered the revamped FQE major (rather than the previously offered "Economics (FEC)" major). - The Economics Faculty at USNA Most emphatically, the founding father of economics at the Naval Academy was Prof. J. Roger Fredland. Born in Maine and educated at Bates, Professor Fredland did his graduate work in English at Princeton University before coming to the Academy in 1941 and joining the English, History, and Government Department. Over the years he taught many different courses in the Department, and even co-authored several naval history texts. When economics came back into the curriculum in the late 1940's, he began to shepherd its instruction, and developed an interest that led him into graduate work at American University where he completed the Ph.D. in economics in 1956. It was he who took the initiative, planned, and developed most of the economics courses that were put in the curriculum in the 1960's. He was also the one who recruited the first professional economists to teach at the Academy, and by the mid-60's he took over as the first Head of the Economics Committee within the EH&G Department. Henceforth, he spent all of his time in economics. When academic re-organization occurred in 1970, he became the first Chairman of the Economics Department, a position he held until his retirement. In addition to being a trusted and respected administrator, he enjoyed the classroom experience, particularly the teaching of history of economic thought, economic geography, and transportation economics. Upon his retirement in 1974, Prof. Fredland became the first emeritus professor of economics at the Naval Academy. Besides Prof. Fredland, those economists who were on the staff at the founding of the Department were: Professors A. Royall Whitaker, Harley H. Hinrichs, Luis R. Luis, Kenneth Kerin, James J. McCusker, and Clair E. Morris. Prof. Morris became Chair of the Department when Prof. Fredland retired, and served until 1980. He was followed by Prof. Roger D. Little, 1980-84. The next Chair was Prof. J. Eric Fredland, son of Prof. J. Roger Fredland, who had joined the faculty from a professorship at George Washington University when his father retired. He served until 1990, and was succeeded by the first civilian woman faculty member hired at the Academy, Prof. Rae Jean B. Goodman. Prof. Fredland again assumed the chairmanship, 1995-1999, Prof. William R. Bowman served as chairman from 1999-2003, only to be replaced in 2003 by Professor Fredland, who served his third stint as chairman until 2004. Prof. Karen Thierfelder served as department chair from 2005 through 2011, followed by Prof. Brendan Cunningham from 2012 through 2015. The current chair is Prof. Kurtis Swope, who began in this role in academic year 2016. The Department has been fortunate to have had sound and judicious leadership that has kept its programs current and relevant, and its instruction to midshipmen first rate. Over the years a number of distinguished visiting professors taught and researched in the Economics Department as they held especially created and funded chairs. Among them were: Mr. Martin Binkin Dr. Kenneth J. Coffey Dr. Rozlyn Engel Dr. Daphne T. Greenwood Dr. Estelle James Dr. Steven Landefeld Dr. Robert F. Lockman Dr. Robert Marsh Dr. Jeffrey B. Miller Dr. Mansur Olson Dr. Michael B. Tannen Dr. John T. Warner The Admiral William Crowe Chair in the Economics of the Defense Industrial Base was established in 1994 with a $1.5 million grant from General Dynamics. The first holder became Dr. Oliver Grawe, a noted economist from the Federal Trade Commission. Subsequent holders were Dr. Gregory Hildebrandt of the Naval Post Graduate School, and Mr. Adrian Kendry, from the University of the West of England, Dr. Victoria Greenfield of the Rand Corporation, Dr. Francis McDonald of the Department of Defense, and Hon. David Walker, former Comptroller General of the United States. A number of prominent and notable naval and Marine Corps officers have also served on the staff of the Department since its founding. Among those have been: Col. David Vetter and CDR. Charles Perkins, both of whom won the Clements Award for Best Military Instructor at the Academy, Maj. Gen. Jefferson D. Howell, Brig. Gen. Carl Fulford, Brig. Gen. Richard Kramlich, Col. Scott E. Leitch, Capt. Harry Benter, USN, Capt. Terry Ippel, USN, Capt. Jimmy Emerson, USN., and Maj. Robert Dyer, USMC, founder of RuckPack, which was featured in a 2012 episode of Shark Tank on ABC. - Enhancements and Enrichments to the Economics Program There have been many developments since the Department's founding that have enriched the quality of the midshipmen's education in economics. In 1971, Prof. Roger D. Little took the initiative in establishing at the Naval Academy a chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international honor society for students in economics. Midshipmen majors of the first and second classes with CQPR's of 3.0 or above have been invited to join this society in recognition of their accomplishments. ODE has met regularly and has sponsored many lectures, luncheons, and social events that have contributed to a greater camaraderie among majors and more interaction between students and faculty. In the late 1970's the Department began a summer intern program for midshipmen majors which allowed them to work during their leave time for three weeks or so in one of the Pentagon offices concerned with budgetary affairs or military manpower matters. On occasion the duties have involved working on Capitol Hill. In 1983, the Department, under the guidance of Prof. Roger Little, sponsored a national conference on the economics of the all volunteer military force after a decade of moving to that policy. This was a hotly debated topic at the time, and midshipmen and faculty alike were treated to outstanding speakers from both sides of the issue. Among the prominent participants were Sec. of Defense Casper Weinberger, Lawrence J. Korb, Martin Anderson, and Martin Binkin. Prof. Little and Prof. William Bowman edited the papers presented at the conference and published them in The All Volunteer Force After A Decade: Retrospect and Prospect, (Washington, D.C.: Pergamon-Brassey's, 1986). Again, in 1993 the Department sponsored a national conference to assess the all voluntary force two decades from its beginning. Dr. Kenneth J. Coffey, Prof. Little, and Prof. J. Eric Fredland were leaders of this conference and once again obtained outstanding participation from distinguished military figures as well as civilian experts. The papers were published in Professionals on the Front Lines: Two Decades of the All-Volunteer Force (Washington DC: Brassey's, 1996). Under the auspices of ODE, Col. Scott Leitch, USMC, while serving on the faculty in the mid 80's, began what has turned into an annual trip to New York City for economics majors of the first class. The group visits the New York Stock Exchange, an investment bank, and a bond trading room. This has become one of the most popular events of the year. A major advance in economics education occurred in 1987 when Prof. Rae Jean Goodman and Prof. Tom Zak successfully undertook to establish an electronic classroom with 20 linked PC computers for the instruction of economics. This classroom, continuously updated, has served as a lab for the Department's classes in economic statistics, intermediate macroeconomics, and advanced macroeconomics. Midshipmen have been able to get hands-on experience in predicting what would happen to the level of economic activity if a whole host of variables were to change. A second laboratory was added in 2000. The Economics Department has expanded the educational opportunities available to economics majors. Honors students have attended professional conferences and presented the results of their research. The economics department has offered substantial opportunities for graduate education in business and economics to qualified mids through VGEP and IGEP programs. Beginning in 2001, due to the efforts of Professor Pamela Schmitt, several midshipmen each year have been able to participate in the summer program at the London School of Economics. The Honors program graduated its first class in 1988 under the direction of Associate Professor Tom Zak, and continues to offer advanced midshipmen opportunities for additional study of economics and research. The Economics Department has always availed itself of the opportunity to get outstanding speakers in the area of policy-making from Washington, D.C. Over the years there have been many lectures to combined sections of midshipmen from Assistant Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries, and Assistant Deputy Secretaries of such departments as Labor, Commerce, Treasury, and Defense. Some of the more prominent speakers have been economists like George Tolley, Christopher Jehn, Emil Sunley, Richard Elster, and Roger Shields. Others have come from the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of Budget and Management, the Federal Reserve Board (e.g., Andrew Brimmer and Donald Kohn), and from Washington think tanks (e.g., Brookings' Barry Bosworth). On three occasions Nobel Prize winning economists, James M. Buchanan, James Heckman, and Peter Diamond, have provided an evening lecture to midshipmen. Being able to draw on such a talented resource base has been a significant advantage for the Naval Academy. It has allowed the Department to keep its instruction lively, relevant, and very stimulating to the midshipmen. - Locations/Homes of the Economics Department at USNA When economics was being offered by the Department of English, History, and Government during the 1940's, 50's, and 60's, the Economics Committee (predecessor to the Department) was located on the first deck of Maury Hall. After the construction of Michelson and Chauvenet Halls and the movement of chemistry and physics labs into those quarters in 1968, the basement of Maury Hall became the home of the Economics Committee. Prof. J. Roger Fredland's office was under the stairwell at the creek end. In 1970, after academic re-organization and the coming of departmental status, the newly formed Economics Department moved into recently renovated offices on the second deck of Sampson Hall. The stay in Sampson, however, was quite short, for when Nimitz Library was completed in 1972, Economics moved into quarters on the bottom deck of Nimitz overlooking Dorsey Creek. In 1990, the Division of U.S. and International Studies was disbanded, and for administrative purposes the Economics Department was merged, along with the Departments of Political Science, Area Languages Studies, History, and English, into a new division called the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences. In 2020, the division was redesignated as the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Economics Department currently resides on the third deck of Michelson Hall.

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Are you sure? This action might not be possible to undo. Are you sure you want to continue? Lord Stanton does not believe that marriage would suit him—so he has avoided it. But when he wagers with his friend—and loses—he must make an offer for Charlotte Sherwood, a young woman his godmother favors. To honor his debt he sets off to ask for the young lady’s hand. But who knows? His luck may yet be in—the lady may refuse him! Regency Romance by Lois Menzel; originally published by Fawcett Menzel Chapter 1 Julian Ferris, Viscount Stanton, tooled his high-perch phaeton expertly through the narrow space between an old-fashioned landaulet and a hackney carriage and swept into Grosvenor Square without appearing to even slightly check his pair. His perfectly matched bays were well known in London, and today he was counting on them to rescue him from what he knew would be a long and tedious conversation with his godmother. This formidable lady, the Dowager Duchess of Kern, would be incensed to find he had driven himself in answer to her summons, but even she would not expect him to keep his horses standing long in the high wind of a chill September day. Lord Stanton leaped gracefully down from the carriage as his groom ran to the horses’ heads. I do not plan to be long, Jenkins, but if I am above fifteen minutes, walk ‘em. He spoke over his shoulder as he sounded the knocker and a moment later was admitted to the house by a portly and disheveled butler. Stanton gave his caped driving coat into this worthy’s hands, along with his high-crowned beaver and gloves, and found himself wondering if his godmother kept any servants under the age of sixty. If there were some younger ones, he mused, they would appear sadly out of place, for the whole musty heap spoke of a bygone era. Twenty-five years ago the London town house of the Duke and Duchess of Kern had been a showplace for the aristocracy, and invitations to any function there were jealously coveted by the haut ton. Everyone who was anyone could be seen strolling the gracious rooms, conversing with only the cream of London society. But it had been many years since any strain of music rumbled through the formal reception rooms, and longer still since the ballroom had been closed for the last time. Even in those rooms the duchess now used there were unmistakable signs that time marches relentlessly on, leaving nothing untouched. Once bright carpets and window hangings were dulled by exposure and age. Vaulting molded ceilings showed peeling gilded paint, and on many of the high walls priceless portraits hung in dusty frames, too high and too numerous for the hands of elderly servants to tend. The viscount knew his way well and did not stand upon ceremony with his godmother, but he permitted the butler to lead him upstairs to the drawing room and announce him properly. Lord Stanton, Your Grace. The dowager raised her head as the viscount entered the room, and a smile lit her heavily wrinkled face. Well, Stanton, you have been prompt. I sent my note only yesterday. Stanton eyed the frail, white-haired lady with patient indulgence. She vexed him with her efforts to direct his life, yet he held her in considerable affection. I fancied your need to see me was urgent, ma’am, and I had no desire to keep you waiting. He crossed the room to her as he spoke, and she noted with approval his claret-colored cutaway coat and dove gray skin-tight pantaloons. As he seated himself in a chair she indicated near the fire, a reflection of the flames danced in the polish of his Hessian boots. He was a strikingly handsome young man, but the duchess realized he would not consider himself so, for vanity was not one of Stanton’s vices. It is fitting you should call today, Stanton. You have given me an opportunity to offer my felicitations. As his brows drew together in inquiry, she knew she had guessed correctly, and he had forgotten. You are eight-and-twenty today. Never tell me you have forgotten your own birthday! I am afraid I have, he admitted ruefully. But it is not at all surprising. Such milestones mean little to me. Well, you may believe me when I say they are not so meaningless to others of your family. Yes, I know, Godmother. Eight-and-twenty and still unmarried. At my age my father and grandfather both had children in leading strings. How remiss of me. Sarcasm ill becomes you, and I cannot believe you are as indifferent to this subject as you pretend. You must have some thought for what is due your family and your noble ancestors. For over two hundred years, the title you bear has passed from father to eldest son in an unbroken chain. Is it your intention to destroy such a proud heritage? I have never understood why so much attention is paid to that accident of history, he replied. Sooner or later, one of the Viscounts Stanton will die in a war, or sire only girls, and then the chain will of necessity be broken. Nonsense. The Ferrises always produce sons—strong sons. And so also will you, if you will convince yourself it is time to take a wife. This was not the first time he and his godmother had had this conversation. Since his return to England in the spring, she had taken every opportunity to introduce the subject. The theme was always the same; only the characters changed. She was relentless in urging him to marry and never met an eligible debutante without considering the girl as a possible candidate for the future viscountess. I know your feelings in this matter, Godmother. You have made them plain enough. But I cannot think marriage is the answer for me. Henry would make a much better husband than I, or even Giles, when he is older. That may well be, but neither of your brothers is the head of this family. You are. And the responsibility is yours. I would not wish to see any wife of mine trapped in the existence my mother had to bear, he responded. "Your mother had too much sensibility for her own good, which was undoubtedly the result of her being a Frenchwoman. But I agree she received very shabby treatment from your father, very shabby indeed. He did not comprehend the meaning of the word discretion, a fault that you, my dear Stanton, have not inherited. He married on a whim and for love—or call it passion if you will—and he found that passion soon dies. If you wish for a sensible marriage that you can be comfortable with, then you must carefully choose the proper woman. You insist you are not a romantic. Very well. Choose a woman who is not desirous of having your heart at her feet. You must find a girl who is willing to fill the position of wife and mother and accept that you would not be constantly dancing attendance upon her." The duchess paused for a moment, and when he did not speak, she continued cautiously. My niece by marriage, Louise Sherwood, has two charming daughters. The elder, Charlotte, is an exceptional girl. She is twenty-one and has had several seasons. An excellent family, good connections, and the girl is handsomely dowered. I believe I have met Miss Sherwood, Godmother, but I assure you, the thought of making her an offer has never crossed my mind. Then let it cross your mind, she snapped. You cannot remain a bachelor forever. Marry you must, sooner or later. Now that the war is over and you are finished with soldiering, the time is ripe. Charlotte Sherwood is a sensible girl, with no silly romantic notions in her head. She is also remarkably lovely. It would be no penance to take such a girl to wife. Stanton turned away impatiently, walked to the brandy decanter, and poured himself a liberal portion. He had every right to be annoyed with his godmother for this meddling in his private affairs, but he found he couldn’t blame her. Her feelings were, after all, in harmony with those of most of his family and friends, and indeed with society in general. A man of his age and social standing was expected to marry and produce an heir to secure the direct line. But even though he accepted these things, he still found the idea repellent. Stanton had been to his share of weddings, and he knew the vows as well as any man, but regardless of his godmother’s wishes, he had no intention of taking them. Perhaps he was a romantic after all, for he could see no sense in promising faithfulness and then breaking faith at the first convenient moment. His strong innate sense of fairness rebelled at the unwritten social ethic that expected wives to remain faithful while husbands could philander at will, so long as they were discreet. He had watched his mother suffer endless humiliation as his father flaunted one mistress after another before the ton. Better not to marry at all than to involve oneself in a situation where pledges were made to be broken and honor sacrificed to desire. His godmother implied that Miss Sherwood, if he married her, would be sensible. In other words, she would be willing to accept his behavior even if she were disapproving or resentful. Is that what he wanted for his life? Marriage to a woman who would not be particularly concerned if he shared another woman’s bed? Such a marriage was a sham—meaningless promises, empty vows, hollow honor. He wanted no part of it. He had known his share of women, and he would be content to continue as before. When an interlude ended, when interest flagged and attraction faltered, he would walk away—no commitment, no ties, no disillusionment, and, most importantly, no guilt. The dowager duchess was beginning to lose hope that her godson would ever marry, and she was distressed for more than one reason. She wanted the family name protected, it was true, but she also wished to leave her not inconsiderable personal fortune to Stanton and had convinced herself she would not change her will in his favor until he should be safely wed. She had not previously mentioned this subject to him, but she had decided that today she would put her last card on the table and hope it would be enough to force his hand. I am an old woman, my boy, and not in the best of health, she continued. It would please me to see you comfortably settled. The viscount smiled tenderly at the old lady and took her frail hand in his. I have always thought you would outlive us all, my dear. Don’t speak nonsense, Stanton. Only a fool would wish to live forever. But you change the subject. I wish not to speak of me, but of you, and of those who will come after you. But I am a ramshackle fellow, Godmother. We both know I would make the deuce of a bad husband. I am not convinced of that, she argued. A wife and family could have a steadying effect on you, bring some sense of purpose to your life. I am a wealthy woman, as you know. I am willing to settle my entire estate on you if you will please me in this matter. The smile instantly disappeared from Stanton’s lips, and he dropped her hand as his brows drew together sharply. A bribe, ma’am? This is not in your style, surely? She could not miss the clipped resentment in his words. Not a bribe, rather an inducement. I know you have no need of my money, but few prudent people would refuse a large inheritance out of hand. I ask only that you choose a suitable girl and marry; I place no other condition on the bequest. Stanton turned away and crossed to the windows overlooking the square below. The dowager maintained a prudent silence. She knew he was not pleased, but she had said all she intended and was now willing to allow the matter to rest. She could see he was eager to be off, but she had not dismissed him, and his manners were too pretty to allow him to offer her any slight. She knew he cared for her in his way, and for herself, she had loved him all his life. The duchess had never borne her husband any sons, but Stanton was a perfect example of the son she would have liked to have had. He was of moderate height with a quick, athletic figure, fine shoulders and a good leg. The tight-fitting styles of the day suited him well. His handsome features were topped by a head of thick, medium brown hair that curled slightly. His slate gray eyes were fathomless to most, but the dowager had learned over the years that they were her best means to discover what he was thinking. He had a fine, passionate mouth, which, unfortunately, rarely smiled. As he turned now to face her, she focused her eyes on the grim lines of that mouth as she forced her own into a smile. Will you be attending Lady Selfridge’s ball tomorrow night, Stanton? Yes, ma’am, I had planned to go. Then, no doubt I shall see you there. Recognizing his dismissal, Stanton made the proper farewells and took himself off. He saw no sign of his carriage in the street and knew he had taken longer than the prescribed fifteen minutes. His groom, walking the horses as instructed, soon reappeared, and as the viscount mounted onto the driver’s seat, Jenkins handed over the reins. The dowager stood at the window overlooking the square and watched her godson drive away. Lord Stanton was a nonpareil with the ribbons, and seldom a week went by when he was not challenged by one man or another to race one of his teams or pairs. She knew his name often appeared in the betting books, for he could never resist the opportunity to race his bloodstock. This partiality for racing did not concern his godmother, for his wagers were never outrageous, and he seldom lost. The dowager sighed and turned from the window as Stanton disappeared. He had grudgingly given her less than half an hour of his time but now would go on to White’s and amuse himself for hours on end. If he was to be at Caro Selfridge’s tomorrow, the dowager had every intention of making a push at least to see that he and Miss Charlotte Sherwood should become better acquainted. Chapter 2 Lord Stanton and Sir Hugh Broughton sat silently as the last course of their dinner was cleared and the port decanter placed upon the table. Stanton dismissed his footman with a nod and then reached to pour wine for his friend. Sir Hugh was a taller man than the viscount, slimmer, and fair. Both were attired in strict evening dress, for they were to proceed shortly to Lady Selfridge’s grand ball. Earlier in the evening, the viscount made his friend privy to the previous day’s conversation with his godmother, and now he eyed Sir Hugh speculatively. What do you know of the Sherwood family, Hugh? No more than the next man, I suppose. Lord Sherwood is in his early fifties; came into the title about two years ago. There are the two girls, a younger son in the army, and of course, Richard. Richard? Yes. Richard Sherwood. Damn! Are you telling me this is the same family? Yes. Of course. I thought you knew. No. I hadn’t made the connection. If I recall Miss Sherwood, she is dark and slight. Yes. And Richard is a blond giant. I agree there is little resemblance, but they are brother and sister nevertheless. Stanton smiled reminiscently. Remember how much we missed him when he sold out? I lost count of the times he rescued you from one of your harebrained schemes, Julian. When I look back now, I can see that some of your plans for our entertainment were really quite mad. One must have something to occupy one’s time between battles, Stanton said defensively. Even forced marches were preferable to sitting bivouacked in one spot for days on end. London is starting to bore me, too. There is a sameness about each day that makes one long for a change. You felt that way about Oxford. So did you. We never knew a happier time than the days when we shook the dust of those august halls from our boots, bought our colors, and shipped off to Portugal. Now the war is over, how do we occupy ourselves, Hugh? Have you given it any thought? I plan to look about me for a wife. I’m the last of the line, after all, and I am not as opposed to the idea of marriage as you are. You might be wise to at least consider your godmother’s advice. What? Are you taking her side in this? No. Of course not. But as long as I’ve known you, you’ve had the habit of selling yourself short. I think you would make a fine husband. Your confidence is gratifying, Hugh, but I will stand by my decision. I must admit, however, to some little curiosity about Miss Sherwood. My godmother seems convinced this girl would be the perfect wife for me. * * * * Lady Selfridge’s ball was an intolerable squeeze and no doubt would therefore be put down as one of the highlights of the Little Season. As Lord Stanton and Sir Hugh Broughton made their way through the press of people, they estimated there were nearly three hundred persons present. I should have talked you out of coming here, Sir Hugh protested. We will most likely be suffocated in this crowd. I promised my godmother I would be here, and I will bet you a monkey, and even offer you odds, she will have Miss Sherwood at her side. I won’t take that bet, his friend replied. "You have been too damnably lucky all week. But I don’t see how you can be so certain she will have the girl in tow. She did no more than mention Miss Sherwood to you yesterday. Surely she won’t thrust the girl into your arms." Oh, I would place no assurance on that, my dear Hugh. My godmother has no scruples when it comes to the matter of my marriage. If she could arrange to have me compromise a young lady—a lady of unquestionable suitability, of course—she would do it without a moment’s hesitation. She is mad to have me married. And you are equally determined not to be leg-shackled. Although how you can turn your back on nearly eighty thousand, simply to preserve your solitude, is something I cannot fathom. I don’t need my godmother’s money, Hugh. Then marry the girl and give Her Grace’s money to me, Sir Hugh suggested, for I could certainly find a use for it. You know I would do almost anything to oblige you, Hugh. But marry to improve your fortune? No, my friend, I am afraid there I must draw the line. The two gentlemen made uneven progress through the reception rooms, full to bursting with elegant ladies in gowns of every color and description and equally elegant gentlemen in more sober, darker hues. They were greeted by dozens of friends and acquaintances but managed slowly to gain the ballroom. Stanton methodically scanned the walls, certain he would find his godmother there. Stanton laid a hand on Sir Hugh’s arm to claim his companion’s attention. You were wise to refuse my wager earlier, Hugh, for if you will look ahead, against the far wall and to the left of the green urn, you will see my godmother, and, unless I miss my guess, the matron to her left is Lady Sherwood. Sir Hugh followed the direction of his friend’s gaze but only mumbled, Very handsome woman. And the two young ladies? The Misses Sherwood, of course. Charlotte, the elder, we have met. She is in the rose gown. And her younger sister, very properly, in debutante white. Stanton had paid little attention to Charlotte Sherwood when they first met, and if she had not been with his godmother tonight, he doubted he would have recognized her. But now, with his godmother’s praise of her person ringing in his memory, he took a moment to observe her. She was a brunette, her dark hair cropped short in the latest fashion and curling about her face attractively. Her rose gown was simple but elegant and set off her excellent figure to advantage. She stood speaking quietly with her sister, a gentle smile hovering on her lips. Her complexion was flawless, her features feminine and harmonious. For one fantastic moment he tried to imagine her as his wife. If her personality matched her physical attractions, she would certainly be a woman of whom a man could be proud. In the next moment, Lord Stanton and Sir Hugh stood before the duchess and she beamed happily upon her godson and his tall, fair friend. Stanton, and Sir Hugh, how good of you to seek me out. Allow me to introduce my niece, Lady Sherwood. This is my godson, Lord Stanton, and his friend, Sir Hugh Broughton. Both gentlemen took Lady Sherwood’s hand briefly in theirs, and then she made them known to her daughters. Stanton noticed Charlotte’s voice was low and pleasant and her eyes a rich brown, and then he turned from her placid and serene face to make the acquaintance of her younger sister. He needed to drop his gaze an inch or two, for Miss Elizabeth was shorter and slighter than Charlotte. The first thing he noticed about Elizabeth Sherwood was her smile, for it was warm and welcoming, and an indication of her extreme youth and innocence, he thought. Women better versed in the social graces did not bestow smiles so generously upon strangers. Elizabeth’s hair, a shade darker than her sister’s, was piled high on her head with only a few long curls permitted to escape onto her shoulder. As he took her hand, she sank into a curtsy deep enough for royalty, and as she rose, he found her staring boldly into his eyes. He was accustomed to having chits of this age stammer and blush and cast their eyes down upon meeting him. But Miss Elizabeth met his gaze directly, her brown eyes twinkling and mischievous, and despite himself, his rare smile appeared. A moment later he turned to Charlotte again and solicited her hand for the next dance. Sir Hugh invited Miss Elizabeth to stand up with him for the same set, and the couples moved off to join the other dancers. The dowager smiled approvingly, even though she realized her godson asked Miss Sherwood more from a desire to satisfy an old woman’s whim than from any desire to please himself. Both the Misses Sherwood had been popular since their arrival upon the social scene. Their father had come into the title quite unexpectedly when his father and elder brother drowned together in a yachting accident. Jarvis Sherwood had been, all his life, a seagoing man, rising to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. He was proud of his career and proud of the years he spent serving his country. But overnight, at the age of fifty, he became a peer of the realm, and the transformation was overpowering. He inherited not only the title but a large fortune and considerable property in Surrey. His elder son, Richard, was now heir to a barony, and his daughters were expected to be presented at the Queen’s Drawing Room and make their debut in Society. The Sherwood family moved from their modest home in Sussex to the handsome manor house at Sherwood Park. Lord Sherwood had, of course, lived there as a youth and was not unaccustomed to it. His children, however, found it very grand and were delighted their fortunes had taken such a turn. The girls were both eager to enter Society, and their father provided a generous dowry for each of them. Lady Sherwood watched her daughters move gracefully about the room. Elizabeth was smiling at something Sir Hugh said to her but never faltered in the intricate steps of the dance. If you were brought out last year, Miss Sherwood, how is it that we have never met? Sir Hugh asked. I was not presented at court until this year, sir, so I did not attend such grand parties last year. Also, I don’t think you or Lord Stanton often attend functions of this sort. He smiled broadly. It is true we enjoy rather less crowded gatherings as a rule. But I am glad we came tonight. On the opposite side of the room, Lord Stanton and Charlotte were having an equally pleasant conversation. It seems you have a very military family, Miss Sherwood. Your father was in the navy, was he not? "Indeed, my lord. His last command was captain of the frigate Valiant." Was he with Nelson at Trafalgar? Yes, he was. He says it was the most glorious action of his career. I can well believe it. I served with your brother Richard in the Peninsula, and I think you have yet another brother in the army. My brother Jonathan is with the 1st Guards, she nodded, smiling though he complains it is dreadfully dull since the peace was signed. So you are Richard Sherwood’s little sister, the viscount said thoughtfully. I would never have guessed it. You are not very like him. Charlotte smiled again but could not answer, for the dance was ending. Stanton returned her to her mother’s side, thanked her politely, and begged her to convey his regards to her brother. Lord Stanton and Sir Hugh stood for a few moments in conversation and then parted company as Sir Hugh asked another young lady to dance and the viscount strolled toward the library, which he expected would be a male stronghold tonight, where he could sit and enjoy a glass of brandy and some masculine conversation. Even though he managed to find congenial company, Stanton’s thoughts strayed more than once to Miss Charlotte Sherwood. His godmother was right. Miss Sherwood was a beauty. She was also intelligent, modest, and unassuming—altogether a very comfortable female. He found himself thinking a man might search long and hard before finding another such paragon. And yet, if he were to allow such a woman into his life, he would be in many ways answerable to her. Simple civility demanded that, at least. For most of his life he had been answerable only to himself. A wife would drastically alter his life-style, placing upon him responsibilities he did not desire. Nearly an hour later, Stanton quit the library, determined to search out Sir Hugh and, if necessary, drag him bodily from the ball. The library

September 16, 2004 Thank you ~ and let me add my welcome to those of others. It is great to have you here on campus. Susan and I see a lot of friends of a lot of years in the audience - men and women who have regularly taken on leadership roles. I salute you all. This is my opportunity to say thank you - thank you for the work you do for your class, thank you for the work you do for Dartmouth. I would also like to thank the Class Officers Executive Committee, Bill and Jim, for all the work they did to organize this meeting. I love this time of year. The energy level on campus is inspiring. Yesterday afternoon the band marched around campus. Last week, Susan and I got over at 6:30 am to meet a group of first-year students leaving on their trip-they were very excited to be here - leaving on a DOC trip in a downpour. I have been over to football practice and spoke to the players and visited women's soccer practice. I think we are going to have a good year in each of these sports. Susan and I greeted first-year parents earlier this week and we had the first-class meeting for the '08s on Tuesday and as we have done annually a picnic at the President's House for the them. Sunday is matriculation. I will meet and shake the hand of every student in my office - that way they know where to find me later in the year. Next week we have Convocation on Tuesday followed by the community picnic, and Susan and I will meet new faculty on Wednesday. We have a good life. I am daily energized by our students and by the rhythm of this place. Of course, we are mourning David McLaughlin's passing. There will be a memorial service on October 4th, and I know that some of you will attend. I have been privileged to serve four Dartmouth presidents beginning with John Dickey. David McLaughlin was a friend I admired and was someone who served his College well. He doubled the endowment, supported the faculty, strengthened student life, built the Wheelock Cluster, and worked to improve alumni relations. His leadership in moving the medical center was critical to that institution and to the College. I often told him that his audacious decision ranked only behind coeducation in securing the strength of Dartmouth. It is a busy time. It is always a busy time at this dynamic and energetic place. As I begin the 7th year of my administration, it is easy to get caught up in the complexities of a complicated place. So I remind myself to stay focused on our core purpose. My goal has been and continues to be to have the strongest undergraduate program in the country. Let me repeat that. This is not complicated to state or to understand. We want to have, and I intend to ensure that we continue to have here at Dartmouth, the best undergraduate program in the country and in the world. I am aware of the voices of concern that you hear and will hear tomorrow at the Association meeting. There are some who would suggest that Dartmouth is on the wrong track. Let me tell you where I think we are going because other people are not always as clear as they might be in describing what we are doing. Dartmouth has no secret plans - no plans to do away with the Greek system, to devalue teaching. Indeed, we have strengthened both. I have not devoted my life to this place to make it something else. I have devoted my life to making it a better Dartmouth. I am proud of Dartmouth - what it has been and what it is. I am enthused about our future and I am honored to be president of this College. Dartmouth does not seek to be like any other institution. Dartmouth has a special place in American higher education and I intend to protect that place. Let me tell you where I think we are going and why I think that this is the right direction for Dartmouth. When I say that I intend to ensure that we have the best undergraduate experience in the country, what does this mean? It means bright and energetic students studying with faculty engaged in the research and creative work of their fields and enthused about teaching students. It means having here facilities and programs that advance our vision and enrich our soul. It means protecting a true sense of community, one that enables and sustains our students and graduates for a lifetime. It means having here graduate programs that meet the same standards of excellence and enrich, rather than compete with, our vision and purpose for the undergraduate college. Tuck and Thayer, the Dartmouth Medical School, and the graduate programs in the Arts and Sciences are small but they are strong. They stand alone as programs from which we can all take pride and they complement and add to the best undergraduate program in the country. How do we advance this vision? It begins with students - we need always a strong admissions and financial aid program. Last week, I sent out my semiannual letter to the community. I hope that you received it. It is always gratifying to get back responses. Several of the correspondents picked up on my commitment to keep Dartmouth accessible to a broad range of students. One alumnus who is now a high school teacher wrote: we are sending our top two students from last year's graduating class. I know that one of them, one of the most talented and giving people I have ever encountered, would not have been able to attend without generous support from financial aid. Thanks for keeping Dartmouth a place which is open to all who are deserving of its opportunities. Another graduate who was on financial aid wrote: Thank you so much for giving me that chance. Thank you so much for that opportunity. What Dartmouth has invested in me I plan to pay back to society. I just wanted to express to you my gratitude for what Dartmouth has done. Dartmouth is one of only a handful of institutions that is need blind in its admissions program and that meets 100 percent of an admitted student's need. Alumni generosity through the annual fund helps to make this possible. The faculty are also at the core. We advance our vision through faculty recruitment and support for scholarly and teaching initiatives. We need to continue to attract faculty who are excited to be at a place like Dartmouth. Because of its size and its incredible sense of community, this College encourages collaboration between faculty and students. I am always pleased when I read surveys of Dartmouth students to see how satisfied they are with the accessibility of the Dartmouth faculty. We lead our peers in this measure. One young woman wrote to me in response to my community letter to say that she is currently a graduate student at another Ivy League institution. She went on to say: As a graduate student, I've had the opportunity to speak with fellow graduate students from many of the top universities in the US and around the world. From these conversations, I am even more convinced that Dartmouth offers once of the very best undergraduate programs anywhere. The faculty are truly excellent and the emphasis on undergraduate education is unique in an institution of Dartmouth's caliber. Dartmouth faculty are truly excellent. I am sure that you remember many excellent professors who made a difference in your lives. The College has prided itself on its faculty - faculty who are on the cutting edge of their discipline and who are committed passionate teachers. This is the Dartmouth model. Our faculty are devoted to providing the best liberal arts education. The best teachers are those who are current in their field - this brings an excitement and rigor to their teaching. Here the term "teacher scholar" is not a hyphenated label for discrete responsibilities. Rather it is a description of a singular commitment and strength. The frontier between the known and the unknown is never fixed. For this reason, research and other creative and scholarly work are essential for a vibrant faculty. Last year, we took a number of measures to build on the faculty commitment to teaching. In response to student requests, we improved the advising system, we have instituted a new writing program, and we have opened a Center for the Advancement of Learning to provide our faculty with more support for their teaching. And, finally, we provided an additional increment to the faculty compensation pool specifically earmarked to recognize excellent teaching. And we will do this again this year. How do we know if we have accomplished this vision for Dartmouth as the preeminent liberal arts institution in the country? US News and World Report ranked Dartmouth 9th in the country. Dartmouth is also listed 9th among the "Great Schools, Great Values." Kaplan/Newsweek named Dartmouth the hottest "tech-savvy" school and ranked the College 5th for "Happy Students." The Templeton Foundation named Dartmouth as one of the top 100 character building institutions in the country. Now, I am uncomfortable with many aspects of these ranking systems. They are certainly one measure of our strength - but as I said in my letter, I am skeptical of their methodology. I would rank our undergraduate program, which is what the US News ranking purports to measure, even higher. Much higher. But there are other, perhaps more reliable, measures. Moreover, thousands of you, literally, volunteered for Dartmouth as interviewers for the admissions process, as career and placement mentors, as officers in clubs and friends groups, as members of the Alumni Council and Association, and as class officers.:) You know what that means and I know how important it is and how demanding it can be. Last year 47.4 percent of alumni participated in the annual fund. This was better than the previous year, which in turn, was better than its previous year. Thank you for all that you did to make this possible. We are not yet finished or satisfied. I know that you work hard to encourage your classmates to participate. We focus so often, and appropriately on our large gifts. But every gift makes a difference - in this way you affirm your commitment to this generation of students. As Ernest Martin Hopkins said, you are the living endowment of the College. We need to reach for historic levels of participation and then exceed them.:) One hundred years ago, in 1904 Dartmouth Hall burned to the ground. Completed in 1791 and built from the trees felled to clear the Green, it was the College for 40 years, before the building of Wentworth, Thornton, and Reed Halls. Daniel Webster had roomed there. Word of the fire spread as quickly as had the fire. Francis Lane Childs, a member of the Class of 1906 and later a professor of English here, wrote in a letter home in 1904, "It speaks well for the loyalty of Dartmouth alumni," he wrote "when you consider that the fire only broke out at 8 o'clock Thursday morning, and at 10.10, before the end walls and part of the back had fallen, a hall in Boston had been obtained and a meeting of the alumni of Boston and vicinity had been called for Saturday afternoon." Because of that outpouring of alumni support, Dartmouth Hall reopened for classes two years later. I told this story to the incoming students on Tuesday to underline for them the community that they now join. This fall we plan to launch an aggressive but essential capital campaign that will enable Dartmouth to build upon our strengths and our best qualities. The focus will be on financial aid, faculty support, student life, and facilities. Your support and engagement as always will be critical to that. We will set an aggressive goal and with your involvement I look forward to exceeding that goal. Let us be frank - we clearly do have some issues that we need to address and I plan to do just that this coming year. We need to improve the way we work with students. Our data tells us that Dartmouth students love their experience here. They are among the most satisfied students among our peer institutions. But we also know that there have been some missteps and they are often frustrated with their interaction with administrators. Jim Larimore plans to tackle this issue very directly this year by meeting with students and my colleagues are committed to reduce some of the irritants in this relationship. Last year we worked hard to bring in the CFS leadership and made some important progress. Those discussions were very helpful and the resolution of the issue satisfactory to both the students and the administration. We need to find more opportunities for such common ground. And we will. I also think we could do better engaging with our alumni. Last year when I issued my Five Year Report, I wrote there that one of my priorities going forward was to improve communications with alumni. You play an awfully important role here-by how you communicate and what you communicate with your classmates. But I am not sure that we always give you all the information that you need. And communication is a two way process. We need to give you the information you need, and we need to develop a greater level of trust with the material coming from the administration. And you need to share better with us your ideas and input. The Annual Fund is one indicator of this - but this is about engagement more than dollars. I am aware of your concerns regarding class dues, the magazine, and our support for your work. Let us work on these matters. We discussed this issue of alumni communications at our recent meeting of the Board of Trustees. And the Board has agreed to set up a Trustee working group to look into the whole issue of alumni relations. Karen Francis will chair the group and Trustees Bill Neukom, John Donahoe, Michael Chu, Brad Evans, Ed Haldeman, T.J. Rodgers, and I will all participate. We will solicit your advice and feedback. This group will report back within the next year with some recommendations. Joe Stevenson's group on alumni governance is also a great example of a group that is working to bring people together. I spoke with Joe this morning and told him how much I value what he is doing to bridge the differences among alumni. I am prepared to help with this task. We need to come together - our shared interest in this College on the Hill is too strong for us not to work together. Alumni are not adversaries of the College - we are in this good and historic work together. Let us revel in our strength and in our shared purpose and work together to solve our problems. This is Dartmouth. We have a big tent; come on in. Let us quit the sniping and fighting. In his inaugural address, David McLaughlin described Dartmouth as "rich in heritage and strong in purpose." In 2004 the heritage is even richer; the strength of our commitment is even greater. I am excited to be here, to be Dartmouth's president, and to be launching this campaign. I have taught you and I have welcomed your children for 35 years (at least 11 students in the current class are the sons or daughters of students I taught). I have visited you in your clubs and at your reunions. We have had good times and occasional debates. But we share in an important work in keeping Dartmouth as good as it is, as good as it can be. This is my life work and this is your ongoing commitment. I look forward to your participation and to your support. Let us now come together. The Hill winds call your names. Thank you. Last Updated: 8/21/08

11 Businesses You Can Start in Your Pajamas in 2011 Etsy Craft Master Dennis Anderson Anderson Soap CompanyQuirky Kid’s Clothing Jenny Ford Monkey ToesBuilding Better Communities Kene Turner EpiLifeeBay Powerseller Ann Whitley Wood Willow-WearOnline Wedding Resources Emily Newman OnceWed.comSocial Media e-Commerce Hakan Nizam NetFoliage Mommy Blogger Michelle Mitton Scribbit.blogspot.comCurated E-mail Newsletter Chris McCann StartupDigest.comSports Content Aggregator Ann Gaffigan WomenTalkSports.comCustom Men’s Shirts Danny Wong Blank LabelApplication Consulting Stacy Blackman Stacy Blackman Consulting Dennis Anderson Anderson Soap Company Jenny Ford Monkey Toes Kene Turner EpiLife Ann Whitley Wood Willow-Wear Emily Newman OnceWed.com Hakan Nizam NetFoliage Michelle Mitton Scribbit.blogspot.com Chris McCann StartupDigest.com Ann Gaffigan WomenTalkSports.com Danny Wong Blank Label Stacy Blackman Stacy Blackman Consulting When Dennis Anderson was asked if he considered himself more of an artist or an entrepreneur, he thought for a moment and replied, “Well, somewhere in between. I like creating things.” Anderson has achieved what so many Americans crave: he has turned his craft—organic soap making, or saponification—into a profitable business from his home. Anderson Soap Company launched in 2007 in his California apartment, and has since moved into a rented house in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his fiancée and children. Anderson, who started out as an accounting major in college, fell in love with soap making after taking a chemistry course that taught him the process. He has sold soaps to buyers in all 50 states and distributes internationally to Malaysia, Singapore, France, and Sweden. The children’s clothing industry is a multi-billion dollar market, and a recent surge of interest for specialized kid's gear has given companies like Monkey Toes, a Colorado-based venture run by Jenny Ford, a niche in this burgeoning market. Monkey Toes is a line of animal and insect-themed footwear for children. Ford started the company in 2002 after drawing designs on her daughter’s shoes. “I thought, ‘Oh, that’s cute,’” Ford recalls. “I fell in love with it.” She chose to keep her business at home to be able to spend more time with her two young daughters, but lack of an office hasn’t stymied the growth of the brand. Ford currently distributes in stores all over the world, and recently signed a new distribution deal that will take the product into the hands of 100 representatives around the country. Kene Turner understands the value of building a better business. After all, that's his job. The mission of EpiLife is to help organizations achieve social responsibility by implementing special project-based initiatives within their communities. Before launching EpiLife, Kene worked for the YMCA of New York, where he taught youth entrepreneurial programs. EpiLife is based out of Turner's home in New York City, and represents his desire to give back to the community that helped him in his own childhood. “When I was a teen I lost my mom to cancer,” he says. “I never knew my father. I was a child in transition. I had family, but not much. The ones that really helped me were members of the community...and it was that message that I want to implement into a venture or business.” Ann Whitley Wood is an attorney-turned-entrepreneur who saw a market for designer goods and collectibles on eBay nearly 10 years ago. In what started out as a hobby, Wood now manages over 350 listings on eBay through her store Willow-Wear, and works with about 40 clients on any given day from her home in Texas. In 2010, Wood sold over 1,100 items for about $450,000—making her one of eBay’s true “powersellers.” Though she does not keep inventory in her house, working from home has been an integral part of her business. “I had to be able to sell on eBay from home, in between taking care of my children and managing the rest of life,” Wood says. To be successful as an eBay entrepreneur, Wood says you must have an acute understanding of your product, as well as your competition. Wedding dresses are bought (one hopes) only once, making them one of the most expensive purchases in a woman's life. So Emily Newman thought, why not buy second-hand? “I saw a need where women my age were dealing with a lot of the same things,” says Newman, the founder of the Once Wed, an online wedding community, based in Atlanta. “They didn’t have a huge budget, but they still wanted to wear a beautiful dress.” So Newman and her husband, who works in online advertising, teamed up to launch Once Wed, a site for brides-to-be. The site has grown from a used dress listing service to the be-all resource for brides, similar to TheKnot.com. Once Wed puts together inspiration guides and a popular blog, which helps drives traffic to the site. NetFoliage is a web development company that creates web sites for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and artists. It’s also one of a growing number of web development companies that specialize in building e-commerce sites and online stores for social networking sites like Facebook. Nizam, who is originally from Istanbul, has been based out of his Brooklyn apartment since he launched the company in 2007—and plans to stay in his home, too. “Honestly, it didn’t even occur to me to rent an office,” he says. “I didn’t have the time or the need to think about. I would never do it—it’s becoming a lifestyle. I can go on vacation without worrying about anything. I turn off my phone and the business is closed.” You don't need to attend a BlogHer Convention to realize that "mommy bloggers" are a force to be reckoned with. Michelle Mitton was one of the first "mommy bloggers" to make a name for herself and her blog Scribbit, almost six years ago. In 2008, she was selected by The Wall Street Journal as one of the top ten blogs about motherhood, and her site attracts nearly 60,000 page views every month and 2,300 daily subscribers. Mitton publishes recipes, household tips, product reviews, and has even written a book about blogging, all from her home in Alaska. “With so many blogs out there, you have to be the ‘purple cow' as Seth Godin talks about. I try to diversify my topics a bit—I even have a few men [readers].” Chris McCann (pictured) and Brendan McManus launched StartupDigest.com as a resource for entrepreneurs looking to get involved in their community and connected with other entrepreneurs. The site has seen remarkable growth; in just a little over a year, the site has grown to 100,000 subscribers and has spread to over 50 cities. And though the content reaches people all over the world, McCann and McManus rarely have to leave their house in Palo Alto, California. “When you’re on a shoestring budget, and if the deciding factor is to spend money to get the office or spend money and do the marketing and get the product out there, do all that stuff first,” says McCann. “An office should not be high on your lists of priorities.” Ann Gaffigan felt that there needed to be more mainstream media coverage of women’s sports. So, about two years ago, she teamed up with two co-founders to launch WomenTalkSports.com, an online network that has become one of the most thorough purveyors of women’s sports news. “We didn’t research the market for this,” Gaffigan says from her home in Kansas. “It just came from our belief that something like this really needed to happen, and we want the next generation to see positive female role models.” There are over 100 websites that link to WomenTalkSports.com, and about 70 bloggers on the site. While the site's traffic varies depending on the season, the site swells when national competitions are brought to the spotlight. During the Vancouver Olympics, for example, the site had over a million visitors. Who said custom designed shirts had to be expensive? Blank Label is a Boston-based start-up that allows users to design custom dress shirts, choosing the fabric, pattern, buttons, and size, for a modest price under $100, depending on the extras. Blank Label was created by Danny Wong (center) and three co-founders (and classmates) in the summer of 2009. After a brief period of incubation by their college, Babson, the team chose not to take on an office lease. “It worked better for us,” says Wong. “We didn’t want to pay for office space.” The founders lived together in Shanghai for several months, developing relationships with suppliers and working out of their living room. At one point, they were operating with members based from home in three different time zones around the world, but Wong says it’s never been a problem. Stacy Blackman knows what it takes to get into one of the nation’s top MBA programs. Blackman, a who received her own MBA at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, turned her passion for helping students gain admission into MBA programs into her full-time job after years working in private equity. “When I first started my business, I wasn’t trying to start a business; I was just doing something I really enjoyed.” Now, Stacy Blackman Consulting has turned into one of the premier MBA international consulting firms, with clients and consultants based all over the world. Blackman has even graced the cover of Fortune, and published a book titled The MBA Application Roadmap.

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alt By Randy Alcorn, Eternal Perspectives Ministry Ministry headquartered in Sandy, Oregon A few months ago, Ravi Zacharias International Ministry (RZIM) released a statement about the external investigation into allegations against Ravi Zacharias. That preliminary statement was very disturbing, but the twelve-page final report released February 11, is horrific. Here is just a small sample, but there are much more graphic depictions, which I’d encourage you to ask God whether or not you should read: She [a massage therapist] reported that he [Ravi Zacharias] made her pray with him to thank God for the “opportunity” they both received [by having sex]. She said he called her his “reward” for living a life of service to God, and he referenced the “godly men” in the Bible with more than one wife. She said he warned her not ever to speak out against him or she would be responsible for the “millions of souls” whose salvation would be lost if his reputation was damaged. This next quote is a small part of the response to this report by the RZIM board, also posted yesterday: .” They go on to say, “We are shocked and grieved by Ravi’s actions. As Ravi Zacharias was the founder of our ministry and the leader of our staff, community, and team, we also feel a deep need for corporate repentance.” One of the saddest things I’ve ever had to do was realize in December that we should take down from our website various blogs, articles, and videos concerning Ravi Zacharias. I didn’t know Ravi well, but as it turns out I didn’t know him even as well as I thought I did. I had two conversations with him over the years, both at a big booksellers’ convention. The second of those times, my daughter Angela was with me. Ravi stopped and talked with us, making both him and us late for radio shows, but he was so kind and gracious to my daughter that we were struck with his humility and servant-heartedness. This same character quality came out in many of his debates and Q&As—he could disagree with people while still being kind and respectful. Because of this, I was truly shocked when I first read credible and later irrefutable evidence that Ravi had a long-term pattern of sexual immorality that involved many women. This part of Ravi, according to family and close friends, was unthinkable to them. It was invisible, and that’s the most troubling part, because sin and abuse thrive in the dark. I am always disappointed by (but sometimes not shocked by) the moral failures of evangelical leaders. I say that with great sadness. God says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Sometimes pride is conspicuous to nearly everyone but the person guilty of it. When a Christian leader—or anyone else—often comes across as proud and arrogant it may be simply because that’s what he really is. Pride and arrogance weren’t the first things most of us saw in Ravi. What we saw was apparent humility and devotion to Jesus. When these qualities are the genuine fruit of God’s Spirit, they are beautiful; when they are not, they can become tools to manipulate others into gratifying our sinful desires. I know enough of the ugliness of my own pride that at least I am sometimes, though regretfully not always, aware of it when it rears its ugly head. Here are some first thoughts in response to this tragedy, actually these many tragedies, because each incident did harm to others as well as to the reputation of Christ: - Let’s be quick to confess and repent. Most Christian leaders I know are like me, sinners saved by grace and growing in Christlikeness but nonetheless prone to sometimes dishonor God. That’s why quick and sincere confession and repentance before God and others needs to be a regular part of our lives. If we postpone repentance we will be dragged deeper into sin. - Let’s “finish well.” My friends and I often encourage each other to do this, especially as we get closer to that finish line, which each of us do every day. Clearly Ravi did not finish well. He finished in what appears to have been grievous sin that was unconfessed and unrepented of. Of course, only God knows what happened in his final hours or minutes. But all the books and messages and debates he ever engaged in, all the good he may have done, could not begin to compensate for his disobedience. Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). - Let’s not trust ourselves too much by putting ourselves into temptation: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment” (Romans 12:3). - Let’s not act as if we are spiritually or morally stronger than we are: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12) - Let’s decisively run away from sexual temptation: “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). - Let’s realize Satan has targeted us for destruction. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). - Let’s lean on each other for moral strength and support. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). - Let’s remember we can’t keep dark secrets from God, the Audience of One. And we can keep them from people only a short time, even if that short time is). Who Can We Trust? Many people question their faith when Christian leaders fall. When they fall to the degree Ravi did, what is a person who came to Christ hearing Ravi speak, or reading one of his books, supposed to think? While we should all live consistently with the gospel, our obedience and virtue should never be the foundation or object of anyone else’s faith. Christian leaders are not God. They did not create you and didn’t die for your sins. If your primary faith is in Christian leaders instead of Jesus, then you need to lose that faith and replace it with Jesus alone, the only proper object of your faith. Put your ultimate and absolute faith in no man except Jesus, the God-man. However, that previous paragraph isn’t where we should stop. As 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1, and other passages make clear, Christian leaders are responsible to be people of integrity. Blameless, loving what is good, upright, holy, self-controlled. In a word, trustworthy. We should be growing in Christlikeness and set an example for others in recognizing our own weaknesses, temptations, and sins. We should be examples both in living righteously and in seeking to prevent moral lapses and dealing with them decisively if they happen, in confession and repentance. Only when this is done will people be able to trust leaders. Church and ministry boards and staff should make sure to have true accountability. So in one sense of course Jesus is the only one we ultimately and unconditionally trust. But as we become more like Jesus people should be able to trust us also! Paul said, “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Churches and ministries desperately need these kind of leaders! And they should do all they can to cultivate and find them. A dear friend wrote, “My prayer now is that everyone hearing of Ravi’s sins will be driven to the Savior. That we will each confess our own sins and pray for our brothers and sisters in the Lord as waves of abuse roll over the church and Christian ministries. I pray that each one will remember that God cannot fail, no matter what men do. I pray that new safeguards will be put in place by Christian ministries to minimize the chance of such a thing happening again.” Why Talk about a Man Who’s Dead and Can’t Defend Himself? Part of the answer is that, as the report shows, Ravi consistently covered up and lied and manipulated to protect himself so that he wasn’t caught when he was alive. “Let him rest in peace” isn’t a good response. We can’t let something like this rest by covering it up and therefore making the next abuser think he can get away. Suppose U.S. Olympic team doctor Larry Nasser had died prior to U.S. gymnast Rachael Denhollander accusing him of sexual assault. Should she have not spoken up if he’d already died? Should the other 155 women who came forward have remained silent if he’d died? Many of these women testify to the beginning of healing because they spoke up, and in their case testified against a sexual predator at his trial. And they sent the message to the victims “speak up” and to the victimizer “you won’t get away with it.” What I Regret: Not Believing Lori Anne Thompson When I first heard of the woman who accused Ravi a few years ago, based on the information given by the ministry, I thought that a false accusation was possible. I was told it was motivated by financial gain and that this couple had done the same thing before. I have often said to pastor friends how careful we have to be because a single false accusation that we could not disprove—and in many cases it’s impossible to prove innocence—would take us down and ruin our reputations forever even if there wasn’t a shred of truth in it. That’s why innocent until proven guilty is my assumption. In Ravi’s case it turned out, as the new report verifies, there was a lot of contrary evidence that was silenced when they settled out of court with a nondisclosure agreement. I remember my first reactions when I heard about that agreement. Do innocent people actually pay to silence evidence from being made public? Why would Ravi agree to that if he were innocent? When I was told Ravi confessed he was unwise, that he should never have texted with her in the first place so she couldn’t send those inappropriate photos to him, I chose to give the benefit of my doubt to Ravi, who I thought I knew, instead of to people who I didn’t know and heard weren’t credible. That is a big regret. I should never have made the assumption I did. Lori Anne Thompson, this woman I didn’t know, earlier this week posted a video on her webpage, describing her relationship with Ravi Zacharias as “the most traumatizing, soul destroying, faith crushing season in my life.” Watching this sixteen-minute video by Lori Anne was painful in the extreme, though any pain on my part of course is the tiniest fraction of her and her husband’s pain. She says, .” Let the weight of that dear woman’s pain fall on you as it did on me. Of course we can say others have been abused by people and still trust Jesus, but when someone seems to be the voice of Jesus in your life and then treats you so horribly, it can close up your heart. After watching her video, I asked God’s forgiveness for believing the statements by RZIM in which they characterized her and her husband as extortionists attacking a character qualified Christian leader. When you have to ask God’s forgiveness for believing a Christian leader and a Christian ministry, it means something has gone terribly wrong. I pray for Lori Anne Thompson and her husband now. I think if you watch that video, she may be on your prayer list too. What a picture of the consequences of a Christian leader’s sin! In their statement issued yesterday, to their credit the board of RZIM apologized to the Thompsons. .” Broken Hearts and Tragic Consequences I have never enjoyed working on a blog less than this one. My heart is broken, and I ache for the victims of Ravi Zacharias. I ache for seekers who had been influenced by Ravi’s words and now will dismiss them. I ache for younger people in our churches, and older ones too, who keep seeing and hearing story after story of Christian leaders being bullies, money-lovers, and adulterers. And in this case, a sexual predator. If it breaks my heart this much, what does it do to the heart of Jesus? Surely it also stirs his anger, and unlike ours, righteous anger is the only kind he has. “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31, CSB). Perhaps there is no more tragic consequence to the sexual sin of Christians than its effect on non-Christians. Nathan said to David, in the wake of his sexual sin, “by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt . . .” (2 Samuel 12:14). Let’s all pray for Ravi’s wife, daughters, and son. I can’t imagine the depths of their grief. They lost him in death less than a year ago. Now they are losing him again in a way far more difficult than death. There is more to be learned from this great tragedy, including the need to wake up and take precautions, to change structures and cultures in ministries and churches, and to foster mutual moral and spiritual accountability. And the need to recognize Satan’s power and plans to deceive and destroy us and our service for Jesus through sexual immorality. I’ll address all that in an upcoming blog.

Mike Tyson on life, LeBron James and his ever-changing quest to make good MIAMI -- Archeologists recently discovered the remnants of an ancient Native American civilization in downtown Miami. Surrounded by towering, glittering buildings, whatever is left of the Tequestas, whose history dates back thousands of years, has slowly been uncovered. The findings have included portions of a village and even a burial ground, which the Miami Herald reported was destroyed to make way for a hotel long ago. The discoveries have slowed development projects, as city officials decide how to proceed while weighing this history against the future. Just minutes from one of these sites, Mike Tyson plops down on a brown couch in a Brickell high-rise condominium. The 47-year-old Tyson happens to know a thing or two about buried skeletons, and he admits that he can feel the tug from the past as he tries to craft a new, functional life after retiring from boxing eight years ago. Tyson has seen fame, infamy, marriages, divorces, celebrity, scandal, riches, bankruptcy, Hall of Fame inductions, felony arrests and convictions, major motion pictures, jail stints, counseling, rehab, sobriety, and relapses. Nevertheless, he is plowing forward in earnest with his latest venture as the frontman, namesake and promoter for Iron Mike Productions, which is staging made-for-TV fights. His fingerprints are all over the new company's efforts, from selecting the matchups, to mentoring the younger fighters, to attending the events to generate buzz, to leveraging his name to land national television broadcasts. To an outsider, he looks and sounds a lot more like an entrepreneur than an ex-con when discussing the project. "My prior life, besides being successful in the particular sport that I invested in, was basically sex, drugs, alcohol, violence. Topped off with sex, drugs, alcohol and violence," Tyson tells SI.com on Wednesday. "I don't believe I'm that person now. ... I'm just a very sick person. I'm not a bad person. My actions would appear that I'm bad. That's what society defines as bad. I've got some emotional issues and probably mental issues too. But I feel like I'm winning the fight. It's not over, but I think I'm winning now." GALLERY: Rare photos of Mike Tyson over the years His strategy, it seems, is to stay as busy as possible. He sat courtside with his 16-year-old son, Amir, for the Spurs' Game 3 victory over the Heat in the NBA Finals, and he is returning for Thursday's Game 4. Also on Wednesday afternoon's docket: Tyson met with fans at the Dominican Republic's Consulate in Miami and scooted across town for an in-studio radio interview, as he hypes a July 10 fight between Argenis Mendez and Rances Barthelemy at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Tyson hopes that he will have enough time that night for a birthday dinner with his third wife, Kiki, and fumbles briefly when asked how they celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary, which was earlier this month. "I bought her some flowers," he says, finally, with a shake of the head. "I have such a busy schedule. [Promoting] is different for me." Tyson is driven to the interview in a Rolls-Royce Ghost, which is comped because the former undisputed heavyweight champion is still -- before everything else -- one of the most recognizable celebrities in the country. The car stops briefly before it parks, so that a driver can exit his pickup truck at a red light to wave to Tyson. As soon as Tyson steps out of his car, he faces a line of fans who clutch smartphones rather than Sharpies. He dutifully hands out the 2014 autograph -- a smiling selfie -- to building residents, front-desk staff members and gawkers. This scene repeats itself time and again every day, according to those working with him. The only request Tyson refuses? To pose in front of the luxury vehicle, saying that doing so would make him uncomfortable. He doesn't openly reference his financial situation during the 30-minute conversation -- according to reports, he has blown through hundreds of millions of dollars -- but he repeatedly stresses that he's now pounding the pavement instead of floating along. "[I had to] adapt in order to survive," he says of his new career, which is being undertaken with Florida businessman Garry Jonas. "If I wasn't able to adapt, I don't know what I would be doing. I'm a good student. I'm really good at emulating things. I can imitate this, I can do that. Probably not to the apex of that genre, but I can do it." Father, husband, famous boxer, actor, businessman, icon, talent scout, hype man. Tyson is wearing a lot of hats. This week, with the Finals in town, Tyson is enjoying his share of hoops too. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native calls himself a "die-hard Knicks fan," but he doesn't react when Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert are mentioned as possible candidates to be his current favorite player. "Goddamn Pat Ewing, [Charles] Oakley, Mark Jackson," he replies quietly, breaking into a wide smile. The 1990s were good to the Knicks and good to Tyson, at least at times. He recalls being invited to games by Pistons guard Isiah Thomas and attending All-Star Weekends. Tyson demurs when asked whether he has a rooting interest in these Finals, and he claims not to be an expert on the sport. But, in the very next breath, he excitedly provides a brilliant, hilarious player breakdown worthy of a color commentator's spot next to ABC's Mike Breen. GIVE AND GO: Examining Knicks' future with Derek Fisher "Tim Duncan is very slow, almost like Frankenstein, but he gets there," Tyson says in that unforgettable nasally voice. "You see his arms and his upper body gets there before his legs get there. But he's there, like an octopus." The Big Franktopus and friends dropped the hammer on the hometown Heat on Tuesday, delivering Miami its first home loss of the playoffs. Tyson, like everyone else in the crowd, marveled at the Spurs' early shooting success, and he took a beat to recognize the magnitude of their dominance for nearly two decades under coach Gregg Popovich. A boxing prodigy whose every move and misstep was dissected by the national media, Tyson understands as well as anyone that the NBA is smack dab in the middle of the "LeBron Era," with every development filtering through the James lens. To many, the Spurs didn't win on Tuesday, LeBron lost. And a loss isn't just a loss for LeBron, it's a legacy hit, one step farther away from the Michael Jordan ideal. James responded to criticism of his crunch-time cramping in a Game 1 by calling himself the "easiest target" in sports. After Game 3, he and Dwyane Wade awkwardly laughed off a radio reporter who pointedly asked whether "lackluster offense" or "lackluster defense" was the biggest problem for the Heat. MAHONEY: What's the secret to the Spurs' offensive success? "There's no doubt about it, him and Floyd Mayweather," Tyson says, when asked if he agreed with James' "easiest target" label. "Because he's great. Plus, when you comment about him, you get attention. 'Such and such said LeBron is this.' He gives light to people's negativity. ... [Remember], training is harder than the game. Somebody who has never played basketball is judging you for your every move, your every mistake. People don't know what it's like to put in the perspiration to become that person. You know how many great basketball players there are that still don't become stars? That [criticism] is just something that comes with the territory. It's something we have to handle. It deflates our ego." Tyson is quick to grant that he -- in contrast to James -- struggled to laugh off or deflect barbs when he was at the peak of his powers. "I was different than LeBron. I would attack my critics. I would physically attack them," Tyson says, instinctively balling up a fist and throwing a punch into the air for effect. "It's just part of the business. My experience in life just says you can't take it personal." For all of his unlawful behavior and lingering regrets, Tyson is nothing if not incredibly lucid on this subject. He understands how the fishbowl works, and what life is like on the inside when things don't go as planned. Referencing recent comments by James, Chris Bosh and other members of the Heat, who adamantly maintain they tune out everything said about them, Tyson remains unconvinced. To him, competitive drive is inseparable from personal pride. "When [James is] on stage with Wade, they have to take these questions," Tyson explains. "Sometimes you have to be defensive and say, 'I don't care.' How could you not care? This is your life's dream. Sometimes you don't want to give [the critics] the satisfaction of thinking that you care. You're in dire need of winning, you're in desperation [mode], but you have to care. If you didn't care, you wouldn't be doing this. "Criticism gets to all of us. I don't care if it's just a small part of it. People don't like being corrected, even if [they're doing] the wrong thing. We want to make ourselves better so we don't have to listen to criticism. We're in a perfection-obsessed world, which can never happen." As James chases his three-peat, with the chance to join Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal as the only players to win three straight Finals MVP awards, he has made it clear that his goal is to become the greatest of all time. Tyson, who was 50-6 with 44 knockouts, used to be put in similar discussions during his heyday. But with his fighting days long behind him, Tyson concedes any and all comparisons to the man he regards as the best in his sport: Muhammad Ali. "I never really considered myself a great fighter, or the greatest fighter, [even if] I might have said that," Tyson says. "Muhammad Ali [was the greatest]. No doubt. Neophytes in boxing have no idea. In his prime, he looked more like a model than a fighter. But he's just mean, tough as a junkyard dog. You could beat him up all day and he's coming back at you. Don't expect to knock him out. He goes 15 rounds like it's nothing. You could shoot him with a shotgun, and if he's not dead, he's coming back. There's no quit in him." If there's one thing about his career that Tyson is clearly proud of, though, it's his mental game. "They only saw the knockouts," Tyson says of those who have overlooked the role his mind played in his success. "[Boxing] is psychological warfare, and intimidation is a part of it," he explains. "Intimidation is fair game too. It's not your fault if a guy has an inferior feeling about himself toward you. If you want to enhance that, there's no law against that either." MAHONEY: Brilliance of LeBron: Equal parts superstar talent and hoops genius Asked how many times he entered the ring knowing that his opponent had already lost out of fear, Tyson doesn't hesitate. "Many occasions. I couldn't count them, but on many occasions," he nods, before uncorking a punchline: "Then again, there's a flip side to that too. You can scare somebody into kicking your ass." Tyson's controversies eclipsed his accomplishments, and there is no real debate about his spot in boxing's pecking order. James' story is still evolving, though, and Tyson speaks with both admiration and apprehension when he weighs what's to come for the King should the Spurs send him to his third Finals loss in five tries. "I don't care how much our ego gets out of whack, we can only be the best in our time," he says. "That's all we can hope for. ... [LeBron] is just a baby, man. He's only 29. If he just keeps living positive, a lot of good things are going to happen to him, even if he doesn't win this championship. He has a whole life ahead of him, if he never gets discouraged and continues to go." Even though Tyson doesn't rush to label himself a James fan, he refers to the Heat star as a "very dignified young man" and points out that the four-time MVP has generated very few real enemies relative to his immense success. There's a hint of vicarious living in Tyson's tone, perhaps because he realizes that James has avoided the most serious pitfalls that sidetracked Tyson's career and life. In James, Tyson sees an obsessive drive he can relate to, a thirst for winning that he first felt when he won a Junior Olympic regional tournament. "I wanted more, I wanted to do this again, I wanted that feeling again," he remembers, his voice speeding up. "The [victorious] feeling gradually dissipates. You want to do it again. When can I do it again? [Winning is] absolutely, 100 percent like an addiction." As if his infamous ear-biting incident wasn't evidence enough, Tyson takes a thorough "by any means necessary" approach to competition. Humorously, the ferocious fighter who scared his opponents into defeat before the first bell says he sees no problem with flopping in the NBA. Taking a dive is just about boxing's worst offense; Tyson simply sees acting as gamesmanship in basketball. "Skullduggery," he calls it, laughing as a reporter mimics the type of flailing that cost Wade a $5,000 fine during the Finals. "That's all part of the game. Everyone has to get an advantage. It's not necessarily the best fighter or the best team that wins. There's so much more involved in sports than the physical activity. You have to use some of these tricks to offset them." The time has almost come for Tyson's next media engagement. His handlers pore over the details of his ever-evolving itinerary. A cream Mercedes-Benz sedan that was owned and then lost by NFL bust JaMarcus Russell -- still emblazoned with "The Chosen One" in script letters inside the trunk -- arrives to whisk away a reporter. Before Tyson departs, though, he is reminded of a story from nearly a decade ago, when he referred to himself as a "failure." Tyson might be able to avoid pictures with the Rolls-Royce Ghost, but he understands that he can't escape the ghosts of his past. He says he "absolutely" still feels like a failure. But Tyson doesn't stop there. He's only willing to say that he "would really like to believe" that he's made progress as a father, while acknowledging that he went years without ever talking to some of his seven children. "I'm doing the best I can," he concludes. "I have to deal with the reality, from my upbringing, who I am, what I've endured in life, maybe my best is not enough. We just have to deal with it from there and [find a peace of mind] some way or another." That confession quickly transforms Tyson from the life of the party to an object of concern. Once again, he's the ex-fighter whose present is defined primarily by his past, and whose future is tenuous. The fork in the road is right here: Will Miami find a way to preserve its ancient history, or will the city plunge forward in the name of capitalism and progress? Will Tyson backslide, or will his role as a promoter in a structured endeavor help him settle down for the long haul? The substances are the biggest variable, and they are, Tyson admits, a lingering concern. He says he is sober, but ducks when asked how long that's been the case. "Long enough," Tyson replies obliquely. "[Sobriety] feels interesting. It could go both ways: I feel like I'm fighting demons, or I feel like this could be a wonderful day today. Like they say, one day at a time." A day can drag forever, especially when it's burdened with appointments, responsibilities and stressors. "It's more like one second at a time," Tyson corrects himself, and then he's gone in the Ghost. 'Bird

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25/5/2012 42 Comments MSM and the more established online/social media failed to capture the overall mood of hg voters. Anyone following them would have expected a much smaller winning margin. I believe, in the end, its real solid groundwork and the common touch that will help incumbents retain their seats in next GE. Fabrications about the PAP is an extension of PAP-controlled media in Singapore. It does not entertain alternative views or even factual discussion. Dissenters have their comments deleted and are then blocked from posting comments if they debate with the YPAP administrators. "The ruling party continues to struggle in its search for an effective campaign formula. When it tries to exploit Opposition missteps, it risks coming across as an undignified bully. Teo Chee Hean's charges of dishonesty against Poh probably had mixed results. Among swing voters who are not quite sold on the Opposition, the doubts cast on Poh may have been sufficient to pull them into the PAP camp. Equally, swing voters hoping for a kinder gentler PAP may have seen enough evidence in this campaign that the PAP hasn't changed, and cast their votes for the WP." It's Png, not Poh. BTW, you don't have to publish my comment. Thanks. Thanks for catching that, Beth! I have fixed it. Fab about the pap is not created by a young pap member. Jason chua just happens to be a pap supporter. Comments are deleted because the page wasn't meant for discussion but just to put more information for reference. If there is alternative views, you can point to the page as a link and discussed wherever you like. Hi, my wrong assumption about Jason Chua was pointed out by Jason himself and I have since corrected that. As for the Fabrications comments policy, thanks for replying to the earlier comment to explain the policy. I think many individuals and groups are still figuring out the optimal way make use of social media's interactivity, and there is certainly no consensus on the value of comments. Thanks for your article, Cherian. Very good observations. WRT to Fab about PAP, I just have to jump in and say that I consider "fabrications about the PAP" a source of mis-information, and their censorship of comments are done in such a way it reeks of cyber-bullying. If you read comments to their posts, you will notice how they selectively allow certain pro opposition comments to remain in order for their pro-PAP audience to retort in strong disapproval. This in return reflects very badly on the party they supposedly support, as well as their inability to debate frankly and openly on issues, which in turn erodes the credibility of their page. As a result, the page looks like a bunch of fanatics feeding off one another's narrow minded opinions. I also disagree that there is no consensus on the value of comments (this is the first time I've heard such an opinion) because most people would agree that this lack of openness a step back for social media. In response to Joanne above I think fab about pap operates similarly to other sites. There are others who are just as narrow minded and feed off each other in terms of comments. But at least it exists and hits back harder than msm. @Ben & Joanne Tan - oh please..the opposition sites delete comments too. And these are comments that are not even rabidly pro PAP but moderately pro-govt. On Yahoo news and some other sites comments that are even mildly pro-govt will be disliked so many times they will be hidden and eventually lost in a stream of negative and anti-govt comments. " On Yahoo news and some other sites comments that are even mildly pro-govt will be disliked so many times they will be hidden and eventually lost in a stream of negative and anti-govt comments." At least these websites do not try to doctor the popularity of certain ideas mentioned in those articles. So at least it's an accurate reflection of opinions. I've observed several pro- opposition websites and none have the level of "enthusiasm" of "Fabrications" at deleting comments. In fact, I see a lot of intelligent pro-PAP opinions there which raise the level of the debate. Certainly, "FAP" have the choice to deal with comments the way they see fit, but I personally can't see the site in a positive light. 1000 odd voters were enbloc since GE2011. The market was demolished too. These voters are historically known to be pro-WP and BE2012, they were gone. This is why voter population dropped between GE2011 and BE2012. One of PAP dirty tricks I suppose. Desmond Choo and PAP made no progress at all considering the enbloc voters, the 2 weeks of smear campaign, character assassination, refusal to discuss national issues, media smearing at WP for 2 weeks, ministers endorsements, Grassroots endorsements, NTUC endorsements etc. If WP can survive all these and still won handsomely, WP is destined for greater things. Election Result Analysis: Desmond Choo - 8,210 (2012 BE) Desmond Choo - 8,065 (2011 GE) _____________ + 145 Desmond Choo only gets 145 more votes in 2012 BE The main result of WP 2% votes drop is due to... Turn out - 23,176 (2011 GE) Turn out - 21,951 (2012 BE) _________________ - 1225 Possibility to non-public holiday and sudden announcement of By Election 2012, travel arrangement may already made before hand, voter turn out reduced by 1225 people Yaw Shin Leong - 14,850 (2011 GE) Png Eng Huat - 13,447 (2012 BE) ______________ - 1403 The main reason of 2% drop maybe due to reduce of voter turn out due to non-public holiday and sudden announcement.. 2% drop may be due to.. but reduce of voter turn out not Yaw's incident.. I wonder if addition of overseas votes, the 145 might have been gap-filled too by WP votes?! If you notice, the BE vote for PAP is even worse than the overall vote for PAP in 2006. Also, apart from 1991, there appeared to be some 12,000 hardcore voters for WP since 1997 as the overall vote for WP has never fell below that numbers.Correct me if I am wrong! Nice commentary there but.... Having a black background and white fonts is a really bad design. It's quite a strain to read especially when the article is long. I agree – I don't normally use this site for articles. My Journalism.SG site is down. Sorry about that. Joanne, may I point you to Temasek Review. If you think Fab is unfair then may I suggest you post some pro-PAP comments along with some pictures of yourself into that most academic of political commentary sites. There's a difference where people write their comments with facts and a degree of decorum or where things with human sounding names run and attack with vulgarity those they disagree with. Let's not be blind but it seems honesty is lacking in some quarters where even credit is also stolen. Last sentence not directed at you. I completely agree with that. I boycott that site too. And I'm sure you'd agree that the negativity surrounding TR does not make "fab" any more credible. :) Hmmm....your comments did not take into account the impact of Kuan Yew's possible death on the ruling party and the emergence of cracks and splits within the ruling party. GE2016 promises to be an interesting event. The financial remuneration of ruling party MP's is a major reason for them to keep the peace within the party. Just to point out, Cherian did mention this in a closed door dialogue session in NTU before the 2011 GE - and it was an excellent analysis. I believe It was not included in this article for brevity's sake and to keep the focus on taking lessons from this by-election for both parties. Good review of the byelection. But i still have to say that there are still a bunch of wp supporters on facebook, popular ones being "troll sg times" and "smrt feedback" which has caused much unpleasantries among the pap supporters and the wp supporters. Many people have misunderstood the attacks of the Pap. It's called negative campaigning which apparently doesn't work out in Singapore. I don't think it's a misunderstanding – negative campaigning is simply an orchestration of strategic attacks. Yes, it apparently doesn't work in Singapore, and I am glad for that: we seem, as a whole, capable of looking past the mudslinging. It's a testament to the (unintentional) effects of our system that we churned out not just productive workers but discerning citizens, and just emphasises what the article ends with: "there is no alternative to winning the contest of ideas fair and square." Wonderful commentary. Do you think Mr. Low's comments during the press conference on the role of the mainstream media would change anything, given that it'd be difficult for the present administration to avoid the issue? Not sure what you would consider support "in the run up" from other opposition parties, but imo, a statement saying that they (SDP) are not contesting and wants the seat to be in opposition hands seems like a sign of support to me. Although NSP's statement seems a little more unfriendly--perhaps I'm reading too much but the "careful deliberation" part could be a warning for WP to stay away from Marine Parade GRC in the next election. What you say is true :Singapore also needs to insure itself against the possibility that the PAP will ultimately fail to deliver, and this is why structural reform..... Without the right institutional safeguards, the PAP's problems will automatically become Singapore's problems. PAP will find it hard to give up control of certain institutions, it will be dangerous when it is "forced" to give them up. So ultimately are they doing certain things for the PAP or for Singapore. Leadership transition in both parties is critical. Time to find good leaders in Singapore and lets not sink with the Titanic. A win is still a win worth celebrating. Kudos to WP. From now to the next GE in 2016, we should work towards a neutral forum. Seek out or create a neutral media for citizens to viice their views and let the voting public here and decide for themselves. We need a new platform to share and articulate. The current censored and control manipulation of the press and media is unacceptable. Purr cyber bullying and pure autocratic. Cherian, great article Hi Cherian, u don't need to live with a black background and white fonts. Just go to your source code (or get the designer to do same) and change the default to white background and black font. Easy peasy! Also, do get rid of that annoying floater with the FB, Twitter logos. Thanks Lucy and Piscadra. Your pressure has persuaded me to tweak the design. I agree the old version with the black background was hard to read. Great article. Perhaps if the PAP had been more accomodating to alternative voice from within, they might be able to recruit better candidates. Generally the perception of the PAP is that they are very slow and resistant to change. Voters have changed, S'pore has matured, it's time the PAP change as well, and genuinely at that. A well written and balanced piece of writing. The PAP is still relying the same old outdated SOP in this by-election campaign. It's like Liverpool turning to Dalglish with hope that he'll bring the glory days of the 70's and 80's back to the club. Trouble is, his tactics reflect the playing style of that era. You can't do that anymore. Things have evolved. Isn't it worrying for the rest of the country to have a ruling party using 20th century tactics for a 21st century war? Hougang residents simply renewed the mandate that they gave WP in GE2011 i.e. to check the PAP government. Until PAP can convince voters that such a check is unnecessary, Hougang will remain WP territory. .> I completely endorse what you say here. But the mindset change is simply out of reach of the PAP - most definitely not in the current cabinet, perhaps with the exceptions of some who originated from GE2011. These juniors are still as yet 'untainted'. I consider the Vivian Bala cohort, a 'lost' generation - the cohort with the most number from the medical profession. GE2011 saw two senior SAF members joining. This is significant and they are to be watched. There were also lawyers and they are quite indispensable since the PAP has the propensity to 'play' with the law. Thanks cherian for this article. It always puts a smile on my face when i read such constructive online articles by people who truly care. Do keep it up, i believe you're making a great contribution to the political maturity of singaporean voters :) Cherian, excellent article. However you miss some key issues in your discussion. most importantly, the actual calliber and performance of WP so far. Can it ever hope to run the country? in my view, this is nothing but a populist party common in every country. Look at its dismal performance in the parliament. Can any one really claim that their calliber was equal to the PAP MPs. Their arguments lacked substance, many facts were plain wrong, its research was pathetic. for them this was just another rally using the same old tired criticisms. You are giving too much importance to WP when in reality it simply catures the PAP protest vote. How many WP supporters will vote for WP and actually entrust them to run the country? to call yourself an opposition and not have the wherewithal to run a country is a joke. This exists only here. No sane singaporean can even think in their dreams that people of the callibre of their current so called A team in Aljunied can be made ministers of finance and trade. We would quickly become the next cambodia. this is no joke. The WP in its curent shape and form will be nothing more than a useless distraction, it is light years away from mounting any serious threat to the PAP. I am also willing to bet that in 2016 their performance will be dismal, if they still exist that is . 2011 was as good as it got for them. joanne, are you serious! PAP fabrications is full of factual errors and faulty arguments. can you point out any to me? also any of your anti-PAP arguments?- let us see what you have got, so far all the opp supporters have been rather lacking in the IQ department- Thank you A/P George for your article, I am wondering if you remembered me. We spoke a while back, I have graduated with my Masters (by Research) in Leeds. This is indeed insightful and looking forward to more pieces from you. I find it educational reading GC's analysis and many commentators here except @ ricky. His comment as well as his reply to Joanne i find very presumptuous and judgemental. Re: "No longer was cyberspace so uniformly hostile to the PAP. Suddenly, the WP was getting its share of criticism online." Just wondering how much of it is reaction/retaliation from the PAP. Not saying that it is patently wrong for them to plan/engineer voices that are pro-PAP but it does make me wonder about issues of authenticity and whether misinformation is injected at the same time. There were reports of PAP getting their members to post anonymously. (see:) Also wondering how these actions will affect perceptions of information and discussion online when PAP expand their internet brigade and deliberately plant their anonymous members in every major forum, blogs and whatnots. Going by the argument of PAP planting "anonymous members in every major forum, blogs and whatnots", any other party can do likewise to garner votes for their party and/or to sow discord for another. It's easy to be a keyboard warrior, I am sure we have seen many in this day and age - 'Faces of Haters' by Xiaxue () is a slap in the face to keyboard warriors. Every voter needs to think for him/herself what the party can do first for the country and then for him/herself. I've heard of some who vote for one party just because they're upset with the other party - is such anger going to help the country to progress? How is the country going to progress with such division? Actually, I don't find the anti-WP sentiments very surprising. They actually started from the time Yaw Shin Leong abandoned his post. One typical remark from a lady on Facebook was: "If he can cheat on his wife, then he can cheat on voters too.". I think this is the most likely reason why there is a dip in support for the WP. Bravo, another nail on observation on the by-election. I shared my worries like Ricky...if you are swayed by popular anti-PAP mobs and continue to endorse sub-par candidates fom opposition. We would continue the downward spiral, if WP can unearth a Desmond Choo like candidate. You bet he get my vote. But Png ...come on Singapore deserve better.

Saturday, September 7, 2013 Friday, November 4, 2011 No Irish Embassy in the Vatican? Yawn. What I like most about the planned closure of the embassy in the Vatican is the shrug of complacency with which the move has been greeted. It's not just that the people no longer scurry or fawn at the sight of a clerical collar - it's also that huge numbers of young Irish people have no memory of that carry-on at all. Whatever you may say about the faults of today's society it is far better than what we have left behind in so many regards - and the closure of the embassy symbolises that sea-change. Gilmore may claim that the move has nothing to do with the Vatican'sdisgraceful response to child abuse in Ireland but there was a time when we would have shut embassies to almost any other country to keep the Vatican presence. The decline of the Catholic Church in Ireland began, in my opinion, in the 1950s when the bishops opposed the introduction of free medical treatment for mothers and children. The Church's reputation never really recovered though I doubt if, in their arrogance, the bishops saw that at the time. The closure of the Vatican Embassy brings the process of kow-towing to Church almost to an end. Posted by Padraig O'Morain at 11:56 AM 0 Links to this post Friday, October 21, 2011 I don't love myself and that's ok? Posted by Padraig O'Morain at 9:25 AM 0 Links to this post Tuesday, May 4, 2010 Wednesday, April 28, 2010 Tuesday, March 30, 2010 Working hard to justify my existence (Tuesday - Health, 30 Mar 2010, Page 14) Padraig O’Morain ([email protected]) is a counsellor accredited by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. His book, Light Mind – Mindfulness for Daily Living, is published by Veritas. His monthly mindfulness newsletter is available fr Tuesday - Health 30 Mar 2010 AFEW years ago I estimated, with a mixture of pride and ruefulness, that I had worked every single day, Saturdays and Sundays included, for three months. This was partly due to being self-employed and partly due to being stupid about this whole issue...read more... Posted by Padraig O'Morain at 1:48 PM 0 Links to this post Saturday, November 21, 2009 A Man's World - Carry on working for good health My column A Man's World on everymonday.ie Padraig O'Morain advises people facing into retirement to take on some kind of part-time work; there are plenty of health benefits, both physical and mental, and you can earn a bit of extra cash. Read Article Posted by Padraig O'Morain at 11:54 AM 0 Links to this post Time to invest heavily in a little generosity My Irish Times That's Men Column published 17th November 2009: THAT'S MEN: If you're trying to impress a mott, dig deep and throw a few bob about. Could be the best investment you ever made, writes PADRAIG O'MORAIN PEACOCKS' TAILS, giving to charity and mating – they don't seem to have a lot in common, do they? But if that's what you think you'd be wrong and if you're a man you might be missing out on some useful information about snaring a woman's heart. Giving money to charity is an altruistic act but if you do it publicly, it can serve the same purpose as the peacock's tail which is to attract a nice peahen. It works like this. Charles Darwin wondered what was the point of peacocks having those beautiful tails. All they did, so far as he could see, was to attract predators and make it harder to run away. But then he wondered if the purpose of the tail was to attract peahens and if this made up for the disadvantages. If so, then the peacock tail played its role in the perpetuation of the peafowl species. Since then, people who research this sort of thing have established that peahens actually favour the males with the best tails. Why? The males with the best tails are the healthiest and strongest and more likely to pass on "good" genes. Darwin also wondered about altruism. Being generous to your children is understandable – each child carries 50 per cent of your genes, so your generosity increases the chances that your genes will be passed on. If you don't have children, then being generous to blood relatives such as nieces and nephews also makes evolutionary sense because every niece and nephew carries 25 per cent of your genes – be nice to them and they'll pass them on for you. But why, Darwin wondered, would we be generous and kind and giving of ourselves to people we have nothing to do with and who are unlikely to play any role in passing on our genes? Why, to take a modern example, would we give money to save lives in Africa? What if altruism for men is as the tail is to the peacock? What if being generous actually attracts women? Suddenly the whole thing makes sense. And, according to a fascinating article by Wendy Iredale and Mark Van Vugt, from the University of Kent and VU University Amsterdam respectively, in the current issue of The Psychologist , that's exactly what's happening. We like to show off our generosity. For instance, if a man is walking along the street with a woman when he is approached by a female beggar, he is likely to give her more money than he would if he was alone. Why is that? The clue might lie in the fact that men in the earliest stages of a relationship with their companion are far more likely to put their hand in their pocket and give something to a beggar than men who are in long-term relationships. If displays of generosity attract females, then such displays are likely to be more ostentatious in the early stages of the relationship when the chase is still on. And displays of generosity do, indeed, attract females. In one study, men who were described as donating blood regularly and as volunteering to help out in a local hospital were rated attractive by women. Why would women be impressed by altruistic acts? Researchers suggest that generosity in a man implies that he is a good bet for investing in a relationship and in his offspring and is more likely to stick around to do so instead of going around sowing his seed hither and yonder. For immediate short-term relationships, women are quite impressed by heroic acts. But for longer term relationships, it's kindness and generosity that floats their boat. So if, like me, you're not the heroic type, go for kindness and generosity. That phrase, nice guys finish last, just isn't true when it comes to the mating game. Christmas is coming up. The choirs will be out on the street trying to part you from your money. Forget your inclination to growl Bah! Humbug! and walk past. On the contrary, if you're trying to impress a mott, dig deep and throw them a few bob. Could be the best investment you ever made. - Padraig O'Morain is accredited by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. His book, That's Men, the best of the That's Men column from The Irish Times , is published by Veritas Posted by Padraig O'Morain at 11:04 AM 0 Links to this post How fear can point us in the right direction My Irish Times That's Men Column published 10th November 2009: THAT'S MEN: Fear should act as a catalyst for action rather than instil a feeling of paralysis FEAR IS all around us. Even Harry Crosbie of The Point/O2 fame said on the radio the other day that for the first time in his life he has the feeling that "it's dangerous out there", or words to that effect. I thought it refreshing to hear a man in his position acknowledging the fear that so many feel. Then I read an article on fear by one of my favourite Buddhist bloggers, life coach Sunada Takagi, on the Wildmind website. What she wrote is worth repeating because with the Budget, Christmas and the bleak month of January coming towards us, we are not short of sources of fear. The Buddhist approach to fear and other discomforts is to turn towards what is happening instead of running away from it. If you were a primitive man strolling through the jungle and you came across a fierce tiger you would run away as fast as your little legs could carry you. That's not running away from fear. That's running away from the tiger. Fear in this case has done its job. Fear today, of course, is more likely to be related to money problems, threats to a job or a business, health issues or challenges in relationships than to tigers. Back to that primitive man. Fear can save his life if he happens to meet a tiger. Even if he doesn't meet a tiger, though, fear of meeting one means that he is mentally and physically alert. As Sunada puts it: "He's in a state of readiness – not to the point of hyper-anxiety – but a clear, focused alertness that can respond intelligently to whatever comes his way." That's a different take on fear. If a person defines fear as bad and as something to be got rid of, he or she may run around like a headless chicken, snort cocaine (not easy if you're a headless chicken) or become paralysed. I should add that these examples are my creation – as she is a Buddhist, talk about headless chickens would not go down well with Sunada. Instead of running from fear, she writes, "if we tone down the intensity of fearful energy and strip away our idea that it's 'bad', we find underneath it an intrinsic motivator for actively and intelligently engaging with our world. It also has the potential to draw out our inner resources that we may not even be aware of. It's a force that can move us forward." To experience these benefits, "when the fear temperature rises, stay with it. But don't fight it or indulge it. Recognise any doomsday thoughts that come up for what they are – just thoughts. "In that moment, with your heightened awareness, look for what's really calling for your attention. What's one step we can take to move forward?" Since I read her article I've been experimenting with this approach. When the fear stirs, instead of lamenting that fact, I ask what the fear is telling me I need to do. It helps me to prioritise and to get on with doing what needs to be done. I have to confess that when I'm feeling lazy I sometimes opt to have the fear instead of getting up and running away from whatever metaphorical tiger is baring its teeth at me. Still, this approach to fear brings a clarity to how I see things and there is a relief in just being afraid of what the fear is about rather than also fearing fear itself. "I've grown to see fear as my ally," writes Sunada. "When I listen to it, it points me in no uncertain terms toward where I need to go." Afraid of the expense of Christmas? Well, what's your fear telling you? That now is the time to start lowering your kids' pre-recession expectations? That you should forget flying to Lanzarote on the 27th (hey, remember that?)? That you should put a realistic limit right now on what you're going to spend? Isn't that approach better than going around shouting at people and drinking too much cheap wine to calm your nerves? You can find Sunada's article 11:01 AM 0 Links to this post Plan early to avoid tension at Christmas My Irish Times That's Men Column published 3rd November 2009: THAT'S MEN: Separated parents shouldn't leave it until the season itself to decide what will happen with the kids THE EARLY arrival of Christmas advertising annoys many of us, but if you're a separated parent it brings an extra twist of anxiety. I am sorry to add to the talk of Christmas, but if you are a separated father – probably living apart from your children – then you need to start thinking about and planning for Christmas now. Christmas itself tends to stir up all sorts of emotions, including anger and loss, so don't leave it until the so-called festive season itself to address the question of parenting and what will happen with the children. Deal with it now, while emotions are calmer. Hopefully you can talk to your ex about this. If you cannot talk to your ex, perhaps there is a mutual friend or family member who could act as a go-between. If not, then you will have to do the best you can yourself. If possible, try to keep solicitors out of it – an exchange of vicious solicitors' letters really isn't going to make for a happy Christmas for anyone. Christmas is very problematic for separated parents because it is full of details, each of which carries an emotional charge. For instance, what presents will the children get? Who will buy what? If one parent thinks junior shouldn't get an iPhone is the other parent willing to respect this? How and when and where will the live-apart parent give presents to the children? Is it possible to agree that both parents will be there during the opening of the presents? If one of the parents has a new partner should that partner be there? Suppose Christmas day is not one of the access days granted by the court? Can both parents agree that each of them will see the children nonetheless? What about grandparents and other extended family? Can the extended family on both sides get to see the children over Christmas? How will that be done? One way to address the situation, especially if you are newly separated, is to ask what sort of Christmas the children had in the past? What did they do? Where did they go? How much of this is it possible for the children to have this Christmas? Are the children now in a "blended family"? In other words, are they living with half-brothers and half-sisters because of the break-up and a new relationship? If so, when giving presents can you avoid jealousy between the two groups of children, which could have repercussions after Christmas is over? Many families have a tradition of visiting graves on Christmas day. Can this be done this year? And if so, how? What will be the role of either parent's new partner? Should they be brought into the Christmas planning? Should they be there when the live-apart parent delivers presents? You will notice that I have answered none of these questions. That is because there are no neatly packaged answers that will satisfy everyone. Parents are going to have to do their best and to muster what sensitivity they can in dealing with what can be a painful time. It can be especially painful in the absence of sensitivity. And friends and relatives also need to remember that this is no time to ratchet up the stress between separated parents. I know there are parents out there who will use Christmas as another battlefield in the ongoing war against the absent ex. If you are that absent ex, you need to get yourself through this painful experience in a way that leaves you in as good shape as possible, for the sake of your future relationship with your children. Most separated parents are more reasonable than this. But because Christmas is an emotional minefield, they need to start planning for it now. I would like to acknowledge that most of the sensible ideas in this article came from a conversation some time ago with workers in the Family Mediation Service, which is part of the Family Support Agency (). Those ideas that are not sensible came:59 AM 0 Links to this post The minefield of political correctness My Irish Times That's Men Column published 27th October 2009: THAT'S MEN: I've been taken to task over my comments about gender issues in last week's column, writes PADRAIG O'MORAIN LAST WEEK'S column has brought accusations that I insulted nuns and wrote "balderdash" about entry to medical schools. I began by saying that after I left High Infants I never again saw a female teacher and I went on to suggest that now it is males who seem to be vanishing from the system. I noted that all my teachers in Junior and High Infants were nuns and, I said, "they didn't really count as females. They were a higher and more scary order of being." "What kind of language is that for a counsellor, who is dealing with both genders, on all levels of society, to use?" asks reader Meabh Ní Uallacháin. "I don't care just what point you were trying to make, it is a total insult to the many good, gentle and caring women religious, who down through the years have made the Irish educational system what is, and the hospital system also and it's only when they are no longer visible in both, that their true worth as women will be appreciated . . . and they were 100 per cent women, with all the strengths, weaknesses, gifts and struggles that all women have . . . why demean them with that insult?" Nuns did many great things in education, health and social services, but I would maintain that to schoolchildren at the time they were not ordinary women like our mothers or aunts but had a special and daunting status of their own. And I don't think I'm insulting anybody by saying that. Michael Kane, professor emeritus of physiology at NUI Galway, suggests that the pressures of writing a weekly column account for "a piece of balderdash" in last week's effort. In it, I mentioned that the proportion of women in the medical profession is increasing all the time. I then added, in brackets (and this was my downfall), "though the lads have now introduced a personality test for entry to medical school which they blatantly laud as boosting the proportion of men in the profession – how did they get away with that?" Prof Kane points out that the HPat test is not a personality test but is supposed to evaluate one's ability to use knowledge rather than just learn things off by rote without understanding. I should have known that, he says. Actually I did know it but lazy writing let me down. My substantive point remains, though. The medical establishment expressed great satisfaction this year that the test boosted the number of males entering medical school. If the owner of a corner shop introduced a test to boost the proportion of males behind the counter, how long do you think it would be before he or she was up before some authority or other and fined for discrimination? Not long at all, I believe. Prof Kane defends this aspect of the test. "It seems true that to some extent, perhaps to a major extent, one object in picking such a test was to give a more even balance of student genders entering medicine," he writes. "If you are genuinely PC, then you should feel that is laudable. If you are pseudo PC, then you might feel the opposite." If one believes that men and women are equal in intellectual ability, then selecting on the basis of the Leaving Cert alone, with females making up about 70 per of entrants to medicine, "was actively discriminating against male applicants", he adds. Finally, Seathrún Mac Éin reminds me that in his book, Speed Write in Exams , Joseph F Foyle MA drew attention to the fact that women often have more nimble fingers than men do. Thus they can write far faster, which is an enormous advantage in nearly all written exams. . . Males in a hurry frequently tend to press so hard on the pen that they plough furrows in the paper, which can be felt by running a finger over the underside of the sheet! This actually slows them down. Females, on the other hand, tend to use a light touch – barely skimming the paper." Well, my poor fingers have been soundly rapped already – so no speed writing:57 AM 0 Links to this post Rising status does little to stem abuse My Irish Times That's Men Column published 20th October 2009: THAT'S MEN: Despite women appearing to be more powerful, domestic abuse is still a huge problem for many, writes PADRAIG O'MORAIN AFTER I completed High Infants and got sent off to the Christian Brothers in Naas, I never encountered a female teacher up to and including secondary school. Recently I read that almost two-thirds of children in fifth class in primary school are taught by females. This seems to mean that men are in as much danger of becoming as a rare an event in the classroom in the near future as women were when I was going to school. I wonder what this will mean for males' view of females, especially where the boy is raised by a single mother and taught only by women? I said at the start, by the way, that I had not encountered a female teacher after High Infants. However, all the teachers in Junior and High Infants were nuns and they didn't really count as females. They were a higher and more scary order of being. So even before I went to the Christian Brothers, the concept of being taught by a female who wasn't a nun never entered my head. Of course, there have always been female teachers, especially in the national schools, so my experience may have been unique. Nor were all these women necessarily soft and gentle females. My grandmother went to a two-teacher school. Both teachers were women. She was lucky – she got the kind teacher. The children in the upstairs classroom got the cruel one, and she recalled hearing them begging for mercy as they were beaten. In a two-teacher school, you were stuck with the same teacher from the day you arrived until the day you left, so life was hard on children who got the harsh teacher. Boys at that time, though, were living in a male-dominated world. Today, they are more likely to live in a world in which, to their eyes, women are not only the equal of men, but in which there may be no man around or at least not living in the home. As today's children grow up and go to schools in which male teachers are the odd ones out, how will this mould their view of women and of themselves? And why did we hear in the past week or so that between 2007 and 2008, the demand for services for women suffering domestic abuse rose by 21 per cent, according to Safe Ireland? Somehow the increasing status of women in the schools, home and workplace seems to me to be contradicted by this rise in abuse in the home. This is happening in a world in which women, on the surface, are increasingly more powerful. An ESRI report a couple of years ago forecast that women would make up the majority of business, financial and legal professionals by 2012. The report forecasts that more than two out of five managers throughout the whole workforce would be women by that time. Increasingly, men who go to the doctor, an authority figure to most of us, will be seen by a woman (though the lads have now introduced a personality test for entry to medical school, which they blatantly laud as boosting the proportion of men in the profession – how did they get away with that?). On one level, then, the environment in which boys grow up has shifted dramatically. The concept of never encountering a female teacher from the age of five onwards would be seen strange to the point of being unhealthy. And a woman is more likely to be the sole authority figure in the home. Most of the students in many third-level courses are female. Many of the colleagues and bosses at work are female. And yet there is that rise in domestic abuse. Change in the relationship between the sexes, is, it appears, messy and unpredictable. And domestic abuse seems to have increased with the recession as financial troubles bring stresses into relationships. As women progress in education and the workplace, are the genders lagging behind in how they handle their emotional conflicts? And shouldn't we be teaching boys and girls more about that subject in our schools, regardless of whether the teachers are male or female? Posted by Padraig O'Morain at 10:50 AM 0 Links to this post

This is an illustrated story of mine from 2008 that originally appeared on my site named 3D Males, which no longer is available online. Time Me Up and Fuck Me depicts what happens when a reality television show host is bound and raped on live television. As with many of my stories, this one is intended to be satire. It certainly does not represent what I kind of television programming that I watch. Nor is this my recommendation for what I think should exist on reality television. Although you never know what will be popular with the American viewers nowadays! When I first saw him, I very much wanted to do what the title of his stupid reality television show asked. He wanted to be bound and essentially raped on a stage while the whole thing was shown on live television. He was a tease. He was sure nobody would be able to do what his show title asked. His body radiated confident sexuality. He maintained a perfectly attractive masculine look. He was young, muscular, and oh so self-impressed. He was the kind of guy that would invite trouble, willingly, deliberately, and calculatingly. He was very good at doing so. This must be why he created that ridiculous cable television reality show. Only in New York or LA could anyone get away with this kind of explicit self-produced television series. Somehow, the management of the local access channel must have been smoking something real strong the day he walked in with his program concept. Maybe he charmed them. He certainly had balls. I’ll give him that. He certainly deserved props for choosing such a commandingly odd name for his show! The show concept was simple. Just like him. The whole idea was to provide cheap thrills. He was hot. So, the thrills would be as hot as they were cheap. It was a free show that anyone could watch. That made it so brilliant. He would sit by himself on a very sparse set in a television studio wearing no clothes whatsoever. The television studio was especially small and it could only accommodate a live audience of less than ten guys. They sat on or stood in front of cheap plastic patio furniture left over from a few summers ago. The whole idea was for him to shout at and cock tease the audience in the studio and at home. So simple. It was a big underground sensation. It was a very late-night show on but once a week–2:00 in the morning on Saturdays. He would sit there and he would challenge any guy in the studio audience to get up on there on the stage with him. That’s where the name of his show came from. The challenge was simple. He invited any guy in the studio audience to get up there on stage and use a small piece of rope supplied free of charge by the show. The challenger was expected to tie the show host up and then fuck him right there on that stage! Oh, yeah. Like that was going to happen. The whole deal seemed like a total scam. Yeah, he was there naked, sitting on that sparse set in a television studio. But, no challenger ever tied him up. Nobody ever fucked him. The only payoff was that the show host would eventually jerk himself off. And this fucker would always shoot one gigantic load each and every week! I could not believe what my own eyes saw. It was like this guy never had an orgasm before. Week after fucking week. He just had so damn much to shoot! Man! I loved watching him do that! His big, muscular body would shudder so magnificently during his orgasm. He was absolutely thrilling to watch! Sometimes, his juices hit a lucky member of the audience. This certainly is what reality television was meant to be. But, I hated him. Every guy who watched him hated him. Not only because he had such a fantastic body. Not only because he would dare to jerk himself off at two in the morning once a week in front of a live television audience. Not only because he would get away with all of this bullshit. We all hated him because he never was challenged. Oh sure, once or twice, I watched some guy get up there on that stage with him. The poor dickhead must’ve thought it was gonna be this big thrill to bind some big, muscular guy with crazy blue eyes who is naked on a stage, and then fuck the man right there in front of everyone! But, it was only a fantasy. The show host was always bigger and always stronger than every single guy who dared to show up on that stage next to him. He sometimes would beat a guy unconscious right there on that stage. Just to be mean. Just because he could. Then, he would masturbate right there on the stage and shoot all over the unconscious dude lying on that stage. Then I entered his life. My goal was to change everything about this stupid television. Because it needed to be changed. My goal was give the show host what the title asked for. I finally got up the nerve. Yeah, I made it to the point where I was ready for this lying sack of shit! He would not expect someone like me to get up there on that stage. I knew that he would not expect me to challenge him because I was a lot bigger physically than him. He only let guys up there who were lesser than him. That was the show host’s worst-kept secret. I knew that I was at least his match. He would be difficult. He was muscular and had a lot of pride to defend. He might put up a fight. But, I just knew in my heart and soul that I could take him. So, one night there I was the studio audience as he got to the point in the show where he started to jerk himself off. He held that wonderfully huge cock of his like he always did. Just like always, he slowly started getting himself hard. Harder! He started shouting the usual insults at the audience. I was very patient. I was naked. I waited off stage precisely at the point in the dark where I knew he would never see me standing. I knew that my dark complexion would conceal me in that weak television studio lighting. So, I waited. I wanted him to get ready to shoot that massive load of his. That was the moment when I planned to rush up onto the stage. He never got the chance to shoot. Oh, was I was myself! I was gonna give this prick exactly what he wanted. He never saw me until I jumped him on that stage! When I had him in a defenseless position, he actually cried out in a surprisingly unmanly voice, “Don’t do this to me.” Like begging me was gonna stop me, you pussy. Wow! The studio audience screamed with delight when they saw me get on top of him. I could hear guys yelling at me, “Go get him! Fuck him!!” Every guy in the audience–both in the studio and at home–wanted what I wanted. They all wanted to see this cocky bastard taken down a few pegs. He deserved it. He had asked for it, week after week after week. I was happy to discover that there was nobody to provide security for the show host. He was on his own. I could do whatever I could get away with. That made my erection grow ten times stronger! I nearly destroyed his cheap studio when I attacked him. He could fight back. He did manage to get in one good kick to my nuts, which hurt like I never had hurt there before. But, I would get revenge on him for doing that. I’m a bigger man than him, so I eventually overpowered him. I managed to tie his hands behind his back using rope that was a promotional consideration from Homewood Hardware store on the south side. Then, I made him sit there in front of his audience. He was real scared. Nobody had ever seen that look on his face before. Oh yeah, he could imagine what was gonna happen next. But, I have to admit that I respected him for pretending to be brave as he shouted his usual insults at the audience with a manly tone. He stayed in character! He was a real professional. It was a perfect moment. I had this guy right where I wanted him. I had him where everyone wanted him. But, then, some observant guy in the audience yelled out, “Hey, this is fake! It”s just bullshit!” I knew what the guy in the front row meant, of course. The whole show was fake. The whole show was a lie. There was certainly rope. I did tie the show host up. But, everybody expected me to stop there. That was the moment when I decided that it was up to me to restore the faith of the reality television audience. I decided to prove that this show was no longer untrustworthy. I spit generously into my hands and rubbed my growing cock to make it slippery as much as possible. Then, I shoved myself deep into him from behind. His knees dug deeply into that cheap red furniture on the pathetic stage. He moaned as he turned to make eye contact with me. His eyes begged me to stop. I just shook my head to indicate “no” and that was when his tears began. That was when the audience started chanting, “Fuck him! Fuck him!! Fuck him!!!” I pounded his ass to the beat of their chanting. He cried like a baby. I just kept fucking him hard. He was all mine and he knew it. The crowd was shouting their unrestrained approval of me, their new hero. The show host took everything I could give him as I kept pounded into him without stopping or slowing down. He started to groan. I knew that he was ready. I could feel his spasms squeezing my cock inside of him. It was inevitable that he very soon shot his huge load into the air. I kept ramming into him. It felt was fantastic! I thought I was going to pass out from the excitement as I was suddenly shooting into him just after his orgasm started. Our bodies were shuddering together in a beautiful rhythm as if we were one. But, it could not last forever. Nothing good ever does. Nothing bad ever does, either. Sometimes you wish you could just keep shooting your load forever. But, you know that you can’t. I heard the crowd cheering more wildly than before. The show host looked me squarely in the eyes and he said very softly to me, “You didn’t have to do this, man.” The crowd never heard what he said to me. I just smiled as I untied him, but said nothing. He collapsed semi-conscious to the stage. He was finished. The audience screamed in approval. My cock was still dripping as I stood there in front of them all posing in this stunning moment of victory over fraudulent reality television. Of course, that night was the very last time that show ever was on cable access television. The poor guy never appeared on television again. Nobody knows where he went. Neither have I appeared again on television. But, I will always be remembered like an urban legend. I tied up and fucked the show host–just like he had always wanted. He really asked for it. Yeah, and I gave it to him good!

The Good News from Bilderberg 2013 is that Bassma Kodmani, Member of the Executive Bureau and Head of Foreign Affairs for Syrian National Council, was not invited back. That Free Syrian Army has been a real disaster of late for NATO. That is good news for Syria. The Bad News is that after reading the bios of the Bilderberg attendees David Petraeus is an angel compared to half a dozen of the Israeli Firsters who are also attending including a couple from PNAC. You remember them. The guys who helped do 911. Usually a week after the Bilderberg meeting we will see press articles detailing where they want us to go. I hope peace is on the agenda. Chinese experts who attended last year were not invited back. If any unannounced attendees are spotted, I will update this list as I did last year. Chairman Castries, Henri de France Chairman and CEO, AXA Group, the insurance giant is the 9th largest company in the world. He replaced Viscount Etienne Davignon last year. An American unit of AXA was involved in the Wall Street fleeces Main Street scandal which was investigated by the New York state Attorney General. Achleitner, Paul M. France Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Deutsche Bank AG. Deutsche bank is key to manipulating currencies, interest rates and gold. Ackermann, Josef Germany Chairman of the Board, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd. He has been feted by the American Jewish Committee. He is a Swiss born Jew and is associated with Siemens and used ti run Deutsche Bank.. Agius, Marcus GB Former Chairman, Barclays plc. His wife is Katherine de Rothschild. Her father is Evelyn de Rothschild who was a co-founder of Bilderberg. Agius began his career at the Rothschild associated Lazard bank. Alexander, Helen GB Chairman, UBM plc. a London based media company. Altman, Roger C. USA Executive Chairman, Evercore Partners. He used to be with Lehman Brothers and Blackstone Group. He is a key supporter of Hillary Clinton. Apunen, Matti Finland Director, Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA He supports globalization of business and media. Athey, Susan USA Professor of Economics, Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is an expert in decision making under uncertain conditions. She also is the person to talk to if you want to scientifically rig an auction. This is her first meeting. Aydıntaşbaş, Aslı Turkey Columnist, Milliyet Newspaper. His paper copies the SUN and Daily Mail. His paper censors its writers. Babacan, Ali Turkey Deputy Prime Minister for Economic and Financial Affairs Balls, Edward M GB He was invited because he is Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. He is a Labour MP and an Oxford graduate. He used to write for Financial Times, a Bilderberg favorite. Do not expect any reforms if he is in the Labour government in 2015. Balsemão, Francisco Pinto Portugal President and CEO, Impresa; Former Prime Minister He is the founder of a weekly news magazine. He is a broadcaster and has business ties with Brazil. Barré, Nicolas France Managing Editor, Les Echos. Returning member. Barroso, José M. Durão International President, European Commission charged to taxpayers. Bavinchove, Olivier de France Commander of Eurocorps, the Franco- German brigades. He is a 3 star general. His brigades are supposed to protect the bankers when it all goes belly up. Don’t count on these guys. They are top heavy with generals and short of battle tested soldiers. Bell, John GB Regius Professor of Medicine, University of Oxford. He specializes in autoimmune diseases. I hope they are interested in protecting their own health rather than lowering our immune response to a plague. I think they do that research elsewhere.. Notice how close the Steering Committee is to the Rothschild family. Bezos, Jeff USA Founder and CEO, Amazon.com. Bildt, Carl Sweden Minister for Foreign Affairs Borg, Anders Sweden Minister for Finance. The bankers have plans for Sweden. Both Borg and Bildt are first time members.They are there for a reason.. He is Jewish and was born in Israel. Carrington, Peter GB Former Honorary Chairman, Bilderberg Meetings. He also was Foreign Minister and NATO secretary General. He is a leading figure in the Pilgrims Society. He was a director of several banks including Rothschild NM. Cebrián, Juan Luis Spain Executive Chairman, Grupo PRISA. They own radio and TV stations are in publishing as well. They are owned by the Phoenix Group, a British insurance company. Clark, W. Edmund Canada Group President and CEO, TD Bank Group (Toronto Dominion Bank) He is a member of the all important Bilderberg Steering Committee. He believes strongly in sustainable communities. Clarke, Kenneth GB Member of Parliament. He was Secretary of Justice. Currently he is a minister without portfolio. He is a member of the Tory Reform Group which means he wants to betray the British people as quickly as possible as evidenced by his support for the EU. He is on advisory board to Hedge Funds. Corydon, Bjarne Denmark Minister of Finance. He is a first time member. Cowper-Coles, Sherard GB Business Development Director, International, BAE Systems plc. BAE is a scandal plagued British arms merchant. Cucchiani, Enrico Tommaso Italy CEO, Intesa Sanpaolo SpA. This a bank created by a merger. It has 7,246 branches (5,581 in Italy and 1,761 overseas). He is a first time member. Davignon, Etienne Belgium Minister of State; Former Chairman, Bilderberg Meetings. His company Suez killed poor people in the Third World by privatizing public water supplies. He was involved in a weapons scandal in Africa and gave way last year to the new chairman. Davis, Ian GB Senior Partner Emeritus, McKinsey & Compan. They have 7 billion dollars in revenue generated from 17,000 consultants who serve senior management and to governments. Dijkgraaf, Robbert H. Netherlands Director and Leon Levy Professor, Institute for Advanced Study. He is a first time member. He is a mathematical physicist. I wonder why he was invited. Dinçer, Haluk Turkey President, Retail and Insurance Group, Sabancı Holding A.S. Dudley, Robert GB Group Chief Executive, BP plc Eberstadt, Nicholas N. Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy, American Enterprise Institute. He is an expert on poverty and demographics. He is also an expert on North Korea. The AEI is far right and Establishment oriented. Eide, Espen Barth Norway Minister of Foreign Affairs. Ekholm, Börje Sweden President and CEO, Investor AB which runs NASDAQ OMX England and the ECB.. Feldstein, Martin S. USA Professor of Economics, Harvard University; President Emeritus, NBER. He is the most seasoned economics expert on Business cycles. Good to have around when you really need to know how much longer this Ponzi scheme fractional reserve banking system can last. Fillon, François France Former Prime Minister Fishman, Mark C. USA President, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research which does the research for Novartis pharmaceuticals. Flint, Douglas J. GB.. Geithner, Timothy F. USA Former Secretary of the Treasury, He is a second generation Globalist. His father was a Director of the Ford Foundation in Asia. He was born in Asia and speaks Chinese. His first job was working for Kissinger Associates. His father was the boss of Obama’s mother. I have written about an evil plot from a previous meeting. The article is in the Notes below. Gfoeller, Michael USA Bio says Political. Graham, Donald E. USA Chairman and CEO, The Washington Post Company. His mother was the late Katherine Meyer. He is on the board of directors of Facebook. The Washington Post never ran stories on the Bilderberg Society until the alternative press came along. He is Jewish. Grillo, Ulrich Germany CEO, Grillo-Werke AG This is a Zinc and Sulphur company. Not sure why he was invited. He does have the same last name as Beppe Grillo, the Italian politician who is upsetting the Globalists. Gruber, Lilli Italy. Guindos, Luis de Spain Minister of Economy and Competitiveness. The bankers have been pushing austerity. Spain is about to say No so loudly that the bankers will hear them. Gulliver, Stuart GB Group Chief Executive, HSBC Holdings plc. This is the second man so far from HSBC. The banks launder over a trillion dollars a year in drugs and illegal weapons. They made more off drugs than they did from the African Slave trade. Gutzwiller, Felix Swiss Member of the Swiss Council of States and leader of the Free Democrats. They are sort of libertarians. Bankers might be looking for a man to sell out the Swiss voters. Halberstadt, Victor Netherlands Professor of Economics, Leiden University; Former Honorary Secretary General of Bilderberg Meetings. Heinonen, Olli Finland Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He is an expert on nuclear proliferation. I hope he is there to get a consensus on peace with Iran. Henry, Simon GB CFO, Royal Dutch Shell plc. Another oil company heard from. Hermelin, Paul France Chairman and CEO, Capgemini Group. This is a 10 billion euro IT consulting firm with 125,000 employees worldwide. Isla, Pablo Spain Chairman and CEO, Inditex Group. This is a €13.79 billion footwear company. Jacobs, Kenneth M. USA Chairman and CEO of Rothschild owned Lazard. He is Jewish. Johnson, James A. USA Chairman, Johnson Capital Partners. He has real power within the Democratic party. Jordan, Thomas J. Swiss. Chairman of the Governing Board, Swiss National Bank. He pegged the Swiss franc to the euro. Not doing well with that one. on the first anniversary of his Riverside church speech because of his anti-war activities. Peace is forbidden. Kaplan, Robert D. USA Chief Geopolitical Analyst, Stratfor. The Bilderbergers invite some people because they want to network with a spectrum of people to make them feel important and to sell the agenda back home. I think this guy falls into that category as they have better intelligence sources than Stratfor. I hope they are selling a peace plan to his subscribers. Karp, Alexander USA CEO, Palantir Technologies. This high tech company was created with seed money from the CIA so I do not believe those claims about protecting user privacy. Like all the other high tech CEOs the CIA funded. Karp is Jewish.. Kissinger, Henry A. USA Chairman, Kissinger Associates, Inc. Kissinger is wanted for war crimes. He is of course Jewish.. He is popular with the bankers. He has been invited back. Knot, Klaas H.W. Netherlands President, De Nederlandsche Bank. this is the Dutch central bank. The Dutch, the Germans and the Finns have to pay for everyone else. back. Koch, Roland Germany CEO, Bilfinger Berger SE. He is a great public speaker and is a long time politician in the CDU.. He is Jewish. Kravis, Marie-Josée USA Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute which is funded by Eli Lily. She is from Montreal, Quebec, and is the third wife of financier Henry Kravis. Kudelski, André Swiss Chairman and CEO, Kudelski Group. Boo. Thus guy manufactures digital rights management controls. This is the guy who won’t let you play the DVD you paid for. Kyriacopoulos, Ulysses Greece Chairman, S&B Industrial Minerals S.A. This is a worldwide corporation serving foundries, construction and metallurgical firms. Everyone else in Greece is up against it. Lagarde, Christine International Managing Director, International Monetary Fund. They must be up against it to invite an active head of the IMF. She is already in scandals. She was a lawyer at a union busting firm and then Finance Minister for France. She did not permit her Ministry employees speak French. Only English allowed. Lauk, Kurt J. Germany Chairman of the Economic Council to the CDU, Berlin. Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law. As I said, they invite a lot of people to get a consensus going which they hope can be sold back home. Lessig, Lawrence USA School; Director, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University. A Good Guy. He is a proponent of reduced legal restrictions on copyright. At least the bankers will hear the other side about Internet freedom. Leysen, Thomas Belgium Chairman of the Board of Directors, KBC Group. This is a bank and insurance company that is profitable. They are geared to asset management and to small businesses. Lindner, Christian Germany Party Leader, Free Democratic Party (FDP NRW) A sort of Libertarian and member of the Merkel coalition. The bankers are really pushing to keep the Germans in the EU. Löfven, Stefan Sweden Party Leader, Social Democratic Party (SAP). He is a friend of the Wallenbergs, the wealthy family that used to be Jewish. Löscher, Peter Germany President and CEO, Siemens AG Mandelson, Peter GB Member, House of Lords; Chairman, Global Counsel. Mandelson was a longtime MP for Labor. He represented the interests of the Rothschilds and Israel. He has a reputation as political fixer. He is gay.. She is Jewish. McKenna, Frank Canada Deputy Chair, TD Bank Group He was Premier of New Brunswick province and served a ambassador to the US. He is still popular in Liberal party circles. His boss at TD bank is on the Bilderberg Society steering committee. Micklethwait, John GB Editor-in-Chief, The Economist which is owned by the Rothschilds. The Economist urged Iraq to attack Iran 6 months before the war started. Montbrial, Thierry de France President, French Institute for International Relations. The Bilderbergers like to select college professors with either Foundation or diplomatic background to persuade academics to fall into lock step when they apply for grants. Monti, Mario International Former Prime Minister and a former Goldman Sachs VP. Mundie, Craig J. USA Senior Advisor to the CEO, Microsoft Corporation; He is a member of the Bilderberg Steering Committee and had to approve the invitations to the other high tech attendees. Mundie advocates that individuals be licensed before being allowed to use the Internet. Nagel, Alberto Italy CEO, Mediobanca. This is an international investment bank. H.M. Beatrix, the recently retired. She was replaced by her son Wilhelm-Alexander. Ng, Andrew Y. USA Co-Founder, Coursera, the online educational company. His company profile was featured as part of the Bilderberg official agenda. Ollila, Jorma Finland Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell, plc. He is also Chairman of Nokia. He worked for 8 years at Citibank’s London office. I suppose you have noticed that the oil companies and the banks are well represented. Omand, David GB Visiting Professor, King’s College London. He is a veteran and communications and intelligence. Probably good at keeping a lid on things. Osborne, George GB Chancellor of the Exchequer. This man is a dope. I think they want to reach a consensus on how to steer Europe for the next year. Things are not going well. Ottolenghi, Emanuele USA Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He is an Israeli expert on Iran and worked for a group associated with the American Jewish Committee. Özel, Soli Turkey He is a professor of International Relations and Political Science at Istanbul Bilgi University. He is also a columnist at Haberturk newspaper. He edits a business magazine and a Turkish language version of Foreign Policy magazine. Papahelas, Alexis Greece Executive Editor, Kathimerini Newspaper Pavey, Şafak Turkey Member of Parliament (CHP) Pécresse, Valérie France Member of Parliament (UMP) into PNAC and became US doctrine in the early Bush years. PNAC documents spoke of a need for a new Pearl Harbor. Petraeus, David H. USA General, U.S. Army (Retired) and former CIA Director. Portas, Paulo Portugal Minister of State and Foreign Affairs. Reding, Viviane International Vice President and Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, European Commission. The EU is a dictatorship run by the commissioners. She was a journalist from Luxembourg. In 2010 she denounced France for deporting the Roma people (Gypsies).isman, Heather. Her uncle was the first Canadian to work with Bilderberg to break up Canada to get it into the North American Union. Rey, Hélène France Professor of Economics, London Business School. She is an expert on currency exchange rates and trade imbalances. Robertson, Simon GB Partner, Robertson Robey Associates LLP; Deputy Chairman, HSBC Holdings. What is it with these Bilderbergers and HSBC? If we ever take over, I think we will find most of their personal assets went through that bank. Rocca, Gianfelice Italy Chairman,Techint Group. This is a worldwide steel producer with 24 billion dollars in annual sales. Rostowski, Jacek Poland Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister. He was born and raised in London. His father worked for the British government after the war. He was a member of Britain’s Conservative Party. Poland was taken over by Israelis and returning Jews and foreigners. They need to grow their own leaders.. All four of those men are Jewish. No concern to them that a billion people at some future date will starve to death. Rutte, Mark Netherlands Prime Minister. He is a liberal and tried to pass austerity cuts. In 2009, Rutte stated that Holocaust denial should no longer be illegal. Schieder, Andreas Austria State Secretary of Finance. This country just moved to the Right in local elections. But the real question is whether that New Party is pro or anti-banker not Right or Left.. Google is featured at this years conference. There is an article in the notes below that concerns the evil intentions of Monsanto and Google.. Eastern Europe has more bad debts than in 1931. Seguro, António José Portugal Secretary General, Socialist Party Senard, Jean-Dominique France CEO, Michelin Group His French bio says he is interested mostly in world affairs. Skogen Lund, Kristin Norway Director General, Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise. The bankers want several men from key industries in every nation to accept their goals and to infect business people back home with globalization. Slaughter, Anne-Marie USA Bert G. Kerstetter ’66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University. foreign policy analyst and was in charge of Planning at the US State Dept under Hillary Clinton... Taylor, Martin GB Former Chairman, Syngenta AG. This is a Swiss Biotech firm with 20,000 employees. Thiam, Tidjane International Group CEO, Prudential plc Thiel, Peter A USA President, Clarium Capital / Thiel Capital.. PayPal has been linked by John Cruz to money laundering. Thompson, Craig B. USA President and CEO, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. I wonder about all these medical people, Maybe the bankers are just getting old. Topsøe, Jakob Haldor Denmark Partner, AMBROX Capital A/S. A financial services firm. EU disaster. There are no anti-banker parties in Europe outside of Hungary, Greece and Italy. Vasella, Daniel L. Switzerland Honorary Chairman, Novartis AG. a large pharmaceutical company. Typical Bilderberg doctors to run trials for new drugs requiring save money and require corporations to focus on real treatments and cures. Voser, Peter GB CEO, Royal Dutch Shell plc. He is Swiss born and a former CFO and not an engineer. He is taking over the St Gallen Forum from Josef Ackerman., Brad Canada Premier of Saskatchewan former President of Mexico Vicente Fox is a prime example. Warsh, Kevin USA Distinguished Visiting Fellow, had hoped.) He and his wife are Jewish. His wife Jane is an heiress to the Estee Lauder family fortune. He is a returning member. Weston, Galen G. Canada Executive Chairman, Loblaw Companies Limited. Canadian retailer with several store brand name outlets. Williams of Crosby, Shirley GB Member, House of Lords. She used to be a Labour politician who ran errands for the Rothschilds. Wolf, Martin H GB Chief Economics Commentator, The Financial Times. He is the favorite writer of billionaires all over the world. He is a committed Globalist. And he is Jewish.. He is Jewish and his father had worked for the Rothschilds before immigrating suddenly to Australia. Wright, David GB Vice Chairman, Barclays plc. Another bank heard from. Zoellick, Robert B. USA Former President, The World Bank Group. Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics.. Notes: This is that promised article on Geithner and Kissinger and their diabolical plans for the world. Video: Monsanto + Google + Bilderberg = End of Humanity This article explains why austerity cannot work. The Mathematics Of Austerity: Proving Austerity Never Was Even Intended To Work This article is really important. It explains how Depressions can be prevented. IMF Economists: ‘We Were Wrong.’ Will Someone Please Tell The Press And The Politicians. What??? You mean they’re not getting together to play pinochle and show each other home movies? Pingback: [UK-911-Truth] Annotated 2013 Bilderberg Attendee Lists – Tony G. | Excellent commentary, horse237. I hate all the attendees. Pingback: BUSINESSMAN shot solicitor dead because… But who are the real criminals? Who are the real policy makers? | Victims Unite! I was browsing through the attendees and was wondering if you can correct or inform me about the website mentioned in Paul Gallagher profile. I tried to open that website listed and all I got was a Chinese website. ?? Any help please? The link to this map should be It is quite revealing and show the length and breath of Ireland and where all the graves are located. I tried to post the correct link to this map but my url did not print so to inform people of this link it is irishholocaust.org Pingback: Bilderberg 2013 – Messiahs on the outside, world leaders on the inside… | This is really informative article. I have a an annotated list for 2014 as well. You can find it by entering Vidrebel Annotated 2014 Bilderberg into Google. I intend to write one for 2015 assuming we are still here and the Internet is still relatively free of government intrusion.

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…or is he? Avraham Burg had been given every advantage one could have in the State of Israel. Born in Jerusalem, his father Yosef Burg was a member of the Knesset for 37 years where he held numerous Cabinet positions. Avraham served in the IDF and rose to the rank of lieutenant in the much vaunted Paratroopers unit. A graduate of Hebrew University, he was also an activist with Peace Now and was injured in the grenade attack that killed Emil Grunzweig in 1983. In 1985 he got a job as an adviser to Shimon Peres and 3 years later he was elected to the Knesset as a member of the Labor Party. In 1995 he was appointed the head of the Jewish Agency and in 1999 he was elected speaker of the Knesset. In 2001 he ran for head of the Labor Party, and lost. Since then he’s left public life, had some shady and failed business ventures in Israel and then moved to France where he is now a “successful business man.” Burg has recently received quite a bit of attention due to statements he made in an interview with the Ha’aretz Weekend Magazine about his upcoming book Defeating Hitler. In that interview, he said that “To define the State of Israel as a Jewish state is the key to its end. A Jewish state is explosive. It’s dynamite … Burg calls Israel a “Zionist Ghetto” and wants the Law of Return repealed believing that it is “the mirror image of Hitler … I don’t want Hitler to define my identity.” He describes Israeli society as “paranoid” and believes that “the separation fence is a fence against paranoia…” He defines himself as a citizen of the world and describes Israel’s presece in the West Bank as an “Anschluss,” predicting “an infinite explosion.” He concludes: .” I have no doubt that half of the children of Burg’s friends in Israel will abandon the country. They’re abandoning it already. We’re witness to the lack of “elite” representation in the prestigious infantry units that used to be the almost exclusive domain of the elite. Now, signing up for such units is left mostly to new immigrants, farm boys, religious Zionists and kibbutzniks – in other words, to the naive and ignorant idealists, the friars who don’t know better than to get their asses shot at by those hell bent on destroying Israel. And what of those elites? Historically, it’s been a mixed bag. On one hand we have Moshe Dayan who was a great general but who had no problem looting archaeological treasures and who was well known for his various sexual escapades. One might also recall Ben Gurion and the Mapai party’s implementation of what is known as Protektzia which provided cushy civil service jobs to political allies and kept otherwise qualified political adversaries from getting hired. But even in the old days there were some standards. Most Prime Ministers, regardless of ideological orientation, lived modestly: Exposure for unethical behavior represented the ultimate disgrace and the end of a public career. Thus, when Housing Minister Avraham Ofer was charged with illegal activities (benefiting the Party), his shame was so great that it led him to commit suicide. And when Leah Rabin was exposed for maintaining a minor illegal foreign currency account, her husband felt impelled to resign as Prime Minister — a far cry from the response of politicians today. Case in point? Avraham Burg! “The Labor party primaries also became corrupt as exemplified by the annulment of the ballot for the leadership between Avram Burg and Benjamin Ben-Eliezer because more Druze voters supported Burg than were registered in the party.” Burg also left the country under a cloud of suspicion when a privatization scheme he implemented led to a police investigation. This is nothing new of course – it seems as if we are met with a corruption scandal every day. Some see this as a bad thing – but I see it as a sign that Israeli society is no longer tolerant of the sorts of shenanigans that used to be taken for granted. The so-called “elites” who felt that certain privileges were their birthright are begining to feel the sting of public recrimination and this purging will ultimately be a good thing for Israel. What’s funny is that even Burg’s analysis of what ails Israeli society is elitist. The focus of his criticism seems exclusively one sided as he berates the militarism and brutality of Israel’s defense efforts while not acknowledging the roles played by the Palestinians and the Arabs in creating the need for a firm and strong defense. Why is this “elitist?” Because it implies that the primitive Arabs cannot be expected to act rationally and in their own best interests. So go ahead Avraham. Go contemplate Herzl and Achad Ha’am in France while selling your little shmattes. Maybe you could hire Yael Dayan, Dana Olmert, Aminadav Begin, Yigal Arens and all the other embittered sons and daughters of the Israeli elite. I mean ultimately, you’re right – Israel is a shitty little country. But with the departure of smug, entitled and self-righteous people like you, it’s becoming less and less shitty every day. Allons enfants de la patrie… allons y! Get out and stay out! themiddle 6/10/2007 at 3:40 am Good post. avi 6/10/2007 at 9:58 am Let the elite go! These are people who ignore the Holocaust, forcibly secularized the Yemenites, and murdered their political opponents on the Tel Aviv beach. They have no Jewish identity (yes they have an Israeli identity-wow). I have now accepted the fact that when seculars become yordim or in the US become intermarried its not such a bad thing. Its a way to get rid of our dreck or a way of getting rid of those that the Germans would have selected to be our kapos. themiddle 6/10/2007 at 12:08 pm No, that’s not what has been accepted and Burg isn’t secular and those people who were capable of being kapos have no relationship to one’s consideration of life in Israel. Shy Guy 6/10/2007 at 12:17 pm Virtual spit on Avrum Boor-g! He recently tried suing the Jewish Agency to get them to keep paying for his post retirement car and chauffer perks. The court to note of his heftly private business income and threw the bum out. I remember seeing his parents and hearing Dr. Yoseph Burg speak on a number of occassions. The apple tree must have been planted on a cliff. Cori 6/10/2007 at 2:17 pm Do you live in Israel? If you did, you would know more about the elite infantry units and who serves in them. The gross generalization that you’ve made is actually nothing more than a burgeoning trend without statistical proof. In addition, though many secular Israelis are not Zionists, they ARE Israeli nationalists with Jewish identities, the MAJORITY of whom will NEVER leave the State of Israel permanently. Yet another generalization that is simply false. The situation here in terms of a will to survive and a love of country is not so bleak. What’s bleak is the diaspora’s lack of understanding and consequently, how Israel’s morale is portrayed in the diaspora. Personally, I’d prefer to live with paranoia (and I do) in the State of Israel in the hopes that my children will live with a bit less– rather than assimilate in the diaspora, and use words such as Burg’s to justify turning my back on Jewish Statehood— the key to Jewish continuity. ck 6/10/2007 at 3:57 pm Hi Cori, I live in Israel – in Jerusalem in fact. You are correct – the generalization tha elite units are staffed predominantly by new olim, moshavnikim and kibbutznikim is based on anecdotal evidence. I hope I’m wrong. I hope the newspaper reports are wrong, I hope the 4 guys I hung out with for a week from the 101st Paratrooper unit and sayeret tsanchanim are wrong. I guess Tel Avivians and Druze soldiers are both equally adept at not getting shot at by Hizballah. I never said anything about secular Jews. Burgs Dad was head of the National Religious Party, an Orthodox Rabbi and even Burg jr. wore a kippah. The situation in Israel is indeed not so bleak. I agree. The economy is great, I still believe the IDF is the greatest and most moral army in the world, especially given the circumstances and living here, I want for nothing. Hope that clarifies things. avi 6/10/2007 at 4:05 pm Facts: 1. The secular labor zionist leadership ignored and even in the Kastner case collaborated with the Nazis. “I’d rather have no Jewish children leave Germany than have them go to Britain” Of course the Revisionists sent Kook to the US and he gained support from the Orthodox and gentile pols. 2. The labor zionists enacted a program of forced secularization of the Yemenites-including pais cutting, treife food denial of jobs etc.. I find it outright chutzpadik that seculars now scream religious coercion. 3. The Germans did profile secular liberals to be kapos- or even better intermarried Jews-the less Jewish the more compliant. German’s may have been evil but not stupid. 4. Post zionist education has created a culture of “I’m not Jewish I’m Israeli” One million largely secular yordim now live in the US and are less Jewish than even the most assimilated reform Jews. Yes, there are seculars with strong Jewish commitment- think of Menachem Begin. He was totally Jewish. He was not interested in being “normal” or “Israelism” However with each generation(unfortunately) the proportion of secular but strongly Jewish decreases . 5. The Jews in the Diaspora that assimilate are the secular. Orthodox don’t in statistically significant numbers. However when a galut Jew assimilates he disapears from the Jewish scene. Non-Jewish Jews in Israel either add to the one milion yordim or contribute to a culture that just apes all the worst of American trailer trash pop culture only more vulgar. At least assimilated American Jews are overrepresented in American high culture, but the trash Israelis try to poorly copy doesn’t get any play by Jewish Americans. I have seen innumerable posts in YNET about Britney Spears- but American Jews don’t listen to such low brow trash, and yet Israelis in search of a “normal” culture emulate that. Its embarrasing but the greatest cultural iconin secular Israeli culture is a transsexual. That is not something to be proud of , and for that I can understand why so many “I’m Not Jewish I’m Israeli’s” have become yordim. With culture like that your not going to attract American olim other than religious Zionists( who don’t participate in that culture).By the way the religious zionists now make the best soldiers- they fight for something they believe in. ck 6/10/2007 at 4:12 pm Hey Avi! Don’t hate on Dana International! Look, some of what you say is factually accurate, but I dunno… we’re at the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. Can’t we all just try to get along? I am bothered by the tone and timber of your writing. That kind of bitterness isn’t going to get Mashiach here any time soon. avi 6/10/2007 at 5:09 pm some? It’s all painfuly true. Perhaps Dana’s physical castration is the result of her families spiritual castration. Bitterness? nothig I say compares with the articles and posts I see in YNET and Haaretz. The articles are agent provacateur’s bringing out the most anti-semitic post zionists. I’m not happy with that. themiddle 6/10/2007 at 5:37 pm Avi, even if there is some truth to what you write, there is so much in there that is false and you write it with such venom that you undermine every part of your claim. Clam down, dude. Oh, and do try to remember that there wouldn’t be a state if it weren’t for the secular Jews you’re dismissing. avi 6/10/2007 at 6:34 pm Its all true . If not edify me. As to seculars, my post was nuanced to distinguish “Secular but strongly Jewish ” and secular “I’m not Jewish I’m Israeli”. The problem is that the former is shrinking-think of Olmerts kids- while the latter is growing. If Ben Gurion , Kastner et al joined with the Bergson group and helped get American Jewry off their duff and got FDR to do something sooner than late 44 and the resulting action saved a million Jews but sacrificed a state. I would take the million Jews and wait a few more years for Israel. Unfortunately the 6 million were the best Jewsish community we had, and their survivors form the core of Judaism in America. perhaps there are those who would choose Israel over saving Eastern European Jewry and they did! themiddle 6/10/2007 at 8:48 pm You’re officially tiresome. Let me guess, you’ve recently had a religious epiphany and now you think that everybody needs to subscribe to your devotion. The person about whom this post was written is an observant Jew. Get it? avi 6/10/2007 at 9:27 pm When you can’t refute facts resort to insults. I’m still waiting for edification. I would love to be informed that Ben G really did try to get FDR to bomb the lines to Aushwitz or that the yemenites just decided on their own to be secular. Perhaps De Haan was killed because of homosexual inclinations and not because of politics. I would love to be shown that Rabin didn’t kill his political opponents in cold blood on that Tel Aviv beach. Hey if the intermarriage rate can be suddenly rediscovered to be 50 and not 70% maybe all that right wing propaganda I spew could be wrong. Burg is not his father, and actions and associations contradict his allegedly observant lifestyle. But as any statisticain will attest an outlier does not affect the overall bell curve. No I am not recently observant nor do I feel everyone needs to subscribe to my level or greater. As a matter of fact, let the Adam Shapiros of this world marry goyim. Or let the Peace Now and Burg types become yordim. To paraphrase Rabin , that would be a way of getting rid of our refuse. Eitan 6/11/2007 at 8:48 am Israel is NOT a ‘shitty little country.’ It’s a small, amazing, miraculous, embattled country with strengths and weaknesses, triumphs and failures, rich and poor,. It could be better. It should be better. But it’s only ‘shitty’ if you’re judging it on some utopian scale. ck 6/11/2007 at 9:57 am Wait Eitan – aren’t we supposed to be God’s chosen people, a light unto the nations? If ever a utopian scale were appropriate… But I digress. My comment was made tongue in cheek, and was a reference to a statement made by French Ambassador to London, Daniel Bernard. Burg is now a French citizen… see where I am going with this? WEVS1 6/11/2007 at 10:14 am Avi, I don’t live in Israel so I won’t comment at length about your claims regarding Israelis. Very good friends of mine live in settlements outside of Yerushalayim and in the city. My secular friends definitely do not conform to your negative caricatures. But none are from “elite†backgrounds so perhaps that may have something to do with it. As far as the “low brow†versus “high brow†tastes of American Jews, you really need to educate yourself. Most folks in the U.S. are obsessed with consumerism and pop-culture. Members of every ethnic group, every national group and every religious group listen to Britney Spears and the like. That includes Jews. Nobody is immune… As far as intermarriage, one of the things that makes the United States such a wonderful place, in particular the cities, is the opportunity for people of different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds to meet, eat, drink, dance, fuck, get married and have babies without killing each other. Much of the civilized world is moving in this direction. Jewish Mother 6/11/2007 at 4:38 pm WEVS1, you have a point, that the only way to escape Britney S and her belly button is to go heavy duty Orthodox. As for marrying and having babies, you are way, way too optimistic. Listening to Britney causes sterility. How many people are really in fact marrying and having babies? The other stuff, sure. But then you get carried away and take it to the logical conclusion. If only. There is being surgically sterilized, and then, there is being socially sterilized. People have become mules: intelligent, hardworking, comely, but sterile. Substituting Britney for shul does not work, Darwinly speaking. No kids. Shy Guy 6/12/2007 at 4:54 am JPost: The apple that fell far from the tree . WEVS1 6/12/2007 at 5:40 am I hear you JM, thanks for the comments. Brittney is not my cup of tea but I am way too old for that sort of stuff. As far as intermarriage between various groups (religious, ethnic, national, racial), it is increasing in the U.S. and I think this is a good thing. Jewish Mother 6/12/2007 at 10:42 am It’s the sterility that bothers me. You are trying to get me to comment on intra versus inter marriage but I don’t want to. You are sliding past my remark that traditional culture is an engine of fertility. If that were true, and it sure looks true, would you still be so happy with intermarriage? Tom Morrissey 6/12/2007 at 10:55 am Jewish Mother, are folks (Jewish or not) no longer having kids anymore? That doesn’t seem empirically true to me. As for music causing social sterility: this may explain my own situation. Especially when I reflect that the likes of Beethoven, Brahms, and Bruckner never married, Gesualdo killed his (first) wife, and Liszt ended up in the priesthood. Jewish Mother 6/12/2007 at 11:40 am Gee Willikers!!!!! Your post seems curiously self contradictory from one paragraph to the next. Maybe I need to eat something. I did NOT say MUSIC caused social sterility I said the disgusting pop culture, of which the unfurled martial banner is Britney Spears’s belly button, causes social sterility. It is all my generation’s fault. Leave poor Liszt et alia alone. Jewish Mother 6/12/2007 at 11:43 am I know she is fading, but I meant her as a generic. I can’t be bothered keeping up with who her successors are. Jewish Mother 6/12/2007 at 11:57 am I was slyly undermining WEVS1’s faith in the healing qualities of intermarriage. I was positing that although intermarriage may heal traditional cultural conflicts, it eliminates people, Darwinly, over the long term. Why? Because: people really have children because of a cultural imperative, an imperative that only an old, traditional, consistent culture can impose. Take away traditional culture, and the result is: no kids. (Although having children can be quite a challenge economically, alas.) 1) happiness 2) education 3) money 4) self expression 5) freedom 6) achievement 7) self esteem 8) joyful retirement 9) death 10) extinction 11) oblivion 12 Next? Jewish Mother 6/12/2007 at 11:58 am All right, who’s putting in the emoticons? I never use emoticons. Tom Morrissey 7/27/2007 at 8:59 am David Remnick has an interesting, decently-balanced article on Burg in the current issue of New Yorker magazine. an american relative of burg 9/20/2007 at 11:33 pm avraham burg is right. israel must become a light to the nations. oppression of your neighbors, creating an “other” dehumanizing the palestinians is what burg is opposing. wake up!! israel’s hope is in making peace with their neighbors, withdrawing all settlements on the west bank. no more fence. Strauss kahn 12/20/2008 at 4:06 pm Avraham Burg is completely right. If you keep killing and Dont expect any reprisals then one is living in a Fools paradise. IF you dont treat your neighbours well then expect hostility. To Get respect one has to FIRST GIVE RESPECT. otherwise this cyclical war will continue for 100’s of years. Hatred will only grow. With nothing to lose the Palistinians will only pose a threat which one day will be reality (then it would be too late). History says Noone has Defeated a NATION. Learn and First GIVE RESPECT & AID . A FAT LION will never attack you. Pingback: Gerald Caplan can go fuck himself II

Earlier this month I wrote about Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his highly influential book The Cost of Discipleship, published in a new translation in 2001 as just Discipleship. Bonhoeffer’s emphasis was upon following Jesus as Lord. But what does that mean? For most of my life I have generally agreed with those who said that the most basic, and most important, “creedal” statement for Christianity is simply “Jesus is Lord.” All people who could sincerely make that profession, and only those who make that profession, should be considered Christians. In my Jan. 30 blog article I mentioned that I had started reading Frederic Rich’s book Christian Nation (2013). I have now finished it, and I can’t remember when I have read a novel that has been as disturbing, and thought-provoking, as it.. The movement toward the Right’s concerted attempt to establish a theocracy is greatly aided by terrorist attacks on 7/22/2012, which are much worse than the attacks of 9/11/2001. Those attacks also facilitate Palin’s reelection in 2012. Four years later Palin’s successor is her principal advisor, the fictional Steve Jordan. He starts his inaugural speech in 2017 by declaring, “I submit America to Christ.” He then establishes a commission to draw up plans for a specific legislative program to implement his vision of a Christian nation. Michael Farris, who is a real person (see this link to the Wikipedia article about him), was appointed chair of that commission, which included people whose names you know: John Ashcroft, Rick Perry, James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Ralph Reed, and David Barton, among others. The third section of the completed Farris Report is titled, “This nation devoutly recognizes the authority and law of our Lord Jesus Christ.” One provision of that section states, “Only persons who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior shall serve as federal judges.” Maybe you can see why this caused me to think deeply about what it means to confess “Jesus is Lord.” Those seeking to establish a Christian theocracy in the U.S. use their belief in Jesus as Lord to lord it over people who are not Christians or who do not agree with their interpretation of Christianity, which I don’t. Here is why I strongly disagree with them: proclaiming Jesus as Lord never means coercing other people. According to the biblical records, Jesus never coerced anyone to follow him. Accordingly, those who are disciples of Jesus should never seek to coerce anyone to follow him—or to follow explicit “Christian” laws enacted by those who think they are following Jesus. In Christian Nation, though, blasphemy, all abortion, homosexual activity, adultery, extra-marital sexual activity, and even labor unions are made illegal. Moreover, all American citizens are forced to live under the government’s interpretation of Biblical law—a kind of Christian Sharia. All of this may seem so fictitious as to be completely implausible. But I think we have to consider the fact that, in the words on the dust jacket of Christian Nation, it could happen here. The best chance of it beginning to happen here soon is for Ted Cruz to be elected the next President. If he wins the nomination, which is still quite possible, I’ll write then about why I think that. The first comment received was from an American Christian Thinking Friend who lives in Japan. He wrote, "Oh my! Your synopsis of 'Christian Nation' gave me a serious shock. What a nightmare scenario!" My response: Yes, it was a rather shocking scenario that Rich projected, but one not out of the realm of possibility if the right (read "wrong") people get into office. Dear Friend your fears are utterly unwarranted! Ted Cruz does not believe in such a political state as the kind of theocracy you have implied! We are nowhere near a theocracy!Or maybe you would prefer a leftist to be President rather than a Cruz? Why because Cruz gives,(who) the best hope of bringing this theocracy about? Are you for real? When we had a Christian consensus during the formative years of America and revivals happening on a regular basis we were not in danger of becoming a theocracy? And now in these evil and adulterous times you think a theocracy is possible? This is unbelievable naivete and gross ignorance of the times in which we live? A Clinton Presidency or any of these malignant leftists should trouble you? Then we will have Lordship alright but not the kind of Lordship good for anyone! Even non Christians! I know for a fact that some of the people who are associated with the so called Right do not believe in the death penalty for adultery and homosexuals etc.! Very few professed Christians believe this! There is no way that a theocracy is possible if you take into account what the current political parties whether conservative or not believe. No one is on the verge of thinking in terms of theocracy? Democrats even conservative , Libertarians, Independents and Republicans are not interested in such an arrangement!So your fears are unfounded and complete non sense! clinton is who you should be wary of and a leftwing Supreme court who only has to win a 5 to 4 vote which can complete the leftist LORDSHIP of America! I don't usually respond to anonymous comments, but just this brief response: I think that Sen. Cruz is not going to be the Republican nominee for President and the dystopian scenario of the novel is completely unlikely with any of the other candidates. As for Cruz and the possible move toward theocracy, though, check out this article: Local Thinking Friend David Nelson shares this comment: "I find it very sad that 'Christian Nation' advocates fail to read the gospels. If they did they would discover that right and just action is far more important than right belief. "I will join the movement where the hungry are fed, the sick are healed, education is available for all and compassion is celebrated. "Jesus did not come to be King, he came to be fully human and invited those who would to follow." Thanks, David, for your comments. Yes, it is remarkable that in seeking to follow the teaching of the Bible the "Christians" in charge of the Christian nation they have formed are far more interested in literally following the Old Testament passages about stoning to death blasphemers and gays than in following Jesus' teachings about feeding the hungry, healing the sick, etc. I think it's important to stress a point you made, and that is that the novel and the people it reflects carry one particular interpretation of Christianity, which itself is a historically recent phenomenon. Even Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals were not married to reactionary right-wing politics until the 20th century. The scenario of the novel does sound nightmarish to those of us who escaped fundamentalism. Anton, while what you say about the relative newness of the conservative evangelical and Religious Right is correct, they have become a voting block that gains major attention from the media. In the days before the South Carolina primary, for example, there is constant reference to "the evangelicals" and how they are likely to vote. We hear nothing about how the members of the UCC, for example, are going to vote, and even little about Catholics. Also, while some of us may have escaped fundamentalism personally, we may not have escaped from its dangers in the world of politics. Rich says in the Afterword that his novel is not a prediction about what will happen; "instead, it is intended as a warning that such an outcome is possible." I think he makes a legitimate point. I don't think this country will move toward a theocracy, but it could happen if the right (wrong) people get into office. A sad topic as we think on the life of the saint we honor today, and the persecution of Christians both back in his day and now. I have not read the book, but I do recognize some of the names(good Christian people). The author seems a little psychopathic in his estimation of Christians - as you put it in a previous posting, Evangelphobia. In my lifetime, I have witnessed the cruelty of "Christian" wackos from both the extreme right and left, and worked with those persecuted by Muslims, Buddhists, pagans, atheists, and even other "Christians". The meanness within Christianity needs to be called by those closer to those aberrant and heretical factions, that they might repent, and take their disciples in a Christ honoring direction. (Madeline Albright, and Episcopalian, set a good example this week, of recanting her statement of damnation which had included good Christians.) I would say that I doubt that will happen, but this week we witnessed some initial healing of two very divergent parts of the Church as the Patriarch of Rome and Russia (east and west) met and signed a document of goodwill. Both have also begun reaching out to Protestants as well. Rather than a isolated segment as a creed, I would look to the full creeds penned by the Church councils, which sought acknowledge the one, holy, catholic Church. During this time of Lent/Great Lent, may the Spirit of God lead us back to the Christ of Love and goodwill, Jesus our Lord. ن There are several things I would like to comment on in these comments, but let me just respond to the next to last paragraph. One Bible passage read in the worship service I attended yesterday was from the 10th chapter of Romans. In the Common English Bible I was reading, verses 9-10 say that "if you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and in your heart you have faith that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Trusting with the heart leads to righteousness, and confessing with the mouth leads to salvation." Perhaps that is the reason some, including me at times, have thought "Jesus is Lord" is a sufficient "creed." The creeds that developed in the fourth century and later were mostly about correct belief. The Anabaptist tradition, which I affirm, has consistently emphasized discipleship, following Jesus as Lord, and thus "correct" action is seen as being of more importance than correct belief. The historic creeds, though, are almost exclusively about the latter with little emphasis on actual discipleship. That sounds good... This probably does require more dialogue. I don't know anymore. It would be nice if God really was that generous. The term "leads to" is an interesting modifier. There is huge divergences in Christian faith and practice, many with valid concerns and little goodwill. Occasionally I am encouraged by the noble thought, then another "Christian" dashes it again. So many have been intentionally wounded by one of their "own". This seems more common than healing. Even the Rabbi Himself left lingering questions with farm parables of growing crops and of sorting livestock. So I am left with the question, is that sufficient for me? I sincerely doubt it, but a good place to start. Thinking Friend Charles Kiker sent the following comments by email with permission for them to be posted here: “'Christian Nation' sounds like a good but very disturbing read. "I share with you the dangers of a Cruz presidency. He has given all kinds of room to believe that he would want to make the United States into an officially Christian nation, in direct opposition to the first amendment to the U. S. constitution. "The founding fathers saw clearly the dangers of theocracy, chief among those dangers is the fact that theocracies cannot agree on who gets to be Theos. "What else is wrong with some sort of Christian theocracy? It’s not Christian. Quoting from memory, which always carries the danger of misquoting, the late great James Dunn, (may his tribe increase), frequently said, “Faith that is not free is not faith.” "I have heard a Texas politician, a blue dog Democrat when there still were such beings, say, 'I believe in freedom of religion, but I do not believe in freedom from religion.' I beg to differ with Mr. Blue Dog. There can be no freedom of religion without freedom from religion." Thanks for your comments, Charles. I could not find the quote by James Dunn on the Internet, but that certainly sounds like something he would have said. And if he didn't he should have! For me to say “Jesus is Lord” means Jesus is my teacher; that his authority in my living is like to that of one who guides my learning. This means, as Leroy suggests, that Jesus does not “coerce” me into the will of God, but invites me to discern that will; and that means with all the humility of conviction that comes with recognizing my limits and fallibility. At my worst I act as if my (or our [insert like-minded group]) conclusions or convictions need to be held by everyone or else bad things will happen :-). At my best I offer my (or our) convictions as possibilities that might guide others. I need to differentiate between saying “Jesus is Lord” as a confession that “Caesar is not lord” or “The Fuehrer is not lord” with thinking that Jesus is now *like* Caesar or the Fuehrer. God’s authority/power is not Caesar’s armies (for the early disciples) or the Fuehrer’s armies (for the Confessing Church) but like that of Rabbi Jesus. For me “Jesus is Lord” means we learn together, we yearn together; but we do not force on others what we discern about God’s will through our teacher Jesus. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” I try to keep this in mind. Thanks, Dick, for your very helpful reflections on the meaning of Jesus' lordship. I found it interesting that Sunday morning, before I read your posted comments in the afternoon, I read and thought about Jesus' words in Matthew 7 that you cited. And I particularly thought about how they applied to the "Christians" as portrayed in "Christian Nation." But as you imply, we each need to keep those words in mind--in examining ourselves and not just in criticizing others. There appear to be as many Jesuses are there are Christians these days in that we are all so skilled at remaking him in our own image and a servant to our particular interests. My first task is to struggle against that phenomenon in my own life. Jesus has to be Lord even of my conception of who he is. My complaint is with those who appear to be saying that their Jesus is the only true Jesus and that he has tapped them to be the unquestioned authority and arbiter regarding all things religious and cultural (The implication that my Jesus is Lord negates all claims that Jesus is Lord). Many will always find that it is a lot easier to abdication their responsibility for a life that is committed to a constant discovery of who Jesus is and is not. Thank you, Mike, for posting these perceptive comments. The distinction you make between "my Jesus is Lord" and "Jesus is Lord" is extremely important but greatly overlooked. In order to know the meaning of "Jesus is Lord" we need the community of faith -- and often the community of faith that extends widely over denominational and theological lines. Wish I had mentioned this earlier, but here is a link to Chuck Queen's take on this question. Thanks, Dick, for sharing the link to this good article. I have been saying on other media that Eduardo Cruz worries me more than any other of the Republican candidates because he, like is father, is a Christian Dominionist. Christian Dominionism is a belief that Christians, of a particular stripe, should be the only people with any say in the governing of the United States.

Excellent toilet, well packaged and fast delivery! Saniflo Sanicompact 48 One piece Toilet with Macerating built into base 023 Item Description Questions and Answers Yes, a sink can be connected to the SaniCompact. The SaniCompact combines the toilet and macerator into one unit. The macerator is built into the base. This toilet is extremely compact so its perfect for bathrooms which are tight on space. It also uses a minimum amount of water and is a good option for people with physical limitations. This toilet uses a minimal amount of water, approximately 1.1 gallons (4 liters). The SaniComapact does not need a vent since it is a self contained unit. The discharge pipe is 1" diameter. 1 1/2" pipe from the sink to the toilet. The Sanicompact comes with a seat included. Denise the weight on this is about 70 lbs. read 6 more questions Sara732.534.8867Email Sara Mimi732.534.8572Email Mimi Saniflo 023 Reviews Everything went well with regard to installing the product. I could have used a little more precise info on the plumbing since I'm not that skilled but I got thru it. Once installed everything seemed to be working fine until I noticed water spilling onto the floor. Since it was already installed I had to pull it back up. the preinstalled black water supply hose was pointing sideways and was projecting water thru the overflow holes in the back of the unit. once I figured it out it was no big deal. I suggest that you not plug this line in. had I been left to do it myself it would have been done correctly. meantime I love my new basement toilet. A super item and price - customer relations excellent - prompt delivery - I would recommend this product, as well as Quality Bath. Thank you for making this experience one of my best internet purchases. Works great, had no problems at all. Installed it myself. Thanks A super tiem and price - customer relations excellent - prompt delivery - Wife is happy - and I don't have to be out back anymore. I did not have a floor rough in in the concrete floor downstairs, so I purchased this toilet. It looks nice, is constructed well and allowed me to place it where it would work and look the best. I wish I could attach photos because the result was amazing. Bought this toilet about 3 months ago and just installed it. Had to adjust water inlet as it was pointed out the back of the toilet and soaked the walls!! The toilet seat is already broken and I don't think anyone has even sat on it yet!! Instructions are okay, but could use more detail. Overall I'll give it a 6 out of 10, the toilet does present nicely in a small space. I put it in the basement laundry room along with a sink. I am very happy with the product. I was very impressed that it was delivered within three days of purchase. I would recommend this product, as well as, Quality Bath. Thank you for making this experience one of my best internet purchases. The Sanicompact was the only easy way to add a toilet to the walk out basement of a rental house that I own. When I work in the yard, now I can take care of "business" without entering the tenant's quarters. Just to be sure, I keep it unpluged when I am not there just to be sure the wrong items are not flushed. The unit is very compact and the installation was not complicated. Luckily, I read past review about attaching the seat BEFORE the installation. That was the most difficult part of the process. If I ever wish to finish the basement, it would be easy to relocate the Sanicompact. I am happy with it! I REMODELED MY BASEMENT AND DECIDED TO PURCHASE THE SANI FLO I HAD A GREAT EXPIERENCE WITH THE COMPANY GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND FAST DELIVERY . MY TOILET HAD A DEFECT AND I HAD THE REPLACEMENT IN LESS THAN 2 DAYS . I LOVE MY SANIFLO :) THANKS The delivery of my purchase (the Saniflo Sanicompact 48) was within the 5 day standard delivery. Installation was painless and it's operation very acceptable. As far as customer service with Quality Bath, from order processing, shipping & delivery time, you folks were almost as fast as I could have gone to a local store and gotten the Saniflo-Compact off the floor. I called in my order on one day and delivery was made in just about 48 hours later. Now that is fast! And that is from N.J. to upstate N.Y. and I mean really upstate---near the Canadian border. I have never seen packaging done like this before. Pobably the Saniflo Co. can be complimented for the complete four sides sprayed styrafoam --Being a ceramic product they probably have learned that packing was job 1 to prevent breakage in transit. However; that is about all I can say good about this product from the (design point of view). Who ever laid this product out on paper certainly never intended to install one of them their selves. Even though (compact) was the central point---I could not believe that so much poor design, and installer unfriendliness could be engineered into this product. Again, even with (compactness) in mind-- A third grader could have done a better job of designing instillation access and future maintenance with the same cubic inches than this engineered nightmare! One thing remains---how well the unit continues to perform? As of start up time everything is looking good --No complaints with flushing and I thought the noise to be little different than conventional toilets. I would not buy this Saniflo product again simply because of design flaws -(my opinion), But I am very satisfied with the purchasing process at Quality Bath. The toilet is great ,we use it all the time with no problems.The seat is another story.It continuosly falls off and I had to replace the hinges.The hinges that were on there were garbage and the bolt did not have enough threads to screw into.I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED .Your company needs to change this feature. We found out during the course of our renovations that ours is only the second Saniflo toilet installed in Austin, TX, and, as you would expect, there have been some pros and cons to our choosing Saniflo. First the pros: • The unit is very well made and attractive; • Going with a Saniflo instead of a conventional toilet saved us the cost of having a 4" drain line installed. Since the estimate for the drain line was $8,000 the savings were great. • Because the Sanifllo is more compact than a conventional toilet we were able to turn an existing closet off of the garage into a water closet. Now the Cons: • The Saniflo is noisy. Much louder than a conventional toilet. We feel that Saniflo should work on making it quieter. If we had known how loud it is we would have had some acoustic insulation installed during framing. • The installation instructions could be clearer. Our plumber had to rework the connections several times before everything was right. Better instructions and/or a toll-free number to call for answers to questions would have helped. • The last item is a small nit - what ungodly superglue did Saniflo use to attach the label on the front of the toilet base? The label was applied crookedly so we assume it was meant to be removed, but we haven't found anything that will dissolve the adhesive. I'll probably have to spend an hour on the floor, scraping with a razor blade, to get the majority of the adhesive off. That's about it. It's been a pleasure doing business with you. I am very pleased with the product. There was a problem with the switching plug but we figured it out and it now works perfectly. I would recommend installing the toilet seat first. I was very impressed with the fast delivery and packaging. It was very safe and the delivery was very fast. The design is very eligant and this tiolet has been a great edition to our household. It surpassed all of our expectations! The toilet was just installed 2 days ago. Everything seems to work well. There was a problem during installation. The unit did not initially work. A call into their tech center resolved that, however, I would suggest they provide better installation instructions on how to start it up. I will say that we needed to call their tech center twice and on both occasions we had a live person on the phone immediately. That was nice! I have only had the toilet installed for about one month. I am having an issue with it clogging, but I think there may be a dip in the line which I will have my plumber look into soon. I do not think it is a problem with the toilet. All in all I am very happy with the product. My new half bath is clean and uncluttered – the saniflo has a great compact shape which is perfect for the limited area I had to work with and completes the clean, uncluttered look. It is a little loud, but I knew that when I purchased it based on other reviews. It was worth a little extra noise every now and then to avoid going through the slab and possibly jeopardizing any structural integrity. I tied the sink into the toilet to drain. It makes the water in the trap gurgle when the toilet is flushed which is a little annoying. If I had known that I would have had the sink ran directly to the septic. Also when using the sink, the toilet will flush to expel the water once it reaches a certain level. The first time it did that I had the lights out and it scared me to death – so just know that happens. I am 100% happy with purchasing through Quality Bath. They had the best price (which included the toilet seat – other sites make you purchase separately for around $40), shipping was super fast and the product was packaged exceptionally well, I paid no tax or shipping so I saved even more. The customer service is excellent. I will not hesitate to recommend Quality Bath. I am very pleased with my Saniflo Compact it operates smoothly and efficiently as advertised, however installation was quite the challenge. The instructions that come with the product need to be more explicit in the text area, as the photos proved to be somewhat misleading. I was fortunate enough to have been alerted that the demonstration truck was going to be at Eastway Plumbing Supply here in Columbus while my plumber was doing the rough-in work, and we could see the operational system before we completed the install. Between that and a couple of calls to the help number, it's in and working well. First I want to compliment Quality Bath for extremely fast order processing and shipping. Saniflo toilet was extremely well packed and arrived just two days after the order was placed. As for the device itself, it’s fantastic. Installation went smoothly, and the unit functions well. Saniflo system allowed us to create a ½ bath on the 2nd floor of a small, 1930’s cape which otherwise would have been virtually impossible to plumb. Definitely a “wife approved” purchase! So far I am happy with the saniflo functionality except that it is fairly noisy and sounds like a garbage disposal when I run water. This has been a big disapointment. Is there any way to get rid of this sound? I have installed 2 saniflo units in 2 different homes. They both are working well. They have not been in use long enough to determine if they will work well with out possibly people flushing incorrect items down them and clogging the units or exit piping. But both installations would not have been economically possible without the use of your units. Enjoy the New Year So far so good with the purchase I made with Saniflo. The only small problem I had was the installation of the toilet seat. (sounds crazy but true) No easy way to attach the seat. Everything else is working good at this time. The purchase was made for a basement area and is working great. This Christmas was the fulfillment of my dream, to have a finished attic with beds for my adult daughters, and a half-bath, so that when they come to spend the holidays and vacations, they have a space all their own. Our 1933 house did not have the space in the basement plumbing to cut a new line into the existing stack. Being in a crawl space, we did not have the option to dig a new line, either. There was, however, an old cast iron vent pipe, which ran through the attic. My plumber was able to hook up the small basin sink and the Sani-flo toilet using this vent pipe and now we have exactly what we needed. It was a lot of work cutting into the line and snaking it out, but the cost in the long run was worth it, to make another entire floor of my house, living space. I had a bit of difficulty attaching the toilet seat because it should have been put on before he plumbed it; the bolts run into the inside of the unit. It is a bit noisy, but I really do not mind it, I am so happy to have a toilet upstairs. Sincerely, Meryl Lee Steele read 19 more reviews

Non-Proliferation Treaty I passed to you yesterday a copy of the paper on the Non-Proliferation Treaty produced by the working group set up by the Defence Committee.1 The AAEC representative stated that his acceptance of the paper could not be regarded as committing the AAEC. The paper is not 'agreed' therefore in a policy sense. Nevertheless, considerable progress has been made in sorting out and narrowing down various arguments about the Treaty and agreeing their presentation. Dr. Wilson, the AAEC representative, told me privately that he did not consider the possible disabilities under the Treaty in regard to peaceful nuclear purposes of great significance (and in important respects these aspects are governed by other provisions, such as the American McMahon Act). The Commission's chief concern, he said, lay in the security field. It could be, therefore, that the AAEC will oppose the Treaty on these grounds in the Defence Committee and in Cabinet by casting doubt on the strategic and political arguments coming forward. I refer to this further below. I might say that I have an impression that the AAEC is to some extent using argument about possible disabilities on the civil side as a means to protect its position regarding military uses. Unfortunately General Wilton2 will not be at the Defence Committee Meeting. Sir Henry Bland's position regarding the security aspect is uncertain, but certain comments, as for example about the importance of Malik's3 remarks on a nuclear alliance against China, suggest that he might have reservations about surrendering our option to develop nuclear weapons for the indefinite future. [matter omitted] 'The Desirability of the Non-Proliferation Treaty' [matter omitted] - The general political argument in favour of the Treaty is well stated by Hedley Bull in his article today:4 'First, in common with other nations Australia has an interest in controlling the spread of nuclear weapons, which in the long run represents a danger to international society as a whole, abstract though this may seem. The Treaty will not by itself halt proliferation; and even buttressed by other measures it may well prove insufficient-in the long view of history it is most improbable that the present five nuclear powers will preserve their monopoly. But the Treaty does register world concern about this problem; it will serve to exert some measure of control over the process of proliferation; and for the moment it will perform a holding operation. 'Secondly, Australia has a stake in the configuration of international politics which the Treaty expresses and will help to solidify. The Non-Proliferation Treaty is the chief enterprise now being pursued in common by the United States and the Soviet Union. It symbolises the hegemonial position of these two countries and their willingness to combine to preserve it against the challenge of new-comers, especially China. Australia stands to gain from the development of cooperation between America and Russia in support of the political status quo.'We are not saying there will be no requirement for an Australian nuclear capability; we are arguing for support of a political system that would make that requirement less likely. We recognise that this system could collapse; but the political circumstances leading to this and, in formal terms, our right of withdrawal will offer sufficient opportunity to protect our interests. While the system continues, and with it United States support for Australian security, it is highly unlikely we should find ourselves in a situation in which our only hope of protecting our vital national interests was to produce nuclear weapons. 'The Treaty' - Paragraph 18. If the interpretation of 'manufacture' allows research, development and production for peaceful purposes, even though this work could be significant also to the manufacture of nuclear weapons, then there will be significant scope for non-nuclears to catch up. The area of disadvantage would be confined to work on weapons technology. Restrictions in this field would mean that Australia would be kept at a stage of development at least three years from the final manufacture of a weapon. This would be more than India and probably Japan. The position in regard to other countries is not completely clear from the JIB note in Annex A5 but it seems likely that Australia would not be placed at an unacceptable disadvantage. - Paragraph 22. A central point is raised here. The AAEC argues that since parties to the Treaty are obliged to enter into safeguards agreements with the IAEA they are signing a 'blank cheque'. The Safeguards Agreements are obligatory under the Treaty and are to be negotiated after ratification of the Treay. Since these Agreements are to be 'in accordance with the IAEAStatute and the Agency's safeguards system', parties will have little or no scope for negotiation on the substance of their Safeguards Agreement. Negotiations on substance will be when the New Statute and safeguards system are negotiated, with which the Parties' Safeguard Agreements are to accord. It is not clear from the Treaty if these Agency negotiations are to be before or after ratification. If before, our interests would be protected, for if dissatisfied we could refuse to ratify the Treaty; if after, we do indeed sign a 'blank cheque' for we shall be committed by the Treaty to accept the new system. We should, of course, have opportunity to protect our interests in the Agency negotiations in either case, but these would be subject to a two-thirds majority vote. As far as amendments subsequent to the conclusion of the Safeguards Agreement are concerned, a Party would appear bound to accept them or to be in breach of the Treaty. [matter omitted] 'The Effectiveness of the Treaty' [matter omitted] - Paragraph 29. It was the firm view of the AAEC, Supply and Defence Science members of the working group that effective safeguards depend upon a complete inventory system and that this would require safeguards on mining activities. The Americans appear to disagree on this latter point and the Canadians say they will not accept safeguards on mining. [matter omitted] 'Practicability of Australian Independent Capability' - Paragraphs 35-38. This section makes the most important statement that 'It would not be beyond Australian resources and knowledge to produce nuclear weapons within a 7 to 10 year period with or without external assistance and supplies' (my emphasis). The AAEC representative stated this after questioning from other members. I do not doubt his good faith, but I must say I found the statement hard to accept, at least without further qualification. [matter omitted] 'Australian Military Requirements in the Shorter Term' - This section came under strong attack from the AAEC and Defence Science representatives, but Blakers defended it as deriving from the JPC6 paper and having the general endorsement of the Chiefs of Staff. In fact paras. 42 and 43, dealing with reliance on a major nuclear ally, and 47, dealing with Australia's position in the event of an Indonesian threat, are new material, as the AAEC might point out in the Defence Committee meeting. The argument in the JPC paper on these points was weak and I put forward the present text is a better statement of the position. - Paragraphs 38-40, which do derive from the JPC paper, in particular attracted criticism, even in respect of the vulnerability of Australian cities. (It was argued that only our weapon sites would be attacked). I suggest that it is important that in any paper going to the higher policy levels the statement of these principles be maintained and the considerable limitations that would apply to any independent Australian nuclear capacity be stated. You might, however, find yourself getting drawn into an argument about nuclear strategy with the AAEC. Its representative in the working group argued, for example, that even an inferior capacity would serve as a deterrent, so as it could inflict some damage, which much oversimplifies the question. He also said that large nuclear powers would increase their protection to inferior nuclear states so as to guard against a nuclear exchange in which they might be involved. (This is hardly how the United States would describe its attitude to France). - There was considerable discussion in the working group about the possible requirement of an Australian nuclear capability to deter or deal with an invasion. (This thinking is reflected in Baxter's speech reported in this morning's Australian.) The AAEC and Defence Science representatives argued that Australia's isolation from major centres of population and its continental wastelands were features favouring the use of tactical nuclear weapons against an invader without triggering a wider nuclear exchange. This might well be argued by AAEC representative on the Defence Committee, and perhaps by Sir Henry Bland. It could be that such a view will also be argued in Cabinet. - This argument greatly oversimplifies the complexities of any situation involving nuclear weapons, strategic or nuclear. However, short of a detailed discussion of the strategic considerations, the best response that I can suggest is along the following lines. - In supporting the NPT we are not claiming to foresee the future or maintaining that Australia will never require nuclear weapons. We are supporting a system that offers us, and other countries, significant prospects of a world situation in which a requirement for nuclear weapons will be much more unlikely to arise. To argue Australia's isolation, its future attraction to future aggressive powers, its need to 'keep its powder dry' against some political Armageddon is politically naive and misconceives the political significance of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. This Treaty does not merely ban nuclear proliferation; it establishes, admittedly in a preliminary way as yet, a system of global political management, directed towards the peaceful settlement of political conflicts and the containment of aggression. Such a system would necessarily be concerned not only with nuclear, but with conventional aggression, however much the Treaty might be framed in the nuclear context. No system directed to global political management and the prevention of significant changes in the regional, and hence, global balance of power can be indifferent to the mounting of a threat of such size that it could seriously threaten Australia. It would threaten too many others at the same time and would unavoidably affect the Great Powers' interests. To conceive of Australia in purely bilateral confrontation with such a major threat while such a system prevailed is politically unrealistic. - We do not say that this system is bound to work or to last; only that it must attract our support. Should a major threat to Australia develop, it would only be in the event of the collapse of the system represented by the NPT and the Tripartite Declaration.7 There would be ample warning of this and opportunity to protect our interests. The provisions of the Treaty would become increasingly irrelevant. In formal terms we could exercise our right of withdrawal in good time, and very likely without significant opposition from our friends and allies. We would be unlikely to be the first to do so. - On an incidental point, the fact that other countries might breach the Treaty is not of itself of overriding significance. Their motives to use their weapons in a way indirectly or directly disadvantageous to us is what counts and there would be time to assess this. Political motives do not shape up and lead to action overnight. If India, for example, went nuclear in the next few years, this would not mean that Australia was threatened. - Paragraph 47. The final sentence was added at the request of the Treasury representative. Perhaps it shows how unrealistic speculation about possible future situations could become. A further point, made by the JPC, is that acquisition of a nuclear capacity by Australia would stimulate Indonesia to acquire one, or a senior nuclear ally. [matter omitted] 'Amendment, Review' Etc. - Paragraph 77. There was prolonged discussion in the group on the duration provision, with the AAEC and Defence Science representatives holding out for a limited ten year duration. Arguments pro and con are canvassed in the paper. I might repeat the point that we should not be entering a treaty on the assumption that we could predict situations arising during the 25 year period, but with the intent of supporting an arrangement that increased the prospect that we should not need nuclear weapons during that period. [matter omitted] [NAA: A1838, 680/10/2 part 2]

[Advanced Search] The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) Archive contains a large and growing amount of high-quality timing and broad-band spectral data from a variety of X-ray sources. This article provides an introduction to the Proportional Counter Array (PCA), High-Energy X-ray Timing Experiment (HEXTE), and All-Sky Monitor (ASM) instruments on board RXTE, and a userguide to the Archive. We describe the data structure; provide step-by-step instructions on how to browse and retrieve RXTE data using W3BROWSE, anonymous FTP, or XDF; and give pointers for data analysis. The RXTE satellite was launched on December 30, 1995 with the primary objective of studying the structure and dynamics of compact X-ray sources, including neutron star and black hole systems both within and beyond our Galaxy. RXTE was designed to study the intensity variations of these objects over timescales from microseconds to years. Significant discoveries have already been made using RXTE data on both ends of this range of timescales, including the discoveries of millisecond pulsations in X-ray bursts, kiloHertz quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) in low-mass X-ray binaries, and various flavors of long-term variability in LMXBs and quasars. In addition to the advanced timing capabilities that give the satellite its name, RXTE has two other critical strengths of great importance to X-ray and multiwavelength astrophysics: its broad-band energy response, and its unequaled observing flexibility. RXTE carries three scientific instruments. The PCA covers the 2-90 keV energy range, and consists of five identical collimated multi-anode Proportional Counter Units (PCUs). The total effective area of the PCA at the peak of its efficiency curve is approximately 7000 cm2, making it the largest proportional counter yet flown. The detectors have an 18% energy resolution at 6 keV and 255-channel pulse-height discrimination. The PCA was built at NASA/GSFC. The HEXTE consists of two independent clusters of detectors each containing four NaI/CsI phoswich scintillation counters, covering the energy range 15-250 keV with an intrinsic spectral resolution better than 18% at 60 keV. The two clusters contain mutually orthogonal rocking mechanisms, which can be moved independently to provide near-simultaneous measurements of the internal and cosmic X-ray background up to 3 degrees on either side of the source. The PCA and the HEXTE are co-aligned with fields of view of 1 degree. The HEXTE was designed and built at the Center for Astrophysics & Space Sciences at the University of San Diego, California. The ASM alerts scientists to flares and changes of state in X-ray sources, and produces long-term intensity histories of bright X-ray sources. It consists of three rotating Scanning Shadow Cameras that can scan about 80% of the sky every 90 minutes. The cameras can also provide positions accurate to ~3' for bright transients. The cameras are sensitive in the 2-10 keV range, and were built at MIT. The data from the PCA and ASM pass through the Experiment Data System (EDS, also built at MIT) for preliminary processing. The PCA and HEXTE data from the one-month In-orbit Checkout (IOC) phase in January 1996 have already been made public in the RXTE Archive (~8 GB of data), along with the pointed data from some non-proprietary Target of Opportunity programs (24 GB at the time of writing), and the slews to and from all targets, which are also non-proprietary (24 GB). The ASM data are made publicly available as soon as they are processed. The above-listed datasets have already been transferred to the RXTE Archive at the HEASARC. In addition to these holdings, in March 1998 data began entering the public domain from observations performed under the RXTE Guest Observer program. The standard proprietary period for RXTE data obtained in response to accepted GO proposals is twelve months from the date of receipt of the data by the PI. However, due to reprocessing activities, the proprietary period for AO-1 data taken before December 16, 1996 has been extended by NASA Headquarters until six months after the receipt of the reprocessed data tape by the PI. By the end of 1998, a total of 120 GB of GO data will have been made public. After all the data from AO-1 through AO-3 have turned public, the grand total will exceed 300 GB. In Section 2 of this article we describe the types of data available from the PCA and HEXTE instruments, and the structure of these data in the archive. Section 3 contains a primer on how to search the databases and retrieve datasets of interest. Data analysis tools and documentation are also described. In Section 4, we provide information about the available resources for obtaining, interpreting, and analyzing data from the All-Sky Monitor. The data from the PCA can be binned and telemetered in six different modes simultaneously by the independent Event Analyzers (EAs) in the EDS system. Two of these EAs are reserved for two standard PCA modes, with timing and spectral parameters that will remain unchanged throughout the mission to provide a uniform mission data bank. The two modes are a time series mode, Standard 1, with 0.125-sec temporal resolution and no energy resolution, and a spectral mode, Standard 2, with 128 channels of spectral information and a 16-second temporal resolution. Users typically begin their analysis by examining the Standard 2 data to gain an overview of the observation; in fact, for many applications the Standard 2 data may be sufficient for the user's needs. The other four available EDS configurations were chosen by the Principal Investigator of the original observation, generally with the goal of maximizing the temporal and spectral information obtained by the PCA, while staying within the constraints of the permitted telemetry bandwidth. For fainter sources, the "Good_Xenon" modes are usually chosen. Good Xenon data use up two of the four available EAs, and when combined into an event list, provide the full 256-channel resolution of the PCA instrument for all events that survive background rejection, with event time-tagging accurate to 0.95 microseconds. Each event is also tagged with detector and layer information, enabling the most optimal background subtraction methods. For brighter sources, data may have been obtained in a binned mode, a single-bit mode (for very high time resolution data), an event mode, or some combination of these. For full details on exactly how each of the possible modes is defined we refer the user to the complete userguide on the RXTE GOF Website, or to the Technical Appendix to the Announcements of Opportunity for observing time. However, one important fact to be absolutely clear on is that these data streams are received in parallel -- the same events can be telemetered to ground in up to six different ways, depending upon the configurations chosen by the proposer in consultation with the GOF or SOF. The HEXTE has a similarly large range of possible configurations, including an Archival mode that runs continuously, accompanied by a user-selected mode. The vast majority of HEXTE observations are now performed in the mode known as E_8us_256_DX1f, which is an event mode with 256-channel resolution and an 8 microsecond time resolution. The RXTE Archive currently contains data products for each observation. These are: a PCA light curve and spectrum from Standard 2 data, a HEXTE light curve and spectrum, and a filter file containing a compendium of collected and derived parameters of importance for screening, background subtraction and data analysis (pointing position, elevation angle, number of PCUs on, etc). The light curves and spectra were derived automatically with a very rudimentary screening algorithm, and no background subtraction. This renders them of some illustrative value for bright sources, and of very little use for fainter targets. Once the Archive matures and becomes established, a high priority for future work is the creation of more advanced and reliable data products as a convenience to archival users. Archival RXTE data occupy the xte/data/archive directory on the anonymous FTP server at legacy.gsfc.nasa.gov. Directories at the next level down are named AO0 for IOC data, AO1 for AO-1 data, etc. Note that you will see directories for data that are not yet public. The links are there, but the data files themselves will not be accessible to you until the proprietary period expires. Below this level, RXTE data files are arranged in a hierarchical set of directories identical in structure to the arrangement of files on a GO's data tape. First come directories named for the proposal number (e.g. "P10066"); the next level contains the individual observations ("ObsID's"), while the final level contains directories for each of the Subsystems (PCA, HEXTE, ACS etc.). In the catalogue of publicly available RXTE data, individual entries correspond to the ObsID level. Since the ObsID is the link from the browseable catalogue to the data themselves, it is worth explaining its nomenclature. Each ObsID corresponds to a single observation, where "observation" refers to a temporally contiguous collection of data from a single pointing. The format for the ObsIDs is as follows: NNNNN-TT-VV-SSX 1. NNNNN is the five-digit proposal number assigned by the GOF, identical to that contained in the name of the parent directory. 2. TT is the two-digit target number assigned by the GOF. Note that for the case of only one target, the target number may be zero. 3. VV is the two-digit viewing number, assigned by GOF, which tracks the number of scheduled looks at the target. In particular the viewing number corresponds to: 4. SS is the two-digit sequence number used for identifying different pointings that make up the same viewing if the SOF decided, for operational reasons, to split that viewing into more than one chunk or if it was broken up by e.g. a TOO observation. 5. X, the (optional) 15th character, indicates: A Slew before observation Z Slew after observation S Raster scan observation R Raster grid observation 0-9 Segments of a long observation (i.e., > 8 hours) b-r (reserved for) Real-time configuration changes A Slew before observation Z Slew after observation S Raster scan observation R Raster grid observation 0-9 Segments of a long observation (i.e., > 8 hours) b-r (reserved for) Real-time configuration changes When not present, it indicates that the data correspond to a regular pointed observation (< 8 hrs), or the last segment of a longer observation. Below each ObsID directory are a set of 15 subdirectories, each containing data files derived from a single spacecraft Subsystem. The corresponding directory names generated by the XSDC Although they represent the lowest rung in the directory hierarchy, the Subsystem directories do not necessarily contain files of one type. In most cases, a further division is made based on Application, the term used for a distinct source of telemetry. In the case of the PCA, the six Event Analyzers are considered applications. Also in the ObsID directory are various index files (FI*) used by XDF (the XTE Data Finder), the XTE filter tools, and other software to navigate the underlying data files. Within W3BROWSE, the relevant database to search for RXTE pointed (PCA and HEXTE) data in the public domain is XTEPUBLIC. An example will clarify how XTEPUBLIC relates to the ObsID and manifold directory structure. Searching XTEPUBLIC for observations of 4U1538-52 yields the ObsIDs: 10145-01-01-00 4U_1538-52 10145-01-01-01 4U_1538-52 10145-01-02-01 4U_1538-52 10145-01-02-02 4U_1538-52 10145-01-02-03 4U_1538-52 ... 10145-01-01-00A 4U_1538-52_Slew 10145-01-01-00Z 4U_1538-52_Slew The first few ObsIDs contain data from a series of observations of the source. The last two ObsIDs listed above contain slew data from before and after the first observation. (Other ObsIDs will appear from other observations of the same source; if these are limited to slew files, the data from the pointed observations are not yet public.) For the user of anonymous FTP, the archival directory containing PCA data from the first ObsID (the pointed observation) would be seen as: xte/data/archive/AO1/P10145/10145-01-01-00/pca Note that although you can work your way down the directory structure using FTP, it is often more convenient to use W3Browse to find and retrieve the data, or retrieve a whole ObsID using FTP. The RXTE GOF has developed the Public Data Web tool ( ) to allow users to find out when proprietary data will go public. Users can search on target name, PI, proposal number, complete ObsID, and/or date. For example, to find out what data went public in March 1998, one would enter in the appropriate box "Mar-*-1998". Note that if the data have not yet been (re)processed by XSDC, the go-public date will not be known and the observations will not appear in the output from the Public Data Web tool. The user may also search the XTEPUBLIC catalogue using the HEASARC's W3BROWSE utility () to find out which datasets are currently available. There three methods for retrieving public data: the web-based W3Browse, anonymous FTP, and the XTE Data Finder (XDF). W3Browse allows you to browse available HEASARC datasets via the Web. Link to the main W3Browse page, and choose the "Advanced" version (to allow greater search flexibility). In the "Advanced" interface, check the RXTE mission box, choose to search either by object name/coordinates or by parameters, and then begin your search: a. Choose the XTEPUBLIC catalogue. b. Enter search criteria into appropriate boxes. If you chose to search by name, you might enter e.g. 4U1907+09 into the Object Name or coordinates box, and click Submit. To search by parameters, you'll click again to begin your search, and perhaps choose data by proposal number (called PRNB within W3BROWSE), ObsID etc. Then click Submit. c. A successful search will display the corresponding catalogue entries, i.e. the ObsIDs, one per line. Check the box(es) to the left of the ObsID(s) you're interested in. (Remember that ObsIDs ending in an A or a Z are slews. In most cases, the target name should also indicate if the data correspond to a slew.) d. Below this listing, you'll find a choice of datasets. You will probably want one of the FULL datasets, e.g. FULL RAW OBSID or FULL RAW PROPOSAL. (The REDUCED OBSID DATA contains standard products for each observation which may be useful as an indication of the strength of the source and the duration and coverage of the observation, but these are not intended for use in any detailed scientific analysis.) Choose one by clicking on it to highlight it. e. Then click on the radio button to "Retrieve data products in selected categories for selected observations." Note that the default setting, "List all data products for selected observations" is not a helpful option for RXTE datasets, which can contain many hundreds of files - unless you know you only need one or two. f. Click on Submit. W3BROWSE will now construct the appropriate tar command, and tar up the data you have requested. This may take a while. g. W3BROWSE will bring up a new page when your tar job is complete. You may now click on "Download TAR file" to initiate the transfer of the tar file to your host machine. Make sure you have enough disk space! - the total size of the tar file will be indicated. h. When untarred, your data files and index files will appear in the usual configuration for RXTE datasets, as described above. Anonymous FTP can be a convenient alternative to W3BROWSE, if you don't wish to tie up your Web browser for the duration of the data retrieval. Here's an example of the steps you might follow: 1. "ftp legacy.gsfc.nasa.gov", giving 'anonymous' as your name, and your Email address as the password. 2. "cd xte/data/archive" (stopping to read the information presented here). 3. "cd AO1". "get P10145.tar" to obtain all the public data from this proposal. The FTP server will automatically create the tarfile on your home machine in the directory from which you initiated the FTP run - make sure you have sufficient space. You might want to "cd P10145" and obtain a subset of the data (e.g. "get 10145-02-02-0.tar"). There is no advantage to pulling over a gzipped file using e.g. "get 10145-02-02-00.tar.gz". All the datafiles within the directory structure are already gzipped, and the savings in transfer time will be minimal or non-existent. If you try to FTP data which is still proprietary, you'll end up with a tarfile containing clock and orbit information, calibration files and index files, but no science data. The XTE Data Finder (XDF) is a Graphical User Interface that may be used to search for data and retrieve them from the HEASARC archive. One advantage of using XDF is that it allows you complete access to information about the data modes used for each observation. 1. Obtain the Top-Level Master Index File (FMI), using W3BROWSE. (To do this, select any random RXTE observation using steps 1 and 2 of the recipe above in 3.2.1, then choose "XTE Top-Level FMI" as the category of data product to retrieve.) 2. Once you have this FMI on your home machine, invoke XDF. 3. Change the default FTP setting in the top left hand corner of the GUI from "FTP No Files" to "FTP Any Files", and enter the path of the directory where you're keeping the FMI into the "Path:" box. 4. Click on the "Make ObsList" button. While this button stays lighter than the surrounding GUI, XDF is hard at work reading the FMI. 5. You can now scroll up and down through the entire available archive in the "Observations" window, or make selections by source and/or date in the "Sources" or "Time Ranges" window. (To enter a list of sources, click on the "Edit" button.) 6. Once you've chosen the sources or data of interest, click on "Make AppIDConfigList", choose the instruments and data configurations of interest, and click on "Make Filelist". During this stage, XDF will automatically connect to the HEASARC archive and download any necessary index files, or any data files that you request. The progress of these FTP sessions will be logged in a separate window. Data will be saved on your current disk in the familiar RXTE directory structure. RXTE data will be released into the archive on a weekly basis. Observations newly turning public before 12:01a.m. on a given Saturday will be available (i) the following Monday, for anonymous FTP access; (ii) Tuesday, for W3BROWSE access. RXTE data will go public on an ObsID basis, based on the date when the tape containing that ObsID was mailed to the original PI. Thus, not all the parts of a given proposal will necessarily go public at the same time, particularly in the case of large proposals or long-term monitoring campaigns. RXTE datasets may be larger than you are accustomed to, and response may be slow at peak times, particularly if multiple users are attempting to get their hands on the same dataset. Please ensure you have sufficient disk space for the transfers, and try to plan your data retrieval to avoid times of heavy network traffic. If you have problems, try again later. A full description of the extensive suite of tools available for RXTE data analysis is beyond the scope of this article. Complete documentation for the installation and use of all tools is available online from the GOF homepage by following the link to "Data Analysis & Processing." Here are some highlights: Selective untarring of RXTE data can be performed with the XSUT tool, which is equipped with a graphical user interface (GUI) and is available for the first time under FTOOLS 4.1. Finding your way through the hierarchical directory structure to identify the data you want to reduce is made easy using XDF. Its end-product is a list of filenames corresponding to the data you want to analyze, as chosen by target name, time of observation, instrument, and configuration. Data manipulation and filtering, and the extraction of spectra and lightcurves, can be performed using the XTE (and other) FTOOLs. You can use the FLAUNCH GUI to run these tools and keep a log of your activities. The individual instrument teams play the major role in calibrating their instruments. The GOF provides a repository for calibration files and instrument-team-provided software, along with information on their application. The teams provide documentation on their calibration efforts on their own Web pages. There are extensive links to this information via the GOF "About RXTE" and "Data Analysis" pages. As for all HEASARC X-ray datasets, XSPEC and XRONOS are available to perform spectral and timing analysis. Comprehensive instructions for reducing RXTE data are provided in three complementary online guides: (i) "The RXTE Getting Started Guide" contains information about how to read your RXTE data tape, the directory structure on your tape, how to use XDF to browse your files, and how to install all the necessary software. (ii) "The ABC of XTE" provides extensive information about RXTE data files, data screening and filtering, the extraction of spectra and light curves, background subtraction, etc. (iii) "The RXTE Cook Book" provides a large number of step-by-step recipes for the most commonly-performed RXTE data reduction tasks. Complete end-to-end recipes are available for the reduction of PCA, HEXTE and ASM data, along with individual recipes for creating filter files, working with realtime data, screening and selection of data, correcting for background and deadtime, creating response matrices, performing Fourier analysis of PCA data and searching for high-frequency QPO, performing pulse phase spectroscopy, managing a FITS database, etc. RXTE data analysts may send queries on any aspect of RXTE to [email protected]. However, the FAQ page () should be consulted first, to see if it contains the information required. The ASM Products Database makes available results from the RXTE All Sky Monitor. These results include light curves for around 300 sources, intensities in three sub-energy bands (or "colors") for each of these sources, and a history of the ASM pointings. The database provides these data files in FITS format. (MIT's ASM Light Curves Overview page provides GIF images and ASCII files for the light curves). The database consists of both Quicklook and Definitive versions of the Products. The Quicklook Products are derived from analysis of the real-time data performed in the RXTE SOF. They are normally updated every three hours and include data from up to the previous two weeks. The Quicklook Products are superceded by updates to the Definitive Products, which are produced at MIT from the final production data. The Definitive Products are usually updated weekly. An important feature of the light curves and color files is that because two of the ASM Scanning Shadow Cameras (SSCs) have overlapping fields of view and because data from each camera are analyzed independently, it is often the case that sources may have multiple intensity measurements at the same time. These measurements are, however, independent and may be combined as such. Quicklook ASM results are also available via the ASM Weather Map. The map provides an "at a glance" look at the X-ray sky, and an accompanying table provides the latest x-ray intensity values for over one hundred active sources in the ASM catalogue. Selecting a source name from the table produces a plot and ASCII table of the light curve over the previous two weeks. The ASM Data Products are accessible from the ASM Data Products Page. Using direct anonymous FTP to legacy.gsfc.nasa.gov, the Products may be found in the following subdirectories of: The Definitive Products: Light curves: definitive_1dwell/lightcurves Colors: definitive_1dwell/colors Pointings: definitive_1dwell/supplemental/pointings The Quicklook Products: Light curves: realtime_current/lightcurves Colors: realtime_current/colors Pointings: realtime_current/supplemental/pointings For the Definitive Products: Choose the "XTE All-Sky Monitor Long-term Observed Sources" (XTEASMLONG) catalog. After giving the name or coordinates of a particular source, the user may then either choose to retrieve the products individually or in data product sets. The STANDARD set consists of both the light curve and the color file for the object. The POINTINGS set consists of all of the weekly ASM pointing files. For the Quicklook Products: Choose the "XTE All-Sky Monitor Quicklook Observed Targets" (XTEASMQUICK) catalog. After giving the name or coordinates of a particular source, W3Browse will list the intensity values at times spanning the previous two weeks. After choosing any of these rows, the user may then choose to retrieve the quicklook products either individually or in the data product sets. As with the definitive products, the STANDARD set consists of both the light curve and the color file for the object. The POINTINGS set consists of all the daily ASM pointing files presently in the real-time archive. The ASM Data Products can be analyzed using the FTOOLS software. See the "Working with the ASM Data Products" recipe in the RXTE Cook Book for details. The construction, population and maintenance of the RXTE Archive is a collaborative effort between several groups at NASA/GSFC. The XTE Science Data Center (XSDC) perform the pipeline processing to convert the production data into FITS format and distribute data to GOs. They provide these data to the GOF, along with the distribution logs stating when each dataset should go public. The XSDC pipeline is based around the core dmIngest and XFF (XTE Fits Formatter) software provided by the SOF and GOF respectively. The GOF is responsible for data transfer and population of the Archive and some quality control functions. HEASARC handles the database tables for the W3BROWSE online interface, and maintains the Archive. While a rather large cast of characters contributed to this scheme, we name here only the principal architects: Arnold Rots, Randy Barnette, Bob Patterer, Mike Tripicco, and Ed Sabol. The RXTE GOF homepage: The HEASARC homepage: The Technical Appendix to the NASA Research Announcements; can be obtained from The ASM Data Products page: The PCA Team homepage: The HEXTE Team homepage: The ASM Team homepage: (All of the above are accessible via the GOF pages.)

GOD? Ah, Paula, you ARE the master of the compliment . . . Your own children are the lucky ones, I think, their mother being about as far from floozy-dom as a woman can get. (If you have only one child, rather than several, please ammend the last comment to the singular.) With respect and gratitude-- Cynthia Posted by: Cynthia at November 29, 2006 07:55 PM Dear Paula, You are not some "alien creature". You are one of us, a valuable member of Pam's site. I am sorry that you can no longer actively teach but don't throw away all your knowledge because of that. I think we come here to share and learn and to take pleasure in each other. I enjoy you and am always glad to read your comments. As for teaching, well, I see us all as both students and teachers; that's part of the joy of life. So don't disparage your experience, for I'm sure none of us ever will. And thank you for all your kind and supportive words about me. I don't feel quite deserving of the compliments but they did put a smile on my face. Fondly Yours, Kate Posted by: Kate K. at November 29, 2006 04:53 PM Cynthia, my dear, Your astoundingly profound poem not only includes a perfect rhyme scheme(aa bb cc)and syllabic meter of exactly eight syllables per line(otherwise known as iambic octameter-a far rarer device than the much overused iambic pentameter),it so touchingly reveals a mother and great-aunt who utilizes the time usually wasted in getting from point A to point B preparing to delight and enlighten her beloved children with entertainment in the form of language instead of burgers and fries. It is never too early to introduce those little sponges we call our children to the beauty and the fun and the enormous power of language, be it spoken, sung, or written. One of my personas is that of a mother, one who loves until it hurts and cries until the sun reappears. You are a mother of such rich and deep dimension that I am honored to be a member of your "club", and I am profoundly grateful that Pam's siren call brought us together to admire,to learn, and to experience each other in a manner so different from the usual that I can call you a poem nestled like a jewel in the center of a sea of prose. Thank you for your kind words, Paula Posted by: Paula Kirkpatrick at November 29, 2006 03:03 PM Paula, I appreciate you in your several personas. I had long ago forgotten what iambic pentameter is, if indeed I ever did know, and I am genuinely appreciative at being able to tuck away (though for how long, goodness knows) this little tidbit of knowledge. Kate, Pam, and Paula, all of you, I am always humbled by by the force of your intelligence and the bounding range of your thought. Pam, I had to smile when I came upon this post, for on Sunday, while driving, I was mentally creating hard de-dum, de-DUM nonsense rhymes for children, my great-niece among them. If ever there's a place for this sort of rhyming it would have to be in verse for young kids, who are usually delighted with it and are also just learning about the complexities of spoken emphasis and how it contributes to rhythm and beat and so forth. Then, as well, very young readers can be fascinated by the way in which English words with widely variant spellings (sleigh, stay) rhyme perfectly. While you were using alliteration to create sophisticated poetry for a mature audience, I was, well, writing on my own level. Still, I think both of us were having fun. With apologies, a goofy excerpt: When your mother is a floozy heaven knows, she's hardly choosy. She'll let you guzzle Purple Rain then pack you, woozy, on the train. "You're off, my Chickadee," she'll croon to Camp Adrift, and none too soon!" Then follows a rhyming discussion of the potent beverage Purple Rain and its qualities, etc. Again, with apologies-- Cynthia Posted by: Cynthia at November 28, 2006 09:01 PM Hi all, Glad you liked the poem! I analyzed it myself last night, and realized that there was a strange movement from God as part of a curse to profane (profane in the sense of not sacred but earthly) rats as animals, through pet rats to human Rats (in the Chinese zodiac sense) to animal rats again but holy animal rats this time back to god as in Karni Mata the female rat god. For whatever that is worth... Anyhow, I think, Paula, that you underestimate your words worth (pun intended) and how much your experience as an English teacher adds to this site. People really appreciate your knowledge and understanding of these technicalities, even when we, yes, we don't get them, even after "explanations kind." You can of course limit your discussions to e-mails to me and I respect your right to do so, if you prefer. You were always free to do that. But I think people here might feel cheated of your expertise...You were much loved and admired by your high school students, were you not? What makes you feel that people here think less of you? Or for that matter need you less? Samantha and Kate, thanks so much for your comments. I really wasn't so sure about this poem...I kinda liked it myself. But wasn't sure anyone else would! Yours, Pam BD Posted by: Pam W at November 28, 2006 08:43 PM Dear Kate, My intent in commenting on Pam's blog is to share my opinions with her, and if she should ask me to clarify something, I try my best to do so. It has never been my goal to teach any of Pam's readers anything. You, darling Kate, in my opinion, are light years ahead of me in perception, articulation of complex ideas, and especially in courage, for you never seem to avoid a challenge. You give it your all, and your all is very fine indeed. As I said when I ended my comment, I don't want to be this alien creature ET(pardon the pun). As painful as it may be, I am no longer an English teacher, and I must find a new identity of which I can be proud. Yesterday is gone. I live in the now, and as such, I just want to be Paula, an ardent admirer of Pam's talent, just as you are. I'd so much rather have you think of me as a person, just Paula, and hopefully a person whom you consider to be a new friend, encountered by chance while enjoying all the Pam gives to the readers of her blog. With deep sincerity,just Paula Posted by: Paula Kirkpatrick at November 28, 2006 08:26 PM Dear Pam, The first time I encountered your poem, I read it aloud and found myself stumbling, but after reading your explanation, I read the poem aloud again and found it much easier to read. I like this poem. I can't think of a poem of yours I don't like. Again,the subject matter is very interesting. Who would think to write a poem about rats but you did and you did it well. The words feel good as I read them but I really was not that aware of the meter and rhyme which I think is perfectly fine. And yet, I think you paying attention to it is part of why the poem works. But then, I'm finding I like all that stuff too. It would be fun to read a poem you've written that is an out and out rhyming poem. GOD'S RATS certainly has rhymes and rhythms to it but they are more subtle to my ear. Both are good, heavy rhyme and slant rhyme. Where did the seed that germinated into this poem come from? I find the origins of poems are almost as interesting as the poem itself...the writer's mind at work and all that. Thank you for the poem Pam, you take me to new places. And Paula, you are a valuable person with worthwhile instruction to give and I appreciate you. Thanks for being an esteemed teacher and trying to teach us. Posted by: Kate K. at November 28, 2006 06:13 PM Dear Pam, Here comes Paula's alter ego, ET, to the rescue. First of all, I must begin by saying that this poem was a technical exercise that you created in order to experiment with rhyme, rhythm, and meter, which you thoroughly enjoyed doing, and which resulted once again in a very fine and intricate poem. These three terms are among a plethora of technical devices used by poets, past and present, and while I do know all the terms and ins and outs of the whole scenario, I have to say that for the most part, poets and even fusty old ET types rarely examine poetry for the precise technique or pattern a poet employs. Even the publishers to whom you have sent your manuscript are far more concerned with the meaning and impact of a poet's work, although they certainly are aware of a poet's "style" of writing and this plays an important part in their decision to "publish or not to publish". In any event, you asked me what specific meter you were using in your poem. Briefly, meter is usually defined as belonging to three major categories.(I should mention here that you were correct in saying that meter was concerned with the flow of sound or the "beat" one might hear rather consistently throughout a poem.) One form of meter is called syllabic. In this form the poem creates a rhythm by making the number of syllables in each line more or less consistent. The second form concerns itself with the stress one places on a chosen syllable. An example might be that the poet continually puts emphasis on the second syllable of most of the words in the poem. Last, but far from least and the most archaic type, is when one creates meter using poetic "feet". There are numerous forms of this, but the most famous, if you will, is called iambic pentameter.( I realize I must define my terms before continuing.) In poetry a foot is a unit of two or more syllables.Bringing into play some terms I've already used, an "iamb" is a two syllable foot with the "stress" falling on the second syllable. The definition of iambic pentameter is when a poet creates a piece of work in which each line contains five iambs or, putting it into different terms, ten syllables with the stress repeatedly being on the second syllable. Shakespeare's sonnets, for the most part, were almost always written in iambic pentameter. All of this ET jargon is only the tip of an enormous iceberg, and I am already freezing, as you and your readers must assuredly be as well. To answer your question concerning the meter used in your poem, quite frankly, I cannot detect a consistent formal type of meter, although your poem certainly has an unescapable rhythm. At this point I must passionately assert that to concern oneself or to limit oneself to any technique, just for the sake of doing so, effectively hobbles a poet's natural creative style. This is why I said that meter is really no longer so precise and predictable, and certainly a person who reads poetry does so because he or she loves the way a poet takes the ordinary(i.e.prose) and expresses the same theme in an extraordinary way(the essential definition of a poem, if a poem can posssibly be defined). You asked, therefore, I attempted to answer. I knew in advance that this would bore anyone reading it to tears, and for this, I apologize. In truth,Pammy, I really wish you would not ask me to do the dirty work.(I'm kidding in using the term, but I am serious about what follows.) Your readers are only interested in what you are writing. They almost universally applaud you work for the pleasure it provides them, and although you have a true interest in technical issues, your readers probably do not. "I am myself though, not an ET" to rephrase Juliet's comment about Romeo. I would rather just spontaneously react and comment upon what you have written in you blog like your other fans. Any questions on certain specifics that you may have, I'll happily answer in an email or on the phone, okay Feebe? Meter, shmeter, I loved your poem without needing to concern myself about the poetic techniques you may have used. You are clearly far beyond that laborious stage! Lovingly, Paula Posted by: Paula Kirkpatrick at November 28, 2006 12:05 PM I love this poem. I keep coming back to read it! Posted by: Samantha at November 28, 2006 12:50 AM

The Unlikely Rise And Fall Of A Former NBA Champion Gone Rogue: The Bison Dele Story NBA players live fascinating lives. With all the money and fame that comes with being an NBA player, it's not hard to see why. Who could walk away from it all, especially after signing the biggest contract of their career? Bison Dele could and he did. Wait, you've never heard of Bison Dele? That's okay, maybe you never have. I'll tell you about him now. Bison Dele was born to the name of Brian Williams. For most of his playing days in the NBA, he went by his birth name. It wasn't till 1998 when Brian Williams decided to change his name. The name Bison Dele was a nod to honor his Native American (Cherokee) and African ancestry. When you think of players in the NBA, you think of the passion they must have to be able to play at the highest level. You even hear many players say they play for the “love of the game." That wasn't the case for Bison Dele. He didn't care for the game at all, it was just a means to an end. Dele wanted the money from an NBA career, but nothing more. Let's rewind back to Dele's early life. He was born on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1969. Dele wouldn't be the first famous person in his family, in fact, his father, Eugene "Geno" Williams Jr., was a member of the 50s musical group, The Platters. Unfortunately for Dele, his parents would divorce in 1970, and Dele would grow up without a father figure. Now, Dele wouldn't be the only “man” in the house, he had an older brother named Kevin Williams. Like how Brian Williams changed his name to Bison Dele, brother Kevin also changed his name, he would now be known as Miles Dabord. Bison and Miles almost looked identical, even though Miles was two years older. The brothers' similarities ended in their physical appearances. Bison Dele was a natural athlete, but it wasn't basketball where he originally excelled at. Dele ran track in school and was quite good at it. By the tenth grade, Dele went through a growth spurt that basically forced him into the game of basketball by his school's coaches. Dele didn't care much for the game but he quickly proved he was a natural. By the time he was a senior at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dele proved to be someone colleges had to keep their eyes on. Bison Dele's Sr. High School Stats: - 17.3 points per game - 12.7 rebounds per game - 2.1 assists per game - 2.5 steals per game - 9.1 blocks per game - 57.7% field goal percentage Bison Dele played his freshman year of college ball at the University of Maryland where he earned Rookie of the Year honors in the Atlantic Coast Conference. After his freshman year, Dele transferred to Arizona to play for the Wildcats. Dele would go on to play two years at Arizona before declaring for the NBA Draft in 1991. Bison Dele's College Stats: - 12.4 points per game - 6.5 rebounds per game - 1.2 blocks per game - 59.4% field goal percentage While Bison Dele was enjoying an incredible athletic career, Miles Dabord was not having any success athletically. Dabord's lack of athletic success wasn't because he wasn't motivated, it was because he suffered from severe asthma. Dabord was socially awkward and while his brother was making it big, Dabord was falling into a deep depression. He became an alcoholic, and he blamed his brother's success for his problems. Things got so bad for Dabord that he attempted suicide on more than one occasion. While his brother, Bison Dele, was being drafted in the NBA at the 10th pick by the Orlando Magic, Dabord was going town to town, jumping from job to job. Dabord would rely on Dele's charity to keep him from sleeping on the streets, which sounds like Dele was being a “good big brother”, but in reality, the brothers never got along. To Dele, helping his brother felt like an obligation, rather than brotherly love. As Dabord was spiraling out of control, it would soon be known he wasn't the only one. Bison Dele played two years in Orlando for the Magic, but things weren't as great as they may have seem. Dele was extremely unhappy during his time in Orlando, and in fact, he fell into a deep depression just like his brother. Bison Dele's diagnosis of clinical depression became one of the first cases of mental health issues for an NBA player to go public. Things would get worse for Dele. Like his brother, Dele would attempt suicide by overdose of sleeping pills. The Orlando Magic removed Dele from their active roster indefinitely because of his condition. The suicide attempt wasn't the first time the Magic noticed something was wrong with Dele. First, he passed out in practice while guarding Shaquille O'Neal. Dele also crashed his car into a telephone pole, which may have been on purpose. After being removed from the Magic's active roster, Dele told people closest to him that his depression came strictly from his unhappiness in Orlando. Dele would get his wish of leaving Orlando the next season, as he signed to play for the Denver Nuggets. Like in Orlando, after two seasons, Dele was on the move again, this time to Los Angeles to play for the Clippers. In the 1995-96 season for the LA Clippers, Dele would average, at the time, a career-high 15.8 points per game. After the 1995-96 season, Dele got into a contract dispute with the Clippers, and he was willing to sit out the entire season, which almost happened. The Clippers would cut ties with Dele and with only nine games remaining in the season, one team came calling for his services… the Chicago Bulls. Yes, the same Bulls team that won 72 games and the title in the previous season was looking for Dele's services. He signed with the Bulls and played in the remaining nine games. In the playoffs, Bison Dele showcased to everyone why the Bulls reached out to him. He played big in a few key games against the Atlanta Hawks in the Conference Semifinals. After the Hawks shocked the Bulls by beating them in game 2 in Chicago by a score of 103-95, Phil Jackson decided to shake things up for game 3. Jackson went to Dele, giving him extended minutes, and boy did it pay off. In game 2, Dele went scoreless in less than five minutes of playing time. In game 3, Dele played 22 minutes and scored 14 points while grabbing 5 rebounds. Dele's impact would remain for the rest of the Hawks series, as the Bulls went on to win two more games, to win the series 4-1. In the NBA finals against the Utah Jazz, Dele played with an intense energy that the Bulls certainly needed off the bench. He even scored 16 points in game 3, though the Bulls lost that game. The Chicago Bulls, as you know, went on to win the championship and Bison Dele was now an NBA champ. Bison Dele's NBA Finals Stats: - 6.8 points per game - 3.3 rebounds per game - 1.0 steals per game - 47.2% field goal percentage - 20.2 minutes per game After winning the championship with Chicago, the Bulls let Dele go, and Dele found himself a home in Detroit with the Pistons. Dele's seven-year, $45 million deal with the Pistons made him the highest-paid player on the team. In his first year as a Piston, Dele put up career highs in points (16.2) and rebounds (8.9). The next season was the NBA lockout year, and once the league resumed play, Dele's play regressed. He only averaged 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. It appeared that Dele fell back into a depression that season. According to an article by Jeff Goldberg of tiebreaker.com, Dele tried to open the emergency hatch on the Pistons team charter… Remember how at the beginning of this article I said, “who could walk away from it all, especially after signing the biggest contract of their career?” Then I mentioned that Bison Dele could, and he did. That's exactly what happened after the 1998-99 NBA season. Dele walked from the remaining five years on his contract and $36.45 million. Bison Dele's NBA Career Stats: - 11.0 points per game - 6.2 rebounds per game - 1.1 assists per game - 52.8% field goal percentage - NBA Champion As I stated before, Bison Dele did not like basketball, he only played to make good money. He made the money and yet, he was still unhappy playing professional basketball. So, Dele did exactly what he wanted to do, he retired to the life of a world traveler. Yes, Dele was living the “good life” after retiring, he was finally happy. His adventures saw him running with the bulls in Spain, to traveling throughout Europe with nothing more than a backpack. Dele would also DJ at parties, he'd play the saxophone, heck, he even reportedly dated Madonna for some time. Then Dele wanted to up his adventures even more. First, he got his pilot's license, and shortly after he learned how to sail a boat. While Dele was living “the life”, his brother, Miles Dabord, was homeless and hadn't seen his family in years. Dele, along with his girlfriend, Serena Karlan, and captain Bertrand Saldo, were sailing the South Pacific in Dele's 55-foot catamaran that he named Hukuna Matata. They ended up in Tahiti, and planned to sail to Hawaii on July 6, 2002. Then, an unexpected visitor showed up… it was Miles Dabord. Apparently, Dabord wanted to amend his relationship with Dele, and he invited himself to go along for the ride. This is where the story turns dark. Usually, when Dele sailed the ocean, he'd always keep in radio contact with family and friends. Over the next two days, three satellite calls came from the Hukuna Matata. One of the last calls was from Serena Karlan. She told the caller, who was Dele's financial advisor, Kevin Porter, that “everyone was happy and having a good time.” After the second day, no more calls would come from the Hukuna Matata. In fact, there would be no sign of the boat until July 16. The Hukuna Matata would be seen pulling into the Phaeton Bay Marina in Taravao, along Tahiti’s southeastern shore. The thing was, the boat was renamed, Aria Bella. Witnesses reported seeing a man fitting Dabord’s description and that's it. Nobody else was on the boat. On closer examination of the name on the boat, it was reported that you could see the traced outline of the name Hukuna Matata. Dabord returned to the United States alone on July 20. Authorities kept their eyes on him, but there wasn't much they could do. With Dele's come-and-go lifestyle, it wasn't out of the norm to have him leave for lengthy periods of time. It wasn't reported till later, but on July 8, Dabord was seen in the port of Moorea. There he spent a week with his girlfriend, Erica Wiese. While with Weise, Dabord supposedly told her that Dele and Karlan were on another island, while Saldo was also in Moorea with friends. Things remained relatively quiet on the disappearance of Dele, Karlan, or Saldo until Sept. 5, 2002. A man claiming to be Bison Dele entered the Certified Mint, a Phoenix-area coin shop. The man had Bison Dele's passport and credit cards. The man even looked similar to Bison. Yes, it was Miles Dabord. A month earlier, Dabord contacted the mint in an attempt to purchase $500,000 worth of gold coins. After some negotiation, Dabord, acting like Dele, bought $152K of gold. A check from one of Dele’s bank accounts was sent to the mint, where it was deposited and cleared. Red flags were immediately raised, as Dele's bank contacted Kevin Porter and explained that the address on the check had been changed. A different phone number was also given than Dele's phone number. So, Porter called the number and listened to the voicemail message. The voice did not match that of Bison Dele. Fast forward back to September 5th, Porter contacted the authorities and they were waiting at the mint. There they detained Dabord. Miles Dabord was ready with an explanation. He claimed Dele bought the coins and sent Dabord to go in and pick them up. Without Dele to back this claim, the authorities had no choice but to release him. Just days after Dabord's release, the world began to learn of Bison Dele, Serena Karlan, and Bertrand Saldo's disappearance. Authorities learned the story of Dabord piloting the boat back into port. With law enforcement getting on his trail, Dabord went on the run. He reunited with his girlfriend, Erica Weise, in San Francisco. There he gave his side of the story. Dabord told Weise that a fight broke out on the boat between him and Dele. Karlan attempted to break them up and was accidentally knocked to the deck by Dele, hitting her head on a boat cleat. She died from the injury. Then, according to Dabord, he and Dele continued to fight as Saldo told the brothers that they must return to port and report Karlan's death to the authorities. Dabord then said that Dele responded by killing Saldo by beating him with a wrench. Fearing for his life, Dabord took Dele's gun and shot him to death. What makes Dabord's story unbelievable is what happened next. Dabord told Weise he tied weights that he found on the boat and tied them to the deceased bodies. There, Dabord tossed the bodies into the ocean to never be seen again. First, that seems like something you wouldn't do if Dele killed the two others, and you killed Dele in self-defense. But to make it worse for Dabord, FBI evidence discovered Dabord bought about $200 of weights from a sporting store, not too long before the boat ride. After telling his story to Weise, Dabord fled to Mexico, while Weise contacted the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, who contacted the FBI. A massive manhunt went into effect for Miles Dabord, and they would find him lying unconscious on a beach in Tijuana. Dabord overdosed on insulin. He was transported back across the border to a hospital in the San Diego area. Two weeks later, while in a coma, Dabord was taken off life support on September 28. With Miles Dabord gone, the world would never truly discover the truth of what happened out on the open ocean. Brian Williams aka Bison Dele lived a troubled life. But for two short instances, he felt true happiness. First, as a member of the Chicago Bulls, then when he retired and traveled the world. It's sad to know we'll probably never know the truth of what happened to Bison Dele, but what he taught us while he was here, is to live the life that makes you happy. Go live it. Los Angeles Lakers Retired Numbers: NBA Legends And Superstars Wore Purple And Gold The Steph Curry Of The 90s: The Story of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf And How The NBA Blackballed Him When The Rain Fell On The Reign Man: The Tragic Fall Of Shawn Kemp Reggie Miller: The Truth Behind 8 Points In 8.9 Seconds 11 Important Rules That Changed NBA Basketball Forever: Banning Hand-Checking, Allowing Zone Defense After Banning It

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How To Get The Most Out Of Casino Comps Casino comps take your experience to the next level. The ‘comp’ stands for ‘complimentary’, and in the world of casinos this means free services and products for players to use on their visits. These freebies are handed out by the house and differ from player to player. They could take the form of anything from drinks, concert tickets, and fine dining, through to flight discounts, hotel stays, room upgrades, and limo usage. Making Comps Work For You So far, so good, right? But how can you get comps from your casino? Every gambling destination differs, but what you’re entitled to depends on a range of factors. Visitor ‘gifts’ will roughly be calculated based on factors including how much you bet, how long for or how frequently, how much you lose, and what games you play. All this will usually be tracked by your players’ card, which will feed back a feast of data to casino analysts behind the scenes. 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The usual form your food freebie will arrive in is a coupon to use at one of the on-site restaurants or cafes or, commonly, to use at a buffet. But, at some casinos, high-rollers may even be gifted reservations at popular fine dining restaurants, or the gourmet meals themselves. Rooms Free rooms are one of the most sought-after comps. Even if your casino doesn’t have a hotel, it might put you up in other local lodgings, should you prove to be worth the investment. But you’ll have to have really earn your stripes at the slots or tables to qualify for free accommodation. The next step up is a room upgrade, or even being bumped up to a suite. You may be more likely to get one during the week, since there’s a higher chance of some empty rooms. Despite appearances, it will cost the casino next to nothing to give these away, especially during low season. But they’ll have to believe you’ll be spending, or have spent previously, more than it’s worth on the floor. High-Roller Comps The holy-grail of casino comps are the benefits that high-rollers get to enjoy. You’ll have put in plenty of hours and dollars to get that status, but the freebies reflect that. Often tailored and bespoke, due to the data the casinos collect on promising patrons, high-roller or whale comps can include a host of red carpet treatments — as far as airport transfers in private cars and limos, and even airfares or a bump up in ticket class to get the gamblers to the casino floor. To convince big spenders to make a longer stay of it, or perhaps to bring the whole family, live entertainment can be included too. Music concerts, magic shows, theatre, dance performances, and sporting events — often being hosted in the casino complex itself — can be comped via free or reduced tickets, or access to the best seats in the house. Wait, How Do Comps Work For Casinos? On the face of it, giving away things for free seems like a bad business decision. But while dishing out free drinks to customers, or writing off a night in a luxury suite will indeed cost the casino some money in the short-term, it also helps them to save money in the long-term. It’s important to remember that the retail price for the comp you receive is not necessarily its real money value to the venue, which may buy its ingredients and alcohols in bulk or on the cheap from wholesalers. Think about it. You’re just planning on popping by the Strip while you’re in Vegas on business. But a few free drinks or a meal might just put you in the mood to stay and play for a few hours longer and spend more money. And a comp room could convince you to turn your trip into a weekend away. The casino comp system also creates a sense of loyalty, and a relationship, between customer and casino. The outlets provide players with treats to make them feel special, so that they return regularly. It’s an area of high competition —retain your clientele with appealing inclusions, or risk losing repeat business to another venue. This even leads to visitors picking a casino based on the hotel they most enjoy staying at. If you play at one or two places to potentially earn an extra night’s stay on your next trip, it makes a lot more sense than dividing your dollars between multiple casinos for no extra benefits next time around. How To Take Advantage Of Casino Comps Many players don’t realize how they can make the most of what’s on offer in exchange for their business. If you’re one of those, check out our tips for how to get the best casino comps below.. Otherwise your worth to the casino value goes down. This casino worker on Reddit explains how your value at a casino works and why you should only log time if spending money: So, use your reward card only when spending a decent wedge of money, with those trusty slot machines the best way to get bang for your buck when it comes to comp points. If it’s table games that are more to your taste, however, simply ensure that you only clock in officially when you’re ready for a long session of craps, or to spend big on blackjack. Or, even more ideally, choose a game where the house edge is lower. If you’re on a losing streak, remember that your losses could actually work in your favor when it comes to comps. Losing is never ideal or the aim, but it might not be all doom and gloom if you eventually get a room in return. 6 tricks to help you get better casino comps: - Look like you’re spending more than you actually are. As casino staff will be rating your play, make an impression at the beginning by placing bigger bets for the first three or four wagers, and then alternating between bigger and smaller sums as discretely as possible. It’s all about appearances, so hopefully yours will stick. - Make it look as though you’re playing for longer than you are. Play at crowded tables during peak times like weekend evenings and holidays. This makes it tough for pit bosses to keep track of you as you play. Every third or fourth time you put chips or credit down, retract just before the bets close. This works even better with a partner on a connected card. - Take lots of bathroom breaks. If you take part in fewer rounds or hands than anticipated by the casino, when playing table games, it stands to reason that you’ll lose less while the casino guesses you’re losing more. - Play with a partner. Reward cards reward couples. You can play it cautious by off-setting bets, which means twice the amount of wagers but in theory losing less from your shared budget if you bet in opposite ways e.g. red or black. Many casinos also allow couples or people from the same household to link card accounts, so you can share the spends and the rewards. - Make it look like you are losing. Act the part and let everyone know when you lose, as the casino will want to latch on to a big spender that also looks like a big ‘loser’. Another slightly more cynical ‘trick’ is to hide chips in your pocket when you leave the table so that staff think you’re leaving with less than you really are. Be careful with this one though. Even though you’re not cheating, you don’t want to upset security. - Be generous. At some but certainly not all casino resorts, any spends you make in the complex — including at restaurants, bars, and hotels — can count as points on your reward or players’ card. Look like a big spender, if you go with a group, by getting a round in or buying dinner. But bear in mind that counting these expenses towards comps always depends on an individual casino’s discretion. Finding The Casinos With The Best Comps Casino comps are a competitive field. So shop around to get the best deal for you. There’s no point chipping away at the points system in a particular casino if you don’t care much for the attached hotel or restaurant. Go for the complex that you rate highly for service, who makes great drinks, has comfortable rooms, or that houses one of your favorite restaurants or spas. When it comes to Vegas casinos in particular, some venues will specialize in different comp areas like rooms or food. So it makes sense to pull up a stool where you’d be happy to spend time anyway, and to build up a relationship with the staff so that they’ll get to know you, how you play, and what you prefer. This is could also lead to you getting a casino host — when a regular, local or big-spender benefits from the attention of a dedicated member of staff. Keeping a good relationship with your host can mean it’s a smoother road to those coveted comps each time you visit. And you’ll be much comfier asking someone you trust what you’re entitled to. After all, they want you to have a good time. The question of which casinos in Vegas offer the best comps depends entirely on your budget. Big hitters like the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, and Wynn Las Vegas are rated highly for their comps, with the latter particularly popular for its rooms — but it will likely take you much longer to get them, unless you’re a high-roller.. If you’ll be on a more modest budget, try making your money go further with the rewards at Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino, or Flamingo Las Vegas, instead. Spend More, Get More Ultimately, the fastest way to get comps in Vegas is to simply spend money. Casinos are a business and they want you to bet, with all comps aimed at rewarding you for that and encouraging you to spend more. So enjoy your well-earned freebies but always make sure to be careful, stay within your budget and be aware that nothing truly comes for free.

6/45 Lotto Result May 5, 2021 – The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) announced the official and complete Mega Lotto 6/45 results today at 9pm. Updates of the 6/45 lotto result today are posted here as the actual draw happens. The following is the confirmed and complete 6/45 Lotto result for May 5, 2021: Reload this page for the updated results or proceed to our 6/45 Lotto Result History page for past results or here for other lotto result today. The person who gets the 6/45 Lotto number combination above in any order grabs 8.91 Million, the Megalotto 6/45 jackpot grows to mind-blowing amounts whenever nobody is lucky enough to match the winning combination drawn by PCSO. The odds of hitting favorite lottery in the Philippines since its inception in 1997. Official 6/45 Megalotto draws happen every Monday, Wednesday and Friday except when draws are canceled by PCSO due to a major public holiday. PCSO likewise conducts digit games in the country.. Get Important Notifications and Updates for 6/45 Lotto Result May 5, 2021 Draw To receive important Mega Lotto news along with the jackpot prize and winners summary at 9 PM tonight, follow us on our Facebook, Twitter profiles. We likewise suggest that you Subscribe to our channel so that you will get notified once a video update is uploaded. Updated Prizes for Mega Lotto 6/45 The prize that each winner gets depend on the aggregate number of winners as well as gross sales. PCSO employs a payout structure for Mega Lotto 6/45 based on this pari mutuel wagering system. The following is the Megalotto 6/45 payout structure: - If you got six (6) numbers of the winning number combination in any order, you hit the current jackpot prize for the Lotto 6/45 game. The top prize begins at PhP 8,910,000. - In case your number matches five (5) out of the six (6) drawn numbers, you win a second prize worth PhP 32,000. - If you matched four (4) of the six (6) drawn numbers, you take home a prize of PhP 1,000. - In case you got three (3) of the six (6) drawn numbers, you get a prize of PhP 30. Remember that all winnings above PhP 10,000 are subject to 20% tax. Previous 6/45 Lotto Results and Jackpot Prize The table below contains the 6/45 winning number combination for the previous seven draws. We regularly modify the list above after the article is published to indicate the latest 6/45 Megalotto winning numbers. View our 6/45 Lotto Result History section for a detailed summary of past winning combinations. How to Play Lotto 6/45 Before proceeding further, please note that PCSO only allows persons 18 years old and above to play. Follow these complete steps to learn how to play this PCSO lotto game: - Go to an authorized PCSO lottery agent and get the Mega Lotto 6/45 bet card. - Select a set of six (6) numbers from one (1) to Forty-Five (45) in each column of the bet slip. - Mark LP (Lucky Pick) in case you want the system to randomly pick the numbers for you. - You can also raise your odds of winning through the 6/45 Lotto System Play. With this option, you can select more than the usual six (6) numbers thus increasing your total number combinations. - Mark the number of succeeding draws you want to play in the Draw panel. - Hand over your betting card and corresponding payment to the cashier and get your ticket once it is generated. - View the 6/45 Lotto Result after the 9:00 pm live draw to verify if your ticket matches the winning number combination. Each 6/45 Lotto number combination costs PhP 20, inclusive of 20% Documentary Stamp Tax (DST). Once done placing your bet, affix your signature at the back of your Megalotto ticket. Store it in a safe and dry place. Do not fold, wet, iron or tamper with your Megalotto ticket. Tickets are heat-sensitive and they need to be validated by the machine before you can claim your prize. Watched the live Lotto draw broadcasted over PTV4 and livestreamed over pcso.gov.ph, PCSO Games Hub and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Official Facebook page and PCSO Official YouTube Channel at 9:00PM. Additional PCSO Rules to be Observed when Playing 6/45 Lotto Amidst this pandemic, PCSO imposed the following guidelines in all lotto outlets nationwide. - Put on your face mask at all times. No Facemask-No Betting scheme shall be observed at all PCSO lotto outlets in the country. - Observe physical distancing at all times while in the lotto outlet. - Use your own pen when purchasing lotto tickets. - Use the tray provided when handing out your play card and payment. - Use the alcohols, disinfectant or hand sanitizer provided before leaving the lotto outlet. - Use the garbage cans provided to discard used bet slips and/or non-winning tickets. Mega Lotto System Bets – Learn How to Improve your Odds of Winning the Jackpot You can improve your chances of winning the jackpot through 6/45 Lotto System Bets. This advanced option allows you to pick more than the usual six (6) numbers and creates numerous combinations of your chosen numbers. The available system bets in 6/45 Lotto are System 5-Roll (System 5R), System 7, System 8, System 9, System 10, System 11 and System 12. In System 7, a bettor marks seven (7) numbers which creates a total of seven (7) combinations. With System 8, on the other hand, the bettor picks a total of eight (8) numbers generating a total of 28 combinations. The more numbers picked, the higher the number of combinations generated. Same rule applies in System 9, System 10, System 11 and in System 12. In the case of System 5R, the bettor picks five (5) numbers instead of six. These 5 numbers are automatically matched with the remaining forty (40) numbers, producing 40 combinations in total. Keep in mind that the higher the number of combinations, the higher the overall ticket cost will be. The total price of the ticket is PhP 20 multiplied by the number of combinations created. Refer to the table below for more information on total ticket cost per Mega Lotto system play. Major Lotto Draws Jackpot Prize Update These are the up-to-date jackpot prize of the major lotto games of PCSO as of today, May 5, 2021. Note: The table above is modified on a regular basis and should indicate the most recent daily jackpot prizes beyond this article’s posting time. In addition to Mega Lotto 6/45, PCSO also facilitates 6/45 Megalotto by getting at least three (3) winning numbers in any order. Bigger prizes awaits those who will get four (4), five (5) or six (6) winning numbers. Getting three (3) of the winning combination gives you PhP 30, four (4) matching numbers gives you a prize equal to PhP 1,000 while five (5) numbers wins you a fixed amount equal to PhP 32,000. Getting all the numbers gives you the jackpot prize worth no less than PhP 8.91 Million. Increase your chances of winning using a system bet. This option allows you to mark up to 12 numbers rather than just 6, thereby generating a bigger number of combinations. The system plays you can select from are the System 5-Roll and System 7 up to System 12. The cost of tickets in system plays depend on the total number of combinations created. What are the draws to be held by PCSO today, May 5, to find the latest Lotto 6/45 result today? You can get the latest 6/45 Lotto result today here, or through our online social media pages in Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. You can also watch the draws live at PTV Channel 4. What is SYS 5-Roll in Lotto 6/45? System 5R (5-Roll) is the Mega Lotto 6/45 system bet which allows you select only five (5) numbers instead of the default 6 number combination. To complete the combination, the system automatically combines each of the remaining 40 “unmarked” numbers in the play slip to the five numbers you already picked. This creates a total of 40 combinations and guarantees that you will get at least one (1) winning number in your combinations. System 5R costs Php 800 (Php 20 x 40). To play System 5-Roll, simply choose your preferred 5-number combination and then mark 5R in the SYS section of the 6/45 Lotto bet card. What is Documentary Stamps Tax? DST or Documentary Stamp Tax is a 20% tax levied on lotto ticket prices by the government by virtue of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN Act). PCSO commenced adding 20% DST on the prices of its tickets when the law took effect in 2018. Accordingly, 2D (EZ2), 3D (Swertres), 4D and 6D Lotto ticket prices increased from PhP 10 to PhP 12 while the 6/42, 6/45, 6/49, 6/55 and 6/45 Lotto tickets increased from PhP 20 to PhP 24. On July 18, 2020, PCSO returned the price of its major lotto games to Php 20. Can I play Mega Lotto 6/45 in Advance? You can play up to 5 draws in advance or a total of 6 draws including the present draw. To play in advance, just select your intended number of advanced plays in the DRAW section of the bet slip. Your 6/45 Mega Lotto combination will then be played repeatedly based on the number of draws you selected. For example, if you selected 6 Draws, your chosen Mega Lotto 6/45 entry will be valid for the six (6) consecutive Megalotto 6/45 draws including the current draw. How do I Play Mega Lotto 6/45 System 8? System 8 is the Mega Lotto system play that lets players to select a total of eight (8) numbers instead of the typical six (6) numbers. This play type produces 28 combinations in all and costs PhP 560 (Php 20 x 28 combinations). To play System 8, simply pick your preferred 8-number combination and then mark the number 8 in the SYS section of the 6/45 Lotto play card. What if I cannot think of any Mega Lotto 6/45 number to play? The Lucky Pick or LP option commands the computer to automatically pick the 6/45 Mega Lotto number for you if you cannot think of any number to bet on. To use this option, just select the LP in the play card. Where do I claim Mega Lotto 6/45 Prizes? If you are one of the lucky winners of Mega Lotto 6/45 today, we recommend that you refer to the information below. To claim Mega Lotto 6/45 prizes below PhP 5,000, go to the nearest authorized lotto outlet or nearest PCSO branch and present your winning ticket. Prizes above PhP 5,000 but not exceeding PhP 20,000 can be claimed at the nearest PCSO branch office. Winnings above PhP 20,000 can only be claimed at the PCSO main office located at 605 Conservatory Bldg., Shaw Blvd. corner Priceton St., Mandaluyong City. PCSO Official Announcements & Press Releases March 10, 2021– PCSO warns the betting public against buying lotto tickets from alleged PCSO employees through a supposed ‘online’ betting system. PCSO said it has no such platform yet in place that will support such transactions. January 6, 2021– PCSO resumes its. Interested applicants can learn more about this program here. Follow our Facebook, Twitter and Youtube accounts or visit the PCSO official website to get important news and notifications on Mega Lotto 6/45 and other PCSO Lotto draws. We recommend that you also visit our PCSO Lotto Results page to get lotto updates and latest results.

Return to Transcripts main page CNN RELIABLE SOURCES Oprah Apologizes; The Selling of Spying Aired January 29, 2006 - 10:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HOWARD KURTZ, HOST (voice over): Oprah's admission. The talk show queen says she's sorry for backing James Frey's fabricated memoir, even after it was exposed as a fraud. What took her so long, and has she repaired her image? The selling of spying. Are the media rolling over for President Bush's effort to paint the domestic eavesdropping as a political plus? And are they carrying the White House message to promote this week's State of the Union? Bad boys, from Kobe Bryant to Bode Miller. Are journalists buffing the image of athletes with off-the-court problems? Plus, Bill O'Reilly attacks me for fair and balanced reporting. (END VIDEOTAPE) KURTZ: Welcome to RELIABLE SOURCES, where we turn a critical lens on the media.. Here's what ABC's Martha Raddatz reported just a short time ago. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC NEWS: They were travelling in an Iraqi convoy, but they were both with the 4th Infantry Division. Bob and Doug had been in an armored vehicle, a U.S. armored vehicle, and then transferred into an Iraqi mechanized vehicle. They were up in the hatch of that vehicle. They were apparently doing a report. I believe Doug was filming Bob at the time when they struck a large IED. It was also followed up with small arms fire after that. Both have head injuries. They are in the hospital right now. Bob is currently in surgery in Balad, which is a very large base there and has the best medical care possible for both of them. But both in serious condition at this point -- Kate. (END VIDEOTAPE) KURTZ: We will bring you more details as they become available, but let me tell you a little bit about this man who just took over "World News Tonight" with Elizabeth Vargas earlier this month. I was with him this past Monday as he zipped up his suitcases and headed for the airport, first to cover the Palestinian elections and then to head to Baghdad. Woodruff is a guy who loves to travel to hotspots, doesn't worry much about the danger. In fact, that's why he got into the business. He was a lawyer making plenty of money and was spending a year in China when Tianamen Square erupted. He became a translator and a fixer for CBS and later decided that journalism was his true calling, gave up the law firm for a $12,000 a year job at a small California station. Woodruff eventually became a foreign correspondent in the Peter Jennings mold, spending four months in Pakistan after 9/11, covering the Iraq war in 2003, and constantly jetting off around the world. This is how he and Vargas hoped to distinguish their newscast. We wish Bob Woodruff all the best, and we will stay on top of this breaking story as more information emerges. Well, turning now to a somewhat lighter subject, but one that has resonated throughout the publishing world, when Oprah Winfrey called into Larry King's show two weeks ago, she was defending the memoir she had endorsed, "A Million Little Pieces," even though The Smoking Gun Web site had already shredded author James Frey's credibility and exposed his nightmare journey through crime, drugs and rehab as a hoax. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: The underlying message of redemption in James Frey's memoir still resonates with me, and I know that it resonates with millions of other people who have read this book and will continue to read this book. (END VIDEO CLIP) KURTZ: Frey told King that he had only embellished a few events. But Winfrey was hammered by such critics as Frank Rich in "The New York Times" and Richard Cohen in "The Washington Post," who called Oprah deluded. Finally, on Thursday, a dramatic apology. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WINFREY: I regret that phone call. I made a mistake, and I left the impression that the truth does not matter. And I am deeply sorry about that, because that is not what I believe. So to everyone who has challenged me on this issue of truth, you are absolutely right. (END VIDEO CLIP) KURTZ: For one very gripping hour, Oprah Winfrey grilled James Frey, taking his book apart almost page by page. JAMES FREY, AUTHOR: I think I made a lot of mistakes in writing the book and, you know, promoting the book. WINFREY: Do you see the mistakes as lies? Because you -- you know, I think I made a mistake. So do you think you lied, or do you think you made a mistake? FREY: I think probably both. (END VIDEO CLIP) KURTZ: But how big was Winfrey's mistake? How badly did it hurt her? And what does all this say about TV book clubs and the publishing business? Joining me now in New York, Jeff Jarvis, a veteran magazine editor and TV critic who blogs at buzzmachine.com. Also in New York, Bonnie Fuller, veteran magazine editor, now editorial director of American Media. She oversees almost two dozen magazines, including, "Celebrity Living" and most prominently, "Star." And in Los Angeles, where he's hanging out with the stars, David Carr, media reporter and columnist for "The New York Times." Welcome. Bonnie Fuller, was this a big blunder by Oprah, particularly after the book had been revealed to be a sham? And has she redeemed herself, like so many of her guests over the years, by going after the author? BONNIE FULLER, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, AMERICAN MEDIA: It was a huge blunder for Oprah. I know that "Star's" readers were absolutely appalled by what she did. And, in fact, we went on her Web site and we had a hard time finding any comments from her regular fans who adore her in support of Oprah. However, that has totally turned around since her Thursday show. In fact, there was a poll this morning in "The New York Post" in which 86 percent of New Yorkers say that they now believe that Oprah has, in fact, redeemed herself and they like her better than ever. KURTZ: Eighty-six percent approval rating. Politicians could only dream about that. David Carr, do you think that ultimately Oprah Winfrey caved to the pressure of "The New York Times" editorials and these various columnists denouncing her for seeming not to care that The Smoking Gun Web site had exposed this book as an utter fraud? DAVID CARR, "NEW YORK TIMES": Well, if Oprah caved, I think it would be the first time in her history. I think Oprah manages herself and her brand more carefully than almost anybody in the whole entertainment landscape. And I think it became clear to her that it wasn't just Mr. Frey's reputation that was at risk, but that it was her own. And so she came straight at it, and I thought it was a tour de force in terms of her ability to take the situation and turn it into a win, as the poll number indicates. Nobody knows that art better than Oprah. KURTZ: Eighty-six percent. Jeff Jarvis, I want to play a little bit more of Oprah Winfrey cross-examining James Frey on that program on Thursday and then ask you a question. Let's take a look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WINFREY: Was your description of how she died true? FREY: She committed suicide, yes. WINFREY: She hung herself? FREY: I mean, that -- that was one of the details I altered about her. I mean... (END VIDEO CLIP) KURTZ: Jeff, Oprah essentially created James Frey as a best- selling author. Did she do the right thing by ripping him apart in the end? JEFF JARVIS, BUZZMACHINE.COM: I think she appalled with holding his body in front of her for the stones that would follow. You know, Oprah's haughty ethicism I think is a little disingenuous. Let's not forget that Oprah has often forgotten, in fact, that. And she does what she needs to do for ratings. She made this book a success. She now saw that her PR was in danger, and so she dealt with that, but she held Frey out to let him dangle. Yes, he's another liar in print. We've seen others of those lately. There are two separate issues here. And hers is about the way she apologized. I think if she just apologized I would have taken that at face value, but what she really did was dangle him out there. KURTZ: All right. Bonnie Fuller, how big a story is this for "Star" magazine? Is Oprah so huge celebrity-wise that anything she does is news? FULLER: Absolutely everything she does is news. In fact, she just recently bought some Labrador puppies, and that was huge news. And, of course, she puts it -- she put them with herself on the copy of her magazine, "O." Yes, this is a big story for "Star" readers because they love Oprah, she propels sales for our magazine, as well as propelling ratings. And the fact that she had supported Frey even after he was exposed, you know, really called her into question for them. I mean, I don't think they had ever questioned Oprah the way that they did after this. They were extremely upset with their idol. KURTZ: David Carr, you look at the things in this book, "A Million Little Pieces," which originally was peddled as a novel, which, of course, it is, but later was sold to Doubleday as nonfiction, you know, James Frey saying he had two root canals without novocaine, he hit a cop with his car, he was abused in a drug clinic, it sounds very fantastical. And I'm just wondering how Oprah, you know, was willing to put her reputation behind this work. CARR: Well, I thought when she asked Nan Talese, who was the publisher at Doubleday who pushed this book out into the marketplace, how she could have ever fallen for such a fantastical story, I think Ms. Talese should have said, well, about the same way you did. A lot of people bought into it. I mean, I think that there -- in retrospect, reading the book in retrospect, it certainly breaks credibility at every -- every turn, and I don't -- I think Oprah did a good job of doing a mea culpa at the top of -- the top of the show. But as Jeff points out, just mopped up the floor with -- with Frey and then Talese. And by the end of it, you forget that Oprah herself was more than a little bit implicated by being bought into this story. KURTZ: Well, since you mentioned Nan Talese -- and she has her own imprint at Doubleday -- let's take a look at what she had to say on that show, and I'll ask you another question. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NAN TALESE, PUBLISHER, "A MILLION LITTLE PIECES": I thought as a publisher, this is James's memory of the hell he went through. I do not know how you get inside another person's mind. (END VIDEO CLIP) KURTZ: David Carr, where's the apology from Doubleday? Where is the pulling of the book? Instead, they say they're going to have a publisher's note and an author's note in future editions. What is it, by the way, everything in here is a lie? CARR: Oh, I thought that was amazingly tone deaf to sit there and dance on the head of a split hair and expect people to understand what you are doing. They should have done what Oprah did, which is an abject apology to open up and then proceed to kind of spread the blame around. Instead, I think anybody watching that show would have the same reaction you did, Howie, which is, well, they didn't say they were sorry. KURTZ: All right. Jeff Jarvis, was this a victory of sorts for online journalism in that it was a very small Web site, The Smoking Gun, that blew the whistle on this book that had been publicized by so many big news organizations? JARVIS: Well, I'll always wave that flag, Howie. Yes, but I think more important for journalism was this odd scene of Frank Rich and Stanley Crouch and other journalists bowing at the throat of Oprah afterwards, saying, oh, queen, you have done the good thing, you have done the right thing. I found that absolutely amazing that they would allow themselves to be used in this way. And The Smoking Gun stands out there as the most independent voice of journalism, saying, we've got the facts, man. KURTZ: Why do you say they were used? JARVIS: Because they -- full disclosure here is that she tried to get me on her show when I was a TV critic to do the same thing, and so I watched through that lens. But I saw -- for Stanley Crouch to say that you are the queen of kindness or some such thing, for Frank Rich to say, you did it before millions of people, good for you, why? What was their point in them appearing there to do that? I think it would have been better to have a fuller journalistic discussion of this. Instead, they were brought on for a few seconds to praise Oprah, which is Oprah's whole schtick. KURTZ: All right. Bonnie Fuller, what about standards in the publishing world? I mean, is it harder to get a story about Jen and Brad and Angelina into "Star" magazine than it is to publish a book in which you say it's a memoir and you make stuff up? FULLER: That is an excellent point. Yes, it is far harder to get a story about Brad, Angelina or any -- any star into "Star" magazine. We have a legal department, and quite a large legal department. All stories pass through it. Everything is fact-checked. When we have a very -- when we have a story that has any legal issues that are quite large, we often have signed up sources, which means they've signed legal documents attesting to the truth of what they are saying. We even polygraph some of our sources. There's quite a different standard, clearly, in the publishing world. But perhaps they're going to be looking at things -- well, I would assume they will be looking at things quite differently. KURTZ: Right. FULLER: And one point I just wanted to make about Oprah is that, you know, she sat there and said that the story about the novocaine was fantastical, and how could that not have set off Nan? Now, when she read it, however, it didn't set off Oprah either. So, I mean, she read the book as well. So clearly, fact-checking is a necessity. KURTZ: All right. David Carr, Jeff Jarvis has written on his Web site that Oprah maybe just has too much power. She's, of course, the biggest female figure and perhaps the richest figure in the media world, but hasn't she also been a force for good in persuading millions of people to read books? CARR: I think she's been a civic (ph) good in any number of ways, whether you are talking about New Orleans, South Africa, getting Americans reading. And her durability is due, in part, to her ability to stage manage her image. I agree with Jeff wholeheartedly that having all those folks come on and bow toward her, I mean, Richard Cohen called her the mensch of the year. There's no one quite as large as her or as good at managing their image as Oprah, and I think she uses her power, in general, to good ends. KURTZ: All right. David Carr, Bonnie Fuller, Jeff Jarvis, thanks very much for an interesting discussion. When we come back, the latest on ABC anchor Bob Woodruff, seriously injured in Iraq today. We'll go to Baghdad. And, later, bad boy athletes. Are the media aid and abetting them? Plus, President Bush takes the fight to the press over accusations of illegal spying. And what about those secret Jack Abramoff photos? Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) KURTZ: Welcome back to RELIABLE SOURCES. If you're just joining us, some breaking news this morning out of Iraq. ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff is in surgery after sustaining serious head injuries from an explosion in that country. For more now, we turn to CNN's Michael Holmes in Baghdad. Michael Holmes, also cameraman Doug Vogt injured in that IED explosion. I'm just wondering, after the kidnapping of Jill Carroll -- we haven't had any word on her fate in the last week -- the average person probably thinks the greater danger for journalists is to be unembedded and roaming the streets on your own, rather than operating within the protection of the U.S. Army. But that isn't necessarily true, is it? MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, it's not. Howie, I can tell you that personally I feel probably more nervous if I'm driving along in a Humvee, armored or not, because a U.S. convoy or a military convoy of any kind in this country is such a target. You know, Bob and Doug were with the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division. I have been with the 3rd I.D. I've been with several embeds, most recently with the 10th Mountain Division, and we were doing patrols around the Abu Ghraib region in a Humvee. And I feel often more of a target in those situations, Howie. KURTZ: Woodruff is described as being in serious condition, as I mentioned a moment ago. He is in surgery. He was embedded with the 4th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. I understand from you, Michael Holmes, that he was swearing body armor. But nevertheless, that does not provide complete protection against these kind of injuries. And you yourself, since the time that you have been reporting from Iraq, have had a close brush with terror attacks as well. Tell us about that. HOLMES: Yes, that's right. It was -- in fact, ironically, it was two years ago last Friday that we were just south of Baghdad and we were ambushed. We were in two vehicles. We were ambushed by two vehicles. And two of our Iraqi staff, friends of mine, were killed in that incident. The cameraman sitting next to me, Scott McWhinnie, was wounded. He was shot in the head and survived. And I can tell you, just the sheer violence -- I mean, like a lot of reporters, I've been around a lot of combat and stuff, but when it happens right on top of you and you are the target, it's very hard to get across the sheer violence of something like that, and terror. You know, I'm not afraid to admit that. It's an intensely personal and horrific experience. We were wearing body armor as well. I understand that Bob and Doug were wearing body armor and helmets. They were, we're told, standing out of the hatch of a vehicle when this IED went off. Perhaps Doug was filming Bob. We don't know that yet. So they're a little bit more exposed than if they had been inside this vehicle, which, by the way, was an Iraqi vehicle. They were on a joint patrol with the 4th I.D... KURTZ: Right. HOLMES: ... and the Iraqi military. KURTZ: When something like this happens to Bob Woodruff, when something like the experience you just described happens to you, when you hear about "Christian Science Monitor" reporter Jill Carroll being kidnapped, doesn't that increase the pressure on all the Western correspondents there to curtail their activities and take fewer chances? It just would seem like a natural human reaction. HOLMES: Well, I think most of us here -- I think most of us, certainly we have very, very stringent security measures in place. You know, you take risks, of course. By being in this city you take risks. There's gunfire behind me at the moment. It's completely normal. We call it the sounds of Baghdad, a boom here and gunfire there. It's ubiquitous. But no, you have to -- if you're going to come here and report the story, you have to get out and report the story. We rely heavily, as do most media organizations, on Iraqi staff who really take a lot of risks working for us, and they get out there and do a lot of the hard slogging. But we do go out. I have been out many times since I have been here. I'm hopefully going out tomorrow. But it's just part of the business. It's a close-knit group here. There's only about 70 or so Western journalists here, and it's a very tight family. KURTZ: Right. HOLMES: You stick together, especially now. KURTZ: Boy, when you say there's gunfire behind and you say it so matter of factly, I get a little bit of insight about what it's like to be on duty there. Michael Holmes, we appreciate your talking to us. We will come back to you again in the next half-hour and keep everyone up to date about the latest information about Bob Woodruff and the situation there. Thanks very much. Coming up, ski champion Bode Miller, basketball star Kobe Bryant. Should journalists just forget about their personal problems when they keep on winning? More RELIABLE SOURCES straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) KURTZ: Welcome back to RELIABLE SOURCES. More later in the program about the condition of ABC journalist Bob Woodruff, injured in Iraq. We are watching that story very carefully for you. But first, Kobe Bryant's reputation was in tatters after a Colorado hotel worker accused him of sexual assault in 2003. The case was dropped when the woman declined to testify, and she reached a civil settlement with the L.A. Lakers star. But after Bryant scored a spectacular 81 points last week, the biggest NBA total in four and a half decades, sportswriters began celebrating him once again. Meanwhile, Olympic skiing sensation Bode Miller nearly got buried under an avalanche of publicity, including the covers of "TIME" and "Newsweek," you see there. Not because of his two silver medals at the 2002 winter games, but because he shot off his mouth to Bob Simon at "60 Minutes" about drinking at night and then hitting the slopes "wasted," to use Miller's word. But that only seems to have burnished Bode's wild man image. Joining us now to talk about it here in the studio, Mike Wise, sports columnist for "The Washington Post." And in Philadelphia, Jack McCallum, senior writer for "Sports Illustrated," and the co-author of "Foul Lines: A Pro Basketball Novel." Mike Wise, you wrote a column praising Kobe as a great player after he scored that 81. So the fact that he cheated on his wife with a hotel employee and was accused of sexual assault is now just forgotten? MIKE WISE, "THE WASHINGTON POST": I wouldn't say that. I do try in my coverage, and some of my peers as well, to separate the player from the person. I do have a problem with what happened with Ray Lewis in 2001, where he became MVP of the Super Bowl and he was instantly a redemptive character. Wait a minute. He has a past. He was -- he at least obstructed justice in the murder of two men in which his friends were involved. So now, exactly what's going on in that. What's going on with that? I'm not sure. But I think that we do have to separate the player from the person. KURTZ: Jack McCallum, here is a column in the "Chicago Tribune" by Mike Downey. He writes, "A seemingly permanent stain on Bryant's name finally may be blotted out. It's as if Kobe just gave every fan an 81 carat rock." So you score a lot of points, you win the game at the buzzer, and then this other stuff is just consigned to the dustbin of history? JACK MCCALLUM, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Well, Howard, you know, even talking about these things in the context of the life-and-death issues that have gone on sort of just places us in the essence of sports, which is we basically cover the games. And if I have a 25- paragraph story about Kobe Bryant's 81-point game, in one of those paragraphs I can talk about the rape charge in Colorado, in another one I can talk about he is a selfish player, in another one I can talk about that he is maybe unpopular with his teammates and wonder why he is the leading vote-getter for the all-star game and why he has a Nike endorsement deal. KURTZ: Well, when you say -- when you say we basically cover the games, I mean, in an era when athletes are often getting into trouble for drugs, for violence, for things of this nature, going back to O.J. Simpson and well before, isn't it true that we cover a lot more of the games these days? MCCALLUM: Well, we do cover it. What I'm saying is, in that story I have to spend at root -- I have to spend 20 paragraphs of that story talking about the 81 points. If President Bush goes out and makes an economic speech, you know, you can't have the first paragraph about the economic speech, the next 27 about the weapons of mass destruction. KURTZ: Right. MCCALLUM: At some point the story has to be about the news peg (ph). And no matter how I might or might remind everybody else of what happened with Kobe, the whole presentation is going to cross -- going to come across as a glorification. I don't feel I do that. I feel I cover the news. But I understand that the whole package kind of comes out that way. KURTZ: Bode Miller gives this interview to "60 Minutes," says he would drink a lot, he would ski wasted, makes headlines. He then blasts "60 Minutes" for having the temerity to run his comments, and he winds up on the cover of "TIME" and "Newsweek." What does this tell us about media behavior? WISE: When the going gets tough, the tough blame the media, Howie. No, I think it's one of those things where he really didn't realize the magnitude of his comments, and he thought he was just being what NBC wants everybody to be now, which is the X games wild guy partier that's going to sell the product a little more. And I thought Bode Miller has been told by a lot of people that's what sells, that whole street cred that you develop gives you that edge. I'm thinking, to my -- to me, I'm looking at it and going, what are you doing? What are you doing? This isn't a great message to send kids. And I think he realizes that now. But clearly, you know, we -- that story, you are right, gets bigger ink than his two silver medals. KURTZ: Jack McCallum, Miller also told "Newsweek," "I don't need the media," he said rather arrogantly. But is that really true? I mean, haven't all of us in the press helped to turn him into a multimillion-dollar superstar? MCCALLUM: Well, I think, Howard, that athletes really do believe that these days because there is so much attention. I mean, you go to the most average game in the world, because of the -- you know, the online journalism, which you talked about with the James Frey thing, because of the Internet, 24-hour news channels, not to mention the very conventional news stations, athletes personalities do get the idea that this attention will always be there. What they find out is, you know, when they go away, the attention goes away. And that's what's hard for a lot of them to deal with. But I can understand in the context of the saturation coverage we give everything why they believe that. WISE: And there's something about us as media people, too, where we tend to celebrate the great player. We find reasons to like somebody when they play well for our teams. KURTZ: You build them up. You create... WISE: Well, we do. And I saw this in New York. I remember in New York, when Latrell Sprewell came to New York, he was America's thug. He was the guy who coached -- I mean, choked his coach, the last bastion of authority in the professional game. And I made him out to be this bad guy when I was working for "The New York Times." And then he starts playing well, and all of a sudden he is not a Generation X knucklehead anymore, he's a redeeming character. It doesn't mean that he wasn't a lousy person and he choked his coach just because he hit some jump shots, but I caught up in it. I definitely did. And I thought to myself -- and I look back on it now and I think all of these guys, when they play well for their teams, all of a sudden we create reasons why they're redeeming characters. Kobe may have done some really bad things in his life, but because he scored 81 points, all of a sudden we forget about that. MCCALLUM: I don't think -- I don't -- I never reported that it does redeem him. I think the 81 point shows he is an unbelievable basketball player. KURTZ: All right. MCCALLUM: You have to break that down. I don't feel that I said he was a wonderful person because he scored 81 points or that he deserves expiation because is he an all-star anymore. KURTZ: OK, Jack. I've got to jump in at the buzzer here. Jack McCallum, Mike Wise, thanks very much. MCCALLUM: Thanks much, Howie. KURTZ: We'll continue this discussion another time. When we come back, more on ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff, who was injured in an explosion in Iraq this morning. Plus, President Bush tries to get off the defensive with a news conference, a CBS interview, and a talk show blitz by his aides. Are journalists giving the White House a fair shake in the run-up to the State of the Union? We'll tackle," ABC co-anchor Bob Woodruff and his cameraman, Doug Vogt, are in serious condition following a roadside bombing outside Baghdad. The journalists were embedded with the U.S. 4th Infantry Division and traveling with Iraqi troops near Taji. ABC says the two suffered head injuries and are undergoing surgery at a U.S. military hospital. Rescue teams expect to find more bodies today in southern Poland, where a roof collapsed at an exhibition center Saturday. At least 66 bodies have been pulled from the rubble. Hundreds of people had been attending a racing pigeon exhibition when the roof gave way. Israeli interim prime minister Ehud Olmert says his country will boycott the Hamas-led Palestinian government. Olmert is calling on other nations to do the same. Hamas won a crushing victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections last week. Its charter calls for the destruction of Israel. More news at the top of the hour. RELIABLE SOURCES is back with more on injured ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) KURTZ: Welcome back to RELIABLE SOURCES. Some breaking news this morning from Iraq. ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff being treated for serious injuries he sustained in an IED explosion in that country. His cameraman, Doug Vogt, was also injured. ABC's Martha Raddatz reported the news on her network this morning. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC NEWS:. (END VIDEO CLIP) KURTZ: For more now, we turn to CNN's Michael Holmes in Baghdad. Michael, you know, this story really hit home for me because I was with Bob Woodruff on Monday as he set off on this trip. I spent a lot of time talking to him in the last two weeks for a profile that ran in this morning's "Washington Post." Last hour, CNN had an interview with Bobby Ghosh, "TIME" correspondent who has spent a lot of time in Iraq. He said, "You live in a certain state of denial," denial, of course, about the danger. Has that been your experience as well? HOLMES: Yes. You know, actually, it's a funny thing. I read just the other day something that a colleague at NBC, Richard Engel wrote, and he said -- he actually said that there are four stages. He said you don't think it will happen to you. Then you think, well, I have been here long enough that it might happen to me. And then the third stage, he said, was, I have been here too long, it's going to happen. And the fourth stage is leaving. I don't know that I agree entirely, but it rings true in a way. You do -- I certainly personally feel, yes, it could happen. It has happened to me. And I'm very aware of my surroundings in this place. But, you know, it's a story that needs telling, and we're journalists, and so you come here and do it. KURTZ: You know, there's obviously a lot of focus in the United States when somebody like Bob Woodruff is injured or Jill Carroll, of the "Christian Science Monitor," is kidnapped. We still have no word on her fate for more than a week. Or back during 2003, David Bloom and Michael Kelly both tragically killed in Iraq. What about Iraqi journalists? Are they in any danger? I know a lot of Western organizations use them to do a lot of their street reporting. HOLMES: That's a -- that's a great point, Howie, and I'm glad you brought it up. We do talk a lot about us, of course, and that's understandable. But, you know, dozens of journalists have been killed in this war. The vast majority of them are Iraqi. And not just reporters, but people who work with us. The two that were killed with -- in the convoy I was in, Dureid and Yasser, one was my translator. One was a driver. They don't go down as journalists, KIA, but they are. And I think we do forget the Iraqi side of it. And look, I mean, I know that this is a media show and everything. Let me tell you this. In the last 24 hours, 20 Iraqis have been killed, dozens wounded in a whole variety of incidents around this country, and because there's so much going on here, it barely rates a mention. So I think it's good to have mentioned that -- Howie. KURTZ: Right, exactly. And in terms of the impact on the small community of Western correspondents, they are 70 or something. We've now had 60 journalists killed since this war began in 2003. Do rivalries tend to get put aside when someone from another news organization, whether it's Bob Woodruff or somebody else, is suddenly in danger or injured or even killed? HOLMES: Absolutely. Yes, it's funny. Your fiercest competitor becomes just your friend. Yes, we bond together just by being here, and then when something like this happens, it's true. The media becomes a very tight-knit family in a place like this. I remember being in Ramallah in 2002 when the Israelis had the major incursion there and surrounded Yasser Arafat. And I won't mention who, but one of our major competitors and I helped each other out. They did something for me. I did something for them. And it's just how you work. It does cease to be as fiercely competitive when your lives are on the line. KURTZ: All right. Michael Holmes in Baghdad. We appreciate it. We'll be checking back with you throughout the day for an update on this unfortunate situation. Well, joining us now here in Washington, Craig Crawford, columnist for "Congressional Quarterly" and the author of "Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media." Karen Tumulty, national political correspondent for "TIME" magazine. And John Fund, columnist for "The Wall Street Journal." Joining us from New York. Welcome. Let me talk a little bit more about Bob Woodruff, Karen Tumulty. You have had colleagues go there, and Michael Weisskopf -- I was trying to think of his name -- wounded, lost a hand in that. This is awfully dangerous work, even by the standards of war reporting for people in our business, is it not? KAREN TUMULTY, "TIME": Absolutely. And every news magazine and newspaper and news organization has to make then a calculation of how much they really want to put their journalists in danger and how much of the reporting then is done from within the Green Zone. And there is really attention there, and it's made it, you know, both physically and journalistically very difficult to report this war. I think probably more so than any other conflict in the past. CRAIG CRAWFORD, CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY: You go back to former wars. We're approaching the same levels of journalists killed. In World War II, it was in the high 60s, as it was in Vietnam. The first Persian Gulf War, only four. This war is taking quite a toll on journalists. KURTZ: Right. John Fund, a quick thought on your reaction to the news this morning? JOHN FUND, OPINIONJOURNAL.COM: We have sent my colleague Rob Pollack (ph) to Iraq many times. We're always concerned about him when he goes. And I personally -- my nephew Michael is with the 7th Marine Division. He was trapped in a bombing incident very similar to that and injured, so I certainly sympathize with Bob and the others. KURTZ: It takes on a whole different dimension when you know something personally. And I, of course, just said good-bye to Bob Woodruff on Monday when he went off on his trip, not really concerned about the danger. And of course our hopes and thoughts are with him and his family, his wife, Lee, their four children. And we will stay on top of this story here at CNN. Well, turning now to domestic politics, when "The New York Times" disclosed that the administration was eavesdropping without court warrants on conversations between overseas suspects and people in this country, President Bush at first refused to comment. Then he called the story shameful. And this week he had a PR offensive, using the media to reframe the story from possible illegality to a justifiable weapon against terrorism. He did it at a news conference. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The terrorist surveillance program is necessary to protect America from attack. (END VIDEO CLIP) KURTZ: And he did it in a CBS interview with anchor Bob Schieffer. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BOB SCHIEFFER, CBS NEWS: Do you believe that there is anything that a president cannot do if he considers it necessary in an emergency like this? BUSH: That's a -- that's a great question.. (END VIDEO CLIP) KURTZ: He sent out his attorney general to blitz the talk shows. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALBERTO GONZALES, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: This is about surveilling al Qaeda. Thanks for that question because I disagree with the characterization of this being a domestic spying program. I think most Americans expect the president of the United States to do what he lawfully can do in order to protect this country. (END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: The pundits, as usual, disagreed. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Day two of the Bush administration's massive effort to sell that spying program to a wary public. SEAN HANNITY, HANNITY & COLMES: Bill Clinton, Al Gore, every past administration did exactly the same thing. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is going on here is a fundamental assault on American security in the false guise of providing more security. (END VIDEO CLIP) KURTZ: So has the Bush message machine overwhelmed the media? Well, Craig Crawford, you write in your book about politicians beating up on the media. What do you make of Bush aides attacking the press coverage as wrong but also saying "The New York Times" story breaking all this was damaging, which means it must be right? CRAWFORD: It usually works. That's why they do it. I went back 20 years in this book looking at examples of how politicians do this. Media has done plenty wrong. We know that. Less discussed is how politicians aggravate that, use that to turn the public, distract the public from the things they don't want us talking about. President Bush in that press conference showed what Stephen Colbert showed, a lot of truthiness, I think. I think we need a new word, liarishness. KURTZ: Karen Tumulty, when the White House mounts this kind of media blitz with press conferences and interviews, is it awfully hard for journalists to get in front of that and say, hey, wait a minute, this may still be a legal, this may still violate the Constitution? TUMULTY: It is. And the White House, I think, however, very quickly decided, I think within 36 hours of this story breaking, that this was something that actually worked for them politically. And suddenly, you did see the president rushing to the stage, not just in that news conference, not just in those interviews, but also in, you know, his trip to the NSA, which was -- it was something like the set of "24." It was the perfect backdrop for this kind of message. They've even rebranded it. It's gone from being called domestic surveillance to -- or domestic spying to terrorist surveillance. CRAWFORD: And if it's just terrorist surveillance, then why not get a warrant? You know, they're trying to make the issue whether or not to conduct surveillance. KURTZ: Right. CRAWFORD: The critics aren't saying we shouldn't conduct surveillance. They're saying we should get warrants, which, of course, the president in April 2004 said he was getting warrants. TUMULTY: But I... KURTZ: I want to get back to the press -- I want to get John Fund in here. Do you think that the White House has just kind of rolled over journalists, who are now seen as sort of raising technical or legal objections to a program that's supposed to combat terrorism? FUND: Well, let's take the Abu Ghraib story, where there were compelling pictures which you really couldn't argue against. The administration was set back on its heels. Here, what they have do deal with are lawyers discussing arcane arguments. If there was a recording of a little old grandmother in Des Moines who had been wiretapped and she was, you know, talking to her daughter, that would be news. But in this kind of context, they're going to win an argument on national security. KURTZ: The president, Craig Crawford, spoke in Kansas for an hour and 40 minutes. All the cable networks took it live. He took a lot of questions. Are the media -- we heard the same thing during the Clinton administration -- being unfair and unbalanced to the minority? I mean, Harry Reid doesn't get an hour and 40 minutes when he speaks. He doesn't get a minute and 40 in terms of live coverage. CRAWFORD: I think that's a fair point that, you know, many of the alternative voices in our politics get drowned out, get covered up by the media. But I also think the blog community, we're seeing a lot of the alternative voices emerging now on the Internet in ways that are, I think, changing some of the politics of the Internet from the conservative dominance of it years before. KURTZ: Another way the White House, any White House really, Karen, manipulates the press is by days before the State of the Union, which is coming up on Tuesday, they leak little tidbits, the president's going to propose health savings accounts. And we all lap them up. So do you ever feel used by that sort of thing? Not personally. TUMULTY: Well, no. I mean, it's news when you get a policy, you know, leak out of the White House. It's news. They know it's news. They know it's going to be eaten up. And so it's an exercise that you often see before the State of the Union. But I do think that this, you know, almost Fidel Castro-like appearance of the president, where he was out there for that marathon of over an hour, that's in and of itself is news as well. It comes right down to the definition of what we do. CRAWFORD: You know, I heard some of the White House aides were getting apoplectic at that point. They actually -- they actually wanted him to stop talking after a while. KURTZ: John Fund, what also came up at the news conference was the president saying he is not going to release those pictures. Apparently, there's five of him smiling and shaking hands with Jack Abramoff, the indicted -- or convicted, I should say, lobbyist. Why is that so important? We all know presidents have their pictures taken with lots of people they don't know. But, on the other hand, television would certainly use that image a lot, wouldn't it? FUND: A picture would lead to a thousand stories. And I think the administration will do anything it can to keep those pictures out. And to be fair to them, I think that from all we know, they basically are grip-and-grin photographs, and they don't prove any great connection between Mr. Bush and Mr. Abramoff. KURTZ: They prove nothing at all, but, of course, pictures mean a lot in television. I'm sure it will be on a lot of front pages as well. John Fund, Craig Crawford, Karen Tumulty, thanks very much for joining us on this busy news morning. Up next, we'll have the latest on ABC anchor Bob Woodruff's condition. We'll go back to Michael Holmes in Baghdad. Please stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) KURTZ: Welcome back. If you are just joining us, ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and a cameraman seriously injured today in Iraq. Woodruff reported to be in surgery. They were embedded with an Army unit when an explosive device went off. Woodruff is said to have sustained head injuries. Our thoughts, of course, are with him. We will keep you updated on this. We want to go back now to CNN's Michael Holmes in Baghdad. Michael, CNN and the other cable networks cover this story all the time, but is it important for the big broadcast anchors to parachute into Iraq, even if it's only for a few days, at some risk to themselves, I might add, as a way of keeping the national spotlight on this Iraq story? HOLMES: Well, I'm not sure what the motivation is for that happening. It certainly does happen. I will say that, as you know, Howie, Bob has been around. I mean, he has been in Afghanistan. He has been in the Middle East many times. It's not like he didn't know what he was doing and didn't know what the risks were. But on a corporate level, I don't know. That's really for the bosses to decide. I will say that this is the first war, though, where journalists are not seen as necessarily unbiased observers. We're targets now by the insurgents, and that's what's different. KURTZ: Right. Woodruff absolutely knows the dangers of going to places. He covered the Iraq war in 2003. He knew what he was going getting into. As a result of this, would you think twice as spending time as an embedded correspondent? On the one hand, you've got the military all around you. On the other hand, you're even more of a target if you are with the troops. Would you think twice about that? HOLMES: No. I'm planning one now, Howie. KURTZ: And this has not changed your mind? HOLMES: No. No, it would not. I think if are you going to be here, if you want to go sit in the basement, then you are not doing your job. KURTZ: So you are going to continue to go out there and report the story. Obviously all the journalists in Iraq are well aware of the dangers that have been dramatically underscored by the injuries to Bob Woodruff. We hope he pulls through. Michael Holmes, thanks for joining us repeatedly during this hour. Still to come on RELIABLE SOURCES, FOX's Bill O'Reilly aims a very loaded word at one of his critics, me. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) KURTZ: Straight now to our e-mail bag. Reaction was overwhelmingly negative to my interview last week with Mark Morano of the conservative Cybercast News Service. His article questioned the Vietnam medals of Congressman Jack Murtha. Brian Hartzog of Fort Mill, South Carolina, "Your inclusion of the Murtha swift boating theme and interview shows how embarrassingly tabloid you've become. You call your show 'Reliable Sources,' and you spent a whole segment with a right-wing partisan hack who is being paid to discredit a military hero." Paul Pollitt of Honolulu, "By interviewing Morano, you are basically giving credibility to a blogger who is a Republican operative and who created a Web site which is obviously carrying out a political attack as a surrogate for the Republican National Committee." Jeff Harris of New London, Connecticut, "Giving time to the creep going after Murtha is a bad idea. As a life long conservative and a veteran, I find this kind of witch hunt disgusting." Just to be clear, I was in no way endorsing what Morano wrote. I was questioning him on why he dredged up a 40-year-old matter and whether his attack on Murtha was in retaliation for the congressman's opposition to the Iraq war. Meanwhile, Bill O'Reilly, it turns out, is still rankled over something I wrote a year and a half ago when the FOX host stopped a taping and cut out a sound bite. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BILL O'REILLY, THE O'REILLY FACTOR: A couple of years ago I made the mistake of booking far-left Georgetown University law professor David Cole on this program. After the segment, Cole ran to Howard Kurtz of "The Washington Post," completely misstated his experience on "The Factor." Of course the liberal Kurtz printed the attack even though we thoroughly explained to Kurtz that the professor was wrong in his assertions. (END VIDEO CLIP) KURTZ: So, what exactly did the "liberal Kurtz" write? Well, here's the third paragraph. "O'Reilly says a left-wing academic is using a minor staff mistake to try to discredit the program. 'We're trying to be fair,' he says." And here's another paragraph. "O'Reilly calls 'totally absurd" the suggestion that he cut the sound bite 'because it didn't fit my thesis.'" And here's another one. "O'Reilly sees this as part of 'a pretty well organized campaign' on the left to monitor his television and radio shows." Well, that sounds like fair and balanced reporting to me. So why does O'Reilly insist on hurling the "L" word at anyone who gives equal time to him and his critics? That's it for this edition of RELIABLE SOURCES. I'm Howard Kurtz. 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[NOTE: The following selection comes from "Shades of Sadness" (subsequently published as "Case Studies in Depression") by David McMillin. Copyright © 1991 by David McMillin. Used with permission. All rights reserved. "Case Studies in Depression" is currently available from A.R.E. Press in Virginia Beach, Virginia. See below for continuing education credit for this material.] CHAPTER ONE The Neurobiology of Depression Depression is a morbid sadness. It may manifest in degrees of severity ranging from mild impairment to total debilitation. Depression is distinguished from grief, which is realistic and proportionate to personal loss. In recent decades, considerable advances have been made in understanding the causes of depression. Researchers have implicated a variety of psychological, interpersonal and biological factors while clinicians have authored an abundance of innovative therapeutic interventions. Thus, a considerable literature has accumulated resulting in a greater appreciation of the breadth and complexity of depression. In this and subsequent chapters, we will examine this literature and compare it to the psychic readings of Edgar Cayce. However before we engage in comparative studies, it may be helpful to define exactly what depression signifies in common terms. The word "depression" is commonly used to describe mood states ranging from mildly negative feelings of sadness to the most severe and debilitating psychiatric illnesses. Traditionally, the term melancholia has been used to designate depression. Even today, psychiatry utilizes this expression when distinguishing certain forms of depression. Regardless of the label, feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness are typically prominent. Excessive or inappropriate guilt is sometimes associated with depression. Depressed persons have difficulty experiencing pleasure and frequently report a loss of interest in the normal activities of life. The mental symptoms of depression include difficulty in concentrating, slowed thinking, and indecisiveness. Thoughts tend to center on self-reproach and negative self-evaluation. Memory may be impaired and the person may be easily distracted. Thoughts of death and suicide may be prevalent. Physical symptoms are also common in depression. Disturbed appetite and sleep patterns, coupled with numerous "somatic" complaints of various aches and pains give the impression of poor general health. "Somatic" is an important word in the psychiatric literature. It is derived from the Latin soma, meaning body. Thus, depression has a strong physical dimension which we will examine more closely when we discuss the medical model of mental illness. In fact, we will focus heavily on the somatic aspects depression in the first four chapters of this book. A depressed person may experience anxiety, tearfulness, irritability and excessive concern about their physical health. Depressed thoughts and feeling may be translated into behaviors such as "psychomotor agitation" or"psychomotor retardation." In other words, the person may either experience a restless, nervous energy leading to excessive movement. Or, little or no energy may be available resulting in an inappropriate lack of movement. In its most severe forms, depression may be mixed with psychosis. Psychosis refers to a loss of touch with reality. This form of depression is sometimes called psychotic depression or depression with psychotic features. For example, a person may experience sensory hallucinations such as "hearing voices." Or an individual may become delusional and believe that they are being persecuted because of some misdeed or personal inadequacy. As we shall see in Chapter Nine, bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness) is a particular type of mood disorder in which mania can sometimes manifest as psychosis. While there have been an abundance of theories of depression put forth to explain the causes of all of the symptoms just mentioned, one approach is rapidly becoming predominant in western culture. This theory is based upon the biochemistry of the body's cells, specifically the cells in our nervous system. Going even further, this approach focuses on the molecules within and between nerve cells as the source of depressive symptoms. This fixation on the neurobiology of mental and emotional symptoms has been called the medical model of mental illness. The Medical Model of Mental Illness Psychiatry is the branch of medicine dealing with mental disorders. It has been undergoing a revolution during the last four decades. The tremendous growth in our understanding of the medical aspects of mental illness goes back to the mid-1950's. It was at that time that French physicians discovered the antipsychotic properties of a particular class of drugs called the phenothiazines. Specifically, it was a phenothiazine marketed under the trade name Thorazine which initiated the biological revolution in modern psychiatry. The story of this important discovery is fascinating and may help us to understand the process of medical research. Here are some of the facts. The French physician Henri Laborit was looking for a drug to prevent a drop in blood pressure during surgery. Although the drug he used failed in that respect, it did have noticeable sedative effects. The astute physician wondered if the drug could be useful in the treatment of mental and emotional disorders. Labori's curiosity paid off. Subsequent research by French psychiatrists was by trial and error - they gave the drug to persons suffering a wide range of disorders to see if it had any effect. The medication had powerful calming effects on agitated psychotic patients and thus: "The first powerful drug available to treat serious mental illness was discovered in much the same way as was penicillin: by accident. The discovery was the happy consequence of a chance finding being observed by a person with a fertile mind who could recognize its larger implications." The preceding observation was noted by Nancy Andreasen, M.D., Ph.D., a leading researcher in the field of mental illness. Just as the first antipsychotic medication was discovered by accident, one of our most useful mood altering drugs was likewise a gift of serendipity. Lithium carbonate, a naturally occurring salt widely used in the treatment of mood disorders such as bipolar disorder, was discovered by an Australian researcher seeking a neutral solution to serve as a control substance in experiments with rats. Fortunately, he was astute enough to notice that the substance intended to have no effect, actually affected the rats' behavior in specific ways. Like Laborit, he wondered if the calming effect of the substance could be helpful in the treatment of mental and emotional disorders. He had a difficult time convincing his colleagues to give lithium a try - it had been used in previous experiments with humans and its propensity for toxicity resulted in several deaths. Eventually, its therapeutic value was acknowledged and is now widely used by the medical profession in treating emotional disorders such as depression and mania. Finally, the use of "monoamine-oxidase inhibitors" (or MAOIs, a class of drugs used to treat depression) can also be traced to a lucky side-effect. One of the MAOIs is an antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis. Clinicians noted that the drug helped to relieve the depression which also plagued the patients. Subsequent trial and error experiments further refined the applications of this family of anti-depressant drugs. With the accidental discovery of these "wonder drugs" came a surge of research and development to expand their therapeutic efficacy and to understand how they worked. The ensuing research not only produced a multitude of new drugs for treating mental and emotional problems, but also helped to extend our comprehension of the biological dimension of mental illness. Specifically, this research focused on the way nerve impulses are transmitted from one cell to another, hence the term neurotransmission. To understand what neurotransmission is, let's look for a moment at how the nervous system works. The body's nervous systems have often been compared to electrical wiring. However there is one major difference. The various "circuits" in these systems make connections at junctures between individual nerve cells. These junctures are called synapses. Synapses are spaces between the cells in which special chemicals produced in the nerve cells act as messengers between the cells. The chemicals are known as neurotransmitters. I will point out an important anatomical detail which will become relevant later on when we discuss Edgar Cayce's view of neurobiology. While there are various types of nerve cells, most of these cells are composed of two main parts: the cell body which is called the gray matter in nerve tissue; and the axon or nerve fiber that extends out from the cell body to make contact with other nerve cells or muscle tissue. The axon or nerve fiber is generally surrounded by white fatty tissue called myelin sheathing. This fatty coating is sometimes described as a form of insulation, such as found surrounding an electrical wire. Although the myelin sheathing may serve multiple purposes, one of its most important contributions to the nervous system is facilitation of the nerve impulse along the axon. In other words, it helps the nerve impulse to travel faster, up to twenty time faster, than would otherwise be possible. Because of this fatty coating around the axon, this part of the nerve cell is called the white matter. If you were to look at brain sections in which the gray matter and white matter were differentiated, you would notice that the white matter seems to predominate. So if you should ever feel like calling someone a "fathead," you would at least be accurate strictly on anatomical grounds. Getting back to neurotransmission in mental illness, researchers have compiled substantial evidence in support of faulty neurotransmission in mental disorders. Many illnesses, including schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety disorders are thought to result from abnormal neurotransmission within the synapses of certain circuits of the brain. Specifically, the neurotransmitter dopamine is widely recognized to be involved in the symptoms of schizophrenia. Hence, drugs used to treat schizophrenia directly affect the activity of dopamine in the synapses between nerve cells in certain areas of the brain. Likewise, the various antidepressant medications are thought to affect certain key neurotransmitters within the brain. You may think of it this way. Depression may result from a deficiency of impulse between nerve cells. Perhaps there is a decrease in neurotransmission within certain circuits of the brain. Hence nerve activity is literally depressed or inhibited. Interestingly, Edgar Cayce sometimes spoke of a "lapse of nerve impulse" in cases of depression. Research appears to indicate that medications somehow change the chemistry within the synapses or within the nerve cells themselves to enhance neurotransmission. Two neurotransmitters have been strongly linked to depression: noradrenaline and serotonin. Antidepressant medications are thought to increase the activity in nerves which utilize these neurotransmitters. You may have heard of the drug Prozac. This widely used (and controversial) antidepressant is thought to therapeutically effect serotonin neurotransmission. There are two important points that I would make regarding this discussion of the neurobiology of mental illness. First, most of the major breakthroughs in this field resulted from accidental discoveries. Compared to these serendipities, the list of major therapeutic breakthroughs resulting from a concentrated study of a mental illness and thorough understanding of the problem is meager. The fact is, we still don't know for sure what causes these disorders or exactly how the drugs suppress the undesirable symptoms. So the image of successful research (i.e., a team of knowledgable researchers who produce an effective treatment based on a thorough understanding of the condition and millions of dollars in government funding) is not necessarily accurate or comforting. Consequently, the truth of the matter is, the cause or causes of mental illness (of any type) remains unknown. This includes depression. Secondly, all mental illnesses are presently incurable. The drugs (and other therapeutic interventions) only provide symptomatic relief. In many cases (particularly the more severe forms of psychopathology), the drugs must be taken regularly for long periods, or even a lifetime. When the medications are stopped, the symptoms usually return. I want to be clear about this. I am not saying that drugs are wrong or that they don't work. To the contrary, I think drugs can be very helpful in certain cases; particularly when they are integrated into a more comprehensive treatment approach. I am especially appreciative of the wonderful research that has been done into the neurobiology of mental illness. Without doubt, most mental symptoms involve significant pathology at the level of nerve cells. However, as we shall see in this and subsequent chapters, neurobiology is only part of the story of mental illnesses such as depression. Edgar Cayce's Holistic Approach To gain an understanding of Cayce's approach to depression, including the neurobiological aspects which relate to the medical model, we must first consider the concept of holism. Within the context of the Cayce readings, holism refers to the inherent inner-connectedness of the triune aspects of the self. In other words, it signifies the intimate relationship between the physical, mental and spiritual dimensions of our being. This viewpoint is not particularly unique. Throughout the ages, various religious and philosophical systems have been created which recognize the multiple aspects of selfhood. For example, Plato used a triune model to explain human experience. He acknowledged that each human being represented a combination of three aspects: a divine (rational) aspect; a mortal, animal aspect and an intermediate, interactive aspect (will). The uniqueness of the Cayce readings, in this respect, is the depth and specificity with which the readings elaborate the interface of the triune aspects of selfhood. The physical body is associated with the organs of the body - literally, flesh and blood and the organs which sustain these vital substances. Not surprisingly, the mental aspect is correlated with the nervous systems. This is consonant with modern biology and other disciplines in the fields of medicine and psychology. However, Cayce's viewpoint on the spiritual connection within the body is a bit more unique. He cites the glands as primary spiritual "centers" within our anatomy. Here is an excerpt from a reading given for a thirty-year old woman suffering from severe mental symptoms (anxiety in the form of panic attacks and phobias). Reading 2114-1 clearly defines the triune aspects of self in anatomical terms while emphasizing the importance of viewing the whole person: ... it is well to consider the entity as a whole ... the entity finds itself made up, as it were, of body, mind and soul ... There are centers in. Note that Cayce states that there is more to mind than the brain and nerve fibers. While these structures serve as the channel for mind to manifest in a physical body, mind is eternal. Mind both predates and survives individual human existence. Yet "it is through the nerve plasm that the nervous systems carry impulses to the various forces of the system." This reading was given on February 24, 1940. This was over a decade ahead of the pioneering medical research which linked faulty neurobiology to mental symptoms. Incidentally, Cayce went on to diagnose Ms. 2114's problem as a thyroid deficiency (a condition now acknowledged by medical practitioners as one of the sources of panic attacks). Cayce stated that proper glandular functioning was essential for a healthy nervous system. For instance, in reading 566-7 he described how, "All portions of the nervous system ... are affected by those activities of secretions through glandular forces of the body." Hence, the intimate relationship of mental and spiritual processes as manifested in a physical body through the nerves and glands of the body. We will look more closely at the importance of the glandular connection in depression in Chapter Two. At this point, I merely want to emphasize that Edgar Cayce was well out front in recognizing the neurobiological dimension of mental symptoms. As we shall soon see, years before medical research explored these connections, the readings described the cellular processes involved in depression and other mental disorders. Reading 241-1 contains one of the many explicit references to faulty neurobiology in cases of depression: Impulse in brain forces, or its reaction, are of two natures - the white and gray matter, as is ordinarily called. One an impulse, the other the active force that carries same. In the body, when the impulses come from the pressure as has been created in the forces seen to the brain itself, we have that of the activity without the impulse to carry same forward. Hence we have what is commonly known or called melancholia, or depression, or the inability to carry out the impulses of the body. Note the similarity to contemporary views of neurobiology in depression (i.e., the "medical model"). Cayce is describing a breakdown in the way the nerves transmit impulses. Keep in mind that this reading was given to a lay audience years before the discovery of neurotransmitters and the development of modern models of neuropathology. Reading 4519-1 provides another example of Cayce's ability to address depressive symptoms at the level of neurobiology: The melancholia [depression] has now become remorse. Still, we have the supplying nerve forces in their rebuilding protoplastic cells gives an action to the gray matter carrying in nerve tissue, that does not act with the white nerve forces and tissue, and as it is made up gives two separate actions. One is acted on by the expression of one of the senses of the body. Expression reaches the nerve center through one of the senses. As the action comes to the brain through the gray matter, the action of the brain to the body comes through the white. In this we have a lack of expression through the gray forces. Again, the emphasis was on a breakdown in nerve impulse within the brain. Frequently, the readings referred to this condition as simply a "lapse of nerve impulse," as we shall observe in the case study which follows. "I am no good" According to his mother, Mr. 3207 had a perfectly normal childhood. He was born in Paris, France in 1905 to a French father and American mother. Both parents were musically gifted and their son attempted to follow in their footsteps. As his mother's letter of June 1, 1943 reports, he was to encounter extreme disappointment in this and other areas of this life: ... his one bent was music - singing and violin - but he did not succeed in either as a professional. He worked two years in a music store, lost his job, married and after five years his wife left him for another man which resulted in his trying to take his life by monoxide gas. He had a complete nervous breakdown ... was in a sanitarium one year; was another year recovering and remained well for five years. In 1941 he showed signs of another nervous attack, but a trip south on a small boat seemed to benefit him until he went all to pieces and into a sanitarium for another year. I have him with me now. He eats and sleeps well, meets people and SEEMS normal but has obsessions, first one and then another and keeps saying, 'I am no good, Mother.' ... He is six feet [tall], well formed and of dark complexion, a very charming young man, but really AFRAID to meet the world. Doctors do not seem to understand his case. He is religious and told me quite frankly that the only thing that 'saved' him this time was prayer ... Three weeks later, the mother again wrote to Edgar Cayce describing the events leading up her son's severe depression: Up to five years ago he was a normal, fine, happy young man. His wife deserting him caused him to attempt suicide, but after a year he was alright again and for five years, until he was rejected from the Army. He is very depressed, talks of suicide, as an accident, so as not to cause me trouble, asks my permission to allow this to free him from this troubled mind. He eats and sleeps well and meets people as you and I would, but drops back into his tragic state and often drops his head as though there was something wrong. He has been with me two months, after a year in a sanitarium, and much prefers death to a return there. You will have to decide which reading fits his case. I am doing all in my power to give him help. I hope the reading can be soon, as I live in constant dread that he may take his life ... The third letter sent prior to 3207's reading reiterated the mother's concern for her depressed and suicidal son: He seems so well until he talks and then it is always, 'Mother, I can't live with myself any longer. I'm no good - perhaps the next world will give me a chance.' He says this over and over, often to himself in an undertone; he mumbles all the time. There must be some hidden reason for this that they have not discovered. He has a way of shaking his head that leads me to believe the trouble is mental. 'I am no good' he will always say when questioned. His one concern is my welfare and peace of mind, and he thinks by doing away with himself he will free me from all worry. I cannot erase this idea from his mind. I am holding the thought that he will not try again to do away with his life - and I accept the September 11th appointment ... The final letter before the psychic reading stated that 3207 wished "I could only bore a hole in my head and shake out something." According to his reading, this man's sense that something was wrong in his head - something so physical, so biological that it could be surgically removed, bore some degree of truth. A single reading was given for this thirty-eight year old man on September 11, 1943. The seriousness of this man's disorder was immediately addressed: Yes, we have the body, [3207]. As we find, unless there can be the persuasion through suggestion in or from the spiritual approach, little may be done to arouse this body from the lethargy into which it has purposely driven itself. To be sure there are pathological disturbances, but these arise more from the psychological or psychopathic conditions than from the purely physical condition. To be sure there are incoordinations between the cerebrospinal and the sympathetic [nerve] systems. These are nerve lapses. And these may be aided. But the real basis of the aid must come from spiritual suggestion ... Suggestions should be made from purely the spiritual angle, in conjunction with purely mechanical applications. These, if practiced in this particular case would bring relief. The reading went on to provide specific therapeutic recommendations which we will discuss later. However, first I would point out the holistic emphasis of this excerpt. There is a recognition of the physical level of pathology as mentioned in the "nerves lapses" producing incoordinations between the nervous systems. The mental or "psychopathic" dimension of the problem is also acknowledged. His mental reaction to the disappointments in his life was cited as the source of the breakdown within the nervous systems. We will further explore the destructive power of the mind in Chapter Five. For now, I will simply indicate the readings' consistent and even pervasive recognition of the "mind-body" connection. The relationship was seen as interactive. Mind affects body; body affects mind. In this particular case, the self-condemning contents of his mental processes actually programed the nervous systems to deteriorate in their functioning. The third aspect in this case, the spiritual dimension, was addressed in the treatment plan. Mr. 3207 was to be provided with a companion or attendant who would employ a technique called suggestive therapeutics. Specifically, the readings recommended a "Christian Science Reader" as an ideal companion. This was a common recommendation in cases of major mental illness where the person was dangerous to themselves or were incapable of functioning at a level necessary for implementing the treatment plan. Cases of severe depression (including bipolar disorder) and schizophrenia frequently called for companion therapy. The spirituality of the companion was emphasized in such cases. In this particular case, the companion was to give positive suggestions to Mr. 3207 at various times of the day. This application of suggestive therapeutics is essentially a form of natural hypnosis. Because most persons are unfamiliar with the techniques for inducing a hypnotic trance, the readings advised that suggestions be provided during the physical treatments while the person was in a relaxed, receptive state of mind. Thus during the physical therapies such as electrotherapy and massage the caregiver was directed to talk to the patient in a calm, firm voice; giving positive suggestions for physical, mental and spiritual healing. The suggestions could also be directed towards undesirable behaviors or lack of cooperation. The readings also frequently advised that bedtime be utilized as a time for suggestive therapeutics. During the first few minutes of sleep, a slumbering individual is in a hypnogogic state and is very open to suggestion. This form of suggestive therapeutics is sometimes referred to as presleep suggestions. As with all forms of suggestive therapeutics, presleep suggestions are made to the person's unconscious mind and should be positive and constructive in tone and content. In a sense, you can think of suggestive therapeutics as a form of mental programming similar to computer programming. Only in cases of chronic mental illness where there is actually nerve tissue pathology, the process is more complicated. It was as if both the "hardware" and the "software" of the system has to be corrected. The physical therapies focus on healing the "hardware" (the neurobiology of nerve tissue) while suggestive therapeutics serve as the "software" or program. In other words, the readings stated that as the nervous system was being healed, it was important to give it constructive information for its new "program." In the case of 3207, the mental programming would undoubtedly have addressed his self-condemnation, replacing with positive, affirming statements to his unconscious mind. However, the suggestions were also to focus on "awakening to possibilities in the outdoors, in nature, in things of Creative activity." In addition to companion therapy and suggestive therapeutics, Cayce recommended treatment with an electrical appliance called the Wet Cell Battery. This low form of electrical energy was occasionally mentioned in cases of mental illness such as depression. This form of electrotherapy was prescribed to address the "incoordinations" in the nervous systems. The electrical power from the battery is minute. In other words, its use is not comparable to electroconvulsive therapy (or ECT) which is sometimes used in the treatment of severe depression. A "gentle massage along the spine" was also advised in this case. Cayce stated that such a rub would help to relax the body and improve nerve functioning. Reading 3207-1 concluded on a positive note, indicating that if the treatment plan was faithfully followed this man's perilous decline could be turned around: And we will find we may supply the breaking up of the nerve forces in this body. This will prevent the deterioration or the regular conditions that ordinarily arise when such melancholy becomes a part of the experience. DO that - if we would make the better conditions. We are through with this reading. About two weeks after the reading, the mother responded to the content of the reading by writing "I received your reading of my son and feel that perhaps there is little hope of recovery." She was willing to hire a Christian Science healer to help her son but stated that "[I] do not feel that I can use, personally, the mechanical applications and that no one else here would be willing to." Thus the treatment plan was not implemented. We do not know what the eventual outcome was in this case. Some Key Points to Remember In this chapter we have looked at the neurobiological dimension of depression. The medical model of depression was presented and the importance of nerve impulse transmission between the cells of the brain (neurotransmission) was discussed. Cayce's holistic approach also acknowledged the importance of the neurobiological dimension in depression. Years before medical research focused on this aspect of mental symptoms, the readings explicitly described biological pathology in depression. However, the readings went beyond the physical dimension to describe the significance of the mental and spiritual aspects. In the case study presented in this chapter, mental factors figured heavily into the cause and treatment of depression. Self-condemnation was cited as the source of a breakdown within the nervous systems ("nerve lapses"). Thus in this particular case, Cayce's perspective of depression is consistent with the medical model - only it goes beyond this view. From the standpoint of the readings, the medical model is not necessarily "wrong," it is simply incomplete. It is part of the answer to understanding depression. As with many of the case studies which we will examine in the chapters which follow, the recommendations in the readings were not followed. Perhaps it was too much to expect that persons in the early decades of this century would appreciate the strong physical dimension of depression. With our current understanding of the neurobiological aspects of depression, perhaps we can better appreciate Cayce's integration of biology into his holistic approach to depression. The importance of physical causation and physical treatment will be strongly emphasized in the next three chapters which address this facet of depression..

Following the cancellation of the Little League World Sequence and its regional tournaments on Thursday, native Little Leagues are attempting to determine a option to play ball this summer season. Daryn Slover/Solar Journal It’s been eight weeks because the sports activities world got here to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic. No video games. No practices. No cheering. The whole spring high school season was canceled. School spring seasons had been halted. Golf programs are actually open, however with restrictions that may make it not possible for the Maine State Golf Affiliation to carry any of its weekly tournaments in Might. Tennis courts are closed. There are nearly day by day bulletins of leisure occasions being canceled. With summer season approaching, coaches and athletes are hoping that the video games may resume. Highschool coaches are planning summer-league seasons, all of the whereas ready for the most recent suggestions from the Maine CDC and the governor’s workplace. Final week, Gov. Janet Mills released a four-stage plan to reopen Maine. It included tentatively growing the restrict on public gatherings to from 10 to 50 folks by June 1. Yarmouth Excessive ladies’ lacrosse coach Dorothy Holt: “Each coach I’ve talked to and texted with is, like, let’s do one thing for these ladies. Particularly the seniors. I’d love to offer them some kind of correct ship off. On the sphere.” Derek Davis/Workers Photographer “I feel the whole lot is adaptable, however after all we now have to observe the governor’s suggestions, the CDC, and be secure. The precedence is to be secure first, and to play is second,” mentioned Yarmouth Excessive ladies’ lacrosse coach Dorothy Holt. “We now have to take a look at a variety of issues, however each coach I’ve talked to and texted with is, like, let’s do one thing for these ladies. Particularly the seniors. I’d love to offer them some kind of correct ship off. On the sphere.” However it’s a tough balancing act, with many questions to contemplate. And people questions, mentioned William Heinz, the chair of the Maine Principals’ Affiliation’s Sports activities Medication Committee, should be answered earlier than any video games must be performed. “At this level we now have to proceed to observe CDC tips with social distancing and restricted contact,” mentioned Heinz, a retired Portland orthopedist who additionally served as chair of the Nationwide Federation of State Excessive College Associations medical board. “Conditioning and weight coaching and perhaps ability work could possibly be allowed. So far as getting complete groups collectively to scrimmage, I don’t suppose that’s an applicable factor to do. We don’t have sufficient data. “Our strategy from the MPA is that, we’re going to be extra cautious. We don’t care if somebody seems to be again a yr from now and says we had been means too cautious. I’d somewhat have that than somebody get sick and a complete crew uncovered.” The MPA’s Interscholastic Administration Committee will meet Thursday to start discussions on summer season tips. Usually, the MPA doesn’t get entangled with summer season actions, aside from implementing a two-week hands-off interval at summer season’s finish. However this yr is not like some other. Usually, the Maine Principals’ Affiliation doesn’t get entangled with summer season actions involving highschool athletes. However this yr is not like some other. Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal “We are going to begin the dialog about working with colleges, working with the Division of Schooling, working with the governor’s workplace, working with the CDC, on suggestions round summer season programming, based mostly on the very best data accessible,” mentioned MPA Govt Director Mike Burnham. “I help the plan that the governor introduced, to section these actions in. If we observe that very same philosophy, if it’s secure for perhaps two or three youngsters to be in the identical space, perhaps that’s a begin earlier than you do full crew actions or earlier than you’ve got a camp. These are the discussions we’re going to have.” Nevertheless it’s not simply highschool sports activities officers who’re having discussions. Following the cancellation of the Little League World Sequence and its regional tournaments on Thursday, native Little Leagues are attempting to determine a option to play ball in 2020. Native working golf equipment are canceling races, the most recent being the weekly Again Cove Sequence in Portland. Tennis tournaments are being canceled. Sports activities camps at schools are being canceled, or no less than postponed till later in the summertime. Right here’s a have a look at what colleges and organizations are attempting to do to maintain folks lively this summer season. HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER LEAGUES The coaches behind the CMG Mortgage summer season Wooden Bat League consider they’ll play video games this summer season. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Workers Photographer Veteran highschool baseball coaches Mike D’Andrea and Mike Rutherford consider they’ll nonetheless function their CMG Mortgage summer season Wooden Bat League this yr. They need to run it for one main cause. “Greater than anything, the children, they’re depressed. They want some optimistic information,” Rutherford mentioned. That appears to be the primary focus for all the highschool coaches seeking to play in summer season leagues. “These youngsters should be exterior, they should get collectively, they should get going,” mentioned Skowhegan Excessive discipline hockey coach Paula Doughty. “It’s been actually exhausting for them.” Skowhegan performs in a 10-team summer season league that Doughty hopes continues this summer season below the rules to reopen the state set forth by Gov. Mills final week. Plans are underway for a 30-team summer season soccer league for highschool gamers, beginning maybe by June 23. Ben McCanna/Workers Photographer Buy this Photo Mike Andreasen, the boys’ soccer coach at Greely Excessive in Cumberland, has put collectively a summer season schedule for a 30-team soccer league that he hopes can begin on June 23, eight days after the MPA permits groups to start holding summer season crew actions. If the state’s tips prohibit nonetheless beginning that early, he mentioned they may wait till July to start taking part in video games. “We’re simply ready on our athletic administrators, our rec administrators (who run the fields), and we’re ready on Gov. Mills to see what might be finished,” mentioned Andreasen, who can also be the women’ basketball coach at Grey-New Gloucester Excessive and hopes to have the ability to play basketball video games this summer season. He mentioned he has informed the opposite soccer groups that the video games could be performed with out spectators and that rosters could be restricted to 20-22 gamers, thus falling inside the 50-person max for group gatherings in Phases 2 and three of the governor’s plan. “There’s nonetheless a variety of time,” he mentioned. “However I do know we’ve acquired to prepare. We’re nonetheless 45, 50 days away. Simply this week we had a terrific breakthrough, to ease the rules. This week has been signal, I’m hoping there proceed to be good indicators.” One of many greatest questions that should be answered is how social distancing might be adopted throughout a sport. “How do you social distance in a basketball sport or a soccer sport? You may’t do it,” mentioned Heinz, the MPA’s medical director. “Even carrying masks and taking everybody’s temperature earlier than, I’m unsure we are able to shield all these youngsters. And that’s the priority. You possibly can probably unfold this virus to 25 totally different folks when you’ve got one sick child on the sphere. And I’m much more involved for the coaches or officers. They’re in danger for a foul consequence if uncovered.” Social distancing could possibly be a difficulty for all sports activities. However noting that his spouse works in a hair salon, one of many companies allowed to reopen by the governor on Friday, Portland’s Rutherford mentioned “For those who’re going to have the ability to stand over somebody coloring their hair for 30 minutes, we’re not any nearer than that” on a baseball discipline. Yarmouth’s Holt is planning on working crew practices on Tuesdays in July and has communicated with coaches from quite a few southern Maine groups about holding round-robin video games on Thursdays. She believes ladies’ lacrosse, which doesn’t enable checking, might be performed, although, “I don’t suppose youngsters can play in masks. Possibly coaches in masks and youngsters on the sideline with neck pull-ups they’ll use to cowl their mouth and nostril once they’re on the sidelines.” Andreasen shares Holt’s doubts are taking part in with masks. The MPA’s Heinz isn’t certain masks would assistance on the sphere. “Even when they’re carrying a masks, is that going to guard them or one other participant? I feel the reply is not any,” he mentioned. Portland Excessive boys’ basketball coach Joe Russo and his friends are planning on a summer season basketball league, however cautions “I’m placing contingency plans in place, if we are able to’t have a league, if we are able to’t have exercises.” Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Workers Photographer Portland Excessive boys’ basketball coach Joe Russo mentioned he and his friends are nonetheless planning on having a summer season schedule of practices and video games, “however I’m placing contingency plans in place, if we are able to’t have a league, if we are able to’t have exercises.” Russo echoed many coaches when he mentioned he’s ready to get directions on what he can and might do along with his gamers, from each his faculty directors and the MPA. If he can meet along with his gamers – and amenities are open – Russo mentioned there can nonetheless be precious one-on-one instruction. “Particular person exercises are so essential for a coach, as a result of throughout a season it’s largely crew strategy; to work with a participant one-on-one, summer season’s the time,” Russo mentioned. Soccer coaches have ramped up their summer season exercises within the final decade, emphasizing passing sport abilities with 7-on-7 video games, and organizing summer season camps. Leavitt Coach Mike Hathaway mentioned lately he’s had as many as 18 groups go to Turner on a single night time for a 7-on-7 match. “I’m guessing we gained’t have 18 groups this yr. It wouldn’t shock me if we didn’t have video games in opposition to some other crew,” Hathaway mentioned. Leavitt Excessive soccer coach Mike Hathaway hopes his crew can maintain 7-on-7 scrimmages in opposition to different colleges this summer season, however realizes that might not be possible. Andree Kehn/Solar Journal Buy this Photo Hathaway mentioned he and different coaches are wanting towards June 1, when the restriction on gatherings is anticipated to broaden to 50 folks, as a key date. Bonny Eagle Coach Kevin Cooper can also be anxiously ready for route about what he can and might’t do along with his gamers. “If we’re allowed to do stuff in July, coaches will unexpectedly put collectively 7-on-7 competitions and get our weight rooms up and going, however truthfully, I wouldn’t be shocked if Aug. 17 is the date we are able to resume sport actions,” Cooper mentioned. Aug. 17 is tentatively the primary day for fall highschool sports activities practices to start. Hathaway mentioned soccer coaches, specifically, will even must be cognizant about locker room and weight room use. His greatest concern is having the ability to supply some kind of exercise, even in a drastically modified style, to maintain youngsters engaged with teammates and their athletic pursuits. “For those who like faculty, or music, or artwork, there’s nonetheless that distance kind studying and alternatives, however for youths who’re two-, three-sport athletes who’re used to sports activities being their main option to socialize and inspire themselves and dwell life, these youngsters are in a bind proper now,” Hathaway mentioned. “Actually there’s some concern about psychological well being and people guys simply making it via this stuff.” Thornton Academy Athletic Director Gary Stevens is just not certain there will probably be a summer season season for any groups. However, he mentioned, now could be the time to begin fascinated with what might be finished. “I feel we spent most of our vitality and time the final six weeks focusing, on seniors specifically, (and) on spring athletes to assist them recoup the loss they’ve had,” he mentioned. “Now that we’re starting to see a phasing into a brand new regular, a resumption of some actions in a tiered means, we now have to determine if we’re again in enterprise and might maintain athletic contests, and the way we are able to accomplish that within the new regular.” Donna Jordan, the sphere hockey coach at Boothbay, mentioned solely time will decide if the summer season leagues are held. “I feel everybody hopes to be taking part in,” she mentioned. “Sadly, that’s the long run and it’s exhausting to foretell proper now. We’ll preserve fingers crossed that we are able to play, however others will dictate that to us.” Maine Final has needed to cancel its highschool season, however this summer season gamers may give you the option participate in particular person abilities contests. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Workers Photographer Whereas MPA-sanctioned spring sports activities had been canceled April 9, Maine Final was nonetheless hoping it may play its spring highschool season for the sphere sport performed with a flying disc. That hope was squashed this week by Gov. Mills’ up to date requirements and the willpower of USA Final. Tom Stoughton, the state youth coordinator for Maine Final, mentioned Maine could also be nearer to getting one thing going once more than the remainder of the nation due to the comparatively low incidence price for infections and deaths. “However in the end, we’re nonetheless taking part in the sport fairly carefully to different folks, there’s actually no means round that half,” Stoughton mentioned. “One of many issues USA Final has beneficial is to begin doing particular person abilities contests, so that you’re not truly on someone else. It’s not Final, but it surely’s ultimate-like I assume.” SPORTS CAMPS The Capital Metropolis summer season basketball camp has been a fixture on the Augusta Civic Middle for greater than three a long time. Camp director Paul Vachon has determined he can’t run the camp safely this summer season. Joe Phelan/Morning Sentinel Many summer season sports activities camps have already got been canceled. Those who haven’t been are being modified. Paul Vachon, the Corridor of Fame retired ladies’ basketball coach from Cony Excessive, is not going to run a basketball camp this summer season for the primary time in 35 years. “For me, I can’t see how I can do it with out worrying about each single minute of the day,” he mentioned. “We’re not going to have it, and we glance to reconvene subsequent yr.” Vachon, who retired in 2019 as Cony’s athletic director, normally will get about 150 youngsters to his camp, held throughout final week of June on the Augusta Civic Middle. He made the choice to cancel a couple of week in the past. He nervous about social distancing, disinfecting each piece of apparatus, and about whether or not gamers and counselors would wish to put on masks. “It wouldn’t be enjoyable for me,” he mentioned. “And it wouldn’t be enjoyable for the children.” Skowhegan’s Doughty plans on holding her discipline hockey camp however mentioned she’s going to proceed to observe what tips are in place. “We’re going to make plans for them,” she mentioned. “I’ll make plans, and regardless of the governor says, I’ll modify.” Thornton Academy discipline hockey coach Lori Smith holds a discipline hockey camp for college students in grades 2-9 each summer season however isn’t certain she will be able to this yr. She’s ready to see if the turf discipline at Hill Stadium will probably be accessible – at the moment it’s closed to all actions – and what the state tips are. “I take pleasure in doing it,” she mentioned. “But when there’s any probability it’s not within the campers’ or gamers’ greatest pursuits, I’ll droop it for a yr. That’s the means I’d lean.” Veteran baseball coach Mike D’Andrea runs the Maine Lightning, a summer season journey baseball crew. Out-of-state tournaments are unlikely this yr, so his focus could also be on particular person coaching and positional exercises. Derek Davis/Workers Photographer D’Andrea additionally runs the Maine Lightning, a summer season journey baseball crew based mostly out of Portland. With numerous quarantine insurance policies throughout the New England states, touring to out-of-state tournaments is unlikely to occur for any sport, so D’Andrea mentioned the main target will probably be extra native. “I feel will probably be totally different than it has prior to now. We now have a objective, and that’s our buyer loyalty, and we’re dedicated to that, with the Lightning and this system, to ensure we do this,” D’Andrea mentioned. “It may appear like particular person coaching, crew exercises, positional exercises, weekly coaching camps. We’ve talked about all of it and we’re not going to cease till we offer a service we really feel is greater than ample.” On the College of Southern Maine in Gorham, Athletic Director Al Bean is hoping to salvage a few of his faculty’s summer season sports activities camps later in the summertime. The college’s campus is closed via July, he mentioned, which is when a lot of the camps are held. He has begun wanting on the first couple weeks in August to see “if it’s secure and acceptable to maneuver them into that.” Whereas the camps usually contain in a single day stays, any camps now would strictly be day camps “geared to native athletes,” he mentioned. They might additionally must observe any tips set forth by the Maine CDC at the moment. “Every little thing is an unknown,” mentioned Bean. “We now have to observe how issues develop … A call we make at the moment might need to alter in 2-Three weeks.” Along with misplaced income, Bean mentioned the varsity’s athletic applications additionally lose a giant recruiting software. That’s not essentially the case on the College of Maine in Orono. However the Black Bears have canceled all their summer season camps via July 31. Any camps scheduled for August are in limbo proper now. “I simply suppose there are nonetheless a variety of unknowns,” mentioned ladies’s basketball coach Amy Vachon, who needed to cancel two camps. “Our first precedence is security for everybody, the campers, our gamers … and till we all know what’s occurring and might guarantee everybody’s secure, we’re not going to danger that.” Greater than something, Vachon mentioned she’s going to miss seeing the campers. “For us, it’s extra that neighborhood spirit, that neighborhood outreach, connecting with youthful ladies locally who look as much as gamers,” she mentioned. “It’s a enjoyable couple of weeks.” Maine soccer coach Nick Charlton mentioned he has had two camps canceled, and one scheduled for Portland in July is on maintain. “It’s only a tentative scenario, like a variety of issues,” he mentioned. LITTLE LEAGUE Little League districts throughout the state are attempting to determine learn how to get some video games on this summer season. Russ Dillingham/Solar Journal When the Little League World Sequence and its regional tournaments had been canceled on Thursday, the nationwide group mentioned that it’s as much as native leagues to find out whether or not or not they’ll play. And proper now, leagues throughout the state are attempting to determine an answer. The season, which normally begins in late April, can’t begin till June 1 on the earliest due to the state’s most restrict of 10 individuals at a gathering. However after June 1, the restrict will increase to 50, and Little League officers suppose they’ll play video games then. Invoice Finley, the District 6 commissioner, mentioned he’s contacting the governor’s workplace for clarification on the 50-person restrict. “Does that embrace the children taking part in, or simply the spectators,” he mentioned. “We’re simply hoping to permit the children to play as a lot as attainable. We may nonetheless host, with all the opposite districts within the state, if they need a state match, we may do one late August, early September.” Finley mentioned some leagues in District 6 have canceled their seasons, together with Gorham. He hopes to begin a Sandlot program, the place gamers choose two groups and name their very own balls and strikes, with grownup supervision. Pete Bingham, the director of the Cumberland/North Yarmouth Neighborhood Recreation Division, mentioned not taking part in a state match may give different gamers extra taking part in time. “We’ve at all times needed to have the native stuff finished earlier than the all-star tournaments,” he mentioned. “Now we’re not beholden to that.” BEYOND TEAM SPORTS “It might be good as issues confide in see the place tennis stands,” says Brian Mavor, president of the Maine Tennis Affiliation. “We’re attempting to advertise tennis and do as a lot as we are able to below the rules.” Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel Tennis suffered a blow with the cancellation of the Betty Blakeman match, which was to be held along with the canceled Yarmouth Clam Competition in mid-July. It had been held the earlier 30 years. Don Atkinson, the director of that match, mentioned he doesn’t foresee many tournaments being performed earlier than August or September. Brian Mavor, the volunteer president of the Maine Tennis Affiliation, mentioned the group is searching for steering from the governor’s workplace. The U.S. Tennis Affiliation has suspended all sanctioned occasions via Might 31. “It might be good as issues confide in see the place tennis stands,” mentioned Mavor. “We’re attempting to advertise tennis and do as a lot as we are able to below the rules.” For golfers, the state’s restrictions on taking part in golf solely inside the county a golfer resides has worn out the Maine State Golf Affiliation’s schedule of occasions in Might. However space professionals consider golf-focused tournaments might be held. “If it’s predominantly about golf and you may unfold out tee instances, you may most likely do it,” mentioned Portland Nation Membership head professional Dan Venezio. “The occasions with a variety of issues that go on across the match, shotgun begins, dinner events, these will probably be eradicated or severely modified.” The Maine working neighborhood has already seen a number of of its greatest races canceled, together with the Maine Coast Marathon and Half Marathon, the Portland Sea Canines Mom’s Day 5K, the Sugarloaf Marathon and 15Ok, the Outdated Port Half Marathon and 5K, and the Seashore to Beacon 10Ok. This week, it was introduced that the Again Cove Sequence gained’t be held this yr. The sequence consists of 5K races every Wednesday night from Memorial Day to Labor Day and attracts a pack of about 250 runners every week. Cash raised by the races goes to Portland Trails. John Rogers, the proprietor of Fleet Toes Maine Working, mentioned it was a tough however crucial resolution. “It’s most likely our most cherished grassroots occasion that we placed on,” he mentioned, noting that they get about 600 runners registered every year. “I feel it’s one of many issues the working neighborhood seems to be ahead to.” However the limits on public gatherings wouldn’t enable the races to be held. “We thought, we may do it in waves, we may do that or that,” mentioned Rogers. “Crucial factor is for the working and strolling neighborhood to correctly socially distance whereas on the market. Working and strolling are essential to assist us cope. Race occasions are simply not attainable to run by the CDC tips.” Rogers mentioned any runner who would love his or her registration payment donated to Portland Trails will get a free entry in 2021. Refunds additionally might be requested. COMMUNITY DAY CAMPS Neighborhood recreation departments are more likely to take a unique strategy for summer season day camps this yr. There will probably be fewer, if any, discipline journeys, with the deal with native actions. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal Native recreation departments are additionally gearing up for his or her summer season day camps, although all of them be aware that they are going to have a unique look. There will probably be fewer, if any, discipline journeys, with the deal with native actions. The Saco Parks and Recreation Division affords a day camp to kids in grades Ok-8. Final yr, they averaged 315 kids a day. Director Ryan Sommer mentioned he thinks the rec division can accommodate about 250 kids this yr, relying on the rules set forth by the Maine CDC. “The actions and video games will probably be totally different than what we’re used to do, it should really be an onsite camp,” mentioned Sommer, who hopes to open camp July 6. “It’ll be totally different than years previous once we’d go to parks like Funtown and Aquaboggan and different journeys. We need to ensure we’ll be as secure as attainable.” Saco affords 4 camps, based mostly on the ages of the youngsters, plus a theater camp. Sommer mentioned his workers is being instructed on how to ensure the whole lot is secure, with fixed disinfecting of all exhausting surfaces. And he mentioned town bought a number of exterior transportable hand sinks so campers and counselors can wash their arms continuously. “We’re attempting to take each step attainable to make sure the security and nicely being and well being of the children, in addition to our workers,” he mentioned. “A gaggle leaves one space, the workers goes to return in and spray it right down to make it clear once more.” Bingham, the rec director in Cumberland, plans to roll out a modified model of day camp. “We’re going to return to fundamentals and run activity-based applications,” he mentioned. He mentioned this system affords camps to kids in grades Ok-Eight at three totally different websites. Final yr, there have been about 200 campers per day. He plans to open on June 29. “We’re going to attempt to get artistic in instances like this,” he mentioned. “Is it Water Nation? Is it Aquaboggan? No. However the social interplay goes to be so enormous for the children, and even our workers.” In Outdated Orchard Seashore, Parks and Recreation director Jason Webber mentioned he’s attempting to create a secure setting for everybody on the day camp, which he hopes to open the primary week of July. “I feel we’re going to have the ability to create a enjoyable summer season for the children due to the actual fact they’ve been indoors so lengthy and haven’t had interplay,” he mentioned. “Our greatest concern is security for the workers and youngsters.” Associated Tales — to Invalid username/password. Please test your e-mail to verify and full your registration. Use the shape beneath to reset your password. Whenever you’ve submitted your account e-mail, we’ll ship an e-mail with a reset code.

Florian Wellbrock Caps Stellar Year With 14:06 World Record For Global S/C 1500m Title As 1st German To Scale Those Twin Peaks Since Hoffmann’s L/C High 30 Years Ago Florian Wellbrock, Germany’s Olympic marathon champion, capped a stellar 2021 by cracking the 1500m freestyle World short-course record in 14:06.88 for the global crown in a terrific tussle with three men making distance freestyle racing tighter at the top than its been for many a long year. The silver in the closing session of the championships in Abu Dhabi went to Ahmed Hafnaoui, the 19-year-old Tunisian who produced one of the upsets of Tokyo 202One when he claimed the 400m Olympic crown, in an African record of 14:10.94. Mykhailo Romanchuk, Olympic silver medallist ahead of the German’s bronze over 1500m in Tokyo, was an arm swing away on 14:11.47 for bronze, while Gregorio Paltrinieri, the 2016 Olympic 1500m champion, raced home in 14:21.00 to find his 14:08.06 global standard from 2015 had been confined to history. - Related: - More than 30 Swimmers Home-From-Home Alone In Their Abu Dhabi Hotel Rooms For Christmas In Covid Crunch At World Titles - Green Light For Aquatics Integrity Unit As FINA Congress Backs Reform Plans Wellbrock, whose standard was the fourth global mark to be set at the Championships, is the first German since Jorg Hoffmann in 1991 to claim a World 1500m title in World-record time. Hoffmann’s high was in the long-course pool, while the latest distance ace for Germany matched that big-title achievement in Gwangju back in 2019. Wellbrock, who last week won the last marathon of the 2021 World Marathon Series, emerged from the wash of a fine race at great pace to note that he’d exceeded his own expectations: “I had a rest after the marathon but I didn’t expect to be in shape for a world record. Today, there wasn’t really a plan. I just wanted a good race with Mischa, Greg and the guy from Tunisia.”Florian Wellbrock Coached by Bernd Berkhahn at Germany’s high-performance centre in Magdeburg, Wellbrock shadowed Paltrinieri’s world-record pace to the 800m mark, after which he piled on the pressure, extended his lead length by length over his rivals, caught the Italian’s pace-setter, then edged ahead of it. Pioneering status all but in his grasp with gold, Wellbrock then smote the global standard’s ruin in the fountain of a furious 56sec finish, the kind of pace Johnny Weissmuller mustered for 100m Olympic victory a century ago, or in contemporary understanding, the speed of a dream for Adam Peaty and a nightmare for his rivals over two lengths breaststroke. The WR splits: - 53.66; 1:50.23; 2:47.48; 3:44.66; 4:41.57; 5:38.53; 6:35.71; 7:32.85; 8:29.29; 9:25.75; 10:22.20; 11:18.91; 12:15.59; 13:12.12; 14:06.88 (28.27 28.14; 56.41) WR, Florian Wellbrock - Results in full Wellbrock is the first German swimmer to own the 1500m world s/c standard and the first from his country to scale the twin peaks of title won in new global standard. Australian strength in the event down the years since short-course records were recognised by FINA in 1991 has meant that only three men had set the high bar before Wellbrock today. Kieren Perkins (1992-1998) and Grant Hackett (1998-2015) set the standard twice each before Paltrinieri took down Hackett’s 14:10.10 standard in 2015. Now, Wellbrock is the second German swimmer in history to have set a World 1500m record, all pools: when Perkins made his breakthrough for silver at World long-course titles at home in Perth in 1991, the man ahead of him was Jorg Hoffmann, who claimed the crown in a then World record of 14:50.36. Wellbrock matched the long-course World-title feat in 2019 and today delivered the two highs in one in the short-course pool. Maggie MacNeil & Sarah Sjostrom Highlight Women’s Finals The best of the rest of the finals came in the women’s 100m butterfly and 50m freestyle, with titles for the Olympic 100m butterfly champions of 2016 and 202One. Women’s 100m butterfly – Gold for MacNeil Tokyo Olympic champion Maggie MacNeil, who flipped over to down the World 50m backstroke record yesterday, topped a fine championships for herself and Canada with a 55.04sec victory after speeding from fourth to gold over the closing 50m of battle. MacNeil was out in fourth on 25.77, American Torri Huske setting the pace at 25.50 ahead of Sweden’s Louise Hansson on 25.66 and the other American in the fight, Clare Curzan, on 25.65. There was nothing in it all the way from there and MacNeil left it until the vert last flock of wings flying in to stop the clock before she had a waifer-thin edge at any time in the race. Hansson took silver in 55.10, Curzan bronze in a World junior record of 55.39, Huske locked out in 55.75. Women’s 50m freestyle – Gold for Sarah Sjostrom Whenever Sarah Sjostrom and Ranomi Kromowidjojo rise to their blocks for battle, a thriller is assured. It was no different today as Sjostrom, the first Swedish woman to claim Olympic swimming gold when she topped the 100m butterfly final at Rio 2016, took on the defending champion from the Netherlands in the last solo final of the championships in Abu Dhabi. Kromowidjojo’s 22.93 World record from 2017 lived to fight another day but her Championship record of 23.19 from 2018 lives on as history after Sjostrom stopped the clock at 23.08, the Dutch challenger with double Olympic sprint gold in her pantheon from 2012, on 23.31 for silver. The bronze went to Poland’s Katarzyna Wasick in 23.40. Sjostrom had a nightmare end to the last winter season back in February, when she slipped on the ice back home in Stockholm and broke her elbow. Gone were her chances of retaining the 100m Olympic title but come Tokyo, Sjostrom still managed to make the 50m freestyle podium, an astonishing feat under the circumstances. Today, she emerged from victory to note: “I’m so happy to get an individual gold medal here. I broke my elbow back in February but now I’m back and it feels incredible.”Sarah Sjostrom She wasn’t done there, either. Two finals later, she was back in the fray for a second gold, Sweden’s 3:46.20 victory in the 4x100m medley a European record that kept back Canada, on 3:47.36 for silver, and China, on 3:47.41, an Asian record, for bronze. Sweden’s Hansson sisters, Louise (56.25) and Sophie (1:03.70), set the pace before Sjostrom clocked 54.65 on ‘fly and Michelle Coleman delivered gold in 51.60. For Canada, Kylie Masse (55.76) handed over to Sydney Pickrem (1:04.97) before Maggie MacNeil, her 100 ‘fly win still pumping through her arms, split 55.30 and Kayla Sanchez came home in 51.33. China’s medal was courtesy of Peng Xuwei (57.12), Tang Qianting (1:03.25), Zhang Yufei (54.93) and Cheng Yujie (52.11). With that win, Sjostrom extended her career tally at World s/c titles to 10 medals in all after claiming two gold, three silver and a bronze in the past six days. In the mix was a matched World record for her and Sweden in the 4x50m medley. Three of the 10 career World s/c medals were put in the pantheon today. In the opening final of the last session, the women’s 4x50m freestyle final, Sweden took silver behind the USA. Abbey Weitzeil, Clare Curzan, Katharine Berkoff and Kate Douglass clocked 1:34.22 for the title ahead of race leaders for three legs of the fight, Sweden, which put its top guns up front on the way to silver in 1:34.54. Sjostrom and Michelle Coleman were followed by Sara Junevik and Louise Hansson. Sjostrom’s 23.33 from a standing start was topped among all other splits in the final only by the 22.88 in which Ranomi Kromowidjojo took The Netherlands from seventh to bronze in 1:34.89 after Kim Busch, Maaike de Waard and Kira Toussaint had left only Hong Kong trailing them. Italian Medley Quartet Take The Last Gold Among Men The last gold among men went to Italy, Lorenzo Mora (50.34), Nicolo Martinenghi (55.94), Matteo Rivolta (48.43) and Alessandro Miressi (45.05), who set a championship record of 3:19.76 in the 4x100m medley ahead of the USA – Shaine Casas, Nic Fink, Trenton Julian and Ryan Held – and the Russian team (Kliment Kolesnikov, Danil Semianikov, Andrei Minakov and Aleksandr Shchegolev. In other action… There were titles for Alessandro Miressi, of Italy, on 45.57 in the 100m freestyle ahead of American Ryan Held, 45.63, and Canadian Josh Liendo, 45.82; Emily Escobedo, of the USA, in the 200m breaststroke, her 2:17.85 fending off a 2:17.88 from Russian Evgeniia Chukunova and a 2:17.96 from 2016 title winner Molly Renshaw of Britain; veteran Polish ace Radoslaw Kawecki, on 1:48.68 in the 200m backstroke ahead of American Shaine Casas and German Christian Diener, on 1:48.81 and 1:48.97 respectively; and Nic Fink, on an American record of 25.53 in the 50m breaststroke ahead of efforts of 25.55 and 25.80 from Italian Nicolo Martinenghi and Brazilian Joao Gomes. The top women and men’s scorers for the meet were Siobhan Haughey, of Hong Kong, who established a World record in the 200m freestyle, and Kliment Kolesnikov, of Team Tchaikovsky, who claimed four golds and a silver in Abu Dhabi.

> Telaprevir - 18 yes 0 no Aa A A A Hepatitis C Community 13.4k Members Telaprevir - 18 yes 0 no frijole Whew - that was dicey. One of the FDA advisory committee panelists was agressive in his pursuit of issues with the rash, but in the long run, he and everyone else on the panel voted to approve. Now it goes to the FDA. Approval date (or not) is May 23. Some people are betting that the FDA will announce both BOC and TEL on May 7 - the date for Boceprevir approval (or not) Answer Question Read 110 Responses Follow - 2 110 Responses frijole The biggest issue on the table was the rash. DRESS (drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms) and SJS (Stevens Johnsons sydrome) were the biggest issues. Although both of these can be very bad - the SJS can be life threatening - in the long run the panel decided the benefits outweigh the risks. They didn't recommend additional trials. Vertex did an excellent job of presenting and were very well prepared. Comment HectorSF Good news! Hectorsf Comment frijole Question 3 ---Please comment on the strength of evidence to support response-guided therapy with telaprevir in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin for the following patient groups? a)Treatment-naïve b)Prior relapsers seems like panel is leaning towards RGT for relapsers chair summarizing - -ringing endorsement for RGT in treatment naives. less clear for strong endorsement for relapsers but majority say evdience supports RGT in these patients. some concerns for underlying conditions... Comment frijole 4. Please comment on the strength of evidence to support a recommendation for use in specific populations, including but not limited to Blacks/African Americans and patients with cirrhosis. What, if any, additional efficacy or safety data are needed for specific populations clay - patients with gout and tuberculosis clay - i know, i'm driving people crazy with this tuberculosis issue... chair summarizing question 4 -- need more data on patients with gout, TB... (clay!) more data on AAs and cirrhotics, some concerns about null responding cirrhotics, patients over 65 Comment nygirl7 My mother had SJS - you dont ever want to see anybody who gets that. She was in the burn unit of our major hospital out here for months...... Sounds like they had more trouble getting through then boce I would have thought it would have been the other way around. Exciting times ahead - very exciting indeed. Thank you for the excellent recaps Frijole I wouldn't have known where to look to watch. Comment frijole Good news for sure. It looks like Telaprevir may be on label for null responders. Probably not so for Boceprevir because they avoided them in their trials and did not have the data. They had a little data from the placebo group who did not respond and were then given BOC - I think about 30% were SVR - but the FDA advisory panel would not accept that data since it wasn't part of the trial. The other really good news is that relapsers will be treated like treatment naive as far as response guided therapy. That is even relapsers have a chance of 24 week therapy if they are EVR. Comment frijole You are right, Deb. I googled picutres of SJS. All we ever heard it called was "the rash" and severe, yes, but I really never concerned myself that it might be life threatening. We will have to be on guard with that one. frijole Comment Magnum Why isn't anyone talking about Boceprevir except for frijole? My Gastro wants me on it because I didn't have an issue with Anemia. Now I'm getting a feeling that Teleprevir is outgunning the efficacy of Boceprevir? Can anyone unconfuse me? Mag Comment susan400 ALL, I have been talking about it wanting to get on the Bocep. I have not even had Telap. on my radar screen since I won't even consider ever doing it again. However, each person has to make their own decision. I had my experience with the Telap., had the horrendous rash 2 wks into it and I will not go through that again, have no desire to. If given the opportunity, I'll take my chances with the anemia. I went through all of my treatments anemic and only used the Procrit on 1 of the 10 TX's, I did. Susan400 Comment Magnum Unless my gastro changes plans, that's what I'm going to do as well. Luckily, throughout four tries, no Anemia. Still felt shi**y though... Magnum Comment miked About week 4 of my participation in the Prove 3 trial I got the rash from hell. My family was camping at the lake and we had a great day at the beach. At dinner that night my daughter exclaimed, "Dad, is that poison ivy all over your arms!". Well the poison ivy was actually the Vertex rash. Over the next few days it moved around my body with the exception of my face (odd). My doc prescribed a steroid cream and within a couple of days the rash was under control. I went on to complete the 24 week Prove 3 trial and learned that I was UND between week 1-2 and remain that way to today. Poor Susan400 above was also in the trial but didn't get inn the arm with RBV which I believe was necessary for RBV. I'm so happy that these options are becoming available to everyone!! miked Comment frijole I think it is important for both drugs to be approved. You and I and Susan and others here have had months - no, years - to weigh the odds for ourselves. I think if any one has auto immune problems (of any kind) they ought to really look hard at this issue of rash. It is some kind of immuno suppression issue and needs to be a primary consideration in determining which to treat with. I have never had any skin issues or auto immune problems and think TEL is the right one for me. Another thing --, I was following the investor blog. I tried once to get on the FDA sight but it was jammed -- the message said too many viewers (imagine that!) -- so I missed a lot of details on a lot of stuff. But there is some real issue with anyone who has gout or TB. I think it is some kind of acid, but I can't tell you what. I think there may be some label warnings about that. I am sure we will hear more. One other thing I didn't like about the TEL. If anemia arises (and the anemia with TEL is greater than SOC, just not as bad as BOC) that the recommended solution is riba reduction. Now I believe this can still be remedied with epogen, but that too will be off label. I think it will be easier to get epogen with BOC. I have seen such wonderful successes with BOC that that my mind is not set in stone. I had anemia on SOC but it was not so bad that I would not consider BOC. After cando man was cleared on BOC after 96 unsuccessful months on SOC, I was sold on BOC. And Ejoili - and others i consder friends. I am rambling. Sorry frijole Magnum - you weren't a null responder were you? YOu were a responder/relapser like me, right? If you were a null responder you may have to find a good heppo - not a GI - to treat with. BOC may be off label for null responders. Comment Magnum I responded down from 3.2 million to 6500 with Infergen, but nearly died because it made me jaundiced. The other three treatments didn't work and I was stopped after several months on each, with the longest one going for 6 months. As for Hepatologist, Dr. Robert Gish is soon opening a clinic in Las Vegas. I will run all this by him and post his response. He only does livers... Gastros do all abdominal cavity organs. Big difference if logic prevails. Stay tuned... Mag Comment susan400 Who knows, maybe, just maybe, Merck will do a late stage trial, 'wide-spread' like throughout regular physicians offices, for the non-responders? Stranger things have happened. Merck, are you listening?????? The very first time I ever treated back in 1997 was in a Dr.'s office, a clinical trial, widespread, for the Ribavirin...back then, it was the 'new combo' and it was 3 x a week using the Intron-A and the trial drug "Riba". But, that was a trial - widespread - late stage - in a regular doctor's office. Susan400 Comment JRenquist If boceprevir is off-label for non-responders, does that mean that insurance companies won't pay for it? My gastro really wants me to use that instead of telaprevir. I'd been looking forward to the telaprevir for a long time. Says that it's easier to treat the anemia than the rash and I had bad riba rash and autoimmune thyroid problems . Said that Vertex had covered up the number of people who had dropped out of the original trial because of the rash, so he didn't trust them. Talked about mutation problems, but reading this forum, it seems like that's an issue with both of the new drugs. Guess I'll just have to go with whatever my insurance will pay for. Does anyone have any idea how long it might take for insurance companies to put either PI on their formularies after FDA approval? Thanks. You guys are such a help. Just reading this every day and knowing that I'm not alone in this is so helpful. Wish I had more to contribute. S. Comment desrt If your doctor is thoughtful enough to take autoimmune, thyroid, and rash into consideration when Rxing, I'd listen to him. Don't worry about 'contributing'. Learning there's at least one MD who feels Vertex wasn't honest in reporting their trial results just made my day more interesting. Wish I could help you with your insurance questions, but I think we'll all just have to wait and see. Comment Andiamo1 "Says that it's easier to treat the anemia than the rash and I had bad riba rash and autoimmune thyroid problems ." Does that mean he thinks that epo is safer than steroidal creams? I would find another doctor. Epo has many dangerous side effects. "Said that Vertex had covered up the number of people who had dropped out of the original trial because of the rash, so he didn't trust them." Does anyone think they could have gotten through all the people at the FDA looking at the trials if they were dishonest? People talk about big pharma -- well Vertex is small pharma and Merck is big pharma. Of course, I might be an ambassador and therefor must be dishonest myself. I find these discussions, Telaprevir vs Boceprevir, about as rational as Republicans vs Democrats why not poll all the people on this forum that took Telaprevir and find out who had a bad rash that wasn't' easily treated; ask how many dropped out because of the rash. Comment willing >If boceprevir is off-label for non-responders, does that mean that insurance companies won't pay for it? good question, I've been trying to understand this as well. As far as I can tell under federal ERISA law that governs employer contribution health plans inscos can refuse to cover off-label rx use but individual state statutes can broaden coverage. For example California Health and Safety Code Section 1367.21 seems to limit off-label denials under conditions relevant to hcv use: >easier to treat the anemia than the rash another great question and one many here seem to be wondering about. The choice of sx is likely the biggest factor in the PI decision and It's hard to know who to trust. On one hand there's a lot of money to be made on the choice so the drugco marketing is suspect. Also there are very few Drs with significant experience at this point so their judgment is mostly opinion. My tendency has been to trust my fellow lab rats . Collectively there's' a lot of experience with epo on this forum. Nobody likes it, it's expensive, comes with risks and sx, but by and large it seems to work. This is what he may mean by 'easier'. The tela rash is more of an unknown. For some it was well-managed with creams for others (susan400/dointime/mremeet?) it seems to have been a show stopper. My current choice is to start with tela and switch to boce if the rash is too much. Direct feedback from other patients is probably your best guide. However, if you really are a null-responder treating now may not be the best choice, regardless of sx. As to "trusting" the drug cos that seems a non issue: they're in this to make money. One should expect them to promote their strengths and hide their weaknesses - it's part of the landscape. Vertex is smaller and more motivated and seems to have done more aggressive 'data fishing' than Merck, but any results that survived the recent intense FDA screening should be reliable. Comment Andiamo1 Susan400 dropped out because she was in the arm with no Riba and didn't respond. mremeet was the only one that had the severe rash and had to stop but still ended up SVR Dointime also ended up the the no riba arm. I know about 10 people that participated in the vertex trials. Only mremeet had the severe rash and all are SVR. The rest had rashes that were slightly worse than a Riba rash, but all treatable with steroidal cream. Personally, I would rather not take EPO unless I had no choice. Many doctors think it is linked to increase probability of cancer and until that is proven one way or another, I am not taking a chance. Comment susan400 While the trial dropped me, at week 5 after my week 4 blood work showed that I had not cleared..., the rash appeared on me as a horrendous thing at week 2. I never had rash issues anywhere close to being like the Telaprevir rash. I was barely even noticing any rashes from Riba. However, Telaprevir rash was like I was hit with scalding hot water. I had horrible hive-like, blistery like things on my body. The steroidal cream was little to no help with this rash. In fact, the steroidal cream was OTC and it made me sweat, which in turn made the rash itch more and made the breakout repeat. It's not something I will EVER consider going through again. I'd rather keep the Hep C, not be SVR than to have to go through that horrible thing again. But, that's my choice. Susan400 Comment Magnum In the context of our discussions of rash vs. anemia, anemia can be controlled. Rash? When both drugs are approved, it would not be regulated as to when and if to change horses (drugs) mid stream. It's not a dictatorial mandate by the clinical trial directors at that point. So, my summation on all this is that if one doesn't work, try the other, but why suffer to start with the proven rash horror stories. Some would rather dive off the empire state building or climb to the top of Mt. Everest naked than to go through the rash. Torture should never be part of a treatment... Magnum Comment pilgrim1951 Just a quick response to all of this rash and anemia dialogue. I was in the phase III Vertex trial and had a terrible rash that convinced my doc ( great guy at UPenn) that I "probably" was on teleaprivir. My blood counts were so bad I almost reached the point of needing a transfusion (the trial didn't allow Procrit). Turns out I was in the placebo arm of the trial and did not get these side effects from telaprivir. So, I guess that some people suffer these sides from the existing protocal for treatment. Food for thought. SVR is gret regardless of how you get there. Comment Isobella First of all..big hello to Pilgrim, one of my fav lab rats!! I remember you thought you were on tela because of the rash and then I got a wake up call at 24 weeks when they extended me to 48 and I then thought I got the placebo. What a trip we had, my friend! Hope you are doing well and enjoying your SVR. To everyone else, I treated in a Vertex trial for a total of 48 weeks. The first 12 were triple therapy. I have a lifelong history of contact and atopic (eczema) dermatitis. I didn't experience a rash from tela at all. I did, for a few weeks, experience what we here on the forum called the riba rash....random small red dots on my body. Throughout the 48 weeks, I did experience the photosensitivity that riba can cause. I spent most of my tx oceanfront, so I stayed inside or in the shade during the day. If I didn't my skin felt like liquid fire. That lasted 48 weeks, not just the 12 weeks on tela. I don't understand why any treating center would not offer anything other than an OTC solution after seeing what sounds like a pretty severe rash. Susan400 , my heart goes out to you. If memory serves, when Mrmeet was in rash trouble, he was given steriods and perhaps other rx help. And I believe there was another forum member that was a school teacher that experienced a severe rash as well. Hopefully he is around and will give his insight. The center that initially diagnosed me no longer gives Procrit when patients become anemic. They prefer to dose reduce and tranfuse at Hgb < 8. They believe the risk/benefit ratio is not worth the risk of aplastic anema. The center that I treated at believes in Procrit...thinking hit the virus hard and keeping patients on full doses is best. The anemia we all experience is not like the aplastic anemia Procrit may cause in some patients. The rash some of us may experience on tela will not come close to SJS. Maybe we should look at the number of adverse reactions from Procrit vs the number of adverse reactions to the tela rash-SJS when deciding. I can only give my opinion based on my 12 week experience with tela. But please understand, I don't take this lightly. I passed this virus to my only child. Every single day I toss this these factors in my head and keep coming up with what is for us the best answer--telaprevir. I would also want to be aggressive and add Procrit to the mix if need be. Please don't demonize tela based on the rash issue. Please look at the numbers for cure rates, adverse reactions, risk ratios for both the treatment and the rescue drugs that lead us to SVR. Comment Andiamo1 Finally a voice of reason in this discussion. Thanks for adding some information to the discussion. All you have to do is look at the total dropout numbers due to sx and you can see that both drugs have about the same number. SJC is very rare and I think mremeet was the only one to have it. A rash that is very treatable is the more common SX. Procrit (epo) is a very powerful drug with major side effects and should not be taken lightly. Anyone choosing between these drugs needs to understand that both have side effects that are manageable for most people and both have risks that can be serious. Comment Next Page Have an Answer? Notify me of new activity on this question Join this community Follow - 2.