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Joss Whedon is a smart filmmaker. Buffy was genius, and The Avengers was an intelligent, funny, moving, high-action, hyper-effects superhero movie—a package I wasn’t sure was possible.
I like how Whedon delves into big stories with what many will assume is a superficial genre. Again and again, Whedon shows us the depth that a good vs. evil story can have. The first Avengers film is a good example. Check out this epic battle between Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America.
It’s hard not to miss the symbolism of the greater story. Iron Man, the symbol of technology and science, goes chest to chest against Thor, the symbol of religion and mythology—the grand human story. What is the result of this battle between religion and science? Environmental disruption and a world in discord. Who is able to step in between these extremes and find a peaceful solution? Captain America, of course, with a common sense message that all gods, demons, mutants, superheroes, and mad geniuses should keep their eyes on the ball: there is a world that needs saving.
Now, I don’t know that good ole American values can mediate the tensions of the great story that is playing out there—can any one ideal square that circle? But even if I disagree, it is one of these times when Whedon digs into a bigger story for his work.
What about Avengers: Age of Ultron?
Visually speaking, Ultron certainly is the best of what Hollywood has got. Clever writing, a sustained storyline, the ebb and flow of action, and ShamWow! special effects—it’s the most gripping of the non-landscape films I have seen (like the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies, Life of Pi, Tree of Life, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). There were moments that reminded me of the realism scenes in Inception and it had the pacing of the Bourne franchise. Whedon held nothing back.
The story itself is pretty good. While I wonder if Whedon forgot Asimov’s Laws of Robotics—there are times where it felt like none of the Avengers had ever read a Science Fiction story—we finally get to see what the real problem with Artificial Intelligence is. It isn’t just the guaranteed sociopathology of the man in the machine; it’s the reality that neural networks make for the possibility of almost unlimited divested intelligence, so that power grows not organically but exponentially. It’s pretty cool.
And the film is jam-packed with great one-liners. Not all of them work, but enough land that I’m still laughing the next day.
Age of Ultron isn’t always elegant. The Hulk plays well, but the loner tension doesn’t always work for me. Scarlett Johansson is pretty awesome as a physique super-heroine—someone with no genetic enhancements. However, the whole Black Widow story line wimps out in this film. In the end one of the most dynamic characters falls flat. We get to see Hawkeye’s storyline play out well, but a couple of moments were a bit bumpy.
There were also a few moments that were a bit odd. The fictional “Eastern European” country-slash-town that is the focus of much of the action feels like a Cold War spoof leftover. I quite enjoyed the villain, but I’m still struggling with his main motivation. Perhaps a second viewing will help fill in some of those blanks. There were also moments where the average viewer might get a little lost. The most significant loop to the next generation of films—besides the cast—was a little forced, I thought. Fans in the audience enjoyed it though.
I think this film does draw from mythic well, but I’m not sure that the ideas fit together.
It took me a while to think this through. If I had to guess, Joss Whedon is a reader of Albert Camus. Camus’ “Myth of Sisyphus” essay—an essay that shaped my writing for about 5 years—retells the classic story of Sisyphus condemned to roll the rock up the hill for all eternity because of hubris. Freedom, Camus argues, is impossible. Humans are not free. But we must be free anyway—we must live absurdly in the world, taking up the freedom we don’t have in both hands. Every time the rock rolls down the hill, Sisyphus picks it up again. But he picks up the rock with joy.
So the Absurd Man lives with joy.
We see this tension in Age of Ultron. Each of the great hinge moments in the film—and I won’t spoil them—are fueled by absurdity, accidence, fate and the response to fate. Even the characters play this out. We see in the trailer that they face an impossible situation and it is likely some of these immortals will die. Captain America shrugs it off: “I don’t have plans for tomorrow night.”
There are other deep moments: Thor’s surrender to baptism, Captain America’s warning against the evils of pre-emptive warfare, an ongoing discussion of what is beautiful, questions of human evolution, and cinematic parables of environmental degradation. But I think Absurdity is the core myth, especially as it is bound up with Iron Man’s fears, choices, and visions of the (inevitable?) future.
I’m not sure, though. What the Avengers create—and it really is a creation of the entire group—is so much greater than they are, either individually or collectively. It does not fit categories easily, but it looks like the Nietzschean Übermensch—German for “Super-Man”—that Camus leaves behind. It could be that the cure was worse than the disease.
We will have to see. That’s the great thing about the Marvel Universe: there’s always a story for tomorrow. The sideways glances at other books and films were a significant part of the film, so it makes sense that tensions are unresolved as the credits roll.
It is also true that the Absurd Man lives well in the tension.
At least Joss Whedon does.
But there is one line that catches at the edge of my brain. As the trailer shows, the great villain Ultron desires to wipe out the human race, giving space for the age of the machine. In the end Ultron is confronted with this line:
“There is grace in their failings. I think you missed that.”
It is a gorgeous line, absolutely profound, and totally contradictory to Joss Whedon’s Absurdism as I describe it above. The Absurd man can see grace in the failings, but cannot find it there. Yet, ultimately, Ultron’s greatest struggle is that he cannot live with Absurdity.
How does a Christian respond to that line? I think there is much in Camus for the Christian thinker, and Absurdity is very much like the Christian’s response to the pain and loveliness of our world.
But for the strange being who believes in God in this world filled with sunsets and floods, the idea that “there is grace in their failings” is only true—and then very true—when all of human self-sacrifice is an echo of the cross. There is grace in sin, there is beauty in the flailing, struggling mess of human being in the world. But that grace is not merely biological—tied into the system. Neither is it merely psycho-spiritual—a perspective that we take in the midst of horror. That grace is in a universe that has been intentionally patterned for redemption.
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About Brenton Dickieson
“A Pilgrim in Narnia” is a blog project in reading and talking about the work of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the worlds they touched. As a "Faith, Fantasy, and Fiction" blog, we cover topics like children’s literature, apologetics and philosophy, myths and mythology, fantasy, theology, cultural critique, art and writing.
This blog includes my thoughts as I read through Lewis and Tolkien and reflect on my own life and culture. In this sense, I am a Pilgrim in Narnia--or Middle Earth, or Fairyland. I am often peeking inside of wardrobes, looking for magic bricks in urban alleys, or rooting through yard sale boxes for old rings. If something here captures your imagination, leave a comment, “like” a post, share with your friends, or sign up to receive Narnian Pilgrim posts in your email box.
Brenton Dickieson is a father, husband, friend, university lecturer, and freelance writer from Prince Edward Island, Canada. You can follow him on Twitter, @BrentonDana.
Loved your take on the philosophy and mythos underneath these wonderfully nerdy stories. America is eating them up, and my guess is that people who could not pass a test in classical literature could talk for hours about the plots and subtleties of the Marvel Universe. I am a huge fan of Joss Whedon, and I don’t care if he breaks Asimov’s rules. But the best part of your article is the end, and the last line! Very, very well written piece. I would help it go viral If I were not philosophically opposed to spoiling plots.
Thanks Susan! I hope I didn’t actually spoil plots–I tried to show what was in the trailer.
I suppose the “why Ultron fails” does it, but do we expect the bad guy to win? That’s a question of our culture now. I think I’ll change that line to make it more subtle anyway!
Indeed, thanks for the thoughtfulness (and, so, fostering of further thought). In the last couple days, I caught up with the first movie (once through), and read Fr. Robert Barron’s review-reflection at New Advent (which, let the reader be warned, probably includes a lot of spoilers you are carefully avoiding) – he sees “an affirmation of a Nietzschean view of life”, and one seemingly intent to “work as a sort of antidote to Tolkien and Lewis” in “shaping the imaginations of young people”. Between that and reading this, I happened to enjoy Simon Vance’s rendering of Book 5, Chapter 6 of The Pilgrim’s Regress, from which a couple things jumped out, like Vertue’s saying that Savage’s “theory seemed to be that fighting was an end in itself” and that his idea of the only fit “way of life was something called Heroism, or Master-Morality, or Violence.”
The pace and style of the first movie did not seem to invite – or, anyway, aid – reflection. One could argue that its focus is largely politics – even if a sort of ‘intracosmic’ politics which includes Asgardians and Chitauri – with attention to ‘just war theory’ and related matters. To Romanova’s observation that the Asgardians are “basically gods”, Captain America lucidly answers, “There’s only one God, ma’am” – but that is about the extent of theological reflection in the whole film.
In my Williams Arthurian Poets edition, in the context of Sir Bors’s questions, ‘What can be saved without order? and how order?’, I wrote, “Even a very good social order, practically free from injustice, poverty, and war, would still leave room for basic questions. Is this all there is? Is material well-being for a lifetime the best and highest possibility?” I would not be surprised if Whedon’s attention to heroism deliberately avoids such questions. “That grace is in a universe that has been intentionally patterned for redemption.” Is even the serious entertainment of the possibility of such patterning resolutely eschewed? Even if the answer to that is ‘yes’, how intractable to such avoidance or distortion is that patterning? How far is Reality intently reading itself right, against rogue subcreators?
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ALBANY – A bill that will give veterans preference for temporary state jobs that the state normally fills with employees from for-profit temporary services company has been signed into law by the governor.
The bill was sponsored by Senator Gregory Ball (R, Patterson), chairman of the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee.
“We jump through hoops to prepare young men and women to enter into the military, but once they finish their service there is often very little transition back into civilian life,” Ball said. “Many of our servicemen and woman find this transition very difficult and often times can’t find meaningful employment upon their return. This new law will help lead our unemployed veterans into the workforce.”
Some 900,000 veterans live in New York, with 90,000 who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Ball noted that when they return home, many face unemployment. “This legislation will help alleviate some of the unemployment problems facing our military veterans and may help to usher in the next generation of the state’s workforce.”
The bill was sponsored in the Assembly by Michael Benedetto (D, Bronx).
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Adam Lambert Crowned the PopCrush Prince of Pop 2016
You came, you voted, you conquered: Boasting a whopping 44.7% of all votes, pop-rocker Adam Lambert has been crowned your Prince of Pop 2016! Thanks for voting, and congratulations Glamberts—no wonder you were voted the Best Fanbase of 2016 during March Music Madness.
Over the decades, male pop superstars like Phil Collins and Justin Timberlake have ruled the airwaves, reigning as pop kings and pop royalty — though we all know the official title of King of Pop belongs to Jackson — alongside their hip hop, rap and rock n' roll counterparts.
But in the new young crop of pop stars in 2016, who reigns as the crown prince?
There's no denying Justin Bieber is a years-groomed radio juggernaut ("Sorry," anyone?), and of course Nick Jonas knows a thing or two about princedom himself from his years working with Disney.
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No point in reinventing the wheel surely. IMO when you're going to view multiple pages, the overhead works out quite nicely.
What part of what you just typed do you not understand? JavaScript is already built IN the browsers! 99.9% of the scripting most people will code has already been written in NORMAL JavaScript! jQuery is as bad as an epidemic on the web as WordPress.
discussion of Edit Images for FB, G+, and Twitter - Free Tools on WebmasterWorld moved to a new thread by phranque. New thread at: webmasterworld/4591739.htm [webmasterworld.com] 1:09 am on Jul 10, 2013 (utc -7)
Because it's done in Twitter Bootstrap which requires jQuery, an industry standard.
I use Twitter Bootstrap and jQuery myself and highly recommend it for anyone that wants to get highly functional cross-platform sites developed without breaking the bank or wasting a lot of time on tedious browser details.
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The world’s first meta-retro blog
Category Archives: Television
October means Halloween, and Halloween means more than enough vintage horror flicks to choke a werewolf. We’ve got ghost stories every Thursday, mummy matinees every Saturday, haunted houses, vampires that don’t sparkle, zombies, Frankensteins, mad scientists, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Vincent Price, psychos, schizos, proto-slashers, the original angry birds and even giant-mutant-flesh-eating rabbits! Upgrade your DVR’s memory and brew lots of coffee, because October it’s going to be wonderful. This is without a doubt the best retro TV month of the year.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2014
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Special Theme: Ghost Stories
8:00 PM Topper (1937)
10:00 PM The Time Of Their Lives (1946
11:30 PM The Canterville Ghost (1944)
1:15 A Place of One’s Own (1945)
3:00 AM The Cockeyed Miracle (1946)
4:30 AM Beyond Tomorrow (1940)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2014
6:15 PM 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964) – TCM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 04, 2014
12:00 PM The Mummy (1959) – TCM
The Hammer Films version starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. There will be a Mummy Matinee at high noon every Saturday this month.
1:45 PM A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers (2009) – TCM
A documentary tracing the history of the thriller genre
3:00 PM Peeping Tom (1960) – TCM
A cult classic serial killer flick about a psychopathic murder who photographs his victims at the moment of death
2:15 AM The Fog (1980) – TCM
The John Carpenter original, and much better than the crappy 2005 remake
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2014
6:00 AM Night Of The Lepus (1972) – TCM
Giant flesh-eating Bunnies FTW!!! In hindsight, this film and Mike Marano’s brilliant analysis(suggesting that the mutated, carnivorous killer rabbits were an allegory for baby boomer hippies) may have been one of the earliest inspirations for Retro in the 90s.
I’m a lazy slacker and I was going to take the summer off of bloggin’, but there are so many outstanding and obscure drive-in-worthy flicks on the tube this month that if I let you miss them, I’d have to kick my own ass on general principle. There’s stuff playing that I’ve never seen. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, one can’t understand meta-retro without first understanding retro. Thus, I, your humble narrator, will continue to peruse the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) schedule and other basic cable listings to highlight all the classic Horror, Monster, Sci-Fi and Cult films from the Golden Age of American cinema that regularly resurfaced throughout the 1990s. Tune in, turn on, and veg out!
TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2014
8:00 PM The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) – TCM
Not the 1923 version starring Lon Chaney Sr., but still worth watching
There are enough vintage sci-fi, retro horror, and film noir flicks on display this June to choke a donkey. My only regret is that we can’t all watch them together at the drive-in. Speaking of which, you may want to double check your basic cable package to see if EPIX Drive-In has been added. It is ridiculously awesome with megatons of B-movie horror, giant monster, sci-fi, blaxploitation and regular ol’ exploitation films. As a result, my day time narcolepsy has never been worse.
Today, Retro in the 90s introduces a new recurring feature; TV CASUALTY. Obviously, one can’t understand meta-retro without first understanding retro. Thus, I, your humble narrator, will henceforth regularly pour through the Turner Classic Movies schedule and other basic cable listings to highlight all the classic Horror, Monster, Sci-Fi and Cult films from the Golden Age of American cinema that regularly resurfaced throughout the 1990s. Set your DVR…… to stun.
Of all the movie hosts who have come and gone over the years, one can easily make an argument that Joe Bob Briggs was the most prolific. As the king of all lowbrow media, John Bloom’s alter-ego authored a multitude of film reviews, newspaper columns, editorials, and books, while he starred in a one-man show, hosted horror movies on two networks, made cameos in several major motion picturesTM, founded the Drive-In Academy Awards, released his own brand of hand-picked DVDs, and was twice nominated for the Cable ACE award. Zacherle may have been the godfather, Svengoolie may have been the most likable, and Elvria was certainly the prettiest, but no one even came close to out-working or out-thinking Joe Bob Briggs.
For those of us outside the circulation zone of The Dallas Times Herald, our first exposure to the cosmic wisdom of Joe Bob Briggs came via The Movie Channel’sJoe Bob’s Drive-In Theatre (pronounced “thee–ate-ur”) which ran after 10:00 p.m. on Saturday nights from 1986 to 1996. Continuing in the 1950s tradition of midnight movies, the programming on Drive-In Theatre was entirely consistent with Joe Bob’s philosophy of what made for a great drive-in movie, namely “The Three B’s”; blood, breasts and beasts. The films shown were always of the drive-in/grindhouse/b-movie variety, running the gamut from cult horror, to the myriad exploitation sub-genres, and sex farce falling just shy of soft-core pornography. As a premium cable network, The Movie Channel was able to furnish more current films and show them in a completely unedited format, which gave Joe Bob a leg up on his horror host competitors. However, Drive-In Theatre also hosted some great retro fare such as;
The opening sequence to Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theatre was a flawless execution of retro-awesomosity. It depicted a man receiving a package wrapped in brown paper, which he promptly opened revealing a Joe Bob’s Drive-in Theater kit. Then he proceeded to assemble the kit complete with a fake dashboard, car door, window speaker, steering wheel, rows of classic automobiles, a miniature snack bar and a dusky sky outline which surrounded the TV screen. The end result transformed the man’s living room into a perfectly replicated facsimile of a Mid-Century drive-in theatre. This was an extremely effective introduction which perfectly set the tone in approximately 20 seconds.
Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theatre followed the same format each week. Perpetually clad in a cowboy hat, western shirt and bolo tie, Joe Bob stepped out of his mobile home, sat down in a lawn chair, cracked open a beer and introduced the next film while regaling the audience with his unique Texan blend of scathing wit and down home charm. As a true raconteur, Briggs always had several hilarious anecdotes about each film, actor/actress, or director, often bordering on the unbelievable. One of my favorites was his introduction to Carnival of Souls (1962) an offbeat zombie move that preceded Night of the Living Dead (1968) by six years. Joe Bob simultaneously explained the entire back story of one-hit-wonder director Herk Harvey, cited the film’s influence on George A. Romero and Brian DePalma (of Carrie (1976) fame), lambasted “egghead professors” as well as The New York Times film critic Vincent Canby, and still managed to work in a shout out to the Lawrence, Kansas Convention & Visitors Bureau. Joe Bob Intoned, thusly.
“So for all the people who watched Carnival of Souls at the drive-ins of America and didn’t need some gooney professor to tell ‘em it was a great movie, let’s reclaim this one for the good guys. It’s a zombie movie! It’s not about existential angst! It’s not a symbolic parable! It’s a zombie movie!”
During each introductory segment, Joe Bob tallied up the Drive-In Totals which always included the number of dead bodies and breasts shown in the film. He would call to the viewer’s attention anything particularly shocking or noteworthy such as decapitations and car chase scenes. For example the Drive-In Totals for Frankenhooker (1990) were as follows;
In my humble opinion, mankind will never create a more efficient and user-friendly system for the review of movies, drive-in or otherwise.
After the movie, Joe Bob reappeared to give the viewing audience his final thoughts on the film, reveal a few more anecdotes, and answer fan mail. In hindsight, it was Joe Bob’s familiarity with the legends and lore surrounding each film that truly set him apart from any horror host who’s come before or since. Briggs appeared to have a photographic memory containing an encyclopedic amount of information pertaining movies, actors, directors, producers, crew, sets and ephemera. Keep in mind this was well before one could just look it up on the internet. The man did his homework diligently, but I’d wager it was a labor of love. There were always myriad stories behind the story shown on the screen, and Joe Bob did a better job of telling those than anyone. Below is a link to a fantastic clip from 1992 where Joe Bob reunited the original cast of Night of the Living Dead (1968) and remembered details that even they seemed to have forgotten. This goes above and beyond how ridiculously cool it was that he reunited the original cast of Night of the Living Dead!!!
Toward the end of each show, Joe Bob read news briefs regarding actual drive-in theatres that had recently closed, or were miraculously saved from closing at the zero hour. These were alternately framed as either a “Communist Alert” or a “Republican Alert” to equally offend the political sensibilities of his audience of sleazy cinemaphiles. He always concluded the segment with the chilling reminder, “Without eternal vigilance, it could happen here.” Joe Bob always rounded out the segment with a couple of jokes, often dirty ones.
For example…..
Q: Do you guys know what the Polish guy calls his zebra?
A: Spot
Q: Why did the pervert cross the road?
A: He was stuck to the chicken.
Q: Did y’all hear about the anorexic nymphomaniac?
A: she swallowed an olive and 5 guys left town.
Q: Did y’all know what 10,000 battered wives have in common?
A: They JUST! WON’T! LISTEN!
Finally, Joe Bob ended each night’s broadcast by stating, “I’m Joe Bob Briggs reminding you that the drive-in will never die.” Thus far, he’s been proven right. The drive-in was a quintessential part of mid-century culture, and Joe Bob fought to preserve it, for ourselves and our posterity. Perhaps his most important contribution was that he let so many of us know that there was a whole wide world of exploitation and cult films that we’d never even heard of just waiting to be rediscovered. And much like the super-cool big brother whom many of us never had, Joe Bob not only told us all about these films, but also made damned sure we got to see them uncut.
Furthermore, while watching these old clips of Drive-In Theater, I laughed repeatedly at the utter lack of political correctness. At the time, the 1990s didn’t seem terribly permissive, especially on college campuses. But I reckon the trite platitude “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone” is a worn out cliché for good reason. Outside of a Comedy Central roast, I can’t imagine anyone on cable today getting away with the utterly hilarious rants Joe Bob rolled out weekly. The following clip speaks for itself. Enjoy.
Note to hardcore Joe Bob Briggs purists: Hold off on the hate mail. I intend to do follow up posts on Joe Bob Briggs – Monstervision, and Joe Bob Briggs – The Written Works.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 was quite possibly the lynchpin which united the myriad factions of retro culture during the 1990s. While every hotrodder, garage punk, surf guitarist, rockabilly chick, swing-dancer, trekkie and monster movie aficionado I ever met loved MST3K, so did pretty much everyone else with a functional sense of humor and a triple-digit IQ. Case in point, back in 1994 I remember listening to a professor introduce himself on the first day of a 500-level microbiology class at THEE Ohio State University by stating, “I seem to have forgotten the syllabi. Well, we’re off to a very auspicious beginning.” After an awkward pause, he finally thought of something interesting to say, “OK, show of hands, who watches Mystery Science Theater 3000? I steal most of my jokes from that show.” Remember, this took place in a time when cable was still largely considered second rate programming, and Comedy Central was a relatively obscure upstart network. MST3K was far more popular than it had any right to be.
So much has been written about MST3K over the years, but for any reader unfamiliar with the premise, here’s a brief synopsis. In the not too distant future, the malevolent Dr. Clayton Forrester and his lackey, TV’s Frank, launch Joel Robinson, a janitor at the Gizmonic Institute, into space and force him to watch horrible B-movies as some sort of sadistic experiment. Trapped on board the ship, nicknamed the “Satellite of Love”, Joel builds several sentient robot friends. Two of these, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, watched the B-movies with Joel, whilst making jokes, wise-cracks, one-liners, witty zingers and non sequiturs at the expense of the films. The viewer could see their silhouettes in the lower right hand corner of the screen, as though you were seated right behind them in a movie theatre. This was the concept of the horror host carried through to its logical point of absurdity. It was both hilarious and wonderful.
There were also numerous skits between film segments with Joel and the robots trading barbs with Dr. Forrester and TV’s Frank. The invention exchange was a recurring gag, in which each side presented some ridiculous contraption they’d hastily assembled before the show. My all-time favorite was the “Fridge Udder”, which consisted of a cow patterned refrigerator where the ice and water dispensers were altered with milk-dispensing teats. Hearing Crow T. Robot repeatedly say “teat” on television before being injured whilst “fridge tipping” is the stuff dreams are made of. At the risk of going off on a tangent, inappropriate language was screened much more vigorously in the 90s than it is today. Back then, you couldn’t call someone a “dick” on basic cable, but somehow Crow and Tom Servo always got away with calling each other “dick weed”. It may have been misinterpreted as a benign botanical term akin to “pussy willow”, yet, I digress.
After one season on KTMA in Minneapolis, Minnesota, MST3K ran for seven seasons on Comedy Central from 1989 through 1996. For many members of Generation X, this was our first exposure to the cinematic genius of Ed Wood, Roger Corman, and the gargantuan terrapin awesomosity that is Gamera. It’s astounding to think about, but in the era famous for Terminator 2 (1991), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), and Independence Day (1996), millions of youths were tuning in religiously to see the likes of
Any way you slice it, that’s an awful lot of black and white golden age science fiction that most of us never would have seen otherwise.
In addition to the guys-in-rubber-monster-suits genre, MST3K screened a plethora of exploitation films, introducing extinct youth subcultures such as beatniks, greasers, and clean-cut outlaw bikers to a whole new audience.
The outdated attitudes, posturing and slang of the characters in these movies seemed comical enough in and of itself. Adding Joel and the robots’ commentary to the mix often resulted in laughter to the point of tears and incapacity.
A recurring theme of 1990s retro was initiation through ironic distance, followed by genuine affection. Moreover, many of those who initially watched MST3K to mock and laugh at old B-movies, and the passé values of the times they reflected, ended up actually liking vintage sci-fi and exploitation films. Liking them non-ironically, mind you. Mystery Science Theater 3000 was a gateway drug, which often lead to the enjoyment of Elvis movies, dabbling in obscure Japanese daikaiju, scouring eBay for bootlegged DVDs of Invasion of The Saucermen (1957), and finally metastasizing into a full-blown addiction to Turner Classic Movies.
Note to hardcore MST3K purists: Hold off on the hate mail. I intend to do follow up posts on MST3K – The Mike Years, and MST3K: The Movie.
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702 Graphics was created to fill a gap in the Las Vegas large format printing industry. Our mission is simple: Provide quality products, on time, at a reasonable cost. We specialize in vehicle graphics and retail visual merchandising. Services include fleet graphics, custom vehicle wraps, wall murals and banners. We’re here to help create products that will support your current marketing and branding strategies.
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cTrader Neptune Forex Trading Robots
This is a collection of Forex trading robots which uses is a black-box fully automated system. You are provided with a full set of adjustable parameters for optimisation. When you purchase the full collection you get a massive discount.
Save Money If You Purchase All of the Robots Together
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If you buy all of them together on this product page the total cost is £99.99.00 - Saving £80.00
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Why not watch the video tutorial on how to do this?
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Duration: 5 minutes
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Why not watch the video tutorial on how to do this?
The video has been uploaded to 1080p High Quality, so do not forget to set your U-Tube video quality to 1080p HD.
Duration: 5 minutes
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Save Money If You Purchase All of the Robots Together
If you buy the robots individually the total cost is 9 x £24.99 = £180.00
If you buy all of them together on this product page the total cost is £99.99.00 - Saving £80.00
If You Have Already Purchased One Or More Robots?
If you have already purchased one or more robots and now you want all 9 of them, just let us know and we will send you a discount voucher for the amount you already paid so you can use this to purchase the complete collection of trading robots.
Example calculation:
Customer purchases 1 robot @ £19.99
They are very happy with the results and want to purchase the other 8 robots
Try on Your Demo Account First
We do not recommend that you run these robots on a live account until you have run them on a demo account first.
You should never use any new robots on a live account without testing them first.
How to Backtest The Robots?
Why not watch the video tutorial on how to do this?
The video has been uploaded to 1080p High Quality, so do not forget to set your U-Tube video quality to 1080p HD.
Duration: 5 minutes
How to Optimise The Robots?
Why not watch the video tutorial on how to do this?
The video has been uploaded to 1080p High Quality, so do not forget to set your U-Tube video quality to 1080p HD.
Duration: 5 minutes
Risk Warning
High-RiskInvestment Warning: Trading foreign exchange and/or contracts for difference on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. ... You should be aware of all the risks associated when you trade with these robots. Please test these robots on a demo account before attempting to run them on a live account, we accept no responsibility for any financial losses.
"NO ONE CAN PREDICT THE MARKETS CONSISTENTLY. ITS ALL ABOUT ODDS, STATISTICS, PROBABILITIES AND AVOIDING THE RISK OF RUIN."
Henri Simoes - Trading Legend
Problems Installing or Using The Software?
If you have any problems installing this product or if you find any bugs, just click on the link below and we will investigate.
This Neptune AUDUSD Forex trading system is a black-box fully automated system where the logic of how it works is hidden and if you like trading the Australian dollar and U.S. dollar then this is a perfect place to start. You are provided with a full set of adjustable parameters for optimisation. This robot uses custom indicators which are also provided when you purchase this single robot, these are included when you download the robot. ** Contact us for a free trial
This Neptune CADJPY Forex trading system is a black-box fully automated system where the logic of how it works is hidden and if you like trading the Canadian Dollar and the Japanese Yen then this is a perfect place to start. You are provided with a full set of adjustable parameters for optimisation. This robot uses black-box indicators which are also provided when you purchase this single robot, these are included when you download the robot.
This Neptune GBPUSD Forex trading system is a black-box fully automated system where the logic of how it works is hidden, if you like trading the Pound and the US Dollar then this is a perfect place to start.* Contact us for a free trial
This Neptune USDCHF Forex trading system is a black-box fully automated system where the logic of how it works is hidden, if you like trading the US Dollar and Swiss Franc then this is a perfect place to start, you are provided with a full set of adjustable parameters for optimisation. * Contact us for a free trial
This Neptune USDJPY Forex trading system is a black-box fully automated system where the logic of how it works is hidden and if you like trading the U.S. Dollar and the Japanese Yen then this is a perfect place to start. * Contact us for a free trial
This Neptune EURGBP trading system is is a black-box fully automated system where the logic of how it works is hidden. You are provided with a full set of adjustable parameters for optimisation. This robot uses custom indicators which are also provided when you purchase this single robot, these are included when you download the robot.
This Neptune EURJPY Forex trading system is a black-box fully automated system where the logic of how it works is hidden if you like trading the Euro and the Japanese Yen then this is a perfect place to start. * Contact us for a free trial
This Neptune EURUSD trading system is is a black-box fully automated system where the logic of how it works is hidden. You are provided with a full set of adjustable parameters for optimisation. This robot uses custom indicators which are also provided when you purchase this single robot, these are included when you download the robot.** Contact us for a free trial
This Neptune GBPCHF Forex trading system is a black-box fully automated system where the logic of how it works is hidden and if you like trading the Swiss Franc then this is a perfect place to start. You are provided with a full set of adjustable parameters for optimisation.
£19.99
New Products
This ultimate trading tool combination includes the best selling Risk & Reward and the Support & Resistance Zone Alert Tool, together you can manually create the perfect trade setups while reducing your exposure to risk. With these tools, you can now win big and lose small.
The new Long & Short pending order and position drawing tool for cTrader is finally here, this highly demanded feature lets you estimate your risk & reward at a glance before you place a long or short trade. It shows the Profit & Loss (PnL) and estimates risk and closing account balance when the price reaches your profit target or stop loss levels. Now with extra features which allow you to calculate your risk for stop and limit pending orders as well as submit and manage the orders using the tool. <b>cTrader V3.3 and above</b>
The Dark Matter Second Based Candlesticks is an indicator that allows you to construct candlesticks for any number of seconds based on cTrader’s t1 timeframe.<b> * Works with cTrader v3.3 and above *</b>
We offer a parameter optimisation service for any of the Neptune trading robots to find the best parameter settings for the robot symbol name, having the best configuration will give you the highest profit and lowest risk. <br/>
<b>** Single Symbol Only **</b>
DISCLAIMER
ClickAlgo strives to conduct business based on the customer's needs in a profitable and sustainable manner and to deliver a product that corresponds to a customer's desired specifications. The customer, however, is also responsible for using the product which ClickAlgo developed on his or her behalf. The customer is also responsible for the testing the product and is the sole decider for how to use the product at his or her own risk. ClickAlgo is not responsible for any possible losses caused by use of the product (including loss of profit, third-party claims, etc.)
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Fitur MX Player Pro Terbaru
HARDWARE ACCELERATION – Hardware acceleration could be related to even more videos with the assistance of brand-new H/W decoder.
MULTI-CORE DECODING – MX Player is the initial Android video player which supports multi-core decoding. Driving test result verified that dual-core gadget’s performance is up to 70 % much better than single-core gadgets.
PINCH TO ZOOM – Focus as well as out easily by squeezing and also swiping across screen.
SUBTITLE SCROLL – Subtitles could be scrolled to move back and also forth much faster.
KIDS SECURE – Keep your children captivated without having to fret that they can make telephone calls or touch various other applications. (plugin called for).
What’s New MX Player Pro v1.7.32 Apk
Supports Android 5.0.
Included Sight menu on the media list screen for the variety of view method, sorting order, present fields.
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Baby Tamia adoptions arrests illegal drugs Utah custody case
Adoption swamp grows murkier with drug charges
Mary Mitchell
The Chicago Sun-Times
The story of Baby Tamia, an African-American child whose mother gave her up for adoption in Utah, gets sadder by the day. First, the mother, Carmen McDonald, suffers a mental breakdown after leaving her 3-month-old baby in Utah with A Cherished Child Adoption Agency Inc. in December. Then, her mother, Maria McDonald, has to put her life on hold to look after her daughter, as well as wage a legal battle for the return of her grandmother.
Now we are being told that Tamia's adoptive parents were arrested in Utah last week -- on the same day the McDonalds were at a court hearing in Chicago -- and charged with possession of narcotics that included marijuana and cocaine.
Rather than in a loving home with loving parents, Tamia has apparently been in the hands of alleged drug dealers. She has been in the custody of child protection services in Utah, the equivalent of Illinois' Department of Children and Family Services, since last Thursday. On Monday, the Utah attorney general's office would not confirm Tamia's whereabouts.
But the attorneys for the McDonalds said they were summoned to Judge Michael Murphy's office Monday afternoon and advised of a letter the court received from the Utah attorney general's office. That letter informed the judge that the agency is investigating the adoptive parents for possible abuse and neglect.
"After the arrest, the baby was taken into immediate custody by the state," Robert Fioretti told me on Monday. "This is the nightmare that we all feared."
Many of us have been lulled into thinking that a child who is born to a unstable single mother is automatically better off being adopted by a married couple. The couple's smiling faces peer out from classified ads and we convince ourselves that a child's life will be worth more in their care than in the unsteady hands of a young single woman.
And in most instances, we are right. But not all placements have a happy ending, especially when a private or state agency fails to adequately screen adoptive parents.
More like baby trafficking
When 4-year-old Rilya Wilson disappeared from a Florida foster home three years ago, her disappearance turned the Florida child welfare system upside down. Geralyn Graham, one of the child's foster parents claimed Rilya was taken by a state worker and was never returned.
But not one state worker noticed her missing for months.
After three years, prosecutors in Florida have charged Graham with kidnapping and aggravated assault in connection with Rilya's disappearance. Florida's child welfare agency did a background check on Graham, but didn't discover her long criminal past or that she had been diagnosed as psychotic.
Due to the state's failure, Rilya, who was born to a young cocaine addict, went from one miserable life to another.
The only blessing is that the child's death forced Florida to take steps to fix its broken Department of Children and Families.
Baby Tamia's life thus far has also been traumatic.
But her placement with a questionable Utah couple gives us a glimpse of the dark side of a process that looks more like baby trafficking than it does adoption.
Shedding light
Luring young, desperate black women to Utah with a plane ticket and a hotel room so their babies can be placed with waiting families regardless of their background is simply wrong. Worst yet, that A Cherished Child apparently turned Tamia over to a couple who is suspected of abuse and neglect is chilling.
Adoption should be about adults showing compassion for abandoned children.
Instead, adoption has become a dirty business that's just a rung above baby-selling. I can't be the only one who finds it obscene that the fees at a lot of adoption agencies charge according to the color of the baby's skin. Babies who have two white parents cost the most and those who have two black ones cost the least.
How do we justify that practice in a land where everyone is supposed to be created equal?
I'm afraid to even think about what happened to some of the black babies who were adopted in Utah when they went from curly-headed infants to nappy-headed boys and girls? And how many of these children were passed off to families as biracial when both parents are actually black? Or were later rejected by their adoptive parents?
Hopefully, Tamia's plight will help shed some light on these repugnant practices and force us to consider the scandal adoption has become.
"It's scary," is how Tamia's grandmother put it.
"I just thought about all of the other kids that A Cherished Child has taken out there," Maria McDonald said. "Where are those kids now. If we were not involved with the courts, we wouldn't know what is going on."
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Dotted SwissA sheer, lightweight, fabric embellished with small dot
motifs. The dots may vary in color and can be applied in many
different ways.
Originated in Saint Gallen, Switzerland about 1750. Used for baby
clothes, wedding apparel, curtains etc.
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Skeet Shooting
Shoot the clay pigeons or skeets as they are released from different machines stationed around the field. Shoot down as many as you can. The percentage you will need to hit starts at ten and goes up by ten for every level. Good luck!
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Supreme Court keeps investor suits narrow
Vendors, accountants, lawyers, and others who conduct business with a corporation that engages in securities fraud cannot be sued for damages by outraged investors when they merely aided or abetted in the fraud.
Instead, in a 5-to-3 decision announced on Tuesday, the US Supreme Court ruled that investors must focus their legal efforts on the offending corporation itself and its officers.
In adopting a narrow reading of the securities laws governing class-action lawsuits, the high court has made it harder for investors to hold a wide spectrum of business players legally responsible for unlawful business practices at publicly traded companies.
The decision comes in a case called Stoneridge Investment Partners v. Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola. It marks a significant setback for investors, including those seeking to recover losses in the massive Enron scandal. It's also a setback for corporate watchdogs who were hoping the justices would adopt a broad enough reading of the securities laws to put all business associates on notice that they could be held accountable for involvement in business fraud.
The decision marks a victory for various business groups that had argued that broad liability in securities-fraud cases could unleash a flood of class-action litigation that would hurt the US economy and American competitiveness.
In the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy writes that US securities laws authorize investor class-action suits only when the investors have relied on false or deceptive statements from a business official who has a duty under securities laws to disclose accurate information to the investing public.
The suing investors in the Stoneridge case had purchased stock in Charter Communications, a cable TV company. After settling their suit against Charter, the investors then sued two of Charter's vendors, Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola for their alleged involvement in helping cover up an ongoing fraud at Charter.
In disallowing the second suit against Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola, the high court declared the two companies were too remote from any investor deception at Charter to trigger legal liability for the vendors.
"It was Charter, not [Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola] that misled its auditor and filed fraudulent financial statements," Justice Kennedy writes. "Nothing [the vendors] did made it necessary or inevitable for Charter to record the transactions as it did."
In a dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens accused the majority justices of waging a continuing campaign to render "toothless" regulations authorizing private investors to sue to remedy corporate wrongdoing.
He said the ongoing fraud at Charter Communications could not have been kept secret from its auditor and investors were it not for the deceptive actions of Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola. Because they used deceptive methods in their dealings with Charter, they should also be legally liable to investors, Justice Stevens writes.
The case stems from a financial scandal at St. Louis-based Charter Communications. In August 2000, executives at the company realized they were more than $15 million short of projected cash flow for the year. If stock analysts discovered the company's weak performance, their share price might have suffered. The executives needed an infusion of cash.
Company officials devised a plan to artificially boost Charter's bottom line. They set up a system in which they overpaid two of their suppliers for television cable boxes. They paid $20 per box above the usual price – generating $17 million in overpayments. The suppliers – Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola – then agreed to pay $17 million to Charter to purchase advertising from Charter.
In effect, Charter was giving the suppliers free advertising but booking the recycled $17 million as new revenue.
To help throw Charter's auditors off the trail, Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola backdated phony contracts and were asked to send letters to Charter justifying the $20 extra charge per box, according to a federal indictment. One of the suppliers sent false invoices, the indictment says.
The moves inflated Charter's bottom line and prevented a stock plunge, but only temporarily. When Charter's true financial situation was revealed (amid other questionable activities), the company's stock fell from $26 per share in 2000 to 76 cents per share by 2002.
A shareholder suit against Charter's top executives was settled out of court. The shareholders then sued Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola for their alleged role in the fraud.
But that suit – the subject of Tuesday's Supreme Court decision – was dismissed by a federal judge and the Eighth US Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.
Both lower courts ruled that such civil lawsuits by shareholders could be pursued against the primary perpetrators of the fraud at Charter, but that Motorola and Scientific-Atlanta were not involved deeply enough in the fraud.
The courts cited a 1994 Supreme Court case, Central Bank v. First Interstate Bank, that ruled that those who merely aid and abet a fraud can not be sued by shareholders. Instead, investors may only request enforcement action by state or federal prosecutors or by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
"Secondary actors are subject to criminal penalties and civil enforcement by the SEC," Kennedy writes. "The enforcement power is not toothless."
Kennedy justified the narrow reading of the securities law by saying that when Congress last amended the law, it declined to include specific authorization for investor suits against vendors and other secondary actors.
"The determination of who can seek a remedy has significant consequences for the reach of federal power," Kennedy writes. "The decision to extend the cause of action is for Congress, not for us."
Stevens counters in his dissent that "the court is simply wrong when it states that Congress did not impliedly authorize this private cause of action when it first enacted the statute."
He adds, "Congress enacted [the securities regulations] with the understanding that federal courts respected the principle that every wrong would have a remedy."
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Premarin Vaginal Cream is clinically proven to relieve moderate to severe painful intercourse caused by menopausal changes. It works by delivering estrogens directly to the source of the pain, which helps rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable.
Important Safety Information and Indications
Using estrogen-alone may increase your chance of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are using Premarin (conjugated estrogens) Vaginal Cream. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb). Your healthcare provider should check any unusual vaginal bleeding to find out the cause.
Do not use estrogens, with or without progestins, to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, strokes or dementia (decline in brain function).
Using estrogen-alone may increase your chances of getting strokes or blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, or blood clots.
Using estrogens, with or without progestins, may increase your chance of getting dementia, based on a study of women 65 years of age or older.
Estrogens should be used at the lowest dose possible, only for as long as needed. You and your healthcare provider should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment.
Premarin (conjugated estrogens) Vaginal Cream should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding, have or had cancer, had a stroke or heart attack, have or had blood clots or liver problems, have a bleeding disorder, are allergic to any of its ingredients, or think you may be pregnant.
Estrogens increase the risk of gallbladder disease. Discontinue estrogen if loss of vision, pancreatitis, or liver problems occur. If you take thyroid medication, consult your healthcare provider, as use of estrogens may change the amount needed.
Common side effects include headache, pelvic pain, breast pain, vaginal bleeding and vaginitis.
Indications
Premarin (conjugated estrogens) Vaginal Cream is used after menopause to treat menopausal changes in and around the vagina and to treat moderate to severe painful intercourse caused by these changes.
Patients should always ask their doctors for medical advice about adverse events.
You may report an adverse event related to Pfizer products by calling 1-800-438-1985 (U.S. only). If you prefer, you may contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) directly. The FDA has established a reporting service known as MedWatch where healthcare professionals and consumers can report serious problems they suspect may be associated with the drugs and medical devices they prescribe, dispense, or use. Visit MedWatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Important Safety Information and Indications
Using estrogen-alone may increase your chance of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are using Premarin (conjugated estrogens) Vaginal Cream. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb). Your healthcare provider should check any unusual vaginal bleeding to find out the cause.
Do not use estrogens, with or without progestins, to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, strokes or dementia (decline in brain function).
Using estrogen-alone may increase your chances of getting strokes or blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, or blood clots.
Using estrogens, with or without progestins, may increase your chance of getting dementia, based on a study of women 65 years of age or older.
Estrogens should be used at the lowest dose possible, only for as long as needed. You and your healthcare provider should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment.
Premarin (conjugated estrogens) Vaginal Cream should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding, have or had cancer, had a stroke or heart attack, have or had blood clots or liver problems, have a bleeding disorder, are allergic to any of its ingredients, or think you may be pregnant.
Estrogens increase the risk of gallbladder disease. Discontinue estrogen if loss of vision, pancreatitis, or liver problems occur. If you take thyroid medication, consult your healthcare provider, as use of estrogens may change the amount needed.
Common side effects include headache, pelvic pain, breast pain, vaginal bleeding and vaginitis.
Indications
Premarin (conjugated estrogens) Vaginal Cream is used after menopause to treat menopausal changes in and around the vagina and to treat moderate to severe painful intercourse caused by these changes.
Patients should always ask their doctors for medical advice about adverse events.
You may report an adverse event related to Pfizer products by calling 1-800-438-1985 (U.S. only). If you prefer, you may contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) directly. The FDA has established a reporting service known as MedWatch where healthcare professionals and consumers can report serious problems they suspect may be associated with the drugs and medical devices they prescribe, dispense, or use. Visit MedWatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
*The Card is not health insurance. The Card will be accepted only at participating pharmacies. No membership fees. Eligible insured patients will pay as little as $15 with a savings of up to $150 per prescription fill. Medicaid, Medicare, or other federal or state program patients are not eligible for promotion. Limit 2 offers per calendar year. Click here for full Terms and Conditions. For any questions, please call 1-866-879-4600.
The health information contained herein is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace discussions with a healthcare provider. All decisions regarding patient care must be made with a healthcare provider, considering the unique characteristics of the patient.
The product information and the Nurse Chat service provided on this site are intended only for residents of the United States. The products discussed herein may have different product labeling in different countries. The Nurse Chat is serviced by third-party entities, not Pfizer employees. Pfizer is not collecting or storing personal information from any individuals.
Terms and Conditions
By participating in the PREMARIN® (conjugated estrogens) Vaginal Cream Pay As Little As $15 Co-pay Card program, you acknowledge that you currently meet the eligibility criteria and will comply with the terms and conditions described below:
The Card is not valid for prescriptions that are eligible to be reimbursed, in whole or in part, by Medicaid, Medicare, or other federal or state healthcare programs including any state prescription drug assistance programs and the Government Health Insurance Plan available in Puerto Rico (formerly known as "La Reforma de Salud")
The Card is not valid for prescriptions that are eligible to be reimbursed by private insurance plans or other health or pharmacy benefit programs, which reimburse you for the entire cost of your prescription drugs
Insureds must be 18 or older
You must deduct the savings received under this program from any reimbursement request submitted to your insurance plan, either directly by you or on your behalf
Eligible patients will pay as little as $15 with a savings of up to $150 per prescription fill. Limit 2 offers per calendar year. Maximum savings of $300 per calendar year. After you have reached the limit of $300, you will pay monthly out-of-pocket costs
The Card will be accepted only at participating pharmacies
The Card is not health insurance
No membership fees
This offer is good only in the U.S. and Puerto Rico
The Card is limited to one per person during this offering period and is not transferable
Pfizer reserves the right to rescind, revoke, or amend this offer without notice at any time
Offer cannot be combined with any other rebate/coupon, free trial, or similar offer for the specified prescription
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A Chinese warship powers through the swell as it approaches Sydney Harbour. China says it will resolutely oppose any military provocation in its territorial waters, remarks which appeared to be ... more 
A Chinese warship powers through the swell as it approaches Sydney Harbour. China says it will resolutely oppose any military provocation in its territorial waters, remarks which appeared to be directed at the United States, Vietnam and the Philippines less 
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Vietnam to allow firms to make military uniforms for other countries
Vietnamese apparel businesses will be permitted to bid for outsourcing contracts to supply uniforms to military forces of other countries, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Local firms had sought permission to make, supply and export uniforms for foreign military forces, and Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has given them the nod, the ministry said in a document sent to its national defense and public security counterparts.
The trade ministry is soliciting advice from these counterparts to issue a joint circular on what requirements firms should meet to be allowed to sign military uniform manufacturing contracts with foreign customers.
It is expected that Vietnamese businesses will have to submit an application to the trade ministry if they want to bid for such contracts, according to the document.
The ministry will then seek consent from its national defense and public security counterparts using the information included in the application of the apparel firms, before granting them a license.
The customs agency will need such a license to allow businesses to import the product samples and materials, and will strictly oversee the use of the materials until the export stage, the trade ministry elaborated.
The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) once complained that local businesses have lost contracts worth billions of U.S. dollars to foreign competitors just because they are not allowed to take army uniform orders from other countries.
Vietnam currently bans civil entities from importing and exporting uniforms and equipment used by military forces, according to a Ministry of National Defense directive.
Such prohibition has prevented many Vietnamese firms from receiving outsourcing orders from international customers.
In 2014, May Hoa Binh JSC, a VITAS member, got an order to produce uniforms for the police unit in the Australian state of Tasmania.
According to the contract proposal, the Australian side would supply sample products and all necessary materials for the Vietnamese firm.
But the shipment of the samples and materials was rejected by customs officers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, who cited the defense ministry’s directive as saying they are banned products, according to Bao Dat Viet newspaper.
The Australian partner thus had to look to another country to find the supplier.
Hoa Binh Co. is not the only ‘victim’ of what the VITAS has repeatedly criticized as ‘unreasonable regulations’ by the defense ministry.
Vietnamese apparel businesses have received many army uniform making orders from Australia, Italia, Romania, and even the U.S., but none of them were able to grab the chance, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Bao Cong Thuong newspaper.
“While other countries do not mind having their military uniforms manufactured overseas, why should we reject such a business opportunity?” the newspaper quoted VITAS deputy chairwoman Dang Phuong Dung as wondering.
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timeEdition – manage your project hours
timeEdition – time tracking made easy
Time tracking made easy
With timeEdition you can see detailed documentation of your working hours. Be it for a billing of a client, or tracking the efficiency of a project. timeEdition is now available for Android and will be soon for the iPhone.
The concept of timeEdition
timeEdition puts great emphasis on ease of use. The user first sees only the functions that are needed for daily time tracking: Start and Stop recording of work time, work time elapsed, customer, project and task.
Time is money
You don't give away your time or your money. With timeEdition you have the perfect tool to track your work time and your colleagues work time. You can track the work outlay of your project and give your clients a detailed bill.
You don't give away your time or your money. With Time Edition you have the perfect tool to track your work time and your colleagues work time.
Available at Google Play
When will timeEdition be available for the iPhone?
The iOS version of timeEdition is coming soon. We are working hard to release timeEdition for iOS as soon as possible. If you wish to be informed of when timeEdition for iOS will be published, please enter your email address here.
Time tracking in 4 easy steps
1
Customer
Before you can start a record with timeEdition, you have to create a customer. You can color code each customer, contact details and notes.
2
Project
Create a new project. Every project is assigned to a particular customer. You can define a deadline and enter the expected time for each project.
3
Activities
Define an activity. Activities are services like programming, design, text editing which you offer to your customers.
4
Tasks
A task describes a specific part of a project. The use of tasks is optional. They help you to keep track of large projects.
You can color code each client enabling you to quickly identify which client you are looking at.
Notes For All Records
At any time you can record a note for a particular task that is being recorded. This can be useful for informing clients of any changes in the project.
Color Coded Time Tracking
You can color code each client enabling you to quickly identify which client you are looking at.
Manual Record
You can add a record after the fact if you forgot to start timeEdition when your work was being done.
Export Records
You can export your records for use in other applications.
Deadline Reminders
Don't ever forget a work appointment. Let timeEdition remind you of you work appointments and deadlines.
Timer In Landscape View
In landscape view timeEdition shows a big timer. All other settings are hidden, and you only see the time of the current job.
timeEdition Customers
Gianni
Developer
Rebecca
Designer
William
Craftsman
Gianni
Developer
21.337
hours recorded
Rebecca
Designer
166
projects completed
William
Craftsman
406
tasks fulfilled
Customer Quotes
"timeEdition helps me to organize my work processes and gives me a perfect overview of the relevant time."
Florian Zimmermann
"Through the export option into my Google calendar I have all my upcoming deadlines in mind."
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Los Angeles Riots Remembered
Ten years ago, Los Angeles was shaken by racial riots. More than 50 people were killed and hundreds of buildings were damaged or destroyed. From the corner where the trouble began, there was a note of harmony Monday and some expressions of anger.
Much has changed in South-Central Los Angeles in the 10 years since the riots. The disturbances were sparked by the acquittal of four white police officers who had beaten a black motorist - Rodney King. Angry people gathered on street corners, expressing frustration.
At the corner of Florence and Normandie Avenues, in the heart of South-Central Los Angeles, a group of men pulled a white driver from his truck and savagely beat him. The man, named Reginald Denny, survived because four black residents defied the crowd and drove him to a hospital for treatment.
But as anger over the verdict spread throughout the city, crowds set fire to many businesses. Liquor stores and shops owned by Korean Americans were targeted because the immigrants owned many businesses in the central city, and were often the focus of resentment.
This year, the intersection where the trouble began was peaceful as three violinists - one black, one Korean, and one Hispanic - lit a symbolic "candle of unity" and gave a brief performance of classical music.
Musician Chan Ho Yun helped organize the streetside performance, as well as a concert Monday evening featuring 500 local children. The theme of the events was "peace, love and harmony," and the music he chose to express the theme was Pachelbel's Canon.
"The beauty of it," he said, "is that each voice speaks simultaneously with other voices. And that is my hope for the whole of Los Angeles. We have various cultures living separately, but we should live in harmony, just like what Pachelbel wrote in the Canon for Three Violins."
Over the past 10 years, community groups have worked to attract private investment to this neighborhood, with impressive results. There are now new plazas and restaurants and few of the tenement slums that mar other big cities.
But unemployment here is still double the national average. Poverty rates are just as high and many young unemployed black men get in trouble with the law.
A handful of protesters were on hand to say not enough has changed in South-Central Los Angeles, especially in the neighborhood near Florence and Normandie. One man lifted his shirt to show scars he said were inflicted by police in a beating.
Another community activist, Muhammad Mubarak, says there are not enough high-paying jobs here. "A a lot of people are still mad because of the infrastructure of the community hasn't changed. A lot of cosmetics have changed, but that's just cosmetics. New shopping centers, new apartment buildings, but you've got a lot of guys that are coming out of the penitentiary who ain't got no hope. And have no future. Now, these are the kind of scenarios that we've got to work on to help the people of the community."
Loretta Jones, a community health worker, says the issues today are not racial but economic. She says many in this neighborhood still lack health insurance and suffer from other problems. "The lack of insurance for children down here, the poor housing, the absentee landlords. Those things haven't changed," she said. "And until that happens, you're going to have a lot of angry people."
Urban analyst Joel Kotkin agrees that problems remain in the central city but says much has improved in Los Angeles, which today shows few of the scars inflicted by the riots. Mr. Kotkin is a researcher at Pepperdine University. He said, "What's really interesting is that about 80 percent of what was destroyed has been rebuilt. And no other American city has had that kind of rebuilding after riots. If you go to Detroit, you go to Washington DC, places where there were riots 30 or 40 years ago, there are still empty lots. So I think there's been a lot of progress made, and certainly the city's much less racially polarized than it was 10 years ago."
Mark Ridley-Thomas represents this neighborhood on the Los Angeles city council. He said economic opportunities are improving as outside businesses see the neighborhood's potential. "There's a huge market here with extensive buying power and once retailers locate here, they find that to be true," he said.
Population expert Bill Frey of the Milken Institute notes the ethnic makeup of central Los Angeles has changed with an influx of immigrants from Mexico and other parts of Latin America. The new arrivals are now the dominant group in many neighborhoods, as older residents move to the suburbs and outlying cities. "More people move in," he said, "they stay a while and they move out. They move to the [San Fernando] Valley, they move to Orange County, they move to Riverside and even to Las Vegas because we still have this increasing stream of people coming into Los Angeles. It's a popular part of the country to live in and work in. People are willing to take long commutes to be able to stay here."
Analyst Joel Kotkin adds that many inner city neighborhoods are becoming more livable, as once run-down parts of the city become revitalized.
President Bush met with community leaders in South-Central Los Angeles Monday, nearly 10 years after his father, the former President Bush, came to meet with community leaders after the riots. The president said that lawlessness always hurts the poor but out of the incredible destruction came new hope.
Much remains to be done in the section of Los Angeles where the unrest began. The organizers of the street performance say their concert for "peace, love and harmony" expresses a hope for the future as much as it celebrates the improvements of the last 10 years.
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Mean Green Super Strength was launched in 1990 in Spartanburg, SC. Throughout the ‘90s Mean Green grew and expanded through the South Eastern part of the United States, growing through distribution in retailers and associated line extensions.
Today, Mean Green is known as a national and international, superior all-purpose cleaner for the toughest jobs around your house, your garage or your work. The iconic "Super Strength" formula is made with a unique blend of detergents and solvents that form a powerful heavy duty cleaner and degreaser. Lab tests prove it beats nearly every other cleaner on nearly every stain. And because it’s biodegradable, non-toxic and contains no acid, ammonia, or bleach, you can feel safe using it just about anywhere, inside and out.
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Grizzlies come alive in second half
ASHLAND — The third-ranked Ashland Grizzlies didn't get the dominating performance they were looking for against Willamette. Maybe a conference championship will help take the sting away.
By Joe Zavala
ASHLAND — The third-ranked Ashland Grizzlies didn't get the dominating performance they were looking for against Willamette. Maybe a conference championship will help take the sting away.
Ashland used a big-play defense and methodical offense to outscore Willamette 20-0 in the second half en route to a 34-20 homecoming comeback win Friday, clinching no worse than a tie for the Midwestern League championship in front of a packed house at Walter A. Phillips Field.
The upset-minded Wolverines (2-6, 1-5 MWL) jumped out to a 14-0 lead midway through the opening quarter and led 20-14 at the half, but Ashland fought back to reclaim the lead for good on Danial White's 11-yard touchdown pass to Shashi Penn on third-and-goal from the Willamette 11 with 3:17 to go in the third quarter.
Ashland (8-0, 5-0) marched 85 yards to tack on an insurance touchdown with 5:40 left in the game — Ryne Robitz capped it with a 3-yard run — and an interception by Carter Glick less than two minutes later all but sealed the Grizzlies' first Midwestern title since they joined the league in 2011 and first league title since the Grizzlies won the two-team Southern Oregon Hybrid 5A in 2010.
Ashland coach Charlie Hall said his halftime speech was simple: "Stay calm and don't panic. Last time we were down against Marist at halftime and we came out and made some adjustments and played pretty well. This is a little different though. There's a lot of distractions with homecoming. It's one of the hardest games for us to prepare for, especially against a good opponent."
Springfield beat Marist 41-21 Friday to remain one game behind Ashland in the MWL standings with one week to go in the regular season. Ashland travels to face Eagle Point (4-3, 2-2) next Friday, while Springfield (6-2, 4-1) is at Churchill (2-4, 2-2).
White completed 15 of 26 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 38 yards and two more scores, while senior defensive lineman Tyree Heesacker was a terror on the other side of the ball with five sacks, including three in a row in the first quarter as the Wolverines were looking to add to their early 14-0 lead. Robitz rushed for 95 yards and Sebastian Warren led the Grizzlies with 61 yards receiving, including a 49-yard bomb that set up Ashland's last touchdown.
Junior quarterback Kosey Mitchell completed 20 of 32 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns for Willamette, which gained 332 yards but shot itself in the foot by committing 10 penalties for 76 yards and turning the ball over three times.
Willamette receiver Darius Jackson had five catches for 111 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown grab that gave the Wolverines a 14-0 lead with 6:49 to go in the opening quarter. That came four minutes after Willamette capped its opening drive with a 21-yard flee-flicker from Mitchell to Cam Ferguson, who won a jump ball against two Grizzlies in the corner of the end zone.
"Jackson's a good player, and really if one guy is a mismatch out there in a football game and you can't cover him, it's a big mismatch," Hall said. "You give them credit. They found some things that they could work on and attacked us and we gotta go back and work on some things."
Willamette fumbled the ball away on its opening drive of the second half and the Grizzlies took advantage, scoring on White's 8-yard keeper six plays later to tie the game.
Willamette went three-and-out on its next possession, and Ashland kept its momentum going with a 62-yard, 10-play drive capped by Penn's acrobatic leap into the end zone.
"We just took advantage of what they gave us," Willamette coach Adam Kennybrew said. "We executed at a high level, our kids were extremely excited and motivated to come down and show what we're capable of doing. I think that that's what happened.
"The turning point was when we came out for two offensive series (in the third quarter) and we didn't take advantage of it from an offensive standpoint. When that happened, they took advantage of it, they were able to score, we did not score and that kind of shifted the momentum. When you have a team that's already a championship-caliber team, you need to take advantage of every opportunity."
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Perch Device Charger LP100
The best way to avoid forgetting a phone charger in a hotel room isn't a sticky note; it's a little birdie. Out later this year, the Perch is a two-prong outlet that serves as an interface between the charger and the wall socket. Unplug the phone and the little box chirps, literally. Not checking out yet? Press reset to delay the next reminder.
Steven Leckart
EDITOR'S REMARKS
These days, most of us travel with a bag full of gadgets, each of which requires its own proprietary charger. When we plug these chargers into outlets behind the bed, in the bathroom, and under the desk of our hotel rooms, it's far too easy to leave one behind.Read more
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Tag: Private
Normally, some things need to shipped by environment descends from several factors. For example, our company is considering services and products with very perishable which is wrecked whilst in transportation if you ship by water; and/or non-perishable items because its urgency needs they should be sent by atmosphere to have where these are generally needed promptly. To be a garment producer for example, you could receive an order for Christmas garments in July, maintaining manufacturing and then realize when distribution is nigh you cannot have the ability to have the clothes completed and sent by water before the xmas deadline. In case, you really need to claim that some solutions or any some ideas about delivering the clothes later on would not have fun, simply because the order ended up being specifically for Christmas time. Typically, the garments would have been sent by water, but because of its urgency of this situation, the warranty can be great if you use of a private air charter for cargo freight.
In amount after that, there’s two types of situations where use of personal atmosphere charter for cargo freight could be considered rational. 1st would-be where services and products you have for delivery are those of a nature which makes atmosphere cargo mandatory. Within domain are things like horticultural services and products including medications. Keep them in freight for almost any long time frame, and you will ensure that you should have absolutely nothing functional when you eventually buy them in which they are required. The 2nd scenario would be where, as formerly explained, you have products which would usually be sent by ocean, but where due to some ‘exceptional conditions’ you need to ship all of them by air.
Issue which arises at this juncture can be to why use private environment charter: the reason why, for example, perhaps not utilize the many cargo air companies being additionally functioning.
The solution to the next concern would rest appear when an calculation shows that shipment by exclusive atmosphere charter is less expensive than cargo by those cargo airlines. You will find many circumstances in which this is a chance – particularly where we are looking at relatively huge amounts of cargo that have to be shipped for reasonably short-distance cargo. Cargo by plane from big cargo freight airlines is reasonable for reasonably tiny deliveries over big distances. But also for large quantities of cargo, needed for cargo over small distances, the cargo airline option cannot make plenty of sense.
There was another circumstance where use of the exclusive atmosphere charter could make a lot of good sense. This is how, despite calculations showing that you are better off using a cargo flight’s plane, you find that you just aren’t able to find space on any scheduled cargo aircraft (since they tend to-be scheduled really ahead of time). In times such as this, in place of lose-out entirely, you could choose use private air charter to transport the cargo at issue.
For more information on environment charter and exclusive jet charter be sure to visit our website http://www.squidoo.com/air-charter-guide
With many companies supplying charter private jet services, how can you understand which to select and which one may be the one available? Maybe you have never even considered chartering a private jet because you believed these were too costly or not readily available.
Although you may think that the commercial air companies are adequate whenever taking a trip but there are a few great reasons why you should give consideration to an exclusive jet charter. One great reason is you don’t need to wait in line whenever chartering an exclusive jet. Gone will be the hassles of being jammed into a seat in a narrow line with barely room enough to move. You do not have to wait in line when it comes to restroom and you are clearly supplied more activity options on a private jet aswell. In addition, you can fly right to your destination without those extremely annoying layovers that power one to move your baggage from one airplane to a different. This alone gets rid of stress and helps you save lots of time, a few things you can expect to undoubtedly appreciate, especially if you tend to be a frequent tourist.
You have a few choices when it comes to making use of an exclusive charter jet. You might have a partial ownership of a site, wherein you possess a percentage associated with jet associated with service with other people. You-all would share the price as well as the solution. This could very well be worth the expenditures to ensure you arrive on time to your locations.
You’ll be able to think about joining a journey card service. a flight card is a pre-paid card that allows that buy a certain few routes or flight hours. They’ve been pay-as-you-go, much like a pre-paid phone card. This is certainly extremely convenient for company along with pleasure trips.
Chartering a private jet is another choice. You just spend hourly and for just that which you utilize. The exclusive jets do have more usage of more airports when compared with commercial planes. This really is outstanding service when preparing those last-minute trips as you possibly can frequently get in touch with a reservation just a couple hours from when you intend to depart.
Private jet chartering has become more common, more affordable and it’s also designed to make air travel convenient and comfortable.
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JIRA Agile importing from .csv
I am attempting to upload a .csv onto JIRA. Each row on the excel sheet is ment to be an Issue on JIRA. When I import the list, the majority go through but some get an error. The specific part that is not importing correctly is my subject from excel should be imported as the "summary" portion of an Issue. the issue type number that I get for each of these is 10003. What does this number mean? If I knew this I could figure out the error and attempt to fix it and continue a succesful upload.
I didn't find any Issue ID's with numbers like the 10003 I am looking for. I'm not so sure that what I am looking for is in the Admin page. I'm looking for what the 10003 means on my import error so I can fix it.
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If you spend enough time as a Jira admin - whether you are managing a single, mid-sized instance, a large enterprise one or juggling multiple instances at once - you will eventually find yourself in ...
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Captain Marvel - The Quantum Mod
Inspired by the Marvel Films Infinity War and Captain Marvel, which was not released and little spoilered at the beginning of my work.
The idea was to get the case a suit-like look, which worked well with synthetic leather.Because the theme of the build itself lies somewhat inbetween Avengers Infinity War, Captain Marvel and Avengers Endgame my theory was, that it has something to do with the Quantum Realm (Introduced in Ant Man).
So i decided to place a LCD Screen behind the tempered glass of the MC500P.The LCD needs a bright background to work. But i did not want to go for a full white build, so i chose silver instead.
Inside the case i tried to get as much reflective as it can get. For that i took the Backlight of the former LCD Monitor and created a RGB-PSU-Shroud (Coolermaster has them too) and one Panel to close holes in the back of the case.
The case itself was way to big for the H370M-ITX i got sponsored by AsRock, so i decided to mount my Palit GTX 1060 vertically.The all black GPU did not work very well with the LCD Sidepanel, so i had the choice to paint it or to try something totally different: Build my own GPU Cover!So that's what i did, i printed out a Cover and gave it a look inspired by the suits we will hopefully see in Avengers Endgame: The Quantum Suit.
To grab up on Avengers Infinity War i decided to build a remote as you can see there are no buttons on the case. For that i picked up my old Sony Xperia Z3 repaired the display and created a pager like in the post credit scene of Infinity War. (sadly it looks like the battery is now broken too).
Sure the work is not done yet, but because Captain Marvel is now released, i can show my work too (not much posted anywhere on purpose).
My timeframe to finish it completely was and will be inbetween 08.03.2019 and 26.04.2019 (Avengers Endgame Release) because it's based on both.
I really hope you like it, even tho it is not 100% finished yet (mostly work on details and inside the case).
note: the remote/pager/phone is still not anywhere being finished, battery was broken and i just got a new one (why continue if the phone might be broken)
And of course i am glad i had Coolermaster and AsRock help me realizing this idea.
About Us
Builds.gg is an online community for PC builders from across the globe. Created by some of the world's most prolific PC builders, builds.gg connects people with a common passion for everything PC and PC technology related.
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2015 profile release!
We simply cannot hold our breath any longer, dear festival audience! We MUST share the 2015 festival profile with you!
Av Gøran Karlsvik
5. aug 2015
It's an understatement to claim that there are many thoughts behind this year's festival profile, it being both a tribute to Films From the South's grand movie past and also a pointer towards our future as a festival.
This is our 25th annual festival. The focus will always be on films, but the profile also reflects the numerous potential effects that the film medium has. These expressions are located at the intersection between entertainment and freedom of speech, as well as a burning political and social engagement. A bit like Films from the South, that is. Full circle in a quarter century!
This year's profile also represents the duality in how the Films from the South Foundation has expanded the cinema market, and how our films broaden the horizon of the individual cinema attendant. Here are some figures to illustrate our point: In total we've purchased nearly 50 films for national cinema and television distribution. The festival's film committee also constitute a large proportion of the 4-5 % of Sørfilm shown in Norwegian cinemas during the year. And how many films we have shown in total during our (soon to be) 25 years of existence? About 2000. That's a lot of film. Consumption is a key word in regards to this year's profile, for you and for us. How we consume film – food for the soul!
But how was this wondrous eyecandy created, really? Fortunately, we have a very talented visual guru – Eiliv Gunleiksrud. He's creative and digital design director at Saatchi & Saatchi Norway, and has for many years been the Films from the South Foundation's profile artist, both for Films from the South and Arab Film Days. As the crazy design-scientist he is, Eiliv finds inspiration in both surrealism and pop art, with a (literally) red thread tied to our previous festival profiles. The composer of the profile's electronic score is Ingar Hunskaar. It sounds hypnotic, weird and dreamlike – a perfect fit for us.
Eiliv tells us a bit about the process behind the profile. «This year's profile for Films from the South celebrates 25 years of expression and impression – exclamation and digestion. Red is still the color and surrealism is still an important part of the expression. This year we have also travelled some new roads in expression and technique, beyond mere illustration, that we hope will make you even more hungry for this year's programme.»
Eiliv has made it a habit to work closely with the team in Film from the South, consisting of Artistic Director Lasse Skagen and Marketing and Communications Director Ida Johannessen. So which thoughts do the festival's inner circle have on the profile design?
Ida has more than a few ideas about it. «A natural symbol representing the concept around consumption is the mouth. Herein lies the element to devour visual expression – chew on it and spit it out if it doesn't taste well, or in the opposite case – taste it and let it shape your interpretation of the world around you. The logical conclusion lies in how the movie experience becomes part of you, one that occasionally shapes you afterwards.»«The mouth is a representation of all the films we have «vomited» onto Oslo's many big screens throughout 24 years», says Artistic Director Lasse Skagen. «It's also a weapon in the fight for freedom of speech for the majority of our directors. Their medium happens to be a cinematic one, and we want the profile to represent this. The film language replaces a verbal language in their case, and forms a symbiotic relationship between the political and the psychological. The profile also has many hidden references to previous festival films, and with this – our role in Oslo and Norway's cinema market.»Ida concludes with «I feel that some of my best film experiences have crystallized and partly become part of my DNA. That's what movies can do and those are the experiences that makes me love my job. I hope this is clearly visible through this year's profile.»
The end result is an iconic and playful expression with room for many interpretations! We look forward to studying the profile's many details as we bring it along with us into our 25th year as a festival.
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Tag Archives: biggest crabs
Golden Gate Bridge from the Ft Baker Pier (dungie being returned to the ocean)
YES IM GOING WITH THE SAME JOKE AGAIN
This is going to be a compilation post of the last two crabbing trips I went on. Both times we went out to the Fort Baker Pier to do some (successful!) crabbing. I fell behind on blogging again, so…its what ya’ll are getting.
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Renew Wedding
Armin & Christa with there 4 family’s members come to Khao Lak ,Thailand on July 2016 and held a renew wedding ceremony on the beach to celebrate more than 10 year’s wedding.I come to meet Armin & Christa one day in advance to know each other at Luxury Resort and Spa The Sarojin.and do engagment photo shoot for the couple around resort and the beach before sunset.Fortunately, the weather is very bright and beautiful with blue sky without rain .
Around 6.30pm we moved to some waterfall in the big forest in Khao Lak area which is Armin & Christa choose a banquet dinner for a family member.Dinner set up area are decorated with thousand candles .Wowwww ,Say every one on there first look.
The image can be viewed by below and full wedding photos follow this link .Armin & Christa’s wedding album.
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Cosmetic Dad
While I won’t outright admit it, I think it can be proven that I will do nearly anything for our 16-year-old daughter. It helps that we have good children, but sometimes I have to question just how far I will go to please my baby girl. The other week, my wife took our daughter to dance practice. Immediately following that, she would have to cheer at her school’s home-coming basketball game.
Because of the time squeeze, they were unable to pick up a main staple of performance cheerleading. That staple being false eyelashes, I was summoned and tasked with buying a pair before I picked them up to go to the game. I was given specific instructions, “Dad, they have to be the brand called Red Cherry and it has to be style No. 1. Only Longs carries them.”
Easy enough, or so I thought.
The first store I went to is where I discovered they were on sale. I also found out that it carried at least 100 different styles. It was all sold out of style No. 1. I called my daughter, and she insisted it had to be that one. I went to two other Longs and they, too, were out of Red Cherry No. 1. I decided to try one more store. As I approached the eyelash section, there was a crowd of teenage girls standing right in front of the display.
As I said, the eyelashes were on sale, so there must have been a run on these things. So, the six girls formed an impenetrable wall in front of the false eyelashes. I got close enough to see that the store had a bunch of No. 1′s.
The girls couldn’t seem to decide which style they wanted, and several times they put their fingers on the No. 1, and I held my breath. I couldn’t take the chance of leaving empty-handed, so I excused myself, reached over them and took all the No. 1′s. Just then, a cosmetics clerk asked if any of us needed help. One of the girls said, “Yes this man just took all the No. 1′s.”
I think the clerk decided to have some fun with me when she asked, “So you like the Red Cherry No. 1′s, huh?”
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May 2012 – Week 1
Welcome back to Points of Impact, where we read comics so you can write comics! And happy Free Comic Book Day! Don’t forget to visit your local comic retailer to see what goodies he has to offer on this fine and special day!
Anyway, you know the drill:
The BULLSEYE! section presents something that really wowed me. That’s usually when a writer does something unique among his peers.
The HIT! section picks up on a cool trick that gets used pretty often – mostly because it works – but of which I’ve found a prime example.
The MISS… section however isn’t about praising a good shot but – as you guessed it – pointing out where a writer stumbled so you don’t put your feet in the same hole.
Also, for the love of all the Kirby dots out there in deep space, go read your comics before reading this column! It’s extremely spoilermatic!
NEW! Following the suggestion of a reader, I’m now going to list the whole creative team for all three main books. Editors, I’m sorry to drag you into this if one of your books ended up a MISS!
BULLSEYE!
Script: Raffaele IencoArt: Raffaele IencoInks: Raffaele IencoColors: Raffaele IencoLetters: Raffaele Ienco (I suppose…)
Cover: Raffaele “Raff” Ienco (I can see his name right next to her hip.)Editor: No one credited. Raffaele Ienco again? Maybe? I dunno…
Comics are mostly a third-person affair. Sure, we get to follow the main character around and often enough, we get to read his or her thoughts in all of those pretty floating boxes, but we essentially continue to see the world through the objective eyes of the writer. Apart from very notable exceptions (Mark Waid’s present run on DAREDEVIL comes to mind), what we see is the cold hard reality of “what is there” and nothing more.
In his first issue of EPIC KILL, Raffaele Ienco takes us through the looking glass, into the world as his heroine, Song, sees it. Straight on page 2, we’re hit with a bizarre vision: a shark floating down a corridor.
Since we’re in a comic – a medium where the wildest premises are often accepted from the get-go – and that we’re just on the second page of a first issue – we don’t know if flying predatory fish are possible in this setting – we’re led to accept that this occurrence is par for the course in EPIC KILL. After all, we don’t see anyone else panicking about the man-eater, don’t we?
It soon becomes clear however that the shark was nowhere to be seen but in Song’s mind when she corrects herself.
A man who means Song some harm apparently. A man who was silently stalking her, stealthily slipping into her familiar world. Much like a shark in fact. It’s important to note that Song’s vision reveals the menace for what it essentially is, giving it a visual interpretation that fits with the nature of the threat. This further drives the point home that this way of seeing things is intrinsically personal to the character. What we see is the way Song perceives the man, not how he appears to the rest of the cast.
More importantly, notice that Song’s vision is shared with the reader. Her interpretation isn’t conveyed by the mean of words (“That man is a shark to me”), but by way of images: we see the shark ourselves even though it’s objectively not there for the rest of the characters present in that scene. It should be noted however that the use of this device is further justified by the fact that Song is apparently fooled herself at first by these visions. She doesn’t see the shark and immediately “translate” it as a man meaning her harm. Instead she first sees a shark – as do we – and then she understands the meaning of the vision. It’s only then that she sees the man as the others see him, thus letting us switch back to “normal view”.
The same device is put to use later in the comic when armed men are sent after her. Even though we’re first aware of their very mundane nature…
…they reveal themselves as quite an unusual sight for Song when she first sees them:
Like in the case of the shark before, predators take the place of dangerous men: men intent on killing her become wolves in samurai getups – essentially a pack of heavily-armed hunters. The vision is also dispelled in the same manner: once Song has assessed the threat in a way that reveals its inner essence, she can see the men for what they appear instead of what they are, and then share that viewpoint with us.
What do you need to pull this off? Find what the object of the vision represents for your viewing character. Translate that into an image that is easily interpretable by your reader. For example, predatory animals like sharks and wolves carry clear enough connotations to be instantly taken as shorthand for concepts like “danger”, “menace” or “hunter”. Finally, don’t forget to revert to the standard objective viewpoint! Failure to do so might result in your reader taking your vision for the absolute truth, thus thinking that your world is actually populated by flying sharks and cosplaying wolves! How would he then tell the difference between visions and “reality”?
Ultimately, this device has the effect of thrusting us right into the mind of a character by replacing the usual objective viewpoint by the character’s alternate viewpoint. This provides us with additional information about the character, information that could have otherwise been given through dialogue or thought captions. As such, it essentially replaces text.
In that sense, it’s one of the best and most original ways of showing instead of telling.
Lesson Learned
Thought captions are a great way to get into a character’s head but try and shake things up! A good way to do this is to switch from the usual objective viewpoint to an alternate subjective viewpoint. To do this, instead of showing things as they would normally appear, show them as what they represent for the character, using easily recognizable images to convey the concepts. Don’t forget to switch back though or your reader will think you’re setting your story in a fantasy world!
HIT!
The text-only first page in Nate Cosby and Ben McCool’s PIGS #7
Script: Nate Cosby and Ben McCoolArt: Breno Tamura and Will SlineyInks: Breno Tamura and Will SlineyColors: Chris SotomayorLetters: Rus Wooton
Cover: Humberto Ramos and Edgar DelgadoEditor: No one credited again. (Is there a detail I’m missing about a specific policy Image has related to editing?)
I like pretty pictures.
I think we all do otherwise we wouldn’t be reading comics! In fact, comics are such an intrinsically visual medium that it often gets a bad reputation as children literature or easy reading for the feeble-minded. Indeed, I’m sure most of us have been chided at some point in our childhood for reading comics instead of “real books”. How little did these people know that images are as much a part of language as writing! After all, aren’t letters nothing more than pictograms – images carrying a meaning – that being the very definition of a comic panel?
After having girded our loins time and again in the defense of images as literature, it’s strange to come across a comic like Nate Cosby and Ben McCool’s PIGS #7 that actually forgoes the use of them – at least for one page only! But can we fault something that works? Let’s have a look, shall we?
Right after the behind-the-cover recap page, we’re greeted by a black featureless void save for some green lines of text (in a font that looks suspiciously like a distant cousin of Comic Sans):
As you can see, all we have are dialogue lines associated with character names and sound effects. No art, no panels, no captions. It is literally a transcript (like it says on the tin) of the scene. Every visual cue has been stripped away and we’re forced to rely on elements that would – in the real world – only be heard.
Of course, since this is only text, we can’t actually hear antyhing. That’s why we’re given interpretations of the voices and sounds, as if provided by a dutifully precise government surveillance operator. This is what replaces the characters in the panels. We don’t get any sounds effects either; these are replaced by descriptions of what the sound is believed to be. Finally, since we don’t have any panels, the flow of the text itself is what measures time, with one pause duly noted in length to signify a silent panel. In fact, the only thing that doesn’t have a textual equivalent is any sort of inner monologue or caption. To be honest, these weren’t really prevalent in the series to start with.
So, if EPIC KILL #1 replaced text with images, PIGS #7 does the opposite: it replaces images with text.
What does this achieve? Essentially, it postpones the revelation of what the team’s plan is, namely: crashing through the wall of the prison with school buses.
It would have been very difficult to set up the same revelation by showing the characters in their respective buses. Indeed, the whole shock and awe of the following spread relies upon the reader having no idea how the characters are supposed to break into the prison. Heck, that was the whole point of the cliffhanger at the end of issue 6, a suspense that was cruelly extended by a delay of the release date.
In order to make it work for yourself, you need to isolate the audible aspect of a scene, mostly spoken dialogue and sound effects. It’s then a simple matter of representing these elements in a way coherent with the framing device you’ve chosen. Here, Cosby and McCool used a satellite-intercepted radio transcription. Other possibilities you can explore include a court transcript, a 911 call recording or simply plunging your scene in the dark.
It should also be noted that this should preferably be used just before a page-turn since its purpose is to make sure you get the biggest bang for your buck with your big reveal. Using this on an even-numbered page (on the left side of the spread) defeats that purpose. I would also strongly advise moderation: too many text-only pages used for trivial reasons will not only cheapen the effect but you’ll also cheat your readers out of some awesome art.
You did get an awesome artist, didn’t you?
Lesson Learned
Can’t set up a big reveal without spoiling the surprise on the previous page? Then forgo the use of images! Just be sure that the audio half of the scene is still properly conveyed so that your story doesn’t suffer. A word of caution: don’t overdo this: people buy comics for the art too! Keep this trick in reserve for when you really don’t have a choice in hiding the visual part of the setup and only if the following revelation has enough punch and shock to be worth the frustration of essentially blinding your reader.
What’s the purpose of dialogue in comics? Any writer worth his salt will tell you dialogue is used to reveal character – by letting the personalities shine through interactions or particular inflections – and to move the plot forward – by providing information about important plot points.
And apparently if you’re Tony Daniel, it’s also for dumping tons of exposition into your story.
DETECTIVE COMICS #9, a comic I only picked up because of the Night of the Owls tie-in, is a frustrating exercise in separating the real dialogue from what the writer wasn’t able to convey properly through the rest of the plot. I kept getting thrown out of the story as I stumbled upon blocks of exposition, sticking out of the dialogue like rocks in a tapioca pudding.
I’ll gloss over Dr. Arkham’s musings upon a couple of his inmates because it feels more like extraneous filling rather than info-dumping. The difference is you can cut out filling and it doesn’t change the story whereas info-dumping is just badly introduced exposition.
Instead, I’ll jump straight to Batman’s appearance. As he crashes in, he blurts out four speech balloons. Since it’s not clearly shown that Batman used freeze grenades, Daniel has to say it in the dialogue. And since it’s never been properly established that Arkham Asylum is filled with secret passageways which the doctor knows about, Batman has then to actually remind him – something the character already patently knows!
Not only do these make no sense in the plausible context of the panel, but they also make the already wordy dialogue seem even more bloated. And honestly, can someone really say all of this in the space of one jump kick?
This is but one example that I wanted to show in detail but there are others such as Two-Face droning on about his relationship with a secondary character followed by a completely unrelated narrative during the chase scene at the end of the back-up story.
My impression is that for the plot to work – no scratch that – for the plot to be basely understandable, the reader must be provided with some background information, information which Daniel is apparently unable to provide organically throughout the story. That’s why we get thrown these thick slabs of exposition at regular intervals. The choice was either to have a nonsensical plot or clumsy dialogue. The latter was seemingly the lesser of the two evils.
In another telling contrast with this week’s BULLSEYE, this is a comic that shows you what happens when you don’t show enough: you tell, you tell, you tell and you tell…
Lesson Learned
Dialogue should be used to either reveal character or forward the plot, not to wedge in exposition that you couldn’t fit elsewhere in the story. Even though exposition is a necessary evil for any work of fiction, in such a space-constrained medium as comics, it becomes even more important to make sure your exposition is an organic part of your narrative, so that’s it’s as unobtrusive as possible. It should be lightly sprinkled upon your story, not slathered on top or wedged into every crack.
Honorable Mentions
Jeff Lemire made a nice reference to the Grant Morrison era in ANIMAL MAN #9.
In BLUE ESTATE #11, Viktor Kalvachev makes a seemingly innocuous detail from several issues ago an important plot point – those dang termites!
David Liss’ THE SPIDER #1 not only had solid pacing that made the non-costumed parts as interesting if not more than the costumed parts, but it also had the best line of the week: “Can I get some take-out?”
Once again, I get the impression that Scott Snyder has read the previous week’s BULLSEYE and applied it this week. In SWAMP THING #9, he uses an apparently insignificant detail from a few issues ago to resolve a sticky situation.
Robert Venditti’s X-O MANOWAR #1 started with an illustrated fact sheet a la NIGHTLY NEWS that helped us better understand the historical context of the comic’s setting.
Dishonorable Mentions
Judd Winnick forgets a character’s name and changes it halfway through BATWING #9.
Another bad note for Tony Daniel’s DETECTIVE COMICS #9: Dr. Arkham visits Black Mask who is tied down in his cell, Talons arrive, Batman joins them, Arkham leaves the cell while Batman continues to fight the Talons and then we see Arkham talking in secret to Black Mask – while Batman is apparently still in the same cell fighting Talons. This whole sequence makes no sense since we can barely make heads or tails of where the action takes place.
G.I. COMBAT was a letdown. J. T. Krul manages to be all setup and no plot in a story that involves the army fighting dinosaurs. In their half of the comics, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti use a first person narrator that is never introduced in the plot and is dropped halfway through.
Paul Levitz’s WORLD’S FINEST #1 had so much “witty” back-and-forth banter between the main characters that he almost forgot to introduce a plot until the end.
Oh and my LCS isn’t getting MIND THE GAP #1 until next week. What gives?!
That wasn’t so bad, was it? Come back next week and we’ll have some more!
* * *
Yannick Morin is a comic writer, editor and vivisector hailing from the frozen reaches of Quebec City. You’ve just caught him with all of his endeavors being drawn by artists right now. You will however soon see his work in IC Geek Publishing’s JOURNEYMEN: A MASTER WORK anthology (spring 2012) as well as in ComixTribe’s OXYMORON anthology (fall 2012). Of course he also has a few other projects on the side but it’s all very hush-hush at this point as you can imagine.
Apart from complaining about running out of time for writing, Yannick also acts as ComixTribe’s Digital Comics Manager, making sure the electronic shelves are well stocked with the Tribe’s offerings.
Yannick Morin is a comic writer, editor and vivisector hailing from the frozen reaches of Quebec City. You’ve just caught him with all of his endeavors being drawn by artists right now. You will however soon see his work in IC Geek Publishing’s JOURNEYMEN: A MASTER WORK anthology (summer 2012) as well as in ComixTribe’s OXYMORON anthology (fall 2012). Of course he also has a few other projects on the side but it’s all very hush-hush at this point as you can imagine. Apart from complaining about running out of time for writing, Yannick also acts as ComixTribe’s Community Relations Manager, making sure the Tribe doesn't erupt into riots on the forum. For more of what spills out of his brain, have a look at his blog Decrypting the Scripting. You can also feed his ravenous ego by following him on Facebook and Twitter (@Moryannick).
It was a very interesting approach to literally showing a character’s inner dialogue, that’s for sure. As for the rest of the comic, I didn’t find it so bad myself, but I wouldn’t put it in my personal top of the week.
It’s circumstances like these that really drive home how Points of Impact isn’t a reviews column – taking the whole comic into account – but rather a craft reference tool for certain techniques and devices. And these can be found in any comic, even the ones we don’t enjoy as much.
Thanks for reading, Zach! I hope to keep on being interesting to you and that you find other things to pique your interest on ComixTribe.com!
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It’s another Tuesday! We’re in the middle of October, and while some parts of the country are only hitting the mid 70’s, we’re projected to hit the 90’s here in sunny Tucson. No hate, please. I’m just the messenger… Related Posts:TPG Week 240: When Dialogue Is The Real FailureTPG Week 239: Another Talent Hunt […]
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We’ve got another Tuesday upon us! The sun is shining once again in Tucson, and the heat won’t hit in the triple digits anymore. [You’re all going to be envious of me in a couple of months, when I’m still talking about 80 degree weather…] We’ve got a short discussion this week. This week’s question: […]
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It’s another Tuesday! Today’s been a gray day outside. The monsoon season has extended itself, and we’ve gotten a lot of rain here. More than usual for this time of year, but I don’t think records have been broken yet. Approached, maybe, but not broken. Oh, well, one has: a hurricane/tropical storm has affected our […]
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Welcome to another Tuesday! We’ve had lots of rain here in southern Arizona—more than usual. Lots of flooding in my area. Not me, though. I’m fine, thanks. But places around me? Difficult to access or egress, because of the flooding. People were even sent home early because of it. So, yeah, lots of rain […]
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Making Your Bathroom Functional And Easy On The Eye
It is important that bathrooms are not only functional but also easy on the eye.
As you spend less time in them than other rooms in your home, you can be a bit braver with color.
If you are designing a bathroom from scratch then it is always better to measure up and make a scaled drawing.
Ensure that the bathroom furniture, as in the toilet, sink and shower are arranged to get the most out of the available space. It is usually better to a crisp white rather than colored as it works better and is more acceptable when re-selling.
In most cases re-decorating a bathroom means making do with the existing furniture although if it is in a very bad state, replacement is not as costly as you might imagine. If you have a small bathroom the use of mirror can create an illusion of space, keeping everything plain will also help.
The nature of a bathroom lends itself to smooth surfaces and it is better to avoid carpet other than a floor mat that can be easily cleaned. For the walls, tiled surfaces are best especially around areas that will get wet.
Getting the right vanity unit is important because they need to provide storage for the various items like towels, toilet paper and personal cleansing products. Spend the time working out exactly what you need and look around for a style that suits. Bespoke could work the best for your own particular needs.
Whatever your design, make sure to include personalized items that inject some of your personality into the space.
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Sponsored links
The first display of a movie in the theater that stood on this site resulted in the greatest disaster known on the island of Limnos. It was September 9 1939 and the former Turkish mosque was changed into a cinema hall. Almost the entire upper class of Myrina was gathered here to witness a unique event on the island: to see the first feature film in their local theater. At that time the films were made of highly flammable pelicule (see the movie “Cinema Paradiso” and “Inglorious Bastards”). The full hall burnt down and 57 people lost their lives (see list in the church). A small chapel was built here on this spot to commemorate the event.
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Added a new Auto assembler command "assert(address, arrayofbyte)" which will make a script fail if the bytes aren't what they should be Añadido un comando Auto nuevo ensamblador "afirmar (dirección, arrayofbyte)", que hará una secuencia de comandos de error si los bytes no son lo que deben
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Jeff Jenkins
The Arrival
oa2 22124
Purchase
MUSIC REVIEW BY Matt Weiman, KJHK, Lawrence, KS
Jeff Jenkins Organization is an organ jazz trio that is influenced by the likes of Jimmy Smith and Grant Green. The Arrival is a great rendition of jazzy originals that truly swing. Jeff Jenkins is very impressive because, with a lineup of Dave Corbus on guitar and Alwyn Robinson on drums, he is in charge of bass and keyboards. This is a very tough skill to master and Jeff Jenkins displays his mastery throughout the album. The Arrival is the group's first album but they can be seen regularly at Dazzle, a Denver jazz club.
The Arrival was recorded, unlike most albums, with a straightforward approach to the music and no overdubs. The group recorded The Arrival live and made an extremely high quality recording of this performance. With jazz, no two shows are alike and if you see them live then you will surely see a different rendition or improvisation over a certain song. This album is an easy listen for those who are interested in jazz and like typical jazz standards. "Braking Bad" and "Happy Together" are two enjoyable tracks in particular but there is not a song on this record you can't enjoy. The Arrival is great to listen to early in the morning on your drive to work or late in the evening when winding down.
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Nubioloa has made an investment to triple production capacity for its Yellow Iron Oxide Nubifer Y-7050.
Nubifer Y-7050 was designed to fulfill the need for high temperature stable, weatherable, yellow pigments for plastics and powder, coil and stoving coatings. Conventional Yellow Iron Oxides withstand 190°C (5 min) while Nubiola's proprietary encapsulation technology makes Nubifer Y-7050 remain stable up to 260°C (5 min), the compay reported. The encapsulation consists of a very thin, effective layer made only out of inorganic compounds; it improves the heat fastness of the pigment by preventing water from being released in the hydrated Iron Oxide form, i.e. goethite (yellow), so that the anhydride Iron Oxide form, i.e. hematite (red), is not generated and the yellow color remains as is.
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Applied Minerals, Inc., a leading global producer of halloysite clay and technical grade iron oxides, hasl launched AMIRON advanced natural iron oxide family of products produced from its domestic wholly-owned Dragon Mine. As part of the initial laun…
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Outfitted…
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These i…
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PodWiki is a collaborative Web-based authoring tool written in Perl which differs from other WikiWiki tools in that it uses Perl POD as its markup language.
PodWiki by Thomas Linden uses Internal Link PerlPod as its markup, which is an established language for documentation in the Perl community and well known world wide. PodWiki enhances POD a little to circumvent some lacking features (such as images or includes).
Beside POD, it also understands a shorthand markup which writes like natural text and is very easy to understand for new users. If they need more features they have to use POD; for simple pages Internal Link WikiShorthand is enough. Internal Link WikiShorthand is the default markup if nothing is defined otherwise.
PodWiki supports includes, graphics, version control (via RCS), diffs, merge-back, user/group authentication and authorization, page property inheritance, variables, attributes and a lot more. The user can use so called "formatters" to insert plain HTML or text content, which is very useful for a stylesheet or example C code. There is also a formatter for Perl code available which makes it possible to create interactive PodWiki pages (note: for security reasons this feature is turned off by default).
The big difference from other Perl WikiEngines is that PodWiki is 100% customizable, since the whole wiki site is driven by the include feature. PodWiki always loads one page ("AutoLoad"), which includes the other stuff, such as the Header, Stylesheet, Menu, the Content-Area, Edit-Bar, Footer and so forth. This allows the user to fully modify PodWiki's look-and-feel.
If you are using Apache with mod_perl you can speed up PodWiki. It's fully mod_perl compliant.
PodWiki supports Internal Link authentication by users and groups. Nevertheless it is possible to work with PodWiki unauthenticated. In this case you will be logged as user anonymous. Pages can be protected for reading and/or writing for either one or more groups or for a single user. If you dont want to be logged as anonymous: Internal Link register.
Beside all those features it is still very easy to install, no need for lots of additional Perl modules or cryptic installation procedures. Just do:
./configure & make install
The configure script understands some parameters which allows tweaking the installation such as destination path or the like.
What's New in This Release:
· This release was relicensed under the BSD license.· The TWiki formatter support has been abandoned, since the module contained GPL code which is no longer compatible with podwiki.
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Batman – The Telltale Series Episode Two: “Children of Arkham” trailer released
We had a chance to play throughBatman – The Telltale Series Episode One: “Realm of Shadows,” and it definitely left us wanting to find out what happens next. In advance of Episode Two: “Children of Arkham,” Telltale Games has released a trailer for the second of five episodes for the series.
Continuing where Episode 1 left off, “Children of Arkham” will be available digitally worldwide starting Tuesday September 20th on PC from the Telltale Online Store, Steam, and other digital distribution services, as well as on the PlayStation 4, and on the Xbox One.
With Gotham City’s first family mired in corruption, and an old friend now a dangerous adversary, the life of the Dark Knight is turned upside down. What was Thomas Wayne entangled in, and why was he killed? Determined to learn the truth about his father, Bruce sets out to question those involved in Gotham’s criminal past. But which mask will he wear – The billionaire, or the bat? Huge decisions will forever change the Batman and the lives of those around him, as he meets the Children of Arkham.
Batman – The Telltale Series is also available to purchase at retailers in North America now as a special Season Pass Disc, which includes the first of five episodes in the season, and will grant access to the subsequent four episodes as they become available for download via online updates. The series will be available to purchase at retailers across Europe on September 16th.
Did you play the first episode of Batman – The Telltale Series? Are you looking forward to Episode 2? Let us know in the comments below, or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
About Techaeris
Techaeris was founded in 2013 by Alex Hernandez and covers a spectrum of information related to technology, gaming, entertainment, science, art, photography and life. The mission of Techaeris is to offer honest reporting, unique stories, news coverage, product information and reviews, as well as social interaction with our readers. We strive to remain objective and open minded about technology and label opinion pieces as such. We’re glad you’ve decided to stop by and have a read. We hope you stay, invite some friends, and come back again and again!
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Students who take more academic courses do significantly better on the SAT, ACT, and Advanced Placement tests.
This is true for all students but appears to be particularly true for African-American and other minority students. According to the latest scores issued by the College Board, which reports the national and state-by-state scores on the Scholastic Achievement Test and Advanced Placement tests, minority students comprise almost a third of all students taking the SAT.
Of all the minority groups, Asian Americans made the most significant gains on the SAT over the past ten years, with an increase of 17 points on both the verbal and math parts of the test. American Indians followed close behind those gains with increases of 12 points on the verbal and 14 points on the math scores. African-American students continued a long trend of increased scores, posting a six-point increase on the verbal part of the test and an 11-point increase on the math part of the test.
Those gains take into account the “recentering” the College Board undertook last year which slightly changed the way the scores are reported. In releasing its improved scores, the College Board pointed to an increase in the number of academic core courses being taken by high school students today in comparison to ten years ago. The College Board reported that 41 percent of students taking the SAT took 20 or more year-long academic courses in high school — the highest level of study ever reported by SAT takers.
Those who reported this much study were 45 percent of the women 44 percent of the Asian-American, white and “other” students; 37 percent of men and non-Mexican Hispanics; 27 percent of African-American students; and 23 percent of Mexican-American students.
The same trend was reported by ACT, the other major standardized test used by college admissions offices to screen students for admission. ACT scores have been going up since 1992, when the national composite score was 20.6 (on a scale from 1 to 36), where it had been for several years. This year the national composite score was 20.9. ACT attributed the higher score to the fact that more students — especially females and minorities are taking higher-level “core” courses, which it defines as English, math, social studies and science.
In a written statement ACT president Richard L. Ferguson said, “The relationship between increases in preparation and higher average scores can readily be seen in the recent performance of Native American students.
Although just over half of them report core preparation, and they have some distance to go to catch up to the majority population, they have increased the size of their core-completing contingent nearly 8 percent since 1992, from 43.4 to 51.1 percent. And that has translated into composite score increases in every one of the last four years. No other ACT-tested group, minority or majority, has made comparable overall gains over this period.
Although African-American students who took the SAT posted gains in averages, those who took the ACT dipped slightly. The ACT attributed that dip to a.1 decline in science reasoning, which it in turn blamed on the fact that a lower than average percentage of African-American students completed science courses through physics.
The College Board also reported that the number of students taking Advanced Placement exams has more than doubled over the past ten years. Some ethnic groups exceeded that by many times. The number of African-American students taking AP exams, for example, more than tripled — and Mexican-American students more than quintupled — over that period of time. Many colleges and universities grant college credit to students who pass the advanced placement exams. Students take advanced placement exams after taking a course which is specifically geared to the exam.
ACT Launches 2018 Policy Platforms ACT has released four new policy platforms geared to promote education and workplace access for students and to align the nation’s education and workforce systems to meet their needs.
At a Tuesday morning “Aligning Our Education and Workforce Syst...
Technology Companies Team Up To Eliminate ‘Summer Melt’ Two innovative technology-based education companies are tackling what education researchers coin “summer melt,” a phenomenon of college-intending students failing to enroll at any institution the fall following their high school graduation.
Signal...
In College Test Prep Industry, Cheaper Options Available WASHINGTON — Is there a price that a worried parent wouldn’t pay to help a child do well on college admissions tests? The good news is that test preparation doesn’t have to be expensive anymore.
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The College Board tells The Associated Press it’s reducing the nu...
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Crosswalk.com aims to offer the most compelling biblically-based content to Christians on their walk with Jesus. Crosswalk.com is your online destination for all areas of Christian Living – faith, family, fun, and community. Each category is further divided into areas important to you and your Christian faith including Bible study, daily devotions, marriage, parenting, movie reviews, music, news, and more.
Love Worth Finding - October 27
2013Oct 27
COMMENTS
October 27
Like a Thief in the Night
“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:2
There was a man who went shopping and left his car and house keys in the ignition. When he returned, his car was gone. The next morning he discovered his car in the driveway with a note that said, “I was in an emergency. I’m very sorry. I needed your car. Here are two tickets for the Dallas Cowboys game.”
The man went in and told his wife, “You won’t believe this! There’s our car, and look! We’ve got tickets to a Dallas Cowboys game!” They went to the game, and when they came home, their house had been cleaned out!
Friend, they never expected it, and that’s the point. That’s how the Lord Jesus Christ is going to come – as a thief in the night.
How would you live your life differently today if you knew that Jesus was coming back in 24 hours?
For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org.
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zuhause.de is worth $360,720.00
3.37SEO Rating
zuhause.de has alexa rank of #23,039 in the world, with roughly 41764 daily unique visitors. This website has a Google PageRank of 5/10. It is a domain having .de extension and is hosted in Germany. zuhause.de estimated worth is: $360,720.00 and have a daily income of around $501.00. As no active threats were reported recently, zuhause.de is SAFE to browse.
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Occupy the media: Laurie Penny on the freedom of press
Of all the many outrages, anticipated and unanticipated, that I have seen perpetrated by American police against peaceful protesters and members of the public this week, perhaps the most chilling has been their harassment of journalists on the job.
As law enforcement cracked down on Occupy encampments around the country, a pattern began to emerge whereby officers moved in the small hours of the morning, held members of the press in police "pens" away from the evictions, and arrested them if they stepped out of line.
Supporters of the movement were quick to cry "censorship", and to point to a possible co-ordinated media blackout when the Oakland Mayor, Jean Quan, let slip in an interview that she had discussed how to deal with the protests on a conference call with other city leaders. The issue at stake here, however, is not merely the freedom of the press, but the role of the media in a time of profound cultural and political change.
In all, 26 journalists have been arrested while covering the Occupy movement to date. As New York State senator Eric Adams and attorney Norman Siegel put it in a strongly-worded letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Commissioner Ray Kelly this week:
Whenever a government interferes with the role of the press in reporting the news, questions pertaining to the appropriateness and legality of these actions arise and evoke extreme concern.
Holding the police to account has always been one of the toughest and most crucial roles of the fourth estate, and in New York, the path to honest reporting is particularly thorny, as the only press passes recognised by the New York Police Department are issued by the department itself to individual journalists, who are required to submit their work and attend police interviews in advance.
In Britain, press unions and employers provide accreditation -- but one of the first things I was taught in journalism school was to "be very, very careful what you say about the police. They can and will sue you, and they rarely lose a case."
Across the west, journalists have learned deference to police forces just as they have learned deference to the political establishment -- but over the past year, the objectives of the police and the press have been, for once, decidedly at odds.
Not so long ago, it was easy to tell at any given protest who were the demonstrators and who were the journalists. The latter stood well apart from any action taking place, smartly dressed and coiffed, and they would be the ones with the cameras and recording gear. The people made a noise and the press wrote it up -- or not, deciding between themselves and their editors what did and did not get to be reported as fact.
Now, journalists are just as likely to be young people in casual clothes, running in and out of the crowd, tweeting and blogging from smartphones and broadcasting from handheld recording devices. They look, in other words, just like the protesters.
Many of the members of the press arrested over the past month in America match this description, and a significant number of those harassed are members of small independent outlets, or freelance reporters broadcasting directly to their online followers.
The changing role of the press in an age of digital empowerment and civil unrest has been drawn in bold colours over the course of the Occupy movement around the world.
Not only is much of the best, fastest and most accurate copy and footage being produced by journalists who are not accredited -- and who therefore have to fear for their safety on demonstrations just as much as the protesters who have been pepper sprayed and beaten bloody this week. Many of them are not even journalists in the traditional sense. Increasing numbers are bystanders, interested amateurs, or members of the occupations themselves, shooting footage on phones and pocket cameras, writing up eyewitness reports on Twitter and Facebook.
There's another problem for the authorities: not only do more of the journalists look like protesters, more of the protesters behave like journalists.
You can bar every reporter from the scene of a camp eviction, you can pen them way away from the action and rip off their credentials when they complain, you can arrest every single person with a press pass, and there will still be recording, publishing and broadcast technology beyond any 1990s news editor's most nicotine-addled fantasies right there in the sterile zone.
The most striking thing about what look increasingly like co-ordinated media blackouts around the crackdown on Occupy protests -- staging evictions in the small hours of the morning, closing down transport routes and banning and arresting journalists -- is how roundly they have failed.
We still had images of an elderly woman in Seattle with her face red and streaming after being pepper sprayed by police; we still had video records of students screaming as UC Davis campus police officers tortured them with chemical spray during a peaceful sit-down protest.
The fact that law enforcement agencies were so obviously reluctant for such footage to be collected, even before they moved in, makes the crackdown on Occupy movements look really rather suspicious -- but it also shows that police no longer feel they can rely on a tame press to report their version of events.
The kids don't have to wait any more for traditional news reporters to spin their message for them. A hostile tension has long been maintained between activists and members of what Americans call the "mainstream media" and the British term the "corporate press", who are seen to be fostering stubborn editorial bias under a veneer of "objectivity".
Natasha Lennard, a former freelancer for the New York Times who was arrested during the Brooklyn Bridge kettle on 1 October, wrote in an article for Salon that:
If the mainstream media prides itself on reporting the facts, I have found too many problems with what does or does not get to be a fact -- or what rises to the level of a fact they believe to be worth reporting -- to be part of such a machine ... I want to take responsibility for my voice and the facts that I choose and relay. I want them to instigate change.
More and more journalists, reporters and citizens sane enough not to write for a living are finding themselves facing a choice: do we accept and perpetuate the line handed down to us, or do we take responsibility for our own voice?
Distrust of the police, dissatisfaction with mainstream media bias and dissidents' hunger to control their own messaging is leading to a profound change in the way that protest is covered and reported.
Members of the public can record and upload their own footage without waiting for it to be collected by the mainstream press, and the network moves fast, leaving traditional media outlets rushing to keep up with the story.
The first videos of police violence against demonstrators at Occupy Wall Street in late September were recorded by a bystander and uploaded to YouTube. They went viral, changing the narrative around the fledgling occupation and forcing the mainstream media to respond to the public outcry.
Control of the agenda is no longer in the hands of the police or of the corporate press, and digitally enabled young people are forcing honest, capable journalists to up their game.
Clouds are accumulating over Jupiter. Today marks 100 days in the French presidency of Emmanuel Macron, the cunning “neither left nor right” politician with a grand vision for France who has been compared to the aforementioned king of Roman gods, France’s Sun King Louis XIV, and Napoleon, the last of whom Macron only just loses out to as the youngest French ruler since the Revolution. There’s just one problem with the narrative - the French people don’t seem to agree.
Macron’s approval ratings have plummeted over the summer, to reach an all-time low for any modern-era president's first 100 days of 36 per cent. That’s 10 points lower than his predecessor – and former boss – Francois Hollande, whose nickname right after his election in 2012 was “Flamby”, the French equivalent to a very floppy pudding. It's much lower than Nicolas Sarkozy, to whom Macron has been compared for his relative youth and flamboyant style: at 100 days, “Sarko” was sailing with 66 per cent (though he would fall to 34 per cent during his later “bling” period, never recovering enough for the 2012 election). That's even a point below Donald Trump's own ratings, and the US President is a few steps away from causing the apocalypse.
To find a similarly unpopular French President near the start of his term, you must go back to 1995 and newly-elected Jacques Chirac’s attempt to makes cuts in the sacred French healthcare system, la Sécurité Sociale, which left voters feeling betrayed. He recovered, topping 63 per cent in 1999, but in 2002 was unpopular again and only got re-elected (with an astounding 82 per cent) because he was facing far-right Jean-Marie Le Pen in the runoff. Remind you of anyone? Actually, even that isn't a favourable comparison, as Macron’s victory over Marine Le Pen last May was much less of a landslide, with 65 per cent.
Not all is lost, though. Now 84, Jacques Chirac saw the tide of public opinion turn in in his favour, at least after his presidency. He has been named "most likeable president" by the French people and has become a meme, notably on the viral Tumblr dedicated to photos of his mandates, FuckYeahJacquesChirac.
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Archive for March 17, 2016
Christopher Columbus was not the first explorer to discover North America. Let’s get that important tidbit of information out of the way. There is a lot of debate surrounding the issue of who “discovered” America; and it is a argument to have another day. There is something, however, that can and will be explored today and that is […]
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WHO warns Zika to spread across Americas, spurring vaccine hunt
Zika has not yet been reported in the United States.
A health worker fumigates the Altos del Cerro neighborhood as part of preventive measures against the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases in Soyapango, El Salvador January 21, 2016.
Reuters
Photo:
The mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil, is likely to spread to all countries in the Americas except for Canada and Chile, the World Health Organization said on Monday.
Zika has not yet been reported in the continental United States, although a woman who fell ill with the virus in Brazil later gave birth to a brain-damaged baby in Hawaii.
Brazil's Health Ministry said in November that Zika was linked to a fetal deformation known as microcephaly, in which infants are born with smaller-than-usual brains.
Brazil has reported 3,893 suspected cases of microcephaly, the WHO said last Friday, over 30 times more than in any year since 2010 and equivalent to 1-2 percent of all newborns in the state of Pernambuco, one of the worst-hit areas.
The Zika outbreak comes hard on the heels of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, demonstrating once again how little-understood diseases can rapidly emerge as global threats.
"We've got no drugs and we've got no vaccines. It's a case of deja vu because that's exactly what we were saying with Ebola," Trudie Lang, a professor of global health at the University of Oxford, said on Monday. "It's really important to develop a vaccine as quickly as possible."
Large drugmakers' investment in tropical disease vaccines with uncertain commercial prospects has so far been patchy, prompting health experts to call for a new system of incentives following the Ebola experience.
"We need to have some kind of a plan that makes (companies) feel there is a sustainable solution and not just a one-shot deal over and over again," Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, said last week.
The Sao Paulo-based Butantan Institute is currently leading the research charge on Zika and said last week it planned to develop a vaccine "in record time", although its director warned this was still likely to take three to five years.
RIO CONCERNS
The virus was first found in a monkey in the Zika forest near Lake Victoria, Uganda, in 1947, and has historically occurred in parts of Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. But there is little scientific data on it and it is unclear why it might be causing microcephaly in Brazil.
Laura Rodrigues of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said it was possible the disease could be evolving.
If the epidemic was still going on in August, when Brazil is due to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, then pregnant women should either stay away or be obsessive about covering up against mosquito bites, she said.
The WHO advised pregnant women planning to travel to areas where Zika is circulating to consult a healthcare provider before traveling and on return.
The clinical symptoms of Zika are usually mild and often similar to dengue, a fever which is transmitted by the same Aedes aegypti mosquito, leading to fears that Zika will spread into all parts of the world where dengue is commonplace.
More than one-third of the world’s population lives in areas at risk of dengue infection, in a band stretching through Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Zika's rapid spread, to 21 countries and territories in the Americas since May 2015, is due to the prevalence of Aedes aegypti and a lack of immunity among the population, the WHO said in a statement.
RISK TO GIRLS
Like rubella, which also causes mild symptoms but can lead to birth defects, health experts believe a vaccine is needed to protect girls before they reach child-bearing age.
Evidence about other transmission routes, apart from mosquito bites, is limited.
"Zika has been isolated in human semen, and one case of possible person-to-person sexual transmission has been described. However, more evidence is needed to confirm whether sexual contact is a means of Zika transmission," the WHO said.
While a causal link between Zika and microcephaly has not yet been definitively proven, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the circumstantial evidence was "suggestive and extremely worrisome".
In addition to finding a vaccine and potential drugs to fight Zika, some scientists are also planning to take the fight to the mosquitoes that carry the disease.
Oxitec, the UK subsidiary of U.S. synthetic biology company Intrexon, hopes to deploy a self-limiting genetically modified strain of insects to compete with normal Aedes aegypti.
Oxitec says its proprietary OX513A mosquito succeeded in reducing wild larvae of the Aedes mosquito by 82 percent in an area of Brazil where 25 million of the transgenic insects were released between April and November. Authorities reported a big drop in dengue cases in the area.
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CA Higher Education Sustainability Conference
The California Higher Education Sustainability Conference will be held this week starting on Monday, June 16 at San Diego State University. This year's theme is Creating our Future Today, and is meant to invoke the image of communities coming together to collaboratively create solutions. CWC's very own Susana De Anda will be the conference's Opening Keynote Speaker on Tuesday.
The California Higher Education Sustainability Conference highlights cutting-edge research, as well as case studies with proven successes in curriculum development, operational programs, and community partnerships. This unique event is jointly organized by independent/private colleges, California Community Colleges, California State Universities, and the University of California creating the opportunity for dialogue across institutions.
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CHICAGO — Jason Van Dyke, a white Chicago police officer, was found guilty of second-degree murder on Friday, nearly four years after he shot and killed Laquan McDonald, a black 17-year-old holding a knife.
The violent encounter sparked intense demonstrations across the city after authorities released a video in 2015 showing Van Dyke firing 16 shots into McDonald, which led to a sprawling federal investigation and pushed some top officials out their jobs. The closely watched trial highlighted the fraught relationship between this city’s police force and its residents, particularly people of color, as well as questions about how officers use deadly force.
Van Dyke, 40, also was found guilty on 16 charges of aggravated battery with a firearm, one for each shot fired at McDonald. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for the second-degree murder conviction. Each count of aggravated battery with a firearm carries a sentence of between six and 30 years. The judge can decide to have the sentences served concurrently or in succession.
Van Dyke is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 31 for sentencing.
The officer testified that he feared for his life as he approached McDonald, who was walking erratically down a street on the city’s Southwest Side with a small knife in October 2014. An autopsy found that the teenager had PCP in his system at the time.
Van Dyke’s attorneys said the teenager would be alive if he had dropped the weapon as police instructed. Prosecutors argued that McDonald’s death was not justified and accused Van Dyke of “exaggerating the threat,” noting that he couldn’t have known that McDonald had PCP in his system when he fired.
Aislinn Pulley, a founder of Black Lives Matter in Chicago, called the verdict historic because of the rarity of a police officer being “held accountable for murdering a black person in this city.”
“The beginning of a change is possible,” she said.
After the verdict on Friday, demonstrators took to the streets to celebrate the outcome. Hundreds of marchers shut down North Michigan Avenue from Millennium Park to the Chicago River.
Van Dyke faced a first-degree murder charge, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. But William Calloway, the activist whose lawsuit forced the courts to release dash-cam video of the shooting, said he was not upset by the jury’s decision to convict Van Dyke on the lesser second-degree murder charge.
“Murder suffices,” he said. “Anything less than murder … would not be justice.”
Jurors who spoke to reporters after the verdict said that an acquittal was never on the table. One said that he believed that Van Dyke, an officer on the force for nearly 20 years, should have been aware that there were nonfatal tactics available to subdue McDonald.
“Instead of escalating the situation, he should have de-escalated,” the juror said. Jurors names were not released.
Jeff Neslund, lead attorney for McDonald’s family, said the family is “relieved” by the verdict. He said the teen’s mother, Tina Hunter, plans to speak at the sentencing hearing. She has largely stayed out of the spotlight, declining requests for interviews.
“This will be a time for the mother to express her outrage,” Neslund said. “She’ll be able to pour her heart out to the judge.”
The verdict is the latest fallout from McDonald’s death, a case that dominated the second term of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D). After the footage of the incident was released in November 2015, Emanuel ousted his police superintendent, Garry McCarthy, who later said he was a fall guy and is now running for mayor. Voters then dismissed the prosecutor in the case, who waited a year to charge Van Dyke. The Justice Department launched an investigation, concluding in a scathing report last year that the department uses unreasonable, excessive force and violates residents’ constitutional rights.
A week before Van Dyke’s trial began, Emanuel announced he would not run for a third term.
Van Dyke’s defense attorney, Dan Herbert, said that Friday’s verdict marked “a sad day for law enforcement,” suggesting that police officers will now hesitate to fire their weapons in potentially dangerous situations.
Herbert said he felt the evidence did not support the jury’s determination, but added that he is relieved that Van Dyke was not convicted of first-degree murder.
“He’s standing,” he said of Van Dyke. “He’s a tough man. He knew the stakes. He knew the climate. We knew coming into it, with a Cook County venue in this case [and] with a Cook County jury, there was not a chance.”
Special Prosecutor Joseph McMahon rejected Herbert’s suggestion that the verdict would cause police officers to not take action when threatened because they feared potential litigation.
“That’s not reflective at all of the hundreds of law enforcement officers I know,” McMahon said. “I don’t think the verdict will interfere with that obligation one bit.”
Instead, he hoped it will create “a new chapter in the relationship between the law enforcement and the community.”
Laquan McDonald walks on a road (top from left to right) and is subsequently shot (bottom right) by Officer Jason Van Dyke (not pictured) in Chicago, in this combination of still images taken from a police vehicle dash-camera video shot Oct. 20, 2014. (Chicago Police Department via Reuters)
Outside the courthouse on Friday, Fraternal Order of Police President Kevin Graham blamed the city for making Van Dyke a scapegoat. He suggested that if there were more officers on the street and equipment like Tasers in every vehicle, Van Dyke would not have had to use his gun.
“We believe he acted as a police officer and did the best he could that night,” Graham said. “It’s a shame the equipment and manpower was not there when he needed it.”
McDonald’s death in 2014 — which came just weeks after black teenager Michael Brown was killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo. — did not draw nationwide attention until 13 months later, when the court ordered the release of the graphic police dash-cam video. Authorities had initially said McDonald lunged at police officers, but the footage showed McDonald walking down the middle of Pulaski Road before hitting the ground when he was struck by Van Dyke’s bullets. The police department has recommended firing officers for lying about McDonald’s death, and three current or former officers were indicted last year on charges of conspiring to cover up what happened.
Van Dyke remains an inactive officer on unpaid leave, the department said Friday, pending the Chicago Police Board’s review of the recommendation from Eddie Johnson, the police superintendent, that he be fired.
Tensions surrounding the Van Dyke trial were high. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse every day of the three-week trial. Some high-rise owners in downtown Chicago warned residents of potential violence following the verdict.
The trial has drawn particular scrutiny in part because of how rarely on-duty officers are charged for fatal shootings. Convictions are even less likely to follow, as officers have wide latitude under the law to use deadly force. In recent years, fatal shootings of civilians by police officers in Cincinnati, Milwaukee, North Charleston, S.C., and the Minneapolis area have spurred intense protests and anger, followed by criminal charges. Each case resulted in an acquittal or deadlocked jury.
The verdict in Chicago is among the exceptions — the second time in recent months that a jury has convicted a police officer in a controversial shooting. In August, a Texas jury found former Balch Springs Officer Roy Oliver guilty of murder for the April 2017 shooting of Jordan Edwards, a 15-year-old black boy who was sitting in the passenger seat of a car that was driving away from a house party. Oliver was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
An ongoing Washington Post database found that on-duty police officers fatally shoot just under 1,000 people each year. A Post analysis of on-duty shootings between 2005 and 2015 found 54 police officers who had been charged in connection with such a shooting. Of those officers, 16 were convicted.
In a statement after the verdict, Johnson and Emanuel called for police, officials and residents alike to “continue to hear each other and partner with each other.”
“While the jury has heard the case and reached their conclusion, our collective work is not done,” they said. “The effort to drive lasting reform and build bonds of trust between residents and police must carry on with vigor.”
Since video of the shooting was released in November 2015 — the same day Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder — protesters have marched on downtown Chicago streets to call for policing reforms. They have gathered in front of the mayor’s home, on Lake Shore Drive and on two lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway to call attention to what they charged was a coverup by city hall.
City officials had fought releasing the tape in court; it was made public only after Emanuel won reelection to a second term and after Chicago’s City Council approved a $5 million settlement with the McDonald family.
Last year, the city borrowed $225 million forpolice-related settlements and judgments, bringing the total to $709 million between 2010 and 2017, according to a report by the Action Center on Race and the Economy. The organization estimates that the borrowing will eventually cost Chicago taxpayers more than $1 billion in interest for the life of the bonds.
Berman reported from Washington. Wesley Lowery contributed to this story, which was first published at 3:09 p.m. and has been updated.
Content from Allstate This content is paid for by an advertiser and published by WP BrandStudio. The Washington Post newsroom was not involved in the creation of this content. Learn more about WP BrandStudio.
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POLL RESULTS: Nanotechnology
by John Oberlin | November 4, 2008
Every week I come across a news article on nanotechnology advancements in either healthcare or building. For example, this company called Industrial Nanotech, Inc., is manufacturing a paint-on insulation. And what else are they callingit but "Nansulate." The insulation has an extremely low thermal conductivity and suspends microscopic particles with nanoscale internal architecture in an acrylic resin, which is in turn suspended in water, making a product that appears similar to thick, acrylic-based paint. (Read more here.)
I'm just waiting for that golden story about some nanaotechnology that directly impacts healthcare design and construction. When I do, you'll be the first to know!
Nanotechnology, the science of controlling matter on an atomic and molecular scale, is making its way into both medicine and architecture. How do you view this emerging technology in regards to healthcare design?
Comments:
-I believe that nanotechnology has the potential to change every aspect of our existence. -It could also prove to be harmful as there is still no evidence how safe nanotechnology is and whether or not the nano particles can leach into our environment.
Latest
Posted by Jennifer Kovacs Silvis | February 9, 2018 | Awards + Events
Healthcare Design’s 2018 A/E/C Survey is now open! Share your firm’s business results from 2017 to help inform an in-depth state-of-the industry report that will be published in the April issue of Full Story
Posted by Anne DiNardo, Executive Editor | March 19, 2018 | Acute Care
The 874,000-square-foot facility, which opened in December 2017, marks one of the largest foreign-funded tertiary-level hospitals built in China. Full Story
By Bruce Carpenter | March 15, 2018 | Cancer Care
The Chihuly Sanctuary offers patients and staff a place for inspiration and rejuvenation at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha, Neb. Full Story
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Which carrier provides the fastest Netflix experience?
If you are one of the approximately 33 million Netflix Inc.
/quotes/zigman/87598/quotes/nls/nflxNFLX customers worldwide who use the company’s video-streaming service, there’s probably been a good chance that at some time you have found yourself watching a circle spin around on your screen while you waited for your movie to load.
It can be an excruciating number of seconds, or minutes, as you wait for that next episode of “Dora The Explorer” to show up and stop your kids from screaming bloody murder at you. And according to new data from Netflix, what Internet service provider you use can make a world of difference in how quickly your kids can be placated.
On Monday, Netflix put out its ISP Speed Index, which can be viewed here.
Netflix describes the index as “an easy overview of the performance of ISPs in several of the countries Netflix is available in,” based on data from Netflix customers whom, the company said, “view over 1 billion hours of TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix per month.”
Among the top ISPs for watching Netflix’s offerings are Google Fiber in the U.S., with an average speed of 3.35 megabits per second [Mbps], Sweden’s Ownit and its 2.99 Mbps speed, and in the U.K., the 2.37 Mbps speed from Virgin.
The slowest speed in the Netflix data? That comes from Clearwire, in the U.S., and it rate of 1.25 Mbps.
In a statement, Netflix said that video-delivery performance can be affected by “many factors, including the variety of encodes Netflix uses to deliver the TV shows and movies as well as the variety of devices members use and home network conditions.” Which helps explain how Comcast
/quotes/zigman/89307/quotes/nls/cmcsaCMCSA, the largest cable company in the U.S, and likely the source of most of Netflix’s customers, came in with an average speed of 2.06 Mbps.
Story Conversation
About The Tell
The Tell is MarketWatch’s fast and engaging look at trends and themes in the day’s markets. Drawing on our reporters, analysts and commentators around the world, as well as selecting the best of the rest online, The Tell is all about the pulse of the markets through news, insight and strategic information to help you make the best investing decisions. Got a tip? Tell us at [email protected]
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Oninions & Views
Let Us Listen to the Silence of the Dead
Aleksander I. Solzhenitsyn: The
Gulag Archipelago, Volume Ill, Parts
V-VII; Harper & Row; New York.
by Leo Raditsa
We have to learn we do not know
how to read. This is a good book to start
with. It is hard to read. It has to be read
at its own pace like Nadezhda
Mandelstam's Hope Against Hope or not
at all. You cannot lose yourself in it and
forget. You keep asking yourself ques
tions when you read it-it asks...
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AAEA is an environmental organization founded in 1985 that is dedicated to protecting the environment, enhancing human, animal and plant ecologies, promoting the efficient use of natural resources, increasing African American participation in the environmental movement and promoting ownership of energy infrastructure and resources. We resolve environmental problems through the application of practical environmental solutions.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Alito, Environment & Confirmation
The Left Wing of the mainstream environmental movement opposes the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito for the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, they are manufacturing his environmental views based on imaginative speculations. These are the same groups that have absolutely refused requests to answer our Diversity Survey. Of course, they would not miss this opportunity to join with other partisan, liberal groups, even as they maintain their abysmal record of failing to employ and retain blacks in professional positions. President Bush runs rings around the Left Wing of the mainstream environmental movement in this area.
Judge Alito has received the highest recommendation from the ABA and we believe presidents should be allowed to choose their nominees, and absent some Earth shattering disqualifier, the Senate should confirm the selection. Of course, if the opposition wants to appoint Supreme Court judges, they should take a page out of former President Bill Clinton's 'How To Be A Republican-Lite And Win The Presidency' playbook, and WIN AN ELECTION.
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An Important In-Depth Investigation Into The Walmart Cheer
Did you know Walmart had a cheer? Because it does! Please join us for an important in-depth investigation.
Our interest was piqued when this Walmart cheer started circulating. And by our, I mean my, because I was (confession time!) a high school cheerleader! Surprise! As such, I would like to think of myself as a cheer expert of sorts. I mean, I competed in the Missouri state cheerleading championship, you guys! Okay, so we have many things to discuss. First, here is the video in question:
I was very impressed with this guy Chuck’s spirit! And then I realized there were all sorts of related videos. This is not an isolated incident. Walmart cheering is an official thing! Who knew?! According to the Walmart website, Sam Walton made up the official Walmart cheer, which goes like this:
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San Jose Tortilla Pie Recipe
Because my husband is in the Navy, we've lived in many parts of the country and have had the great opportunity of trying different foods in each region. This is a family favorite served with fried potatoes and fruit.
Nutritional Facts
Directions
Cut each tortilla into eight wedges. Saute a few at a time in hot oil until crisp. Drain on paper towels; sprinkle with salt.
In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in chili powder, oregano and cumin.
In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish, layer half of the tortilla wedges, meat mixture and cheese. Sprinkle chilies evenly over cheese. Top with the remaining meat and cheese. Tuck remaining tortilla wedges, point side up, around the edge of dish.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs, milk and salt. Pour evenly over top. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 25-30 minutes. Garnish with olives if desired.Yield: 10-12 servings.
Originally published as San Jose Tortilla Pie in Cookin' Up Country Breakfasts Cookbook
1994, p22
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Pakistani supermodel is murdered and found dumped in a ditch after being kidnapped as she looked at houses
Fehmina Chaudhry was kidnapped as she looked for property in Islamabad
The body of the Singapore-based supermodel was found in a ditch
A real estate agent has confessed to the murder and is under arrest
The body of a missing Pakistani-born model has been found dumped in a ditch out the outskirts of Islamabad.
Fehmina Chaudhry, 27, based in Singapore, disappeared last Thursday while visiting her home country to buy property, local police said.
Estate agent Maaz Waqar has confessed to the murder of supermodel mother-of-two, originally from Karachi, and is in police custody.
Chaudhry went missing last week, after which her mother received demands for money in return for her daughter.
Islamabad police tracked down Mr Waqar, who admitted to murdering the beauty queen after interrogation.
‘Police arrested the real estate broker and after interrogation, he told officers that he had murdered the model and dumped her body in a stream at the outskirts of the city,’ Islamabad police spokesman Muhammad Naeem said.
Miss Chaudhry’s promoter in Pakistan, Asif Hashmi, confirmed the death of the model, who was married with a son and a daughter.
‘She was a dedicated philanthropist and she was planning to set up a fashion school in Pakistan,’ Hashmi said, adding that she had won several beauty contests.
The officer leading the investigation, Yasir Afridi, said Chaudhry’s mother had contacted her for the last time on the evening of October 10, after which she received a text message saying her daughter had been kidnapped.
‘She used to visit Pakistan often to see her mother and was staying at a private hotel in Islamabad where she came to buy real estate for her mother,’ Yasir said.
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On Media
Ferguson media blur the lines
From our story on how the national media in Ferguson is becoming a part of the story:
The line between news reporting and opinion is blurring in Ferguson, Missouri, as some national journalists inject their perspective and even themselves into the story.
The conduct of a few prominent members of the press on the ground at the site of the police shooting of Michael Brown has drawn the attention of media observers and prompted the wrath of conservatives who see an anti-law enforcement bias in the Fourth Estate.
On Monday night, CNN’s Jake Tapper blasted the authorities’ heavy-handed response to the demonstrations, which he deemed nonsensical. Wesley Lowery, the Washington Post reporter who was arrested last week along with Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post, has called police conduct “militarized” and “aggressive.” Don Lemon, on the air for CNN, even offered personal assistance to the parents of Brown. “If any of you ever need anything, you know how to get in touch with me personally,” he told them during an interview.
“To me that was a line that was very clearly crossed,” said Amy Simons, an Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. “He had gone from being an independent journalist to clearly advocating and making it known which side of this issues he’s on at the moment.”
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Free December Math Problem of the Day Calendar
Looking for a fun and low prep way to review math skills this December? Try the newest Problem of the Day calendar from Math Geek Mama. This simple one page calendar can be used a number of ways and helps kids practice important skills. Included in the download are two different calendars, for grades K-2 and 3-5.
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I am thrilled to write my first Library Newsletter column as the recently appointed University Librarian at UC Santa Cruz. It is truly an honor to lead this organization and to be part of the campus leadership. Thanks to your continued financial support, the Library has been able to remain the intellectual heart of this magnificent campus.
We had a busy year last year and I look forward to the year to come. For this issue of the newsletter I chose the theme of library assessment. I thought you would be interested in how we make decisions about what services to provide, how to improve them, and what is no longer necessary. What inspired this theme is the chapter that a group of UCSC Librarians and I wrote for the book Letting Go of Legacy Services, recently published by ALA Editions. Greg Careaga, Lucia Orlando, Sarah Troy, and former UCSC librarian Nicole Lawson co-wrote this piece to describe and document our process as we went through historic budget cuts and transformative change in the University Library.
We extensively surveyed users and analyzed usage data as we planned to move into the new McHenry Library. As the Associate University Librarian for Public Services at the time, I knew that our services needed to change, given that users were interacting with us differently, our staff was shrinking, and we were moving into a new facility. Technology drove many of the changes and we felt we needed evidence to support our hunches. What we learned in the process is that assessment never ends. We need to continuously check in with our users in various ways to make sure we are meeting their needs and fulfilling our mission.
A recent example of our assessment activity is our participation in the Local Faculty Survey run by Ithaka S+R, our friends that bring us the JSTOR database. We asked questions to learn more about faculty opinions about the role of the library, undergraduate research skills, their data management practices, and open access publishing activity. We are in the process of distilling the results and determining how we will respond to the needs uncovered through this process.
Greg Careaga, Kerry Scott, and Sarah Troy will contribute additional detail about our assessment activities in this newsletter. I hope you find it as interesting as we do! I welcome your feedback and ideas as we continue to evolve in support of the teaching and research mission of UC Santa Cruz.
Please come visit us and see what’s new at the Library! Thank you for your continued support of the UC Santa Cruz Library. All of us at UC Santa Cruz are truly grateful.
Elizabeth Cowell
University Librarian
The value of (y)our library
Greg Careaga, Head of Assessment and Planning
Your University Library exists to serve the research and education missions of the University. We measure how well we do so in myriad ways, most of them unobtrusive. It behooves us—from time to time—to impose on our users a little bit and ask them to give us more structured feedback.
Last year, University Librarian Elizabeth Cowell directed us to conduct the Ithaka S+R Local Faculty Survey so that we might gain a better understanding of how our faculty members perceive the role of the Library in the academic enterprise, how they discover scholarly resources, how they organize and manage their research data, how they make the fruits of their research available to the academic community and the public, and how well their students are mastering their own research skills.
In April, all teaching faculty were invited to participate in the fifteen-minute survey and 299 completed it. We received responses from all academic divisions, in close proportion to the faculty population. Here are just a few of the things we learned:
● Faculty overwhelmingly value the Library for our work to acquire and make available scholarly journals, books, and databases.
● They also highly value our work to organize, maintain, and preserve our collections.
● They recognize that their students must master the ability to discover and critically assess scholarly resources.
● They recognize that the Library has a role in helping students discover and assess scholarly resources.
● Faculty in the Arts and Humanities tend to place a higher value on library collections and services, while faculty in the Physical and Biological Sciences and Baskin School of Engineering tend to place a higher value on library electronic resources.
Concurrent with our local efforts, UL Cowell worked closely with her counterparts at UCLA and UCSD. They also ran the Ithaka S+R Local Faculty Survey in the spring and we look forward to working with them to develop cohort data to put our faculty results in a larger context.
When we ask for feedback, it is incumbent on us to share what we learned with the people who took the trouble to give it to us, and to make good use of the findings. We are still parsing the survey, but the results will inform our collaborations with campus and University stakeholders, and they will help us define our operational priorities for the coming academic year.
Our work to conduct this survey would not have been possible without the good offices of the Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, the Academic Senate Committee on the Library and Scholarly Communication, and the Office of Research Compliance Administration. We appreciate their help and support.
In the coming year, we will conduct the Ithaka S+R Local Student Survey to see how well we are meeting the needs of our largest constituency. We look forward to working again with the Student Union Assembly. They have been a stalwart partner in recent years, helping us with a 2010 photo survey to help furnish and equip the renovated McHenry Library, a 2011 survey to measure student satisfaction with Library facilities and services, and a 2013 survey to measure the value of Library hours and their impact on student success.
How assessment tools shape the work and the collections of the UCSC Libraries
Sarah Troy, Head of User Services & Resource Sharing
Kerry Scott, Head of Research Support Services
For those of us who work in Collection Development and User Services & Resource Sharing, assessment of both the use of our collections and user behaviors has long been a fundamental part of the work we do. We have always tracked Interlibrary Loan activity, circulation, print and electronic journal use, course reserve use, and building use—in short, staying aware of what our patrons are using and when they are in the building has always been a core part of our work. We have used this information to make decisions about staffing, open hours, and purchases. What has changed for us most recently is the specificity with which we can assess usage and user behavior. This is because more of our collection is coming in electronically than ever before.
The advent of e-books has allowed us to determine which titles our users are most interested in and for how long.When a patron checks a print book out, we can’t tell if the book was actually read or was of use to the patron—all we know is that the book left the building. With e-books, we can tell how long anonymized patrons are actively engaging with the book—which speaks to the utility if not the value of a title. This shifts the kind of assessment we are able to do for the monograph collection in fundamental ways that we are just beginning to explore.
Additionally, we have always tracked the number of questions asked at the reference desk and have historically used a set of broadly defined categories because we were more focused on quantitative rather than qualitative measures. This year we bridged the gap by incorporating a system called the Reference Effort Assessment Data (READ) Scale (developed by librarians Bella Karr Gerlich and G. Lynn Berard, co-researchers on a 2007 Mellon Grant funded research study), which categorizes the levels of questions being asked at the service desk and the skills needed to answer them. This assessment tool will enable us to determine, for example, what exactly five questions answered in a one-hour shift means in terms of both the workload and the expertise required. The results of our data gathering will enable us to make meaningful adjustments to our staffing and training plans and ultimately serve our patrons more effectively.
Finally, as we prepare for the Science & Engineering Library renovation and building project, Collection Development and User Services & Resource Sharing are using both the traditional and new assessment methodologies discussed above to make decisions about which collections to keep on site, which collections to store, and how to accommodate changing user needs and expectations. Regular headcounts demonstrate that students highly value the library as a space to work collaboratively and study individually. We anticipate that our renovated space will combine the best of both worlds: collections of utility at the moment of need in thoughtfully designed spaces that both support and inspire our diverse user community.
A friend of the library
Ethan Henderson, Sr. Development Director
Like clockwork every Wednesday, Rolf Augustine shows up on the 4th floor of McHenry Library to say hello. Not a quick hello—oh no! He strolls down the hallway of the Administrative wing of the Library. One by one he stops and chats with each of us about music or current events, asking questions about our work, our children, and our projects. He remembers it all. Rolf has an ironclad memory for many things. That’s probably what made him such a successful cataloger for the UCSC Library.
Rolf St. Clair Augustine was born in 1937 in Berkeley, California, the son of Waldemar Rolf and Marguerite St. Clair Augustine. He received his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1960, and a Masters in Library Science from the University of Southern California in 1962. When Rolf came to Santa Cruz in 1965, the University Library was located in the Carriage House.
Rolf retired from full-time work in 2001 but hasn’t really slowed down. He can be seen around town at a variety of musical venues or at his favorite breakfast place: Cafe Brasil. Rolf continues to volunteer for the cataloging department led by Marcia Barrett. He gives generously of his time and talent. But Rolf gives more than that. He has given several financial gifts to support the important work we do at the UCSC Library.
Among many other gifts is the Rolf S. Augustine Fund for Original Cataloging that was established in 1996 in honor of Rolf’s lifetime commitment to providing generations of faculty and students with accurate and effective bibliographic access to the UCSC library collections. In 1998, a family inheritance enabled Rolf to make an additional gift to further endow his fund. His generosity continues to support project catalogers and other descriptive work performed on items found in our online catalog.
Rolf is one example of the many friends we have at UC Santa Cruz who give generously of their talents and resources in a variety of ways. All of us at the Library are grateful for the continued support we receive from friends like you. Please think about how you can continue to give to the Library in creative ways just as Rolf has. Drop us a line at [email protected].
In 2015, UC Santa Cruz will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. During this important moment in the University's history, we want to acknowledge and thank our supporters who have chosen to provide for the Library in their estate plans. Their foresight ensures that the Library remains the vital heart of the campus. Estate or planned gifts to the Library have allowed collections to be enhanced, materials preserved, and the facility itself to be expanded.
The Library has greatly benefited from planned gifts from the following estates:
Esther Rice, a dedicated volunteer who identified and organized the Library's historical photographs of the Santa Cruz community, bequeathed funds to Special Collections to preserve, protect, and digitize the photographs. The Historic Photo Room is named in her memory.
Dorothy Nadine Emigh, a book lover, made a bequest that launched the Library's expansion campaign. She also bequeathed over 600 volumes of antique liturgical works and books to the Library.
Virginia Campbell, the executive assistant to UC Santa Cruz's founding Chancellor Dean McHenry for more than 30 years, bequeathed an endowment supporting the Special Collections Campus History Fund.
Colin Fletcher, an author and trailblazer for the modern backpacking movement, made a bequest that established the Colin Fletcher Writers Endowment in Special Collections. The endowment preserves and promotes Mr. Fletcher's works, while also supporting writers whose work reflects Mr. Fletcher's interests and values.
Randy Rogers, a UCSC alumnus (Merrill ’77) an insurance consultant, bequeathed funds to name a Library reading room in memory of his professor, Ching-Yi Dougherty.
Currently, 39 people have shared that their estate plan includes a provision for the Library. Many of these people are former library staff members, which speaks volumes about what the Library means not only to students and faculty, but to the people who keep it running. These supporters enjoy membership in the 21st Century Club, UC Santa Cruz's circle of donors who have provided for the University in their estate plan. Members enjoy exclusive events with the Chancellor and recognition in the 21st Century Club Honor Roll. Best of all, they know they are playing a vital role in the future of the Library.
A planned gift can be as simple as including a bequest in your will or trust or making the Library a beneficiary of a retirement or life insurance policy. There are also planned gifts known as life income gifts that offer tax savings, charitable deductions, and lifetime income for you and/or a beneficiary that you designate.
We encourage you to let us know if you have made a provision for the Library in your estate plan. It's important that your will, trust, or beneficiary designation include the correct language so that your gift is directed where you intend. All planned gifts are confidential and your name will only be listed in the 21st Century Club Honor Roll with your permission.
If you are interested in exploring a planned gift, please call the UC Santa Cruz Office of Gift Planning at (831) 502-7112 or visit http://plannedgifts.ucsc.edu/ to get started.
New exhibition in Special Collections and Archives
Kelsey Lewis
A new exhibition titled “Outlaw Publishers: Selected San Francisco Literary Presses, 1945–1968” recently opened in Special Collections and Archives at McHenry Library. This exhibit traces the genesis of San Francisco’s alternative print culture from its roots in a World War II Civilian Public Service Camp in Waldport, Oregon, to its convergence with the San Francisco literary renaissance of the 1950s and 1960s. Printed works from Untide Press, White Rabbit Press, Centaur Press, The Auerhahn Press, and Wallace Berman’s Semina demonstrate cutting-edge developments in the fields of book arts, typographic design, illustration, and literature. These works will be on display at Special Collections and Archives through the end of November.
As a student assistant, I had the exciting privilege of assisting alumnus Gregory Graalfs in creating this exhibit. Through this opportunity and with the guidance of Mr. Graalfs, I strengthened my appreciation for San Francisco’s enduring legacy of avant-garde printing. I hope my fellow students and the rest of our community will learn as much from this exhibit as I have.
During fall quarter, Special Collections and Archives will be open weekdays from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
On August 2, a new exhibition opened in McHenry Library's Brittingham Family Foundation Dead Central. “All the Pages Are Our Days: The Books of the Grateful Dead” showcases the literary heritage of the band and the broader phenomenon inspired by the Dead. From the roots of their name to their Bay Area bohemian heritage, the exhibition traces the remarkable cultural impact of the Grateful Dead through the books that influenced them and that they in turn inspired. In addition to the more than 100 books displayed, the exhibition features a wide range of supporting materials, including galley proofs, posters, manuscripts, and photographs. As the third major exhibition from the Grateful Dead Archive, “All the Pages Are Our Days” explains how the Dead created such a rich, compelling, and complex literary history.
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Suicide: a troublesome increase among middle-aged Ohioans
Written by Mary Kuhlman
September 23, 2013
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Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death among Americans, and experts say more awareness is needed to reach people who are in crisis.
More than 1,400 Ohioans took their own lives in 2011, said Carolyn Givens, who heads the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, and the numbers have increased in recent years. She said the rate among middle-aged Ohioans actually has risen more than 40 percent in the past decade, which she said she suspects is tied to a variety of issues.
“With the downturn of the economy, with home foreclosures, with the tanking of businesses here in Ohio and across the nation, people find themselves extremely distressed,” she said.
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, Givens said, and the numbers indicate much more needs to be done to connect those who are considering harming themselves with whatever services are available in their area. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Givens called depression a critical health issue, adding that too many people try to battle it alone. She said she tells them there is hope in treatment and that it’s important to reach out to others and watch for possible warning signs – in friends or loved ones, and even in their own behavior.
“A change in your hygiene, your appetite; something that you’ve loved to do, you quit doing,” she said. “The lack of association with family and friends, feeling totally disconnected and isolated. If you become very hopeless, and if getting out of bed in the morning becomes extremely painful.”
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Authorities banned women in Turkmenistan to drive the car in the middle of December 2017 regardless of existence of driving licenses. In January 2018, the patrol police started seizing women’s driving licenses and impounding cars.
9 tons of gold, diamonds and platinumspilled out of a cargo plane in Yakutia on March 15 when the An-12 plane's door broke down during the take off from the airport, eyewitnesses told YakutiaMedia news agency.
The police cordoned off the runway where the precious metals scattered and switched the airport to an enhanced control mode.
Presidents of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and the Prime Minister of Hungary confirmed their attendance at the opening ceremony of the 3rd World Nomad Games. The 3rd WNG opened on September 2 in Cholpon-Ata, Issyk-Kul.
The perpetrators transported heroin in juice bottles, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on March 20.
Citizens of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Canada were involved in the drug trafficking.
The suspects are accused of setting up a channel for smuggling of hard drugs made in Afghanistan. The highly-addictive liquid heroin which is called ''Tears of Allah'' was transported by trucks en route Djelalabad (Afghanistan) — Khujand (Tajikistan) — Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) in juice bottles.
During transportation of mountain climbers, who ascended to the Isomoili Somoni peak in Tajikistan, the Mi-8 helicopter had a heavy touchdown at the Fortambek glacier, the Emergency Committee of Tajikistan said.
The helicopter had a crash landing at the Fortambek glacier on August 12 at the height of 4,200 meters, spokesperson Umeda Yusufi said.
A governmental commission was set up to investigate reasons and circumstances of the incident. Two helicopters with rescuers and health professionals were dispatched to the place of the incident, she said.
The helicopter was carrying 13 tourists from Russia, one national of Belarus, one Spanish citizen. According to preliminary report, one died as a result of crash landing.
President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbai Jeenbekov ruled to sack the Government of Kyrgyzstan on April 19, 2018 after the Parliament voted to express no confidence in the Government.
On April 17, the minority coalition of the parliament found the government's job done in 2017 unsatisfactory citing non-execution of the state budget of $3.335 billion, ineffective preparation for the heating season, lack of state control over the modernization of the Bishkek CHPP, failing to pilot launch on time the Safe City project in two cities, and drafting of an unfavorable for Kyrgyzstan agreement on Kumtor mine.
Isakov, 40, was appointed as the Prime Minister on August 26, 2017 by then-President Almazbek Atambayev.
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Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Selling up to fund care costs
Elderly Shropshire homeowners who face the prospect of selling up to pay for their care must consider all the options.
Andrew Green, our Managing Partner, said more and more families were finding they had no alternative but to sell the family home to cover costs. “Research has shown that nationally more than 60,000 homeowners every year are being forced to sell their property to pay for their place in a care home.”
A strict means test system rules that anyone with savings or property worth more than £22,250 has to fund their own care payments. “This means that anyone who owns their own house or flat is obviously going to be over the financial limit, and local authorities have legal powers to make people in care homes sell their houses to meet the costs.
“Of course, the current economic crisis is making things even more difficult, particularly given the state of the property market with house prices at their lowest for many years. So even if homeowners do sell, they are unlikely to get the full value they would previously have expected for their property.”
Andrew said it was vital that families did not make rash decisions, and that they considered all the options available to them. “It may not be necessary in every case to sell the family home, particularly if you take legal advice early enough – you may be able to set up a family Trust, which can be tailor made to suit your family’s individual circumstances.
“Taking professional advice is important, because selling your home is a daunting prospect at such a stressful time, and it’s important to think carefully in order to protect your family’s future.”
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Google unveils YouTube video filtering system
In a bid to defray an ongoing fight with large media companies, Google today finally unveiled the long-promised video filtering system for its YouTube video-sharing service, which will enable it to identify copyrighted material as it is being uploaded.
The technology requires a great deal of involvement from media companies, of course. Content owners must provide Google with a copy of their content so that it can be matched to their material on YouTube and then specify whether they want to block users from uploading copies of it. The filtering system will also give owners of copyrighted videos the choice of leaving their copyrighted material on YouTube and make money from video advertising provided by Google.
Viacom, which sued Google earlier this year alleging "massive" copyright infringement by YouTube, along with other media firms said to be delighted that Google appears to be taking a more proactive stance in fighting piracy and is “ending the practice of profiting from infringement.” However, there are no immediate signs of any let-up in the $1 billion copyright-infringement class-action lawsuit from Viacom.
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The Huntsville Stars, who have been sold to Ken Young and a group of investors with the purpose of moving the Southern League franchise to Biloxi next season, have a lease with the city of Huntsville for the use of Joe W. Davis Stadium through the 2015.
Young has indicated he does not plan to operate in Huntsville, though Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle told AL.com there is "still no word" from Young and minority partner Miles Prentice, the former owner who has been charged with operating the Huntsville club this year, on the team's intentions.
Southern League president Lori Webb told AL.com today that there is no contingency schedule in place involving Huntsville in 2015; the league's schedule was released last week.
That means the final regular-season pro baseball game in Huntsville could be the Sept. 1 home finale, though the Stars have already qualified for the Southern League playoffs. To continue reading this article on al.com click here
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Despite losing 2-1 to the Bruins in Boston on Thursday night, it was still a special game for the Phoenix Coyotes.
Team captain Shane Doan played in his 1,300th career game and became only the 10th player in NHL history to accomplish the feat with the same franchise.
Doan was the seventh overall draft pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, when the team was based in Winnipeg. His first season with the Jets turned out to be the last for the franchise in Canada before it was moved to Arizona and renamed in 1996.
The 37-year-old has racked up 853 points (349 goals, 504 assists) during his 18 season career, including an assist on Lauri Korpikoski's third period goal against the Bruins. This season, Doan ranks third on the team in goals (18) and has 20 assists.
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About Shreya Ghoshal
Female singer Shreya Ghoshal from India, famous due to bollywood
Playback Singer
Shreya Ghoshal Singer Biography, Interview & Pictures
Shreya Ghoshal (Bengali: শ্রেয়া ঘোষাল; born 12 March 1984) is an Indian singer. Best known as a playback singer in Hindi films, she has also performed several songs for other Indian film industries such as Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu songs.
Ghoshal's career began when she won the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa contest as an adult. Her Bollywood playback singing career began with Devdas, for which she received National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer along with Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer and Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent. Since then, she has worked in more than 180 films and received four National Film Awards, five Filmfare Awards and four Filmfare Awards South.
Biography
Early years
Ghoshal was born to a Bengali Hindu, Brahmin family in Durgapur, West Bengal. Her ancestors came from the region of Dhaka district, Bangladesh. She grew up in Rawatbhata, a small town near Kota, Rajasthan. Her father, Mr. Biswajeet Ghoshal, works as a nuclear power plant engineer for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, whereas her mother is a literature post-graduate.
From the age of four, Ghoshal accompanied her mother on the harmonium. She got training in Hindustani classical music in Kota with Maheshchandra Sharma.
As a child, she won the children's special episode of the Sa Re Ga Ma (now Sa Re Ga Ma Pa) contest on Zee TV. Kalyanji, who also judged the competition, convinced her parents to move to Mumbai. She trained with Kalyanji for 18 months and continued her classical music training with Mukta Bhide in Mumbai.
She studied at Atomic Energy Central Schools (AECS) at Rawatbhata and Anushaktinagar (Mumbai). After graduation she enrolled at SIES College.
Career
Ghoshal caught the attention of director Sanjay Leela Bhansali when she participated in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa for a second time, this time as an adult. In 2000, he offered her the opportunity to be the voice of Paro, the lead female character of the film Devdas, who was portrayed by Aishwarya Rai. Ghoshal sang five songs in the film. Her performance won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, as well as Filmfare's RD Burman Award for New Music Talent. She also won the National Film Award for the song "Bairi Piya".
She has received Filmfare awards in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam industries and State Film Awards from Malayalam, Tamil industries. She debuted in South through the song "Yen Chellam" in Vasantha Balan's Tamil film Album and got noticed after singing the duet "Munbe Vaa" from Sillunu Oru Kaadhal under composer A. R. Rahman. She sung nearly 100 Songs in Tamil. She debuted in Malayalam through a studio album of composer Alphons Joseph and later gave voice to his song "Vida Parayukayano" from Big B. In 2010, Shreya sang for the English independent film "When Harry Tries to Marry"
She has also been a judge for Star Voice Of India-Chhote Ustaad with singer Kunal Ganjawala and composer Pritam. Currently, Ghoshal is one of the three judges in X Factor (India) with Sonu Nigam and Sanjay Leela Bhansali
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Top Guidelines Of Good Encryption Programs
Helping The others Realize The Advantages Of How To Make Profit In TradingNone of these are typically a match for particular person encryption though... I guess it is a trade off as locking and hiding a folder with a person of such is practically instantaneous regardless of how large the folder is, although encrypting a directory usually takes quit
Managed Account Performance Things To Know Before You BuyTogether with password guarding a partition, you can also add a number of keyfiles to it for increased safety. Keyfiles might be in the form of files or folders and, if create as a result, are expected right before mounting or decrypting a volume.Bitdefender antivirus software delivers thorou
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The complete text of the Statement of Decision in Lee et al v. Duddy et al, the landmark libel case in which Judge Leon Seyranian found The God-Men to be “in all major respects false, defamatory, and unprivileged, and, therefore, libelous.” In his decision he cited deposition testimony from the defendants as well as testimony before the court from expert witnesses and members of the local churches. These citations are linked to images of the exhibits and transcripts in the case.
Statement of Decision —The Judgment on The God-Men
The following is an accurate rendering of Judge Leon Seyranian’s Statement of Decision in the Lee v. Duddy case concerning The God-Men by Neil Duddy and the SCP.
Hyperlinks have been added to link to the appropriate supporting documentation from deposition testimony, trial testimony, or trial exhibits.
In some cases Judge Seyranian’s statement identifies a witness’s testimony supporting a particular point in the decision without citing the page number.
The links for these items have been added in the column headed “Other Trial Testimony”.
This column is not a part of the original document.
For an Adobe Acrobat version of the document without the “Other Trial Testimony” column, click here (5.4 MB file).
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF ALAMEDA
WITNESS LEE, et al., ) No. 540 585-9
)
Plaintiffs, ) STATEMENT OF DECISION
)
v. )
)
NEIL T. DUDDY, et al., )
)
Defendants. )
________________________)
This matter came on regularly for trial and was heard as an
uncontested matter as to the defendant Neil T. Duddy, because of
his failure to appear, and was heard as a default matter as to
the defendant Schwengeler-Verlag for its failure to file a
responsive pleading to the plaintiffs' First Amended and First
Supplemental Complaint. Although the trial was uncontested, the
Court feels that the plaintiffs have presented competent and
reliable evidence, and the Court was very impressed with the
stature and quality of the witnesses presented. Moreover, the
Court was provided with a complete opportunity to question and
cross examine the witnesses in order to ascertain the truth as
the Court should do in a case involving First Amendment rights,
regardless of whether the defendants appear or not. There was
nothing that the Court wanted to see or to ask that was not
provided. Furthermore, the evidence on behalf of the plaintiffs
was substantiated by independent evidence from qualified expert
witnesses. Accordingly, the Court finds that the manuscript by
Neil. T. Duddy entitled The God-Men (Exhibit 1) disseminated
(published) in the United States, the book Die Sonderlehre des
Witness Lee Und Seiner Ortsgemeinde published by Schwengeler-
Verlag (Exhibit 3) disseminated (published) in Europe, and the
book The God-Men, An Inquiry Into Witness Lee and the Local
Church by Neil T. Duddy and the SCP published by Inter-Varsity
Press (Exhibit 5) disseminated (published) in the United States
and England, are in all major respects false, defamatory and
unprivileged, and, therefore, libelous. (California Civil Code
§45)
In addition, the Court further finds:
1. All of the defendants' publications create the image
that Witness Lee and William Freeman are leaders of a cult and
that the Church in Anaheim is a cult. All of the express and
implied statements to that effect are false and defamatory.
A "cult" today is generally understood to involve a
centralized authority that manipulates social influences in order
to gain control over people for devious ends. (Testimony of Dr.
H. Newton Malony, Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at
Fuller Theological Seminary.) The epitome of the cult leader and
cult is that of Jim Jones and the Peoples' Temple. (Testimony of
Dr. J. Gordon Melton, Director of the Institute for the Study of
American Religions, author of the Encyclopedia of American
Religions, and a well qualified expert on the subject of "new
religions.", pages 20, 39 and 92 of the trial transcript of May
28, 1985, hereafter "Tr.")
The depositions of defendant Neil Duddy, (pages 738-40, 782)
and James Sire (Editor of Inter-Varsity Press and member of Board
of Reference of Spiritual Counterfeits Project (SCP)) (Vol.5, p.
354-5) indicate that the authors and publishers knew that their
publications could convey such an impression and readers would
reasonably so understand the publications. This was confirmed by
testimony of the expert witnesses.
The finding that these statements are false and defamatory
as to the plaintiffs is supported by the testimony of the expert
witnesses Dr. J. Gordon Melton; Dr. (Father) John Saliba, S.J.,
of the University of Detroit, an expert in the study of new
religions and "anti-cult" organizations; the Reverend Dr. Eugene
Van Ness Goetchius, an Episcopal priest and a Professor of
Theology at the Episcopal Divinity School affiliated with Harvard
University; Dr. Rodney Stark, Professor of Sociology at the
University of Washington; and Dr. H. Newton Malony. These
experts unanimously testified that plaintiff Witness Lee was a
Christian teacher and preacher and the Church in Anaheim (and all
Local Churches) is an evangelical Christian body and that
plaintiff William T. Freeman is likewise a Christian teacher and
preacher.
It is the finding of the Court that defendants made these
statements with knowledge of their falsity and deliberately to
create the image of the plaintiffs as such a cult. This finding
is supported by the testimony of the expert witnesses, as well as
Duddy's testimony that the advertisement correlating Witness Lee
with Jim Jones in Die Sonderlehre des Witness Lee und Seiner
Ortsgemeinde was unfair. (Duddy, pp 784-785)
2. The express and implied statements in defendants'
publications that plaintiffs either engage in or advocate
deceptive recruiting practices in order to bring people into the
Local Church are false and defamatory.
Duddy intended to convey to the readers that Witness Lee's
teaching could cause members to lie, be deceitful and engage in
deceptive proselytizing practices. (Duddy, pp. 433-435, 530-531,
754, 2155, 2157). Readers would reasonably so understand the
publications.
The finding of falsity of these statements is supported by
the testimony of present members. It is also supported by Dr.
Malony (an expert on conversion processes) together with his
survey of current and former members of the Local Church (Ex.
24), who unanimously confirmed that there was no such deception,
All witnesses established that there were no secret beliefs
as expressed and implied in the publications and all such
statements are therefore, also false and defamatory.
The principal "case history" of such conduct reported in the
publications was that of "Cia" or "Rebecca" who in real life was
Cindy Meinecke.
Mrs. Meinecke testified at trial as to the falsity of the
general tenor of the story as well as the falsity of virtually
all the "facts" regarding the alleged incident. The falsity was
also confirmed by Son Rockstroh, the alleged proselyter.
It is the finding of this Court that the defendants made the
foregoing statements or implications with the knowledge that they
were false or with a reckless disregard of the truth or falsity
thereof. Defendant Duddy admitted that he had not checked with
any of the principal persons actually involved in the alleged
"case history" (Duddy deposition (hereafter "Duddy") pp 549, 957,
1049) and did not verify information from sources that were
available to him. (Duddy, pp 990-1, 994-5, 1016, 963) Moreover,
Brooks Alexander (Co-founder of SCP, cc-author of all the
publications (Duddy, pp 248, 1169 and Alexander, p 79)) and James
Sire testified that they saw no documentation of any of the
statements regarding Cindy or Rebecca. (Alexander deposition
(hereafter "Alexander"), p. 1604; Sire deposition (hereafter
"Sire"), Vol. 6, p. 484) Alexander admitted that although he came
to doubt Duddy's competence to do factual investigation
(Alexander, pp 1605-6; 1610-11) and was concerned as to the
validity of Duddy's informants, (Alexander, pp 1610-1611) he did
no checking of Duddy's work for factual accuracy. (Alexander, pp
1424; 1527) Dr. Stark confirmed that Duddy also did not do any
checking on the Cindy incident. As Dr. Stark stated, "This is
the worst kind of rumor mongering." (Tr. pp 171-172)
Dr. Stark (co-author of Lofland-Stark Model) testified that
Duddy did not accurately present his model of religious
conversions that Duddy used to explain the Local Churches'
alleged recruitment practices. Dr. Stark stated that Duddy
"skips everything important in the model and comes out with some
flat assertions that are completely, almost diabolically, the
reverse of what the model says". (Tr., p 162) Dr. Stark stated
that assuming Duddy had actually read Stark's presentation of the
model, Stark would have to conclude that Duddy's
misrepresentation was "malicious." (Tr., p. 163) Dr. Malony
also criticized Duddy's misuse of Stark's conversion model and
stated that there was no validity to defendants' statements that
the Local Churches' recruitment practices were somehow evil and
qualitatively different from those of other Christian
organizations.
3. The express and implied statements in defendants'
publications that Witness Lee rules the Local Churches with an
"iron rod" or "with a firm hand" are false and defamatory.
Duddy intended to convey to the readers that Witness Lee was
a virtual dictator over too many details of Local Church life
(Duddy, pp. 2004-5) and readers would reasonably so understand
the publications.
The finding of falsity is based on testimony of the
plaintiffs and their witnesses, including Dr. Melton, Dr. Saliba,
and Dr. Malony together with his survey of current and former
members (Exhibit 24). Dr. Melton testified, based on his own
investigation, that Lee's position in the Local Church was that
of a preacher and teacher rather than exercising "administrative
power in a kingly way" as the publications had asserted and that
no such hierarchy existed. (Tr. 39) Dr. Malony's survey results
(Ex. 24) were consistent with Dr. Melton's testimony.
It is the finding of the Court that the defendants made the
foregoing statements with the knowledge that they were false or
with a reckless disregard of the truth or falsity.
There was evidence that the authors and the publishers
distorted statements made by Witness Lee in order to create an
impression that Witness Lee asserts and imposes complete and
unchallengeable control over church affairs and church members'
lives. Jack Buckley (an SCP author of God-Men I whose work Duddy
and SCP carried over into the publications sued upon) admitted
that quotations from Witness Lee's work were taken out of
context, misused and created a false and misleading
representation of Witness Lee's teaching in that regard. (Buckley
deposition (hereafter "Buckley"), pp 728-9, 741-2, 766 and 767)
Dr. J. Gordon Melton concluded that given Duddy's education and
claims of having read Witness Lee's writings, the consistent
distortions of quotations indicate deliberate misrepresentations.
(Tr. pp 40-46) Dr. Saliba's testimony also confirmed Duddy's
consistent misrepresentation of Witness Lee's writings in this
and other areas. (Tr. pp 117-119, 135)
The fact of defendants' willful distortion is further
substantiated by the draft of the original manuscript which
stated:
"Reliable sources tell us that Lee
himself does not rule with an iron rod."
(Exhibit 62)
The language in that draft following that statement was
consistent with the concept that Witness Lee does not exercise
such control. Nevertheless, that statement and its context was
subsequently changed to assert in the publications exactly the
opposite meaning.
4. The express and implied statements in defendants'
publications that plaintiffs or any of the Local Churches engage
in mental manipulation, or any of the various forms of what is
commonly referred to as "brainwashing" or "thought reform" are
false and defamatory. The statements concerning the practice of
pray-reading and calling on the name of the Lord as being mental
manipulation techniques causing, among other things, blurred
mental acuity is also false.
It was Duddy's intention to convey to the readers that "soft
thought reform" was utilized by Witness Lee and the Local Church
which would result in members sacrificing their individual and
personal worth and withdraw from society. (Duddy, pp. 1092-1093)
and readers would reasonably so understand the publications.
The finding of falsity is supported by the testimony of Dr.
Malony and his survey (Ex. 24), Dr. Goetchius, Dr. Saliba, and
other plaintiffs' witnesses including Cindy Meinecke and Local
Church members Dr. Steven Johnson, Christopher Leu, Dr. Herbert
Zimmer, Dr. George Chua and Mrs. Jeanie Kong. Dr. Malony
testified that pray-reading, far from being a manipulative or
eastern mystical technique, was a helpful means to approach the
Bible. Dr. Melton testified that the practices are not
"technological and pagan", they do involve the use of mental
faculties, they do not alter consciousness. (Tr. p. 25). Dr.
Melton found no evidence of loss of "mental acuity." (Tr. p. 91)
It is the finding of this Court that the statements were
made by the defendants knowing they were false or with a reckless
disregard of the truth or falsity.
Brooks Alexander, the author of the appendix which purported
to describe these manipulative techniques, testified that he
could not name one person who told him they had blurred mental
acuity from said alleged practices, nor had he asked any member
regarding it, nor did he know for a fact that there was any
elimination of consciously directed thought from pray-reading or
calling on the name of the Lord. (Alexander, pp 1281-2, 1319-20,
1848)
5. The express and implied statements in the defendants'
publications that plaintiffs and Local Church leaders control
every aspect of church members' lives, including discouraging
friendships, prohibiting dating, arranging marriages, controlling
the use of finances, dictating where members should live or work
are all false and defamatory.
Duddy intended to convey to the readers that arranged
marriages occur in the Local Church (Duddy, pp 2253-2254) and
readers would reasonably so understand the publications. Dr.
Saliba testified that Duddy attempted to convey to the readers
that Witness Lee rules "like a despot and the elders are more or
less like little despots", "they control everything and you are
just merely submissive to them." (Tr. p. 126)
The finding of falsity is supported by the testimony of all
the witnesses, especially Dr. Melton and Dr. Malony, whose
survey (Ex. 24) negated the allegations of control of members'
lives.
It is the finding of this Court that the statements were
made by the defendants knowing they were false or with a reckless
disregard of the truth or falsity.
Neil Duddy's testimony indicated that he had never seen
anything in the teachings discouraging friendships, prohibiting
dating, nor any records of arranged marriages nor could he recall
anybody that had such records. (Duddy, pp 1145-1150, 2256-7)
Alexander testified there was no confirmation of such arranged
marriages. (Alexander, pp 1586-7) Sire has no recollection of
any substantiation of the charge of arranged marriages (Sire,
Vol. 5, pp 352-358) The testimony of William Freeman and Dr.
Steven Johnson, as well as other evidence introduced, established
that such charges were false. (Exhibit 70)
6. The express and implied statements in defendants'
publications that Witness Lee and the Local Church elders isolate
members from society and forbid or discourage members from
watching television, reading newspapers, going to movie theaters,
and participating in sports, is false and defamatory.
Duddy testified that he intended to depict the Local
Churches as quarantining members from relatives who were outside
of the Local Church (Duddy, pp 1644-5) and causing people to
withdraw and be isolated from society (Duddy, pp 1092-1093) and
readers would reasonably so understand the publications.
The finding of falsity is based upon the testimony of
plaintiffs' witnesses including Dr. Melton (Tr. p 95), Dr.
Malony, his survey (Ex. 24), Dr.Goetchius (Tr. pp 150-152),
Cindy Meinecke, Dr. Herbert Zimmer, Dr. Steven Johnson, and
Christopher Leu. See also Duddy's deposition at pages 1130-1131,
1138-1140 and 1150, wherein he acknowledged he has no evidence of
any such conduct.
It is the finding of this Court that the statements were
made knowing they were false or with a reckless disregard of the
truth or falsity thereof, in that Duddy testified he had no
evidence of any such conduct. (Duddy, pp 1130-1131, 1138-1140,
1150)
7. The express and implied statements in defendants'
publications that Local Church elders have created an
unchallengeable power structure that makes it impossible for
church members to maturely exercise their faith and bear
responsibility for their own lives are false and defamatory.
Duddy intended by those statements to convey to readers that
Witness Lee and "those who cooperate with him" are social
manipulators (Duddy, p. 818) who determine God's will for members
and their families without even being consulted (Duddy, p. 2252).
Alexander testified that the book implies that the church elders
are involved in dominance and control over members. (Alexander
p. 1571) Sire testified that the statements indicate removal of
members to a totalitarian and structured environment. (Sire, Vol.
6, p. 637) Readers would reasonably so understand the
publications.
The finding that these statements are false is supported by
the testimony of Cindy Meinecke, and current members who
testified at trial, as well as Dr. Saliba and Dr. Malony's survey
of current and former members (Ex. 24). Moreover, the testimony
of Witness Lee, William Freeman, and Anaheim elder Eugene Gruhler
indicated that the elders do not constitute an unchallengeable
power structure. Rather, members have the freedom to disagree
with elders and with Witness Lee, and that members are encouraged
to seek God's will for themselves and to bear responsibility for
their lives. Dr. Goetchius testified of his observation as to
the maturity and well-developed character generally of the Local
Church members and their families with whom he had personally
interacted. (Tr. pp 149-152)
It is the finding of the Court that the statements were made
knowing they were false or with a reckless disregard of the truth
or falsity thereof.
Duddy could not recall the name of one actual Local Church
member that told Duddy that he did not make his own decisions.
(Duddy, p. 1150) Moreover, Duddy stated under oath that it was
not his testimony that members do not make their own decisions in
matters of importance in their personal lives. Duddy also did
not know if members made such decisions without consulting the
elders. (Duddy, p. 1148) Jack Buckley testified that before SCP
made the statement that Local Church members "prefer submission"
over the "exercise of personal judgment and individual
decision," SCP should have made some investigation to support the
statement. Buckley, however, was not aware of any such
investigation by SCP. (Buckley, p. 771) Buckley further
testified that the limit of his work in investigating the
government by the elders in the Local Church was to read
materials given to him by SCP and to talk with SCP members.
(Buckley, p. 721) Buckley admitted that The God-Men quoted
Witness Lee's statement, concerning ministers of the Holy Spirit,
out of context and misused it to convey the impression that the
elders have authoritative power over members. (Buckley, p. 766-
767) Dr. Saliba confirmed the misuse of this quote by Witness
Lee. (Tr. pp 126-127)
8. The express and implied statements in defendants'
publications that Witness Lee and the other plaintiffs are
teaching and advocating conduct that would allow or encourage
church members to engage in immoral behavior are false and
defamatory.
Duddy intended to convey to the readers that Witness Lee's
teaching instructed one to listen to intuition and feelings, but
in no case consider the Scripture; that one can engage in sexual
assault, including rape, be a liar and deceitful and still regard
himself as a good Christian; that you abide by your inner
feelings, regardless of what the Scripture says; that unlike the
Christian community, Witness Lee's teachings enhance immorality.
(Duddy, pp 531, 566, 568-569, 673). Readers would reasonably so
understand the publications.
All witnesses testified as to the falsity of all such
statements or implications and established that all the writings
of Witness Lee taught the Biblically high standard of morality.
Dr. Maloney's survey (Ex. 24) also supported the finding of
falsity, as does the evidence of the author's and publishers'
deliberate distortion of statements by Witness Lee.
It is the finding of the Court that the statements were made
knowing they were false or with a reckless disregard of the truth
or falsity thereof.
Dr. Melton testified that Duddy conveyed to the readers
exactly the opposite of what Witness Lee teaches regarding
morality (Tr. p. 59) and that for Duddy to convey such an
impression was either deliberate or a reckless disregard of what
Witness Lee said (Tr. p. 75-76); the authority of the Scripture
in Witness Lee's teachings was misrepresented by Duddy to create
the idea that Witness Lee encourages immorality, whereas, Witness
Lee repeatedly upholds the Bible and its moral commandments. (Tr.
pp 57-58)
Dr. Goetchius testified that Duddy's use of Witness Lee's
writings was a deliberate, careful misrepresentation of Witness
Lee's teachings, including the teachings on morality. (Tr. p.
141, 143)
Dr. Saliba testified the quotes were taken out of context,
"I get the impression they were twisted around to mean what he
wanted them to mean." (Tr. pp 125-126)
The defendants' own testimony established that the
statements were made knowing them to be false, or with a reckless
disregard of the truth or falsity thereof.
Duddy admitted that Witness Lee teaches that people should
follow the Ten Commandments and live a life higher than the Ten
Commandments but that he never told the readers that Witness Lee
taught this. (Duddy, pp. 406-7, 411-412)
Buckley testified that:
". . . God Men I as written has painted
a false picture as far as witness Lee's
teachings on morality."
(Buckley, p. 843)
David Adeney, a member of the Board of Reference of SCP and
former missionary to China testified that he has never seen any
teachings in Witness Lee's writings that would allow one to be a
liar, deceitful or engage in rape and still regard himself as a
good Christian. (Adeney, p. 183)
9. The express and implied statements in defendants'
publications that the plaintiffs or church members that follow
plaintiffs' teachings are "moral dwarfs," which the authors
define as persons whose conduct falls below the standard of the
law, are false and defamatory.
Duddy again intended to convey to the readers that Witness
Lee's teachings enhance immorality. (Duddy, p. 623) Readers
would reasonably so understand the publications.
The finding that these statements are false is supported by
the testimony of Jack Buckley (Buckley, p. 796), the testimony of
plaintiffs' expert witnesses and Cindy Meinecke.
It is the finding of the Court that the statements were made
knowing they were false or with a reckless disregard of the truth
or falsity.
Dr. Melton testified that Duddy not only distorted Witness
Lee's teachings in characterizing them as creating "moral
pygmyism", but also distorted Benjamin Warfield's intent in
creating the term. Dr. Melton testified that there are numerous
writings of Witness Lee that are directly contrary to what Duddy
conveyed to the readers. (Tr. pp. 69-73)
Dr. Goetchius testified that a reasonable interpretation of
Duddy's charge of "moral pygmyism" would be that of someone who
is short on morals or lacking in moral perception and
understanding. He further testified that there was no
justification for such a charge against Witness Lee's teachings
or those who follow it and to the contrary, Witness Lee's
teachings require a morality higher than the ethical code of the
law (Tr., pp. 143-144)
Buckley testified that he had not found anything in his
reading of Witness Lee that would justify calling people who
believe in his teachings moral dwarfs. (Buckley, p. 796)
10. The express and implied statements in defendants'
publications that plaintiffs have publicly humiliated members and
that some Anaheim church members and an alleged Northern
California leader were hospitalized for psychiatric care because
of plaintiffs' acts are false and defamatory.
Duddy testified that he intended to convey to the readers
that Witness Lee periodically publicly humiliates members.
(Duddy, p. 1159) Sire testified that he recognized these
allegations as being potentially libelous. (Sire, Vol. 4, p. 95-
97, Vol. 6 520-521), Ex. 68) Readers would reasonably so
understand the publications.
Plaintiffs' evidence established that there was no such
conduct by Witness Lee or any of the plaintiffs and that no such
hospitalizations ever occurred.
Dr. Melton testified he found no evidence of humiliation or
hospitalization. (Tr. p. 92) Dr. Malony's survey (Ex. 24)
confirmed, even from ex-members, that there was no such
humiliation.
It is the finding of the Court that the statements were made
knowing they were false or with a reckless disregard of the truth
or falsity thereof.
Duddy never confirmed one hospitalization and could not name
one person allegedly hospitalized. He had no documentation
(Duddy pp 1166-68), nor did he feel he should check. Duddy also
asked the alleged Northern California church leader for an
affidavit supporting such an allegation but was unable to obtain
one. (Duddy, p. 1165) Duddy admitted that he has never been
advised by any medical or psychological expert that any member of
a local church has suffered due to Lee's theology or alleged
thought reform. (Duddy, p. 1089)
Albrecht, an SCP director, testified that it was Duddy's
obligation to verify the allegations and that he should have
tried to speak to the people allegedly hospitalized. (Albrecht,
pp. 117-118) It was Duddy's primary responsibility to find out
who allegedly went to the hospital. (Albrecht, pp 119-120)
Squires, a director of SCP and the person in charge of
defending the present lawsuit, was not aware of any evidence that
a Northern California church leader was hospitalized because or
Witness Lee's conduct. (Squires, p. 723) He could not remember
any response to questionnaires he recently sent out concerning
church members needing psychiatric care. (Squires, p. 760) He
was not aware of any investigation done to determine the accuracy
of the psychological or sociological areas of the book.
(Squires, pp. 724-725)
Sire, of Inter-Varsity Press, never received any
information from Duddy concerning the alleged hospitalization of
the Northern California church leader nor had he ever seen any
records dealing with the matter. (Sire, Vol. 4, pp. 97-98)
11. The express and implied statements in defendants'
publications that William Freeman, or any elder in the church in
Anaheim, deceived Fuller Seminary is false and defamatory.
Furthermore, the express and implied statements in said
publications that "this alleged lack of forthrightness in self-
representation is a quality which the Local Church displays" is
also false and defamatory.
Duddy intended to convey to the readers that William Freeman
had not been forthright in his representation to Fuller and that
he was concealing certain information, also that Local Church
members are people who conceal, which he represented was an
accurate description of their behavior and represented the
general character and quality of the Local Church. (Duddy, pp
430-432, 433-435). Readers would reasonably so understand the
publications.
The finding of falsity is based upon testimony of Dr. Cecil
Melvin Robeck, Jr., Director of Academic Services of Fuller
Seminary, formerly Director of Admissions, and the plaintiff
William Freeman, together with the exhibits presented, (Ex. 14,
15, 16, 17, 18, and 19) which established conclusively that there
was no concealment, deception or lack of forthrightness nor had
any member of the Fuller faculty made any such statement (Tr. pp
81-89) and which also proved that such an allegation was a
fabrication by the defendants. Furthermore, the foregoing
evidence, together with the testimony of the expert witnesses
established that all allegations of concealment, deception or
lack of forthrightness on the part of the Local Church, its
leaders or members are also false.
It is the finding of the Court that the statements were made
knowing them to be false or with a reckless disregard of the
truth or falsity thereof.
Sire confirmed that the Fuller Seminary admissions officials
stated that Freeman was as forthright as possible and there was
no thought of misrepresentation. (Ex. 47) Based upon that
evidence Sire pulled the Freeman-Fuller incident from The God-
Men, published by Inter-Varsity Press.
12. The express and implied statements in defendants'
publications that plaintiffs use fear tactics or threats of
reprisal in order to keep members loyal to the Local Church and
prevent them from leaving are false and defamatory.
Duddy intended to convey to the readers that the Local
Church harassed and persecuted former Local Church members.
(Duddy, pp. 1774, 2235). Readers would reasonably so understand
the publications.
The finding of falsity is based upon the testimony of
plaintiffs' witnesses, including present members, Cindy Meinecke
and Dr. Melton who established that there were no fear tactics or
threats. Dr. Melton's testimony was that members were not being
held against their will but were in the Church voluntarily, their
participation was not coerced but rather because they enjoyed
being in the Local Church. (Tr. p. 96-97)
It is the finding of the Court that the statements were made
knowing them to be false or with a reckless disregard of the
truth or falsity thereof.
13. The express and implied statements in defendants'
publications that "most people who have left the Local Church
find it necessary to relocate" in order to avoid Local Church
persecution and that any such persecution occurred (including
vandalizing of ex-members' homes) are all false and defamatory.
Duddy intended to convey to the readers that most people who
leave the Local Church find it necessary to relocate to avoid
persecution. (Duddy, pp. 896-898)
The finding of falsity is based upon the testimony of Eugene
Gruhler which established that former members generally do not
move away. Those that do move away do not do so because of fear
of persecution as alleged. His testimony also established that
some former members actually moved back into the area of Local
Churches. Mr. Gruhler also investigated the allegations of
vandalism and found that they were not only false but that the
persons allegedly reporting the same denied such reports.
It is the finding of the Court that the statements were made
knowing them to be false or with a reckless disregard of the
truth or falsity thereof.
Duddy admitted that no one in SCP, including himself had
ever checked with anyone who allegedly had a home vandalized.
(Duddy, p. 920)
14. The express and implied statements in defendants'
publications that Witness Lee, or any of the plaintiffs, were
guilty of financial mismanagement including any alleged misuse of
$235,000 intended for a Stuttgart meeting hall are false and
defamatory.
It was Duddy's intention to convey to the readers a possible
violation of law in the misuse of funds and also to demonstrate
financial mismanagement. (Duddy, pp. 822-823, 839, 840, 849)
Readers would reasonably so understand the publications.
The finding of falsity is based upon testimony and
documentary evidence presented at the trial which established
that the funds for a Stuttgart meeting hall were originally
forwarded to the Church in Stuttgart for the purpose represented.
(Ex. 6 and 7) The funds were returned to the United States only
after the proposed transaction in Stuttgart failed. The money
was to be held in the United States, earning a higher rate of
interest than in Germany, until the Church in Stuttgart found a
suitable meeting hall. The Church in Stuttgart continued its
efforts to obtain a meeting hall, (Ex. 31) which was known by all
defendants prior to the publication of either Die Sonderlehre des
Witness Lee Und Seiner Ortsgemeinde or The God-Men published by
Inter-Varsity Press. (Ex. 46) (Mr. Sire of Inter-Varsity Press
also had knowledge of this before publication of The God-Men)
(Ex. 46)) The Church in Stuttgart found a suitable meeting hall
and received the money with interest, upon its request, prior to
the publication of Die Sonderlehre des Witness Lee Und Seiner
Ortsgemeinde. Although that purchase was unable to be completed,
the money thereafter remained in Stuttgart with the Church in
Stuttgart and was ultimately used for the purchase of the
Church's present meeting hall.
Duddy acknowledged that such facts do not indicate
mismanagement of money or deception. (Duddy pp. 835-837)
It is the finding of the Court that the statements were
published knowing them to be false or with a reckless disregard
of the truth or falsity thereof.
Albrecht testified it was irresponsible journalism to
publish allegations of mismanagement of money without having some
documentation. (Albrecht, p. 242) No such documentation was ever
produced. (Sire, Vol. 5, pp 301-3)
Duddy conceded he never contacted anyone in the Church in
Stuttgart or the Church in Anaheim regarding the transaction.
(Duddy, pp. 826-7, 840-1, 875) His sole source of alleged
information was Max Rapoport, whom he knew was in conflict with
the Local Church. Duddy had been warned by SCP to be careful of
ex-members' statements and to check with other sources to confirm
the accuracy of such statements. (Duddy, pp. 824-6) Duddy did
not. Duddy had obvious reasons to doubt the veracity and
accuracy of any report by Rapoport. (St. Amant v. Thompson (1968)
390 U.S. 727, 732, 20 L.Ed.2d 262, 267-268)
Duddy was also unable to persuade Rapoport to verify the
alleged information by an affidavit. (Duddy, p. 865, Ex. 43)
Sire recognized the lack of documentation as a major problem
of this accusation and noted the allegation as being "libel".
(Ex. 42 and 41) Sire did not recall seeing any documentation nor
asking for any. (Sire, Vol. 5, p. 301-303)
15. All of the defendants intended to convey to the readers
all of the false statements set forth above or recklessly
disregarded the false and defamatory meanings that would be
conveyed to the readers.
This is supported by the testimony of all experts as well as
the deposition testimony of Duddy, Alexander, Sire and Buckiey
offered by plaintiffs.
16. All of the false statements set forth above were
defamatory in that the same convey to the readers that the
plaintiffs Witness Lee and William Freeman are leaders of a
"cult," and the Church in Anaheim is such a "cult". The false
statements also convey to the readers that plaintiffs are engaged
in a program of deceptive recruiting practices that prey upon
weak and vulnerable people in order to bring them under the
plaintiffs' total subjugation; that plaintiffs control every area
of Local Church members' lives through the use of fear and other
various techniques of mental manipulation and social isolation.
The statements also convey to the readers that plaintiffs are
teaching principles that allow, encourage, or condone immoral
conduct; also, that plaintiffs are exploiting these people
financially for plaintiffs' own gain and further that those who
leave are persecuted and threatened with disaster.
This is supported by the testimony of all experts and the
presentation of the cover of The God-Men, by the American
Broadcasting Company on television for a program on mind-
manipulating cults, which cover contains the name of the
plaintiff, Witness Lee, together with a caricature of him.
17. The plaintiff Witness Lee has been exposed to hatred,
contempt, ridicule, and obloquy by reason of the false and
defamatory statements, and in addition his calling as a minister
of the Bible for over 50 years has been severely and irreparably
harmed. His reputation has also been severely and irreparably
damaged. (Scott v. Times Mirror, (1919) 181 Cal. 345, 365) In
addition, the plaintiff Witness Lee has suffered severe emotional
distress from these charges (Douglas v. Janis, (1974) 43
Cal.App.3d 931, 940 and Waite v. San Fernando Publishing Co.,
(1918) 178 Cal. 303, 306) in knowing that his family and those
who follow his teachings have likewise been exposed to hatred,
contempt, ridicule, and obloquy, have had family relations
destroyed and in some instances have lost their jobs, all because
of following his teachings. Plaintiff Witness Lee has suffered
further emotional distress because of the harm done to his wife,
children and grandchildren from the severe and irreparable damage
to Witness Lee's reputation.
This is supported by the testimony of all expert witnesses,
present members and the ABC-TV programs. (Ex. 84a and b)
18. That the sum of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) is
a reasonable sum to award the plaintiff Witness Lee for the
damages sustained by him by reason of all of the libelous
publications involved in this action as against the defendants
Neil Duddy and Schwengeler-Verlag.
19. The plaintiff, the Church in Anaheim has been exposed
to hatred, contempt, ridicule, and obloquy by reason of the false
and defamatory statements, and has been severely and irreparably
harmed (Vegod Corp. v. American Broadcasting Co., Inc., (1979) 25
Cal.3d 763, 770) in its function and position as a Christian
church, and in addition has suffered the loss of members and
potential members and the benefits therefrom, as well as having
its members and their families exposed to hatred, contempt
ridicule, and obloquy.
20. That the sum of Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000.00)
is a reasonable sum to award the plaintiff the Church in Anaheim
for the damages sustained by it by reason of all of these
libelous publications as against the defendants Neil Duddy and
Schwengeler-Verlag.
21. The plaintiff William Freeman has been exposed to
hatred, contempt, ridicule, and obloquy by reason of the false
and defamatory statements and, in addition, his calling as a
minister of the Bible for over 20 years has been severely and
irreparably harmed. His reputation has been severely and
irreparably damaged. In addition, the plaintiff William Freeman
has suffered severe emotional distress from these charges and in
knowing that his family and those who follow his teachings have
likewise been exposed to hatred, contempt, ridicule, and obloquy.
Further, the plaintiff William Freeman has suffered damages
because he was the only Church in Anaheim elder named in these
publications, the only church leader, other than Witness Lee,
against whom all the accusations were being made, and because he
was the only Local Church elder who attended Fuller Seminary
during the time period mentioned in these publications.
Plaintiff, William Freeman, has suffered further emotional
distress because of the harm done to his wife, children and
grandchildren from the severe and irreparable damage done to
William Freeman's reputation.
22. That the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars
($500,000.00) is a reasonable sum to award the plaintiff William
Freeman for the damages sustained by reason of all of these
libelous publications as against the defendants Neil Duddy and
Schwengeler-Verlag.
23. The Court finds that none of the plaintiffs are public
figures. (Gertz v. Welch, (1974) 418 U.S. 345, 41 L.Ed.2d 808,
94 S.Ct. 2997; Hutchinson v. Proxmire, (1979) 443 U.S. 111, 135,
61 L.Ed.2d 411, 431, 91 S.Ct. 2675) Therefore, under the
principles of Gertz v. Welch, the plaintiffs need not prove
"actual malice" (knowing falsity or reckless disregard of the
truth or falsity) in order to recover compensatory damages.
Nevertheless, under the principles of Gertz v. Welch, supra., in
order to recover punitive damages, the plaintiffs must establish
"actual malice." The plaintiffs indicated at the outset of this
trial and hearing that they intended to establish "actual malice"
and the Court is satisfied that they have done so. The evidence
indicated that in almost all instances where the defendants
purported to quote from Witness Lee's statements they did in fact
distort and take out of context such statements by Witness Lee in
order to arrive at a predetermined result or conclusion. This
is supported by the testimony of the plaintiffs and the testimony
of Dr. Melton, (Tr., pp 16, 18, 23, 46, 48-49), Dr. Saliba, (Tr.,
pp 109, 114, 117-118, 135), Dr. Stark, (Tr., pp 162-163, 171-
174), and Dr. Goetchius (Tr. pp 141-142). In addition, the
evidence has established that the defendants also distorted the
sociological model of religious conversion by Lofland and Stark
in order to attempt to fabricate a theory of deceptive
recruitment by Local Church leaders and members allegedly based
upon the plaintiff Witness Lee's teachings. The testimony of Dr.
Rodney Stark, one of the model's authors, convinces the Court
that the distortion was deliberate and intentional. (Tr., pp
162-163, 169, 171-172) (St. Amant v. Thompson (1968) 390 U.S.
727, 732, 20 L.Ed.2d 262, 267-8, 88 S.Ct. 1323) Furthermore, the
deposition testimony of Duddy, Alexander, Buckley and Sire
confirm that the defamatory statements were published in some
instances knowing they were false and in other instances with a
reckless disregard of the truth or falsity thereof.
24. The Court also finds that the defendants' conduct in
publishing the books and manuscript referred to above was
intended to vex, annoy, and injure the plaintiffs and to destroy
the ministries of all three plaintiffs.
This is supported by evidence that SCP, Duddy's employer,
and co-author, had a long standing animosity against the Local
Church dating back to the early 1970s and the loss of some of its
members. This was confirmed by James Miller and Jack Sparks, co-
founder of SCP. (Sparks, p. 16) Dr. Melton testified that SCP
came out second best in these confrontations. (Tr. pp. 48-49) In
addition, documentary and deposition testimony disclosed that
Inter-Varsity perceived itself to be in a competitive
relationship with the Local Churches on college campuses in
preaching the Gospel and because of the loss of its members to
the Local Churches (Sire, Vol. 4, pp. 47-48, 58-59; Vol. 5, p.
228; Ex. 85 (Former Ex. 381.240) and therefore, solicited the aid
of Duddy and SCP in expanding SCP's prior publication, The God-
Men I, so as to add the so-called "sociological" section which
contained most of the defamatory statements referred to above
(Ex. 85 (Former Ex. 383.4)). In responding to their
solicitation, Duddy presented to Inter-Varsity a "sales pitch"
that the book "may contribute to the Local Churches' demise."
(Ex. 38)
Testimony and documentary evidence also establishes that the
defendant Schwengeler-Verlag had a history of being in publishing
competition with the Church in Stuttgart concerning the works of
Watchman Nee and also solicited the aid of Duddy and SCP to
attempt to discredit the Church. Duddy knowingly and wilfully
joined in these endeavors to harm, if not destroy the ministries
of the plaintiffs (as well as the Churches throughout the world)
(Ex. 38, 40). In addition, Schwengeler-Verlag inserted in Die
Sonderlehre des Witness Lee und Seiner Ortsgemeinde an
advertisement for a book on Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple and
correlated it with the plaintiffs by the language "Here is
another book that reveals how seducers operate." This simple
juxtaposition was "calculated" to remind someone "of the picture
on Time Magazine of all these people lying around dead." (Tr. p.
147 - Dr. Goetchius)
From all of the testimony it is clear that the traditional
use of the word "Cult" has changed so that we now have, since the
middle 1970's, a new meaning to the word. It is now understood
to mean "brainwashing of members" (Tr. p. 28), deceitful
recruiting (Tr. p. 28), a mischievous group that is evil and
ready to control you and take your money (Tr. p. 113), harmful to
their members (Tr. p. 20), undermining American values (Tr. p.
20). Cults are claimed to be just about every bad thing in the
book these days, and with the pervasive images of Manson and Jim
Jones hanging over us, any group that is called a Cult is
immediately associated with those two people.
As stated by Dr. Melton, "to call someone a Cult is the
1970's equivalent of labeling them a Pinko (Communist) in the
days of McCarthyism". (Tr. p. 49) Once the accusation is made,
that stigma remains even if proven to be totally wrong.
The Court agrees with the statement of the witness Dr.
Rodney Stark when he stated:
"If all that the defendants were to do
was write a book even though real nasty
to Witness Lee's theology, we wouldn't
be here today because that is fair in
our American Society. You can do that.
But the second you start talking
. . . naming names and events,
discrediting events, sexual hanky-panky,
financial hanky-panky, or indeed getting
to a certain point of quoting a man's
theological statements diametrically
opposed to what the man is saying, then
I think we have . . . We are not
talking about religion, we are talking
about truth, we are talking about libel,
we are talking about fairness, we are
talking about a whole constellation of
things." (Tr. pp. 171-172)
The damage to the plaintiffs cannot be erased by this
action, but the following awards of punitive damages will
vindicate the plaintiffs and deter others similarly situated from
issuing further deliberate untruths about the plaintiffs. (Secord
v. Schlachter, 58 Fed.Supp. 56-58 (1983)).
Therefore, the Court awards punitive damages in favor of the
plaintiffs and against the defendants as follows:
For the plaintiff Witness Lee as against Neil T. Duddy
One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00).
For the plaintiff Witness Lee as against Schwengeler-Verlag
One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00).
For the plaintiff Church in Anaheim as against Neil T. Duddy
Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00).
For the plaintiff Church in Anaheim as against Schwengeler-
Verlag Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00).
For the plaintiff William T. Freeman as against Neil T.
Duddy Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00).
For the plaintiff William T. Freeman as against Schwengeler-
Verlag Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00).
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Ski Ecuador Volcanoes
Main navigation
highlights
Old Quito Tour: visit colonial churches with their grand altars made of Inca gold, sculptures, and intricate carvings
Standing at the top of Cotopaxi, and looking down inside its crater at its sulfur fumaroles
Recuperating in the natural thermal springs that flow from the mountainside at Baños
Sweeping views from the summit of Ecuador’s tallest volcano, on a clear day you can see down into the Amazon jungle basin and the many neighboring peaks.
The straightforward, moderately angled routes are well-suited for those who seek an introduction to high altitude ski mountaineering. The elevation approaches 6,000 meters, and combined with the ease of access and comfortable mountain huts to launch from they are on the must-do list for the more experienced mountaineers as well!
Trip Categories
This is a small, flexible ski mountaineering expedition in the Ecuadorian High Volcanoes. Enjoy the phenomenal skiing, beautiful scenery and a fantastic cultural experience.
Objective
Ski the three highest volcanoes in Ecuador, an epic adventure and special way to experience Ecuador’s peaks! Nevado Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. The numbers speak for themselves, the vertical drop from the summits are big! We will attempt to ski from these peaks while enjoying some of the most spectacular scenery Ecuador has to offer. Our travel schedule will remain fully flexible to allow us to make the very most of snow and weather conditions.
What to expect
The key to a successful mountain adventure is preparation. Our 15-day program is aimed at providing the framework for success. We spend the first five days acclimatizing to the altitude by hiking through the high mountain terrain of the surrounding peaks. Then the last ten days we focus on our summit attempts.
Starting in the city of Quito, we’ll first acclimatize on Fuya-Fuya and Imbabura. After we have had a chance to acclimatize we’ll set our sights on Cayambe the 3rd tallest Ecuadorian volcano; which offers an outstanding ski descent. Then we head to Cotopaxi, which is famous for its perfect cone-shaped and snow-covered crater. Last up – we’ll check out Chimborazo, the tallest peak in Ecuador, an exciting ski descent from near or above 6000 meters!
The Skiing
In a typical day on the volcano, we will gain around 1.300 m of ascent – which means we also get to enjoy a 1.300 m descent. The snow conditions are variable, however, it’s usually spring snow or fresh powder on a firm base. On occasion, strong winds can affect the snow, making it a more challenging ski descent.
Our ski objectives will be interspersed with driving and sightseeing, such as enjoy the cultural heritage and nightlife of the capital city, Quito. Spend rest days at hot springs and Stay at mountain lodges close to our climbs.
The volcanoes of Ecuador are ideal objectives for ski mountaineers of advanced abilities. Though climbing in Ecuador isn’t technically challenging, ascending it with skis (sometimes on your back) can be a bit more challenging. We skin as much of the route as we can – usually with ski crampons on. However, there are times when it gets too steep or icy and we will need to carry the skis on our back. Being able to carry your skis, when coupled with the high altitude makes it imperative to have a high level of physical fitness and some prior ski mountaineering experience. As much work as it may seem, standing on top of Cotopaxi and overlooking the stunning snow-covered crater is truly remarkable!
If the weather is poor we can always be flexible with the schedule to so you can get the most out of your visit.
Weather
Expect the same variety of weather and temperatures similar to those encountered while ski mountaineering in Europe or North America – it ranges from wonderful weather to rain, snowstorms and high winds. However, whatever the weather brings us, we always have a fantastic time.
Note:
Like all snowcapped peaks in Ecuador, avalanches are common during the day due to the more direct angle of the sunlight characteristic of regions this close to the Equatorial Line. As a safety measure, we will climb at night and reach the summit by 7:00 a.m., this will enable our safe return to base camp before the snowpack becomes too warm and soft.
Note:
Every effort will be made to adhere to the itinerary, but unforeseen circumstances may require last minute changes. Weather conditions, road conditions, vehicle breakdowns and the health of climbers can all contribute to schedule alterations. Please be prepared to be flexible when necessary.
seen enough? ready to sign up?
Mission Statement
We are a small and dynamic guide service owned and operated by ASEGUIM Certified Mountain Guides. We provide quality small group tours that have a positive impact on the local culture and environment. We offer a number of packages that will fit your personal travel goals: tours, treks, climbs and expeditions.
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Ordering Information
This Belkin Cat5e Bulk Cable is ideal for network installation. Whether you are wiring your home, office or entire campus, this is the solution that's right. It comes in red for easy identification and color-coding.
The cable meets all Cat5e TIA/EIA standards, and drastically reduces both impedance and structural return loss (SRL). This is accomplished by bonding together each of the individual pairs, helping to maintain the twist-spacing throughout the line right up to your termination point.
This product is subject to our return policy. Please see our complete return policy for details.NOTE: The manufacturer does not permit returns on custom cables or cables with manufacturer part numbers beginning with "RFQ".
Our Accessibility Policy
We endeavor to make our website accessible to any and all users. Please contact us toll-free at 800-998-4388 if you need assistance with navigating our blog, website, or placing an order. We appreciate your business and are happy to answer any questions that you may have.
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Tell us some more! Your answer needs to include more details to help people.You can't post answers that contain an email address.Please enter a valid email address.The email address entered is already associated to an account.Login to postPlease use English characters only.
A speaker bar is a (usually portable) speaker system that includes a dock for an iPod. The unit is usually bar-shaped, with either a rectangular or cylindrical cross-section. Connecting an iPod to a speaker bar is usually as simple as plugging it in. Many speaker bars will also charge the iPod while it is connected. However some do not have an iPod dock, in which case the iPod must be connected by a 3.5mm audio cable.
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
* 3.5mm cable (for some speaker bars)
Turn the iPod on. Look to see if the speaker bar has a dock for the iPod. The dock will fit an iPod perfectly and will generally be located in the center of the speaker bar. There will be a connector that resembles the connector on the docking cable that came with the iPod. Place the iPod on the docking station and turn on the speaker bar. Such is the case with the "2.1 Channel Bar Speaker with Dock for iPod" or the "Yamaha YAS-71BL Front Surround Speaker System"
iPod headphones use a 3.5mm audio cable.
Connect the iPod via the 3.5mm cable. If the speaker bar does not have a docking station it will have a 3.5mm cable connector with a jack like the headphone jack on iPod ear pods. Plug the 3.5mm cable in the iPod headphone jack. Plug the other end in the iPod. Turn on the speaker bar. The procedure is straight forward and Apple specifically designed the headphone jack with third party stereos in mind.
Select a song on the iPod and play it. The speaker bar will play the music from the iPod.
i have somewhat of a similar problem with my ipod Touch and my JBL docking station alarm clock thingy. It may just be that the ipod is not compatible on some of the levels that the Igroove is. With my docking station, it wont charge my ipod touch itll only play music
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Dip into the world of food and nutrition at the Alimentarium and take an in-depth look into specific themes, peruse objects from our collection and dive into fascinating magazine articles, wherever you may be.
The Alimentarium Academy is designed for teachers, pupils from 8 to 16 years old and their parents. Teaching material, educational games and videos prepared by experts make learning about food and nutrition fun and engaging!
Alimentarium Explainers
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When it comes to food and nutrition, it isn’t always easy to know what to believe. There is so much information out there, some of it contradictory. This is where our Explainer Videos come in! The catchy anecdotes in this series of entertaining films will unravel the clichés in less than 2 minutes!
Magnificent culinary mishaps
For the clumsy and absent-minded cooks among you, never fear, some of the greatest mishaps have resulted in delicious inventions! Si non è vero, et ben trovato!
Is our Microbiota telling us what to eat?
Freud was the first to suggest that our subconscious plays an important role in our psyche and “the ego” is not master in its own house. Now it seems that tiny little organisms could give credence to this Freudian assumption! It may well be that the billions of bacteria in our intestines influence our mood, our social behaviour and our food choices…
Thanksgiving - An emblematic national holiday in the United States
Or who was the first American president to pardon a turkey? Give thanks to our autumnal Explainer video, which reveals everything about this national holiday etched in the American collective memory.
Pesticides in organic produce?!
Many consumers suppose that since organic food is grown with respect for nature, it’s pesticide-free. But things aren’t actually that straightforward…
Sweets on prescription ?
For those of you with a sweet tooth, be warned! Our new Explainer Sweets on prescription? will probably only make it worse. Did you know that sugar was once believed to have healing powers? Imagine eating sweets on doctor’s orders…
Lactose-free milk
Do you digest milk easily? Congratulations, you’re a mutant! If not, fermented milk may be a solution.
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Cool tattoo idea for men in Fairhope, Alabama
Given that a there are a ton of individuals with a standard climbed design, there are actually also an improving volume of individuals that wish increased tattoo designs but additionally wish to present to from their uniqueness as well as obtain a different style to exactly what everybody else possesses.
Find affordable high end tattoo designs.
Sparrows are actually also a preferred tattoo layout, particularly with girls and also you will pretty commonly see all of them functioned in to the very same design as roses or even blooms.
Heart tattoos can easily stand for an individual's love for other people, a person's love permanently and also humanity, and even a person's hope for finding affection.
Tattoo design develops based on this concept could present to the flower in total bloom or as a weed that will blossom, and even as a ton from roses.
Assisted along by the appeal from the Nautical Celebrity, this is a tattoo style that is actually increasingly popular one of stylish and also young body fine art enthusiasts just who delight in harkening back to the roots of tattooing.
While typically individuals would certainly link up all the tattoos on their arms in to more from a sleeve layout, this is turning into progressively well-liked to obtain tons of smaller concepts up your upper arms that are certainly not automatically connected by everything.
The picked flower petals could have emblematic meanings and if you definitely wish something like that can decide on a lotus, increased, sunflower or a proverb tattoo concept.
When an individual close to all of them has actually died, this is actually not rare for guys to select an Angel tattoo design.
You can also tattoo the heartbeat from an enjoyed one to present them that your quality of lives will certainly regularly be actually connected as well as your passion will definitely last for good.
That is far better to select a initial as well as one-of-a-kind layout compared to a mass market style - "show off" is developed through exceptional performers then sold to tattoo artists around the country and also around the globe.
Get the best tattoo ideas.
Tattoos can seem really great, gave a bunch of thought and feelings has actually gone into selecting your layout, and based plainly on the understanding that this is actually a permanent noting on your body.
Angel Tattoos for Girls and Angel Tattoos for Women are a prominent choice for the fairer sex as Angels might be said to symbolize beauty and poise.
Anchor tattoo designs are often related to the robust arms from sailors; nevertheless, certainly not all folks featuring these tattoos reside a quality of life mixed-up.
Whether you choose your design creativity coming from a top ten list or pick a customized developed part, you may make your tattoo more meaningful through conveying your unique individuality within the body system from the tattoo design.
Occasionally much less is actually much more along with designs, and also you merely have to have a design similar to this to have that different as well as lovely appeal that a ton of gals and also men are choosing at presents.
Traditional tattoos are usually summarized in black and afterwards filled out along with dark shading or other colors blended with dark ink.
Rubies are actually yet another well-liked tattoo design and also we really love just how thorough this is.
As well as our company are actually inspired through all of them too, utilizing tattoo font styles as well as or looking into various other inspiring tattoo designs.
Angel tattoo designs that serve as memorials are actually a few of one of the most preferred layouts decided on by men especially because they symbolize a personal they liked as opposed to some kind from legendary being actually or suggestion.
Believe me, there are bunches of tattoo design concepts in this world, and also you can discover conveniently one best tattoo style for you.
Helping you get your hands on high quality tat designs in the following areas: 36532, 36533
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[A] When this is placed from hand to the Stage, you may put the top card of your Clock in the Waiting Room.[A] When this attacks, if "Two's Inference" is in the Climax Zone, choose 1 of your other ::Detective:: Characters, and that Character gains +3000 Power and the following ability for the turn. "[A] This ability activates up to once per turn. When the Damage dealt by this is canceled, you may deal 1 Damage to your Opponent." (Damage Cancel can occur)
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Beauty multi-taskers are the future, because let's face it - who wants to apply five different products when a single cream has the same benefits and more.
CC creams differ from BBs mainly in the amount of colour pigment they contain.
CC stands for 'colour' and 'correct'. Both creams are credited with priming, hydrating, protecting and perfecting your skin. But whereas BBs provide a natural, sheer coverage, CCs are there to help address specific skin tone issues such as redness and sallowness, and many also provide anti-aging benefits.
Think of the CC customer as the BB-buyer's older sister. She's interested in a timesaving product that promises a perfect complexion. But she's more realistic about the amount of coverage she's going to need in order to achieve it. She's also pleased to know that many CCs include higher concentrations of anti-ageing ingredients, such as vitamin C, designed to fade pigmentation.
A big benefit of both CCs and BBs is that they contain sun protection. But that can also be a negative.
"Because they are tinted, you don't tend to use as much traditional sunscreen as you should," says cosmetic physician Dr Teresa Cattin, who has her own skincare range, Faceworks.
"This can fool you into thinking you are adequately protected when you're not. Using a BB or CC cream is better than nothing but, like sunblock, you would have to slather it on if you were going to be exposed to the sun for any length of time."
Dr Cattin doesn't recommend skimping on sunblock - ever. "It's the very best defence against premature ageing," she says.
BB, and now CC, creams are extremely popular, so much so that they are picked to completely replace traditional tinted moisturiser.
They offer instant results, as well as longer-term anti-aging ones, and their benefits are quickly making them a makeup bag staple.
At the moment, however, only a few brands offer a selection of shades, while foundations come in dozens.
If you are young, time-strapped or prefer a very natural-looking coverage, a BB/CC cream will be perfect.
If full coverage is important, you might be better sticking with sunscreen, moisturiser and a good base.
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Adolescent Health Care: A Practical Guide
Chapter 14
Heart Murmurs and Mitral Valve Prolapse
Amy D. DiVasta
Mark E. Alexander
Cardiac murmurs occur in at least 50% of all normal children and often persist into adolescence. Murmurs are the most frequent reason for referral to a cardiology specialist (Geggel, 2004). The vast majority of these murmurs occur in the absence of an anatomical or physiological abnormality of the heart, and are considered to be “innocent,” “normal,” or “physiological” in origin. It is the task of the primary care physician to differentiate normal murmurs from those that are pathological. In most patients with a cardiac murmur, a careful history and physical examination serve to establish a diagnosis and/or to guide further referral and evaluation. When a pathological murmur is suspected, pediatric cardiology referral is generally a more effective approach than first obtaining an echocardiogram, particularly if working with adult-focused echocardiogram resources.
History
Diagnosis begins with a thorough history and physical examination. If a diagnosis of congenital heart disease is already known, the specific diagnoses will drive further cardiology evaluation. Murmurs first heard in childhood or adolescence are more likely to be innocent murmurs than murmurs caused by organic heart disease. Complaints of fatigue, decreased exercise tolerance, exertional chest pain, or palpitations are suggestive of pathological heart disease. Any patient with syncope or near-syncope during exercise merits cardiac evaluation. A thorough family history should also be obtained, including a history of sudden death.
Physical Examination
Appearance
Growth and maturation should be carefully assessed.
Presence of dysmorphic features is frequently associated with congenital heart disease, as in Trisomy 21, Turner, Noonan, or Marfan syndromes.
Pectus excavatum deformity (narrow anteroposterior diameter of the chest) is often associated with a normal murmur, but is also associated with systemic connective tissue abnormalities such as Marfan syndrome.
Pulses in upper and lower extremities
Observe for any discrepancies in intensity or timing.
Delayed or absent pulses in the lower extremities may indicate coarctation of the aorta.
Bounding pulses due to a wide pulse pressure may indicate structural disease related to “run-off” from a region of higher pressure to one of relatively lower pressure, for example, aortic regurgitation or patent ductus arteriosus.
Blood pressures in arm and leg
Sizing of the blood pressure cuff is essentia A good general rule is to size the length of the bladder (the inflatable portion) of the cuff so that it completely encircles the upper arm of the patient. Using a cuff size that is too small leads to falsely high readings. When in doubt, err on the side of a cuff that is slightlytoo large. While a manual blood pressure may be the most accurate office method, automated oscillometric methods have the significant advantages of lacking observer bias, and the ability to delegate the procedure to ancillary office staff.
The leg systolic pressure is normally slightly higher (10 mm Hg) than that of the arm. A lower leg pressure can often indicate coarctation of the aorta.
Palpation
Presence of thrill, heave, or lift over the precordium or suprasternal notch is usually an indication of pathology.
The point of maximal impulse (PMI) should be dimesized, limited to one intercostal space, and located in the midclavicular line. Increased intensity and lateral displacement of the PMI suggests left ventricular (LV) enlargement.
Auscultation
All components of the cardiac cycle should be assessed systematically at the base, at the apex, and along both sides of the sternal border, using both the bell and diaphragm. A dynamic cardiac examination is completed by moving the patient through some combination of positions and maneuvers: supine, sitting, standing, squatting, or isometric hand contraction which allows different cardiac loading conditions to amplify murmurs.
P.221
First heart sound (S1): S1is produced by closure of the mitral and then the tricuspid valve. It is best heard at the cardiac ape Splitting of S1 can be a normal finding. However, auscultation of another sound close to S1 is usually either a presystolic fourth heart sound (S4) or an ejection click (see following text).
Second heart sound (S2): The quality of S2is of great diagnostic importance. The first component (aortic valve closure, A2) and the second component (pulmonary valve closure, P2)ofS2 should be of equal intensity. An accentuated P2 suggests pulmonary hypertension. Normally, there is respiratory variation or physiological splitting of the S2, with widening of the separation with inspiration and narrowing or disappearance of the split with exhalation. This is easiest to hear at the upper left sternal border (LSB). Wide, fixed splitting suggests an abnormality of right ventricular (RV) volume overload such as an atrial septal defect. A single S2 is also abnormal, and may indicate severe stenosis of one of the semilunar valves.
Third heart sound (S3): S3corresponds to ventricular filling during early diastole, and is normally heard as a soft sound following S2 at the cardiac apex. S3 may be a normal finding in adolescents, and is more prominent in hyperdynamic states.
Fourth heart sound (S4): S4is due to atrial contraction. It is heard late in diastole, particularly at the apex, and is almost always pathological in adolescents, although may be normal in older adults.
Clicks: A click is a sharp, high-frequency sound that provides an important clue to the diagnosis of organic disease.
Early systolic ejection clicks are of either pulmonary or aortic origin, and occur shortly after S1.
A pulmonary ejection click is best heard at the upper LSB and is associated with valvular pulmonary stenosis. The intensity of the pulmonary valve ejection click varies with respiration (louder with expiration) and the severity of pulmonary stenosis.
An aortic ejection click is best heard at the apex and does not vary with respiration. It is associated with a bicuspid aortic valve, which in turn may include aortic stenosis, or coarctation.
Nonejection clicks are usually midsystolic and are present at the apex. These clicks move within systole as ventricular loading conditions change (with squatting or isometric hand contraction). They are associated with mitral valve prolapse (MVP).
Murmurs: The presence of a systolic or diastolic murmur requires careful analysis of its characteristics, including timing, loudness, length, tonal quality, and location. For practical purposes, all diastolic murmurs, except venous hums, should be considered pathological.
Diagnostic Clues for Innocent Murmurs
History: Asymptomatic, no family history of cardiac disease
Physical examination: Normal, other than the presence of the murmur
Timing of murmur: Early systolic; almost never diastolic
Duration: Not holosystolic
Intensity: Usually grade 1–3/6
Radiation: Not extensive
Quality: Vibratory; no clicks
Location: May vary, but frequently at lower or upper LSB
Change with position: Increase in supine position, decrease with sitting or standing
S2: Physiological splitting
Laboratory findings: Generally, no laboratory studies are indicated. In the primary care setting, electrocardiograms (ECGs) are obtained only selectively. When obtained, they should be normal.
A number of normal murmurs have been described. They have identifiable characteristics that allow them to be recognized by physical examination alone. Characterizing a murmur as “normal” is not a diagnosis of exclusion; each has definite criteria that should be fulfilled.
Still's Murmur
Cause: Turbulence of flow from blood ejected through the LV outflow tract or the presence of ventricular false tendons.
Quality
Low- to medium-pitched murmur with vibratory or musical quality.
Grade 1-3/6 early to midsystolic murmur; never holosystolic; S1can be clearly distinguished from the murmur.
Differential diagnosis: Differentiated from valvular aortic stenosis by the absence of a click or radiation to the upper right sternal border (RSB). Differentiated from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) because the murmur decreases with standing. Less harsh than a murmur associated with a ventricular septal defect (VSD).
Pulmonary Flow Murmur
Cause: Turbulence of flow in the RV outflow tract across a normal pulmonary valve (the right-sided equivalent
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of Still's murmur). Often heard with tachycardia due to fever, anxiety, or exertion. Associated with pectus excavatum or kyphoscoliosis.
Location: Heard best above the sternal end of clavicle, at the base of the neck. May be bilateral or unilateral (right side usually louder; most people have only a right-sided superior vena cava).
Maneuvers
Murmur is increased by rotating the head away from the side of the murmur.
Murmur is decreased or obliterated by jugular venous compression.
Murmur decreasedwith supine position—unique for a normal murmur.
Differential diagnosis: If murmur is louder over the chest than over the supraclavicular area, and does not change with the maneuvers described, patent ductus arteriosus or coronary artery fistula must be excluded.
Supraclavicular (Carotid) Bruit
Cause: Turbulence at the site of branching of the brachiocephalic arteries from the aortic arch.
Location: Maximal above the clavicles and lower portion of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, with radiation to the neck.
Maneuvers
Murmur is eliminated by compression of the subclavian artery against the first rib.
Murmur is decreased by hyperextending the shoulders (bringing the elbows behind the back).
Murmur is heard best in the sitting position with the bell of the stethoscope.
Differential diagnosis: Differentiated from aortic or pulmonary stenosis because murmur is louder over the neck than the chest, there is no click, and it changes with the above maneuvers.
Murmurs Associated with Structural Heart Disease
Although less common, mildly symptomatic congenital heart disease may not be recognized until adolescence, particularly in underserved populations. Therefore, a careful differential diagnosis must be considered when the examiner first notes a cardiac murmur. A review of these lesions is presented in Table 14.2.
noninvasive tools that permit quantification of the right to left shunt. Cardiac MRI allows excellent imaging of the atrial septum and RV volume. This information can help in deciding whether defects are good candidates for device closure, or have sufficient right to left shunt to deserve therapy.
Management: Both surgical closure and transcatheter device closure are safe, effective, and popular management choices. Transcatheter device closure has the advantages of avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass and preventing a thoracic scar; however, a permanent foreign body is left in place. Conversely, surgical management has now evolved, leading to low postoperative morbidity and rapid recovery. Surgical repair carries with it the inherent risk of bypass, and the postoperative potential for postpericardiotomy syndrome or atrial arrhythmia. Decisions continue to be made on a case-by-case basis.
Ventricular Septal Defect
Physical examination: Shunt volume determines findings.
With increasing shunt size, the precordium becomes increasingly hyperdynamic. A thrill may be present with either a large or small shunt.
S2is normal with small shunts, accentuated with larger shunts. An S3 may be present. A loud P2 (suggesting pulmonary hypertension), particularly with a soft or absent murmur, is a worrisome finding.
Grade 2–3/6 holosystolic murmur at lower LSB (very small defects may be quite localized with a high-frequency, blowing quality).
Middiastolic rumble at the apex with large shunts (increased flow across the mitral valve).
Further evaluation
ECG: Normal in small defects; LV hypertrophy with large defects.
Chest radiograph: Normal in small defects; cardiomegaly with increased pulmonary vascularity in large defects.
Echocardiogram: Provides anatomical detail of location and size of defect; color Doppler permits visualization of very small defects.
Management: Some patients with small lesions will be lost to follow-up, and have no recollection of this previous diagnosis when being evaluated as a teen. Even large VSDs may not be identified until adolescence. If the echocardiogram confirms low RV pressure, little additional data is required to make appropriate decisions regarding expectant or surgical management. However, when large VSDs are identified in adolescence, pulmonary artery and RV pressures are typically elevated. For these patients, catheterization is critical in assessing pulmonary vascular resistance and reactivity. Some adolescents with late presentation of VSD will need palliative care focused on their pulmonary vascular disease. It is important to note that infectious endocarditis prophylaxis is no longer recommended for VSD.
Patent Ductus Arteriosus
Physical examination: Shunt volume determines findings.
Normal precordium with small shunt; hyperdynamic with a thrill with large shunt.
Grade 2–4/6 continuous murmur at upper LSB.
Wide pulse pressure and bounding pulses with large shunt.
Further evaluation
ECG: Often normal. LV hypertrophy seen if left to right shunting is significant.
Chest radiograph: Cardiomegaly with increased pulmonary vascularity with large shunt.
Management: Cardiac catheterization is rarely required for diagnosis but is commonly done for coil or device occlusion. In the adolescent with a large patent ductus, catheterization is critical in evaluating the level of pulmonary vascular obstructive disease.
Valvular Pulmonary Stenosis
Physical examination: Severity of obstruction determines findings.
RV lift with systolic thrill at upper LSB in more severe forms.
Systolic ejection click at upper LSB, which is louder with expiration. In severe pulmonary stenosis, the click becomes more difficult to hear as it moves closer to the S1.
Echocardiogram: Permits evaluation of valve morphology. Doppler evaluation of maximum gradient across the valve has proved to have excellent correlation with cardiac catheterization measurement of gradient.
Echocardiogram: Permits evaluation of valve morphology and determination of level of stenosis.
Seventy percent to 85% of stenotic valves are bicuspid. Mean pressure gradient obtained by Doppler evaluation has good correlation with valve gradient measured by cardiac catheterization.
Management: Cardiac catheterization is rarely required for diagnosis. In selective cases, aortic balloon valvuloplasty may be an initial palliative procedure.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
HCM is the most common unrecognized cause of sudden cardiac death in young people. Although patients with HCM can present with cardiac symptoms (chest pain, dyspnea, palpitations, or syncope), they are frequently asymptomatic. The physical examination is quite dynamic and may either be normal or only transiently abnormal.
Physical examination
Careful general physical examination to assess for features of skeletal myopathy.
Management: Management of HCM remains controversial. For the symptomatic patient with aborted sudden death (and some with syncope), implantable defibrillators are the primary therapy. Those with severe and symptomatic LV outflow tract obstruction may benefit from either surgical or catheter treatment. Drug therapy is primarily reserved for relief of milder symptoms. Most patients are restricted from competitive sports. Prophylaxis for subacute bacterial endocarditis (SBE) is no longer recommended.
Mitral Valve Prolapse
MVP is a heterogeneous disorder, with a wide spectrum of pathological, clinical, and echocardiographic manifestations. Although the diagnosis of MVP is common, clinically important MVP is infrequent. The modern understanding of MVP identifies the mitral valve involvement as either part of global connective tissues abnormalities—the most common being Marfan syndrome—or as an isolated finding. Most patients with classic MVP have an excellent prognosis. Other patients, most of whom have other connective tissue disease, are at increased risk for the development of mitral regurgitation, infectious endocarditis, cerebral embolism, life-threatening arrhythmia, and sudden death. Refinement in our approach over the last two decades has led to improved differentiation between the two groups, and recognition of the associated differences in prognosis. This is an important distinction to make to avoid unnecessary anxiety, activity limitations, or antibiotic prophylaxis in otherwise healthy young people. In addition, modern understanding of the potential for over-diagnosis of MVP has led to increased skepticism of symptomatic patients with “MVP syndrome” and minimal cardiac findings.
Normal mechanical function of the mitral valve depends on the relation between the size of the mitral leaflets and the LV cavity. An excess of leaflet tissue or a disproportionately small LV cavity (which can occur with dehydration, cardiomyopathy, or anorexia nervosa) may lead to signs of MVP. MVP also has a well-established association with connective tissue disorders such as Marfan syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), and osteogenesis imperfecta.
Epiemiology
The reported historical prevalence of MVP has ranged from 1% to 35%, depending on the population studied and criteria utilized for diagnosis. Current diagnostic criteria have led to a prevalence estimate of 2% to 3%, with equal distribution among men and women (Freed et al., 1999). MVP may be diagnosed at any age; symptomatic patients tend to be older adolescents or young adults.
Classification
MVP can be divided into three types:
Primary (classic) prolapse, an idiopathic but often autosomal dominant disorder (with variable penetrance) affecting the structure of the mitral valve. Valve leaflets are thickened and elongated in association with myxomatous infiltration.
Secondary prolapse from myxomatous degeneration of mitral leaflets in individuals with connective tissue diseases such as Marfan syndrome.
Prolapse of a normal mitral valve leaflet in individuals with papillary muscle dysfunction related to ischemia, infarction, or cardiomyopathy.
Clinical Manifestations
The true prevalence of the symptoms described in patients with MVP compared with the general population is unknown because prevalence rates are usually based on data from referral centers and/or hospital-based patients.
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Historically, many cardiac symptoms were attributed to the presence of MVP. However, the vast majority of adolescents with complaints of chest pain, palpitations, dizziness, syncope, dyspnea on exertion, or fatigue do not have MVP. When true disease is suspected, a dynamic physical examination and two-dimensional echocardiography are the diagnostic standards for MVP. Frequently described symptoms include the following:
Palpitations, which may be unrelated to the occurrence of arrhythmias, representing symptomatic sinus tachycardia, orthostatic intolerance and presyncope, or other “noncardiac” causes. Isolated ventricular ectopy, sometimes frequent, does seem to be more common in MVP patients as compared to controls (Kavey et al., 1984; Bobkowski et al., 2002).
Chest pain tends to be precordial, nonexertional, and is of longer duration than anginal pain. The cause of the chest pain is unknown, and is likely unrelated to the MVP.
Less common symptoms include exertional dyspnea, fatigue, lightheadedness, syncope (common also in adolescents without MVP), and neuropsychiatric symptoms such as anxiety. Historically, comorbidity between MVP and anxiety disorders was suggested. However, recent studies have demonstrated no association between MVP and childhood anxiety disorders (Toren et al., 1999; Arfken et al., 1990).
Physical Findings
Click: The mid-to-late systolic click of MVP is best heard with the diaphragm of the stethoscope. This sound is caused by the sudden ballooning of a mitral leaflet into the left atrium during systole. The click often precedes a late systolic murmur of mitral regurgitation. The interval between S1and the click varies with LV enddiastolic volume. Maneuvers on physical examination can demonstrate this dynamic variation. As end-diastolic volume increases (supine position, squatting) or as afterload increases (hand-gripping), the click moves later into systole. Conversely, with reduction of enddiastolic volume of the ventricle (standing, Valsalva), the earlier in systole the click occurs. Therefore, the intensity and position of the click may vary in the same individual depending on a variety of factors.
Murmur: The murmur of MVP tends to be a high-pitched, late systolic murmur, heard best at the apex of the heart. As with the click, maneuvers that decrease LV volume move the murmur closer to S1. Maneuvers that increase LV diastolic volume may diminish the murmur. Some patients have no click and only a late systolic murmur.
Associated physical abnormalities: An association has been described between MVP and slender body habitus in both adults and children (Arfken et al., 1993). Patients should also be closely examined for stigmata of the commonly associated connective tissue disorders, and evaluated by a clinician who specializes in such disorders if the examination is worrisome. MVP with or without mitral regurgitation is a minor, not major, criterion for determining cardiovascular involvement for the diagnosis of Marfan syndrome (De Paepe et al., 1996). Isolated thoracic bony abnormalities such as scoliosis, pectus excavatum, and decreased anteroposterior diameter have also been associated with MVP.
Further Evaluation
Chest x-ray: Generally normal; possible scoliosis.
ECG: Usually normal but indicated if a patient complains of palpitations.
Holter or event monitoring: Indicated to evaluate for arrhythmia if the patient has palpitations that disrupt activities of daily living or cause serious symptoms (syncope, dizziness).
Echocardiogram: If a systolic click or late systolic murmur is heard, an echocardiogram is essential to visualize the mitral valve and to confirm the diagnosis of MVP. The degree of prolapse, amount of mitral regurgitation, severity of the deformity, thickness of the valve leaflets, and LV function can also be evaluated. Certain echocardiographic features have been associated with a poor prognosis, including thickened and redundant mitral valve leaflets. Echocardiogram also allows measurement of the ascending aorta, aortic root diameter, and LVr dimensions for patients with significant mitral insufficiency.
Mild bowing of a mitral leaflet, a normal variant, should not be misdiagnosed as frank prolapse. It is essential that echocardiographic findings that “suggest prolapse” have firm clinical correlation before a healthy person is labeled as having MVP. Patients with less than overt prolapse on echocardiography and absence of a click, murmur, or symptoms should not be misclassified as having MVP. They do not need to follow bacterial endocarditis prophylaxis precautions.
Management
Reassurance: The vast majority of adolescents and young adults with MVP are asymptomatic. They should not be restricted in their activities, and serious sequelae need not be discussed. Routine follow-up echocardiography is not recommended, unless new symptoms or new physical examination findings develop.
Health maintenance: Studies in adults have demonstrated that increased blood pressure and obesity, two potentially reversible risk factors, place patients with MVP at greater risk for severe mitral regurgitation and the need for valve surgery (Singh et al., 2000).
Antibiotic prophylaxis: New recommendations from the American Heart Association significantly reduce the indications for antibiotic prophylaxis of infective endocarditis (Table14.3,14.4,14.5,14.6). Routine prophylaxis is no longer recommended for MVP. The complete guidelines are available at: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3004539 and a wallet card is available at: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11086
β-Blocking agents may be indicated for patients with MVP who have significant symptoms from arrhythmias, to provide symptomatic relief or to target a specific arrhythmia. There is no evidence that β-blockade decreases the already low risk of sudden death (Priori et al., 2001).
Pregnancy: Mild mitral regurgitation is generally well-tolerated during pregnancy and delivery, with no additional risk to mother or child.
Genetic counseling: The first-degree relatives of patients with myxomatous MVP should be screened for MVP using echocardiography because of the high prevalence of the diagnosis within families.
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Exercise: Patients with mild MVP with neither significant mitral insufficiency, ventricular arrhythmias, history of cardiac syncope, nor a family history of premature sudden death need no restrictions to physical activity. Those who have more cardiac manifestations and more significant valvular disease may require some restrictions and careful consideration of athletic choices (Maron and Zipes, 2005).
TABLE 14.3Cardiac Conditions Associated with Endocarditis
Endocarditis Prophylaxis Recommended
Endocarditis Prophylaxis not Recommended
a Except for the conditions listed above, antibiotic prophylaxis is no longer recommended for any other form of CHD.b Prophylaxis is recommended because endothelialization of prosthetic material occurs within 6 months after the procedure. Adapted from Wilson W, Taubert KA, Gewitz M, et al. Prevention of Infective Endocarditis: Guidelines from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2007;115:1.
Prosthetic cardiac valve
Innocent murmurs
Previous IE
Mitral valve prolapse
Congenital heart disease (CHD)a
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Unrepaired cyanotic CHD, including palliative shunts and conduits
Completely repaired congenital heart defect with prosthetic material or device, whether placed by surgery or by catheter intervention, during the first 6 months after the procedureb
Repaired CHD with residual defects at the site or adjacent to the site of a prosthetic patch or prosthetic device (which inhibit endothelialization)
Cardiac transplantation recipients who develop cardiac valvulopathy
Complications
Complications of MVP are rare. When complications do develop, they usually occur in patients with a mitral regurgitation murmur, thickened redundant mitral valve leaflets, or an enlarged left atrium or LV. Patients without murmur or echocardiographic evidence of more serious disease have a benign prognosis, and should be considered as a separate group. Complications that can occur include the following:
Infectious endocarditis: In the absence of mitral regurgitation, the incidence of infective endocarditis in patients with MVP is similar to that of the general population. However, in patients with MVP anda systolic murmur, the risk increases to approximately 0.05% per year (Steckelberg and Wilson, 1993). In the study of risk factors by Nishimura et al. (1985), all patients with endocarditis and MVP had redundant mitral valve leaflets. Although MVP is the most common cause of infective endocarditis, the absolute risk is extremely low and the morbidity is not as severe as in other conditions. Therefore, SBE prophylaxis is no longer recommended in this population (Wilson et al., 2007).
Progressive mitral regurgitation: This complication results from either progressive myxomatous degeneration or chordal rupture, and is rare in otherwise healthy adolescents. Risk factors for regurgitation include advancing age, male gender, hypertension, overweight, thickened leaflets on echocardiogram, and increased LV dimensions (Singh et al., 2000). Patients with connective tissue disorders are at higher risk of mitral valve dysfunction. This may develop and progress without symptoms, but can lead to significant morbidity and mortality by the end of the second decade of life, especially in female patients (van Karnebeek et al., 2001). The severity of mitral regurgitation is an important prognostic indicator for the development of cardiac events in patients with MVP (Kim et al., 1996).
Sudden death: Although the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with MVP is very low (estimated yearly rate of 40 per 10,000), the incidence is still greater than that in the general population (Kligfield et al., 1987). Significant mitral regurgitation, redundant chordae, and depressed LV function increase the risk of sudden death (Kligfield et al., 1987;Nishimura et al., 1985; Grigioni et al., 1999). However, the expected survival is similar to that of the general population (Freed et al., 2002). The cases of sudden cardiac death are likely due to ventricular arrhythmia.
Stroke: Early studies demonstrated an association between MVP and cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) in young patients. However, more recent findings have been mixed. Two investigators reported no excess risk of
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CVA in young patients with MVP (Barnett et al., 1980), whereas another demonstrated a CVA event rate of 0.7% per year, twice the expected rate (Avierinos et al., 2003). These data suggest that MVP may confer a small risk of CVA, but only in older patients with advanced mitral regurgitation. Currently, the American College of Cardiology does not recommend routine prophylactic aspirin treatment.
TABLE 14.4Summary of Major Changes in New 2007 AHA Guidelines on Prevention of Infective Endocarditis
Bacteremia resulting from daily activities is much more likely to cause IE than bacteremia associated with a dental procedure.
Only an extremely small number of cases of IE might be prevented by antibiotic prophylaxis even if prophylaxis is 100% effective.
Antibiotic prophylaxis is not recommended based solely on an increased lifetime risk of acquisition of IE.
Recommendations for IE prophylaxis is recommended only to those with conditions listed in Table 14.3.
Antibiotic prophylaxis is no longer recommended for any other form of CHD, except for the conditions listed in Table 14.3.
Antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended for all dental procedures that involve manipulation of gingival tissues or periapical region of teeth or perforation of oral mucosa only for patients with underlying cardiac conditions associated with the highest risk of adverse outcome from IE (Table 14.3).
Antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended for procedures on respiratory tract or infected skin, skin structures, or musculoskeletal tissue only for patients with underlying cardiac conditions associated with the highest risk of adverse outcome from IE (Table14.3).
Antibiotic prophylaxis solely to prevent IE is not recommended for GU or GI tract procedures.
The writing group reaffirms the procedures noted in the 1997 prophylaxis guidelines for which endocarditis prophylaxis is not recommended and extends this to other common procedures, including ear and body piercing, tattooing, and vaginal delivery and hysterectomy.
TABLE 14.5Dental Procedures for Which Endocarditis Prophylaxis Is Recommended for Patients in Table 14.3
a The following procedures and events do not need prophylaxis: routine anesthetic injections through noninfected tissue, taking dental radiographs, placement of removable prosthodontic or orthodontic appliances, adjustment of orthodontic appliances, placement of orthodontic brackets, shedding of deciduous teeth, and bleeding from trauma to the lips or oral mucosa.
All dental procedures that involve manipulation of gingival tissue or the periapical region of teeth or perforation of the oral mucosaa
ECG: May be normal with mild regurgitation; bifid P wave of left atrial enlargement and even LV enlargement are noted if regurgitation is chronic and severe.
Chest radiograph: Normal to cardiomegaly with large left atrium and LV.
Echocardiogram: Evaluates cause of valve abnormality and severity of regurgitation.
Management: The increased LV volume load induced by the regurgitation gradually increases the ventricular volumes and in turn increases the severity of the mitral regurgitation (mitral regurgitation begets mitral regurgitation). For this reason, patients are serially assessed as to their need for afterload decreasing agents (including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors) or for surgery.
Systemic Connective Tissue Disease and the Heart
Marfan Syndrome
Marfan syndrome is a global connective tissue disorder with specific ocular, musculoskeletal, and cardiac involvement. In approximately 75% of patients there is parental involvement, confirming the autosomal dominant inheritance. The prevalence of MVP in patients with Marfan syndrome is above 90%; it is due to both histological changes and ventricular-valvar disproportion. Patients with Marfan syndrome have mutations in the FBN1 gene, and produce abnormal fibrillin protein. Fibrillin is an extracellular matrix protein that contributes to large structures called microfibrils. The distorted microfibrils lead to the problems with elastic matrix faced by Marfan syndrome patients. The clinical diagnosis is made using a series of major and minor criteria (De Paepe et al., 1996). MVP with or without mitral insufficiency is a minor cardiac criterion. Aortic root dilation at the level of the sinuses of Valsalva and/or dissection of the ascending aorta are major cardiac criteria.
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TABLE 14.6Regimens for Dental Procedures
Regimen: Single Dose 30 to 60 min Before Procedure
Situation
Agent
Adults
Children
IM indicates intramuscular; IV, intravenous.a Or other first- or second-generation oral cephalosporin in equivalent adult or pediatric dosage.b Cephalosporins should not be used in an individual with a history of anaphylaxis, angioedema, or urticaria with penicillins or ampicillin.
Oral
Amoxicillin
2 g
50 mg/kg
Unable to take oral medication
AmpicillinOR
2 g IM or IV
50 mg/kg IM or IV
Cefazolin or ceftriaxone
1 g IM or IV
50 mg/kg IM or IV
Allergic to penicillins or ampicillin—oral
Cephalexina,bOR
2g
50 mg/kg
ClindamycinOR
600 mg
20 mg/kg
Azithromycin or clarithromycin
500 mg
15 mg/kg
Allergic to penicillins or ampicillin and unable to take oral medication
Cefazolin or ceftriaxonebOR
1 g IM or IV
50 mg/kg IM or IV
Clindamycin
600 mg IM or IV
20 mg/kg IM or IV
The diagnosis of Marfan syndrome is based on clinical evaluation, with careful anthropometric measurements, detailed physical examination, ophthalmology examination, and echocardiogram. In the absence of family history of documented Marfan syndrome, “major” involvement in two organ systems and minor involvement in a third organ system must be met. For families with clear genetic/familial involvement, the finding of major involvement in any one organ system and at least one minor criterion in a second is sufficient. The specific management of MVP in patients with Marfan syndrome is done in context of the aortic root dilation. β-Blockers are used as prophylaxis to try slow dilation. There may be rapid progression of aortic root dilation in pregnancy. Unlike patients with isolated MVP, patients with Marfan syndrome are generally restricted from high intensity and collision sports (Maron et al., 2004). When the aortic root reaches 5.5 cm, aortic root reconstruction is generally indicated.
Other Connective Tissues Disorders that Include Mitral Valve Prolapse
Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes
EDSs are a range of connective tissue disorders dominated by their musculoskeletal involvement. Approximately 50% of patients with the classic subtype have been demonstrated to have abnormalities in type V collagen resulting from COL5A1 and COL5A2 deletions. MVP is relatively common in the classic subtype of EDS. The hypermobility subtype (EDS type III) is generally considered the least severe type, and less frequently involves MVP.
In all EDS subtypes, aortic root dilation is less severe and less frequent than in Marfan syndrome. As with Marfan syndrome, the genetic diagnosis is not required for the clinical diagnosis. Patients with EDS may demonstrate symptoms of palpitations, presyncope, and syncope associated with the autonomic dysregulation and neurally mediated hypotension of postural orthostatic tachycardia (Rowe et al., 1999). Although screening for cardiac involvement is appropriate, most patients with EDS will not have specific cardiac diagnoses, even if their orthostasis produces sufficient cardiac symptoms to require further evaluation and management.
Fragile X Syndrome
This alteration in the FMR1 gene is associated with mental retardation, joint laxity, and some incidence of aortic root dilation and MVP. The cardiac involvement may not be apparent until adolescence (Crabbe et al., 1993). Periodic cardiac screening may be warranted.
General Considerations in the Management of Heart Lesions
After obtaining a careful history and conducting a thorough physical examination, it should be possible to differentiate normal from pathological murmurs. ECGs and chest radiographs do not add to the accuracy of diagnosis of normal murmurs. The ECG and radiograph are unlikely to be grossly abnormal unless the child has a significant hemodynamic lesion; a patient with such a lesion is unlikely to be asymptomatic. In addition, because pathological disease is not always associated with abnormal test results, normal findings may lead to a false sense of security.
Although often expected to be high yield, echocardiography adds little to the diagnosis of a “normal” murmur. The cost-effective choice between referring to a pediatric cardiologist (which often includes an echocardiogram)
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and directly obtaining an echocardiogram depends on the relative cost of the test, the accessibility of consultation, and the skill of the individual practitioner in identifying pathological murmurs (Danford et al., 1995). Most adult-oriented laboratories are highly skilled at evaluating LV size and function, but less experienced at diagnosing specific anatomic abnormalities or visualizing coronary artery origins. Pediatric-focused laboratories seem to do better on these imaging tasks (Stanger et al., 1999; Hurwitz et al., 1999). Each clinician will develop a practical approach which reflects his or her personal skills and the availability and cost of specialty referrals.
If diagnosed with structural heart disease, the patient and parents should be informed about the risks of bacterial endocarditis. The recommendations of the American Heart Association for prophylaxis should be provided. New recommendations have recently been published which significantly narrow the indications for antibiotic prophylaxis of IE. Changes in the new 2007 AHA recommendations are summarized in Table 14.4. Prophylactic regimens for dental procedures are outlined in Table 14.5.
Therefore, optimal management of a heart murmur requires a careful and systematic cardiovascular examination; judicious use of laboratory studies; referral, in selected cases, to a pediatric cardiologist; and, in the case of normal murmurs, confident reassurance. If the murmur is deemed innocent, the practitioner should emphasize that the heart is normal. This prohibits the labeling of healthy children with cardiac diagnoses, and prevents needless patient, parental, and provider anxiety.
Pelech AN. Evaluation of the pediatric patient with a cardiac murmur. Pediatr Clin North Am 1999;46:167.
Pickering TG, Hall JE, Appel LJ, et al. Council on High Blood Pressure Research Professional and Public Education Subcommittee, American Heart Association. Recommendations for blood pressure measurement in humans: an AHA scientific statement from the Council on High Blood Pressure Research Professional and Public Education Subcommittee. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 2005;7:102.
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Keep in mind while watching this video that Saturn is represented by Binah (the feminine) “Understanding” on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life: The Jewish Rabbis during the time of Jesus Christ studied the Babylonian Talmud and the Babylonian Kabbalah and incorporated that into Judaism. (See Matthew 23) The first martyr Stephen in Acts 7: 42 – 43 quotes from Amos 5:26 and accuses the Jews of worshiping Rephan ( Saturn) (see Strong’s GK 4481)
42 But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars.This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:
“‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offeringsforty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?43 You have taken up the tabernacle of Molekand the star of your god Rephan,the idols you made to worship.Therefore I will send you into exile’ beyond Babylon.”
The Star of Remphan / Saturn is the 6 pointed star (3 +3)
This is the star that the Rothschilds put on the flag of Israel! It is NOT the Star of David. Nowhere in the Bible did King David have a “star”.
“The name of God associated with Binah is Jehovah Elohim, the archangel that presides over it is Tzaphkiel, the order of angels that resides in it are the Aralim (the Thrones) and the planet associated with it is Saturn.
Binah is related to the Yoni, the womb, the Priestess card in the occult tarot (according to Arthur Edward Waite’s “Pictorial Key to the Tarot”). Aleister Crowley’s “Liber 777” associates it with Isis, Cybele, Demeter, Rhea, Woman, The Virgin Mary, Juno, Hecate, The Three Threes of the Tarot, etc.” (from Wikipedia)
Here she is as Alma Mater (Fostering Mother) seated on a throne at Columbia University in NYC:
“Stemming from an Italic moon goddess *Meneswā (‘She who measures’), the Etruscans adopted the inherited Old Latin name, *Menerwā, thereby calling her Menrva. It is assumed that her Roman name, Minerva, is based on this Etruscan mythology. Minerva was the goddess of wisdom, war, art, schools and commerce. She was the Etruscan counterpart to Greek Athena. Like Athena, Minerva was born from the head of her father, Jupiter (Greek Zeus).” (wikipedia)
The root of her name being “Mens” which means “mind”.
The number associated with Saturn is 3. “He was the first god of the Capitol, known since the most ancient times as Saturnius Mons, and was seen as a god of generation, dissolution, plenty, wealth, agriculture, periodic renewal and liberation. In later developments he came to be also a god of time.” (wikipedia)
His Greek counter part is Cronus or Father Time. From that name we get words such as “chronology” and “crown”. His celebration was Saturnalia which became Christmas. (Father Time ushers out the old year)
I hope this brief explanation of the cult of Saturn brings insight into what is presented in the following video! Remember Jesus won Complete Victory!
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This movie was like the biggest hit of 1986 and I should know better. Hell, my dad bought this film because he actually liked it, especially the sound FX. I didn’t mind since I was (and still am) quite a plane fanatic, and back then I had a hard-on for F-14 Tomcats (though if you ask me, the F-15 is actually cooler). It had been quite a while since I’ve seen the film so I popped the tape back up last night with my dad and watched the film. Man, what difference it makes after watching it for some time. If it weren’t for the impressive aerial photography, some good music and good editing, this film would be today just another money-grabbing dud. But it’s entertaining… most of the time at least.
The film takes as a background the whole description of the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School, in which fighter pilots get trained all sorts of tactics or “dog fighting” in order to become better fighter pilots than what they are. Enter Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise), a hotshot fucker F-14 pilot who’s too wild to be tamed, so he and his RIO or Radar Intercept Officer Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) go to this school which is stationed in California as a last chance so Maverick can finally qualify to be ascended as Squad leader. Besides getting humbled through the course of the film (thanks to ice-cold Tom “Iceman” Kazanski [Val Kilmer]), he meets Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood (Kelly McGillis), a civilian instructor who, according to the box “teaches Maverick a few things you can’t learn in the classroom.”
Back then I guess in all the rampant fashion of the 80s and Ronald Reagan and all that shit, the patriotic feel and all which made Top Gun so popular. Today though, the movie is almost 80% pure cheese if you start adding the whole 80’s atmosphere feel, the homoerotic subtext, testosterone-driven sequence, lame plot, and the synth-music which sounds so 80’s. A couple of huge hit songs are here, like Berlin’s classic “Take my breath away,” which I can still tolerate, but if I have to hear that fucking Kenny Loggins song again, I may have to kill somebody.
The plot is barebones and pretty much lame. Several supposed insights on the whole premise of the dog fighting tactics and research comes off as pretentious and ultimately rushed, in fact the whole film seems a bit rushed. Some of the scenes come off pretty lame and cheesy like Goose’s rendition of the Jerry Lee Lewis classic “Great Balls of Fire” (not to mention that with the added homosexual innuendo that song adds a pretty disturbing meaning to it), as well as Cruise’s and McGillis chemistry which is at an absolute zero since we’re never drawn deeply into what makes them attract each other. They’re like blocks of wood.
Cruise once again is totally erratic as Maverick and McGillis isn’t helping that much on the acting department either. Cruise gets her naked though, but unfortunately since this movie is PG, we have to see it all edited out, DAMN IT!!! The broad standouts though are Anthony Edwards, and Meg Ryan, in one of her first movie roles. And if it weren’t for Cruise, Val Kilmer is pretty much the 80’s poster boy and this movie proves it. Too bad that he hasn’t got rid of it completely, although in Tombstone he ruled all hell.
Anyways, what saves this flick? Some great aerial photography by Jeffrey Kimball, as you see how the airplanes buzz and move all over the sky, I found that cool and you can say that’s the films basic appeal since it’s realistic and not CGI made. And also the fact that this film despite all its flaws manages to be somewhat of a passable entertainer and almost strictly an 80’s nostalgia piece. Directed by Ridley Scott’s more plastic brother Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, don’t tell me you weren’t warned.
Your choice of view. For me, with seeing it that one time was pretty much enough. 2.5-5
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SolGold’s strategy to become a tier 1 copper and gold producing company through aggressive exploration is continuing to yield exciting results. Initial exploration of SolGold’s 72- regional concessions, across Ecuador, is nearing completion. Based on the results of this initial exploration, a list of 10 priority targets have been identified for second phase exploration.
Ecuador is located on the gold rich section of the northern Andean Copper Belt and is renowned as the production base for nearly half of the world's copper (Figure 1). Large copper gold deposits of similar age elsewhere in the Andes include Escondida, El Salvador, Collahuasi, Chuquicamata and Alpala - Solgold’s 85% owned Cascabel project.
Ongoing exploration will focus on advancing these priority projects, through geophysical surveys and detailed soil geochemistry, with a view to progress to drill testing as soon as permissions are in place. All of the 10 projects are held within the Company’s 100% owned subsidiaries: Carnegie Ridge Resources, Green Rock Resources, Cruz Del Sol S.A. and Valle Rico Resources.
The 10 priority projects are:
Blanca Nieves;
Rio Armarillo;
Cisne Loja;
Porvenir;
Timbara;
Chillanes;
Salinas;
Sharug;
La Hueca; and
Cisne Victoria.
The Company has already announced exciting initial results from the Blanca Nieves, La Hueca and Porvenir projects and positive results continue to be returned.
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IPsec provides a standards-based VPN implementation that is compatible with a
wide range of clients for mobile connectivity, and other firewalls and routers
for site-to-site connectivity. It supports numerous third party devices and is
being used in production with devices ranging from consumer grade Linksys
routers all the way up to IBM z/OS mainframes, and everything imaginable in
between. This chapter describes the configuration options available, and how to
configure various common scenarios.
See also
For general discussion of the various types of VPNs available in
pfSense software and their pros and cons, see Virtual Private Networks.
pfSense software supports IPsec with IKEv1 and IKEv2, multiple phase 2
definitions for each tunnel, as well as NAT traversal, NAT on Phase 2
definitions, a large number of encryption and hash options, and many more
options for mobile clients, including xauth and EAP.
Before delving too deeply into configuration, there are a few terms that are
used throughout the chapter that require explanation. Other terms are explained
in more detail upon their use in configuration options.
IKE stands for Internet Key Exchange, and comes in two different varieties:
IKEv1 and IKEv2. Nearly all devices that support IPsec use IKEv1. A growing
number of devices also support the newer IKEv2 protocol which is an updated
version of IKE that solves some of the difficulties present in the earlier
version. For example, IKEv2 has MOBIKE, which is a standard for mobile clients
that allows them to switch addresses dynamically. It also has built-in NAT
traversal, and standard mechanisms for reliability similar to DPD. In general
IKEv2 provides a more stable and reliable experience, provided both ends support
it sufficiently.
ISAKMP stands for Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol. It
gives both parties a mechanism by which they can set up a secure communications
channel, including exchanging keys and providing authentication.
An ISAKMP Security Association (ISAKMP SA) is a one-way policy which defines how
traffic will be encrypted and handled. Each active IPsec tunnel will have two
security associations, one for each direction. The ISAKMP Security Associations
are setup between the public IP addresses for each endpoint. Knowledge of these
active security associations is kept in the Security Association Database (SAD).
A Security Policy manages the complete specifications of the IPsec tunnel. As
with Security Associations, these are one-way, so for each tunnel there will be
one in each direction. These entries are kept in the Security Policy Database
(SPD). The SPD is populated with two entries for each tunnel connection as soon
as a tunnel is added. By contrast, SAD entries only exist upon successful
negotiation of the connection.
In pfSense software, Security Policies control which traffic will be intercepted
by the kernel for delivery via IPsec.
There are two phases of negotiation for an IPsec tunnel. During phase 1, the two
endpoints of a tunnel setup a secure channel between using ISAKMP to negotiate
the SA entries and exchange keys. This also includes authentication, checking
identifiers, and checking the pre-shared keys (PSK) or certificates. When phase
1 is complete the two ends can exchange information securely, but have not yet
decided what traffic will traverse the tunnel or its encryption.
In phase 2, the two endpoints negotiate how to encrypt and send the data for the
private hosts based on Security Policies. This part builds the tunnel used for
transferring data between the endpoints and clients whose traffic is handled by
those endpoints. If the policies on both side agree and phase 2 is successfully
established, the tunnel will be up and ready for use for traffic matching the
phase 2 definitions.
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The post starts with a brief summary about this week’s new anime episode, but more notably, it has information on the Bushiroad World Championship 2016 and an interesting interview.
Like the previous qualifiers, the process for BWC2016 stays the same – starting with Regional Qualifiers in select areas, which are followed by the Continental Championships, finally concluding in the World Championship. The Continental Championships and the World Championship will feature a special card, just like last year’s hot stamped Supremacy Dragon, Claret Sword Dragon and Chronojet Dragon, but the details are a secret at this point in time.
The most intriguing part of the post is the featured interview – Cardfight!! Vanguard’s producer, Mr. Akiyama. Aside from select occasions, it’s a rarity we hear from Bushiroad or their staff on their stances and opinions.
Mr. Akiyama’s passion and love for the game shows through his answers, but most notably, he seems aware of the competitive attitude towards the game outside of Japan, as well he designs cards both for casual and competitive players. It’s a short, but worthwhile read.
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Automobile Spares
We offer superior quality Automobile Spares, which are widely used by reputed automobile manufacturers of the country. Our automobile spare parts are made from quality raw material to ensure strength and durability.
We offer matchless valve guides that are fabricated from premium grade ferrous and non-ferrous metals. This product finds extensive application in automobile and diesel engine manufacturing plants across the globe. Our valve guides are tested stringently to make sure that these are free from defects and adhere to all prevailing national and international industry standards in all regards.
Our range comprises Valve Seats that are offered to the clients in customized models to cater to their specific needs. These products are developed from quality raw material that are procured from reliable vendors, and as per the highest quality standards. All units of this product line are subjected to a series of tests, which assists us in ensuring that uniformity of quality has been maintained in all respects.
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My name is on the doorand I'll Personally handle your case.
Little injuries turn big — so protect yourself.
Don’t think the insurance companies who have to pay for your injuries are not aware of that. If you don’t take care of yourself — they will blame your continuing problems on you — and you won’t get what you deserve.
Experience Counts — just look at the types of injuries I've handled from the top of the head to the bottom of the toes!
On choosing a lawyer — Ask what’s their batting average!
I've personally handled thousands of cases in my office including most of the big ones and have gone to arbitration or trial more than most other Tucson Injury lawyers — the insurance companies know that!
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SPOKANE, Wash. – Olin Carter III scored a game-high 21 points and San Diego gave No. 14 Gonzaga all it could handle but the Toreros came up short down the stretch and fell to the Bulldogs, 69-59, Saturday night in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
The Toreros (15-8, 6-5 WCC) made it a two-point game twice in the final five minutes but could not close the gap to complete the upset. Gonzaga (20-4, 10-1 WCC) outscored USD, 6-0, in the final two minutes to seal the decision.
Along with Carter III’s 21 points, Isaiah Pineiro added 13 and Isaiah Wright chipped in 12. Carter III did most of his damage from 3-point range, going 5 for 11, while Tyler Williams hit two of his three attempts.
Gonzaga flourished inside, outscoring the Toreros, 38-20, in the paint and logging a 24-7 margin in second-chance points. Still, USD held the Bulldogs to 41 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent from behind the arc.
The Toreros started well in a game that featured eight lead changes. Carter III recorded eight of the Toreros first 12 points to open the contest. Trailing 8-5, USD reeled off a 10-2 run to take a 15-10 lead with 13:40 to play in the first half.
With the Toreros up 20-19 at the 7:55 mark, the Bulldogs went on a 12-2 run over the next 4:10 to retake the lead, 31-20. Juwan Gray halted the rally with a midrange jumper at 3:26 and the Toreros went 5 for 5 from the free-throw line to cut its deficit to, 36-27, at halftime.
USD came out on fire in the second half, opening with a 13-2 run to retake the lead, 40-38, with 17:39 on the clock. Tyler Williams hit a pair of 3-pointers and Carter III added another to spark the rally.
However, the Bulldogs responded with an, 11-0, run to retake the lead, 49-40.
The Toreros would not go away and chipped away at the deficit. A 3-pointer by Carter III and a dunk by Pineiro cut the Bulldogs lead to, 51-45, with 8:18 to play. Another 3-pointer, this time by Pinero at 6:05, made it a one-point game, 51-50.
USD hit multiple clutch shots down the stretch to keep the game within reach but could not close to less than two points over the final five minutes.
The Toreros will look to bounce back Saturday at 6 p.m. PT when they play host to No. 13 Saint Mary’s.
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Christian G. Hanburger was an 18th Round draft choice of the Redskins in 1965, played right away and was in the Pro Bowl by his second year in the league.
He would then begin a string of Pro Bowl appearances until 1969. He then resumed that string in 1972 until 1976. Sacks and tackles were not recorded in those days, but Hanburger was a play maker. He is considered one of the best of his era. He was known for his blitzing ability and pass coverage.
Ever the complete player, he returned three fumbles for touchdowns, third most in NFL history, in his career to go with two more on interceptions.
In 1972, Hanburger captained the Over The Hill gangs defense to a Super Bowl appearance, and was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Year.
Hanburger was known not only for good speed, but his exceptional quickness. He had the innate ability to diagnose a play before the ball was hiked. He often would cover the other teams tight end and peel off to knock passes down meant for wide receivers. Coach George Allen liked to have a safety first defense, leaving the rest to Hanburger and his fellow linebackers.
Chris Hanburger's nine Pro Bowl appearances are still the most by any player in the entire history of the Washington Redskins. His four First Team All-Pro honors is tied with Hall Of Famer Sammy Baugh as the most ever by any Redskin.
He is a member of the Redskins Ring Of Fame and 70 Greatest Redskins Team.
The game was played different for the most part in his era. The running game was most teams primary weapon. Tackling with sound fundamentals was a must then. Few players lead with their heads for "kill shots" because they would be injured much faster than today with innovations of modern technology on equipment nowadays.
It also should be remembered that players then did not command the same level of salaries that they do today. Most players would work a second job in the off season, compared to the luxury players have today to train whenever they choose to.
As a kid, I once heard a long time local media type say that he figured Hanburger had over 50 quarterback sacks in his career. This, coupled by the facts that are allowed in the record book truly says that there is NO DOUBT that Chris Hanburger SHOULD BE in the NFL Hall of Fame.
You can help Chris get his respect by signing this petition : http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/chrishanburgerhof/
Patrick Fischer was a 17Th round draft choice of the Saint Louis Cardinals in 1961. He returned a few punts and kick offs in his Cardinal career, as well as catching one pass for 22 yards in his rookie year. He made two Pro Bowls in 1964 and '65 for Saint Louis.
He signed with Washington as a free agent in 1968, and made the 1969 Pro Bowl team. He was the teams shut down cornerback on the 1972 Super Bowl team. NFL Films listed Fischer as the Redskins All-Time Neutralizer in the 1980's.
Fischer is still all over the Cardinals record books. He is fifth most interceptions with 29, fifth in interception return yardage with 529, third in interceptions returned for touchdowns with three, third in consecutive games with an interception by accumulating five, ninth longest for the longest interception return for a touchdown when he took it 69 yards in 1967.
In 1964 he returned two interceptions for touchdowns, which ranks second in Cardinals history. Fischer also ranks third for most interceptions in a season for the Cardinals, when he snared 10 in 1964.
He also ranks seventh in Redskin history with 27 interceptions, and fourth ain interception return yardage with 412. When he retired, Fischer had played in a then-NFL record for games played by a cornerback with 213.
Fischer may appear small to those who never saw him play, but those who did know better. His battles with Philadelphia Eagles 6'8" wide receiver Harold Carmichael were legendary. Fisher often was also matched up against Dallas Cowboys wide receiver "Bullet" Bob Hayes, the fastest man in the world at one time.
He was a rough "bump and run" style defender full of tricks. One common move he would use was, if an opponent had to catch a pass over his head, Fischer would punch him in the gut or jaw. He made many plays versus the pass, but also excelled in run support.
Teams would often work away from Fischer and Ken Houston, when passing, due to their propensity of returning interceptions for touchdowns for the Redskins. Pat Fischer played in an era where defenders had to work harder. The 10 yard chuck rule was not changed to 5 yards until the 1979. Wide receivers also had to work harder to get open in that era.
The rushing attack was the primary weapon, and run support from defensive backs was a must in that era. Players like Deion Sanders may have been relegated to only punt return duty back then, possibly nickel back. Fischer also excelled on special teams, which was a must for head coach George Allen and special teams coach Marv Levy, who are both in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.
He is a member of the Redskins Ring Of Fame and 70 Greatest Redskins Team.
Fischer had an excellent career. Is it worthy of Canton? After seeing how long it took a superstar like Emmitt Thomas to get in, and how a long list of former great cornerbacks like Louis Wright, Ken Riley, Lester Hayes, and others are not in yet, it may be a long shot.
Still, after looking at how his numbers compare with those cornerbacks that are inducted, there is no doubt in my mind that Pat Fischer should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Jerry was drafted in the ninth round of the 1965 draft by Washington and wasn't used much by the head coach, Otto Graham, in his rookie year. He caught 19 passes for two touchdowns that year. Charley Taylor, then a halfback, was the primary weapon. Jerry was a back up wide receiver initially, but with two Hall of Famers, Taylor and Bobby Mitchell, as the primary targets of the newly acquired Hall of Fame QB Sonny Jurgensen, Graham decided to move Smith to tight end.
Jerry was used much like you now have seen Sterling Sharpe or Antonio Gates used. This was a trend setting move that allowed Smith to explode onto the NFL scene. In his second season, Smith caught 54 balls for 686 yards and six TD's. Smith had his best season as a pro in his third year. He caught 67 passes for 849 yards and 12 TD's.
He then caught 45, 54, and 43 passes the next three years to go with 24 TD's. Smith was hurt early in 1971 and only managed 16 catches with one score. He was never quite the same again.
In the Redskins Super Bowl year of '72, Smith did catch seven touchdowns on only 21 receptions. The following year he did not get into the end zone on 19 catches.
Finally showing signs of health in 1974, Smith caught 44 passes for 554 yards with three touchdowns from Billy Kilmer, who never threw to the TE much. The next year Smith caught 31 balls for 391 yards and three touchdowns.
Injuries besieged Smith in his final two years, and with newly acquired Jean Fugett now starting, Smith managed eight catches for 2 scores.
Smith retired with a then-NFL record 60 touchdown catches for tight ends. He finished second All-Time behind Mike Ditka for receptions and yards receiving by a tight end.
To this day, he ranks first in Washington Redskin history for tight ends in catches, yards receiving and touchdowns. He is also tied with three others with 12 TD's caught in a season. He is tied with ten other Redskins with three touchdowns in one game, something he did twice.
His team record 67 catches, in 14 games, for a tight end in a single season was surpassed by Chris Cooley, in 16 games, in 2005. Smith still ranks third in Redskin history in touchdown catches, and fourth in receptions overall in Redskins history.
While Smiths statistics may pale in today's modern game, one must remember that the NFL "chuck" rule was 10 yards in his playing days. It was a much rougher game as well back then. Clotheslines were frequent, as were players diving at each others knees. If Smith had the luxury of only a 5 yard chuck rule, his statistics surely would have increased.
Smith may never be inducted into Canton. He died at the age of 43 in 1986 of AIDS. He never had told anyone that he was a homosexual, but was outed by former team mate and lover, running back David Kopay (the first NFL player to announce his being gay) shortly after Smiths death. Kopay has asserted the NFL's homophobia in those days was so prevalent, that once he had announced he was gay, several coaching offers were rescinded.
Not that much has changed nowadays, as Jeremy Shockey's comments on the Howard Stern show revealed, but there is a hope that the NFL Senior Committee can look past the mans lifestyle and the politics involved.
Smith retired with superior stats comparatively to Hall of Fame tight ends such as John Mackey. He retired only 6 catches short of Ditka's then-NFL tight end reception record as well.
He is a member of the Redskins Ring Of Fame and 70 Greatest Redskins Team.
Jerry Smith may be a controversial subject to some. Even after everything that can be said for, or against him, his statistics tell a steadfast story. Smith was lauded by Sports Illustrated as a top pass catching tight end during his era. His legend on the gridiron still shines bright today, 31 years after his retirement. Maybe some will say he is on the fringe for induction, or that I'm being biased due to the Redskins being my favorite team as well.
Maybe these things are true.
Still, in my eyes, Jerry Smith belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Russ Grimm6'3" 273Guard1981-199111 Seasons140 Games Played4 Pro Bowls
Russell Scott Grimm was a third round draft pick by the Redskins in the 1981 draft. He played 14 games that year, and started in 11 of them. This was during a time where a young group of blockers would bond under the leadership of coach Joe Bugel and veteran offensive tackle George Starke to form one of the greatest offensive lines in NFL history. This was when "The Hogs" were born.
This nickname was given to them as they prepared for the 1982 season by Bugel. The season was shortened to nine games because of a players strike, and the WildCard Redskins blew right through the playoffs riding the backs of the Hogs. Washington then won their first Super Bowl, thanks to the blocking of the unit and the running of Hall Of Famer John Riggins.
Grimm made his first Pro Bowl in 1983, and the Redskins returned to the Super Bowl before losing to the Los Angeles Raiders. It was the first of his four consecutive Pro Bowl nods, and the first of three straight First Team All-NFL honors.
He also was a versatile athlete who was listed as the teams emergency quarterback. The 1987 season showed off his athleticism, when he had to start five games at center for the injured Jeff Bostic, then was injured himself. The Redskins went on to win their second Super Bowl.
He battled through injuries the next three years, and started in 24 of the 32 games he was able to play. After starting in just one games in 1991, he retired after the Redskins won their third Super Bowl in ten years that season.
Since his retirement, he has gone on to become one of the top offensive line coaches in the league. His name has come up often when teams are considering who to hire as a head coach. He has also been a finalist for induction into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame four times so far, and hopefully will soon find his way in Canton.
Russ Grimm is usually the first person thought of when "The Hogs" are discussed. He was a gritty blue collar player who was a key component of the Redskins famed counter trey play. His ability to pull was the primary reason the play was unstoppable, even though opponents knew it was coming.
He is a member of the Redskins Ring Of Fame, and is one of the 70 Greatest Redskins.
Genaro Herman Brito was drafted in the 17th round of the 1951 draft by the Redskins. He was a 26 year old rookie, having spent time in the Armed Forces defending the United States in World War II.
The Redskins used him on offense a lot in his first two years, and Brito grabbed 47 passes and two touchdowns over that time. Disenchanted with his role, he then went to play for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League with Redskins quarterback Eddie LeBaron. He was named to the All-Conference Team in his lone season with them.
Both players returned to the Redskins in 1955, and Washington put Brito exclusively at defensive end for the rest of his career. He was named NFL Player of the Year by the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club that year, and would go to the Pro Bowl in each of the five seasons he played in Washington.
He was named MVP of the 1958 Pro Bowl, the first Redskin to ever accrue that honor.
Brito was considered on of the best defensive lineman of the 1950's. Hall Of Famer Paul Brown once wanted to put a Cleveland jersey on him because "Brito was more in my backfield than his own". He also received the Presidential “Seal of Approval” from both Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy for his high level of play at the end position. Both presidents referred to him as their favorite player.
He was so popular that he hosted a television show called "The Gene Brito Show", which was shown just before the actual games were played. He is considered one of the first players in NFL history to do this.
He joined the Los Angeles Rams in 1959, but was only able to play two games because of injuries. He returned in 1960 to play 11 games and was named Second Team All-NFL. He then retired.
Gene Brito is a member of the Redskins Ring Of Fame and 70 Greatest Redskins Team, and his three First Team All-NFL accolades are the second most in franchise history. No other defensive end in team history has appeared in as many Pro Bowls as he did in his career. He is one of the most popular Redskins ever, and their best defensive end ever. He is certainly worthy of induction into Canton.
Lemar was drafted in the seventh round of the 1970 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He was incredible in his rookie season, getting five interceptions, and scoring a touchdown on both a punt return and kickoff return. He averaged 30.1 yards per kick return and also scored on a blocked field goal return. He would go to the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons.
He followed that up next season with seven interceptions. He took one interception 65 yards for a touchdown, and one fumble for a touchdown. In 1972, Parrish picked off five passes and took two in for touchdowns. He also returned a punt for a touchdown. In 1973, he has two interceptions and returned a fumble for a touchdown.
The 1974 season saw Parrish returned to the Pro Bowl by setting a still standing Bengals record with an NFL leading 18.8 yards per punt return average. He also scored two touchdowns on punt returns. One went for 90 yards and is presently the second longest in Bengals history. He also recovered a fumble and took it 47 yards for a touchdown.
He would go to the Pro Bowl every year up until the 1977 season. In 1977, Parrish had three interceptions and took one in for the last touchdown of his career.
After the 1977 season, Parrish was traded to the Redskins, after a contract dispute, with defensive end Coy Bacon by the Bengals to Washington for the Redskins’ first-round pick in the 1979 draft. That first-round pick ended up being the 12th overall selection, which Cincinnati used to pick running back Charles Alexander out of Louisiana State.
Parrish was not asked to return kicks on the Redskins, yet still made a immediate impact on the Redskins defense his first year with four interceptions. The next year, he had nine interceptions and was named First Team All-NFL and to the Pro Bowl.. He followed that up with seven interceptions in 1980, and was named to his last Pro Bowl. Parrish left the Redskins after 1981, and joined the Buffalo Bills in 1982. He retired after that year.
Lemar Parrish is the Bengals All-Time leader in touchdowns scored by "return or recovery" with 13. This is still tied third All-Time in NFL history with two others. His two interceptions returned for TDs is still tied for the most in a game, with many others in NFL history. He was also the only player in Cincinnati history ever to score two "return or recovery" touchdowns in a single game, which he did separate 3 times.
When he retired, his three fumble returns for touchdowns tied an NFL record. He still fourth All-Time in Bengals history for interceptions in a career, and second in touchdowns scored by interception.
His four punt returns for touchdowns ranks first in Cincinnati Bengals history. He also is first in career average for kickoff returns with 24.7, touchdowns in a season on kick off returns, interceptions made in one game, and touchdowns returned via interceptions in a season and a single game.
He ranks second in Bengals history with 130 punt returns, and punt return yardage in a season and career. He is third in franchise history in interception return yardage in a career. His 95 yard kick off return currently is the sixth longest in Bengals history.
Parrish did not win the 1970 Rookie of the Year Award probably because the Bengals had two players win the award the two previous seasons, even though he had a superior season to the winner, 49ers CB Bruce Taylor.
Lemar Parrish is a member of the Cincinnati Bengals 40th Anniversary Team.
Parrish epitomized the definition of "play maker" in his career. He was a shut down cornerback who teams tried to avoid. He would make the opponents cringe when he was asked to return kicks or punts. Parrish teamed with Ken Riley to form, perhaps, the best cornerback duo in the NFL in the 1970's.
He was also noted for his ability to stop the run, which is something he had to supply often due to the Bengals porous front seven. Safety Tommy Casanova was a beneficiary of this cornerback tandem, and made 3 Pro Bowls from 1972 to 1977. Casanova retired after Parrish left the Bengals.
Teams could not beat the Bengals by passing the ball, but they would win by running the ball up the middle. The Bengals often challenged the great Steelers teams of the 1970's, but would come up short. The pass defense was never the reason.
While with the Redskins, Parrish also made fellow cornerback Joe Lavender a better player. Lavender made the Pro Bowl twice in his career, the same years that Lemar did. Parrish was a complete player. He could do it all. His penchant for taking the ball to the end zone was prodigious. He made his teams better, his teammates better, and now is teaching his students to be better.
Every year of his career saw him intercept at least one ball, except for his 1974 Pro Bowl season. To be named to the Pro Bowl by your peers, despite having no interceptions, truly shows his greatness and is an example of how opposing teams feared him. The following two Pro Bowl years of 1975 and '76 are further examples to make this fact concrete, because he had three interceptions total over this time.
I find it amazing to see Lemar Parrish yet to be inducted into Canton. Recent inductee Roger Wehrli went in with finally, so hopefully the voters are going to right long standing wrongs. It would be fitting to see Parrish and Riley inducted together.
Len Hauss6'2" 235Center1964-197714 Seasons196 Games Played5 Pro Bowls
Leonard Moore Hauss was drafted in the ninth round of the 1964 draft by the Redskins. He soon earned a starting job by the fourth game of his rookie year, and would hold onto it the rest of his career. Hauss never missed a game in his entire career. His 14 years with the team is tied as the third most in franchise history.
He made his first Pro Bowl in 1966, then would make it three straight seasons between 1968 to 1970. The 1972 season was his last as a Pro Bowler, but he remained an upper echelon player for years in a decade where great NFC centers like Mick Tinglehoff, Jeff Van Note, Forrest Blue, and others were perennial Pro Bowl players as well.
When he retired after the 1977 season, he was the only center in Redskins history to attain five Pro Bowl honors. Jim Schrader is second with three Pro Bowls.
There is no doubt that Len Hauss is the greatest center in team history. He is a member of the Redskins Ring Of Fame, and is one of the 70 Greatest Redskins.
Leander McCoy Bacon was an undrafted rookie signed by the Los Angeles Rams right before the 1968 season. Bacon had just come from playing in the Continental Football League. Coy had signed with the Charleston Rockets in 1966, after leaving Jackson State University upon completion of his sophomore year. While playing with the Rockets, Coy was named an CFL All-Star in 1966. Other NFL luminaries like Bill Walsh, Ken Stabler, and Garo Yepremian also were in the Continental Football League. .
Coy joined a Rams team that had one of the best defensive lines in football, featuring Hall Of Famers Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen. They were called "The Fearsome Foursome", and Bacon played just seven games as a reserve in his rookie year.
He cracked the starting lineup the next year, and started 13 games at defensive tackle. He was moved to defensive end in 1970, recorded 20 sacks,and took a fumble 14 yards for a touchdown. Bacon then had 21 sacks and intercepted a pass the next year. He made his first Pro Bowl Team in 1972, and then was traded to the San Diego Chargers after that season as part of a blockbuster deal.
He picked off a pass that year for San Diego, and took it 80 yards for a touchdown. Bacon also led the Chargers in sacks in two of his three seasons with them.
Right after the 1975 season, the Chargers traded Bacon to the Cincinnati Bengals for Hall Of Fame Wide Receiver Charlie Joiner. Coy responded with 21.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries for 48 yards and a safety. He was named to the Pro Bowl Team. He then made his last Pro Bowl Team the next year for the Bengals, despite missing two games.
The Bengals then traded Bacon to the Washington Redskins right before 1978. Coy was the pass rusher the Redskins desperately needed, and he recorded double digits in sacks in each of his first three seasons with them.
He was 39 years old in 1981, and started the three games he played before being injured for the rest of the season. The Redskins released him in the off season, but Coy was not done playing. He joined the Washington Federals of the USFL in 1983, and had a few good games. He then retired for good after that year.
Bacon played in an era where sacks were not a recorded statistic. Some researchers have credited him with over 130 sacks in his career. If you discount the three games he played in 1981, you can easily see he averaged 10 sacks every year of his career. That includes his first two seasons as a defensive tackle.
He was one of the best pass rushers I have seen play the game. He was noted as a character who would not like to practice during the week of a game, reserving his energies for Sunday. He wasn't always stout against the run in the latter part of his career, but he made several spectacular plays when his team needed it most.
Coy recently passed away, and may be a fringe player for many as far as induction into Canton. Yet I look at a guy like Fred Dean get in and wonder why Coy is not. He was just as good a pass rusher, played on lesser defensive lines, meaning the primary focus was on him, and was better versus the run than Dean.
Coy Bacon is a victim of times passing, as the newer voters don't probably know who he is. He never played on any teams that won anything, so he never got the press he probably deserved. But even if you look at the statistics, you can see he is worthy of induction into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.
Others?
There are other current and former Redskins who will possibly be inducted into Canton one day, and others who appear on their way.
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Pro Football Hall Of Fame voters once again that they are a suspect allotment of people who either have no clue about the game of professional football, or that they are in the pocket of the National Football League.
On November 28th, 2009, the Pro Football Hall Of Fame announced their list of the 25 finalists for induction into their halls located in Canton, Ohio.
Look at the list below, and there is the common theme that none of these men are associated with the American Football League that ran their operations from 1960 to 1970 before the NFL begrudgingly begged them to merge leagues.
The AFL was referred to as a "mickey mouse league" for their years of existence. The players of the NFL were told by the league that AFL players were not on the same level in ability and skill. Many bought into this propaganda for years, even as the upstart league began to gain popularity and draw more fans as each year progressed.
The realization that the AFL was not inferior came upon the spotlight of national television on January 12th, 1969. The AFL champion New York Jets defeated the heavily favored NFL champion Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III. What made the story of the upset even more noteworthy was that Jets quarterback Joe Namath had famously predicted the win in the days that led up to the game.
This is the game that made the NFL panic and realize they had to merge with the AFL to keep their product on top. The AFL had already been a league that produced more excitement on offense than the NFL, and the critics who called the Jets win a fluke were dealt more reality when the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs dominated the NFL champion Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV the following year by the score of 23-7.
What has transpired since this merger has been a sort of payback by the NFL. Though the league is supposedly celebrating the AFL's 50th anniversary this season, the halls in Canton pays little tribute to the AFL to this day.
There are just 11 members of the American Football League's All-Time Team that are currently inducted, and it appears not many more will be given their respect as time passes on into the land of forgotten thought. This is what the NFL has striven for, and has seemingly accomplished.
Floyd Little, a member of the AFL Denver Broncos, is a running back who was with the team before, during, and after the merger. He retired in 1975 as the seventh leading rusher in pro football history. He had been a two-time AFL All-Star who led the league in all-purpose yards twice, and rushing yards per game once. He was also a three-time NFL Pro Bowl player who led the NFL in rushing attempts, yardage, rushing yards per game, and yards from scrimmage in the 1971 season.
Little is now an entry in the Seniors Committee alongside of current Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. LeBeau retired as a player in 1972 with 62 interceptions, which was second most in NFL history at the time. It still ranks seventh best. The former cornerback, who is called "Coach Dad" by the players he coaches, is worthy of entry as a coach, but should have been inducted as a player years ago.
The Canton classes are generally small, with typically no more than six people inducted each year since 1990. The lone exceptions are in 1990 and 2001, where seven men joined the ranks. One of the major criticisms has been these small induction classes that are chosen by voters who have little idea of how the game is played or what positions the players happened to actually compete at.
This will make Little's chances of induction even more slight. Though worthy for decades, the fact that he has had to wait this long shows the ulterior motives of the NFL and their hired voters. Little biggest chance of getting his overdue respect might be because of the AFL anniversary that is going on now. If he does get in, hopefully he will call on the voters to open the doors of Canton wider for his AFL brethren, because they were professional football players. The sign on the building in Canton clearly says Pro Football Hall Of Fame, as it does on the stationary and gift bags inside, not the NFL Hall Of Fame.
The idea of players already enshrined being part of the voting process has been bandied about for years. This is an idea that would work, because they are the people who know best who truly belongs in Canton. This is a brotherhood that will not be swayed by cash or politics like the voters are. They also know what position the players actually played, unlike the voters.
Most of the players that are in the classification of senior played in an era where telecommunications were just starting out. Many players waiting to get in are subject to voters who most likely saw them play just a handful of times throughout their entire careers. It basically comes down to a voter selecting his favorite player over a better player who is more deserving of induction. How else could one explain the 2008 induction of Patriots linebacker Andre Tippett and his four Pro Bowl honors, while fellow linebackers Maxie Baughn and Chris Hanburger are still not inducted, or even nominated, despite going to the Pro Bowl nine times in their careers.
Time passes on, and the NFL wants their fans to be quiet myrmidons who fail to see that the Pro Football Hall Of Fame has become the NFL Hall Of Fame.
For those of you who are wondering who I would like to see inducted this year, my voters ballot that does not count follows. Thinking that eight is a lucky number, and that Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith are going in, I select these fine men. Please note that the last time eight men were inducted the same year was at the 1967 ceremonies.
Don Coryell : Every offense you see run in the NFL today is a wrinkle of his genius.
Ray Guy : He changed the game completely as a punter. There should be no questions to his worth.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Kenneth Mason Easley Jr. was the first round draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 1981, and was the fourth player chosen overall. He went to college at the University of California in Los Angeles, where he is a legend. His jersey number is one of just eight to have been retired by the school. He owns the school record for career interceptions with 19, and his 374 tackles still ranks fourth overall. He also ranks eighth on punt returns. While also having returned kickoffs in his collegiate career, UCLA even asked him to punt several times.. Blessed with great speed and a 32-inch vertical jump, the Chicago Bulls drafted him in the tenth round of the 1981 NBA Draft as well.
Easley is the only player ever to be named First Team All-PAC 10 in all four years at college. He was also named to All-American three years, and was the second Bruin to accomplish this. Easley is a member of the Bruins All-Century Football Team, the UCLA Athletic Hall Of Fame, the Virginia Sports Hall Of Fame, and the College Football Hall Of Fame.
Seattle started him immediately, and the move paid off handsomely. He started all 14 games he played, intercepting three passes for a career high 155 yards. One was returned for a career long 82 yard touchdown. He also recovered a career high four fumbles. United Press International named him AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The 1982 season in the NFL is most remembered for being shortened due to a players strike. It is also the first season Easley was named to the Pro Bowl after he had four interceptions and the first two sacks of his career. He would be named to the Pro Bowl for the next three seasons as well.
Not only was he awarded Pro Bowl honors over these three years, he was also named First Team All-Pro in each year. No other Seahawk defensive back has done this, and it ranks as the second most in franchise history still today. His four consecutive Pro Bowls was also a team record at the time.
The 1983 season saw Seattle hire Chuck Knox as their head coach. Knox believed in winning games in the trenches, and his offensive philosophy has been dubbed "Ground Chuck" for his propensity to run the ball often. Easley intercepted the ball seven times and had a career best three sacks that season as the Seahawks made the playoffs for the first time ever.
The Seahawks won their first ever playoff game by walloping the Denver Broncos 31-7. Easley contributed a sack and helped stifle the Broncos all game. Seattle rode that momentum into the next week, and came from behind to beat the Miami Dolphins 27-20. Their season ended the next week by losing in the AFC Championship to the Los Angeles Raiders, who eventually won the Super Bowl that year.
Easly had the best season of his career in 1984. He has a career high ten interceptions and two touchdowns, both of which led the NFL. Seattle also asked him to return punts that year, and he had a career high 18 returns for 194 yards. He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year for his efforts.
The Seahawks won 12 games that year. It was the highest win total for them until their 2006 team won 13 and reached the Super Bowl. They got revenge on the Raiders in the first round of the playoffs by winning 13-7. Easley provided a key interception that was returned 26 yards to help the team. Seattle would lose the next week to the Dolphins.
He missed three games the next year, yet had two interceptions and two sacks. Though he missed six games in 1986 because of an ankle injury, he still managed two interceptions and a sack. However, the ankle injury would come back to haunt him later on in his career.
He returned to the Pro Bowl in 1987 after getting four interceptions. The ankle was still bothering him, and he missed four games. He was also held out of the starting lineup for a game for the first time since his first game in college. Seattle made the playoffs,but lost. It was the last game he ever played again.
Seattle then traded him to the Phoenix Cardinals for the rights to quarterback Kelly Stouffer. Stouffer had been the sixth player overall drafted the season before, but sat out the entire season because he and the Cardinals were unable to agree to terms of a contact.
When Easley arrived for his physical in Phoenix, the Cardinals doctors found that he had a kidney disease. It was later determined his disease stemmed from taking too many Advils when he was attempting to play on his injured ankle, which was what the Seahawks medical staff had been advising him to do over that time.
Easley was forced to retire as a player. He later settled with the team out of court over the Advil fiasco that robbed him of his kidney and playing career. He would undergo a successful kidney transplant in 1990. He was jogging within four months of the surgery, then won a golf tournament within six months.
His 32 interceptions are the fourth most in team history, and his 538 yards returned off interceptions is the third most. The three touchdowns he scored off of interceptions is the second most, and his 11 fumble recoveries is the fifth most by any Seahawks defender. No other defensive back in Seahawks history has gone to the Pro Bowl more than him, and only three other players in team history have more appearances.
Kenny Easley is a member of the Seahawks Ring Of Honor, and is a member of the NFL 1980's All-Decade First Team. He is the only member of the unit to yet be inducted into Canton.
Critics of his induction point to the seven years as not being long enough to be considered worthy. These are critics who truly do not understand the history of the game of football. The Pro Football Hall Of Fame is filled with players who played less seasons. One prime example for the modern day warriors who are oblivious to history is Gale Sayers of the Chicago Bears. Sayers lasted seven years as well, yet his final two seasons saw him play just four games total.
Easley, on the other hand, finished his career at Pro Bowl level. He was the not only the best strong safety of the 1980's, but he was the best safety period. The other safety on the 1980's All-Decade First Team is Hall Of Famer Ronnie Lott, who played cornerback from 1981 to 1985 before moving to free safety. Hall Of Fame coach Bill Walsh thought the fact Easley's career was cut short has kept him from his deserved induction and said, "He'd be a Hall of Fame player (had he played longer). Maybe he still is. He was that good."
Well it is easy to see that Kenny Easley easily belongs in Canton. He really was that good.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Eddie Doyle Meador was drafted in the seventh round of the 1959 draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He was the 80th player chosen overall.
Meador went to college at Arkansas Tech University, mainly because one of his high school football coaches had went there for a job and championed Meador's cause. He had previously been told been told by Bear Bryant of Texas A&M that he was too small to play college football.
He ended up being co-captain and played running back, defensive back, and returned kicks for the Wonder Boys. He scored 272 career points and rushing for 3,358 yards, which is still second-best in school history. He was on the Associated Press Little All-American team in 1958, and was named the Outstanding Back in the All-Star College Football Game. He was named Arkansas Amateur Athlete of the Year in 1958. Meador is a member of the Arkansas Tech Hall Of Fame, Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, Helms Athletic Foundation Sports Hall of Fame, and NAIA Collegiate Hall of Fame.
Earning a starting job right away as a cornerback, the rookie picked off three passes for a Rams team that struggled to just two wins under Hall Of Fame coach Sid Gillman. The Associated Press placed him on their All-NFL Second Team for his efforts. The Rams then replaced Gillman at coach with Hall Of Famer Bob Waterfield. Meador made his first Pro Bowl squad after getting four interceptions, one which was returned for a touchdown.
He has one interception the next season, and was named First Team All-NFL by The Sporting News. After a solo interception the following season, he had six in 1963. It was his last season as a cornerback, and he was named Second Team All-NFL by the New York Daily News and the National Enterprises Association. The Rams then moved him to the free safety position.
Though he had already established himself as one of the top defensive backs in the league, Meador quickly became a superior safety. He went to the Pro Bowl in 1964, after swiping three balls, and returning six kickoffs for 148 yards. He returned to the Pro Bowl the next year after getting two interceptions. He also ran the ball twice for 35 yards, including scampering 24 yards for a touchdown.
The Rams then hired George Allen in 1966, making it the third Hall Of Famer that coached Meador in his career. Allen soon named him co-captain of the Rams defense. Meador responded with his third straight Pro Bowl season after he had five interceptions.
In the third game of the 1967 season versus the Dallas Cowboys, he intercepted two passes attempts from Don Meredith. He took one ball 30 yards for a score and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Week. He finished the season with a career best eight interceptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Meador also completed the only passing attempt of his career for an 18 yard touchdown, and returned a career high 21 punts. He was named to the Pro Bowl for a fourth straight season.
He went to his last Pro Bowl in 1968 after getting six interceptions, and he was named First Team All-Pro. He also returned 17 punts for a career high 136 yards, and returned a kickoff 20 yards. The 1969 season was another year that he was named First Team All-Pro. He scored two touchdowns off of five interceptions that season. He also was named the NFL Players Association President that year. He was honored with the NFLPA Byron 'Whizzer' White Award and was named NFL Father of the Year. After getting two interceptions in 1970, he retired.
Ed Meador is a member of the 1960's All-Decade Team, and the Rams All-Time Team. He was known by several of his teammates as the "Rams Little Assassin" because of his fierce play on the field. He was also a multi-dimensional athlete who was the holder of place kicks for the Rams. Often he would run or pass on fake field goal attempts.
He still owns five records with the Rams. He has the most interceptions with 46, fumble recoveries with 18, and kicks blocked with ten. He blocked four kicks in one year, and recovered five fumbles in one season. To say he had a nose for the football would be a huge understatement.
It is astonishing that Meador has yet to be inducted into Canton. He has gone to the same amount of Pro Bowls as 15 other defensive backs that are already inducted. He was named the Rams Defensive Back of the Year seven times in his career, which is just another example of his impact. Tackles were not a recorded statistic in his era, but he exceeded 100 tackles in several seasons. He once had 126 tackles in a 14 game season, which is an impressive rate for a free safety. He was fast, quick, tough, and smart.
For all he did on the field, he did even more off the field. He was very active in charities, especially with the Special Olympics. His leadership abilities were seen from his days in college up until the day he retired from the NFL. He had the respect of everyone who encountered him both on and off the field during his playing days. He overcame huge obstacles of being told he couldn't play, then coming from a small college, to start in every game he played in his career. He was a iron man who missed just one game in 12 seasons.
It is time to get Eddie Meador his well deserved respect. You can do your part by visiting his website at : http://www.edmeador21.com/how%20to%20nominate.html
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Robert Guy Talamini was drafted in the 24th round by the expansion Houston Oilers in the fledgling American Football League before the 1960 season. He was a territorial draft selection, and was the third from last player chosen overall.
He had attended college at Kentucky University, where he had been a starter under coach Blanton Collier for three years. Talamini played 60 minutes as both an offensive guard and middle linebacker, and was named Honorable All-American his senior year. He also was named to the All-SEC Third Team at the conclusion of the year, yet was not invited to any of the post season games to put his skills on display.
Talamini had no thoughts of playing professional football, and had already started planning on life after college. Things changed one day after Adrian Burk called him in a conversation that lasted less than two minutes. Burk, who holds the NFL record for throwing seven touchdown passes in a single game, was working in the Oilers front office for owner Bud Adams. Burk asked him if he would have any interest trying out for the team in a league Talamini had heard nothing about. After a moment of thought, he remained non-committal.
A contract soon arrived in the mail to Talamini, who then had his law professor look over it. It stated that he would make $7,000 only if he made the team, and nothing if he did not. Talamini then called Burk back and asked for a bonus. The Oilers sent him $500, so he decided then to try out for the team.
Houston had just made a big splash in the news by signing Billy Cannon to their roster. Cannon was an All-American running back who had just won the 1959 Heisman Trophy Award. He was the first draft choice of both the NFL and AFL Draft, which had both leagues go to court over the right to sign him.
When he arrived in Houston, the Oilers had already been in training camp for over a week. Over 300 players were at the camp, yet the league rules stipulated that only 35 players could make each roster. After standing out immediately, Talamini was soon told by head coach Lou Rymkus that he would start.
The Oilers started 17 rookies in their inaugural season, nine alone just on offense. They were led by quarterback George Blanda, a wash out in the NFL who would revitalize his career in Houston and end up in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. The only only other veteran on offense was seventh year tight end John Carson. Carson had been a Pro Bowl player in 1957 with the Washington Redskins, and would retire from the game after his lone season in the AFL.
Houston was a well balanced team that was equally adept in all facets of the game. They went 10-4 in their first season, then beat the Los Angeles Chargers to capture the first ever AFL Championship. They repeated as champions the next year by defeating the Chargers again in the championship game. Talamini was named to the All-AFL Second Team by both the UPI and the league in 1961.
Houston went to a third consecutive championship game after the 1962 season, but lost in double overtime to the Dallas Texans 20-17. Lasting just six seconds short of 78 minutes, it is still the longest championship game ever played. The Texans would relocate to Kansas City after the game, and rename themselves the Chiefs.
Talamini was named to the All-AFL First Team after that season, and would garner this award every year that followed up until 1967.
Though the Oilers failed to achieve their previous successes, they were a high scoring team over the next several seasons. One of the teams strengths was their rushing attack, which was led by Talamini's blocking prowess. He was excellent versus the pass rush, and was special when it came to pulling out and leading on sweeps.
After the 1967 concluded, he approached Adams for a pay raise. Despite coming off of six consecutive Pro Bowl seasons, at the young age of 28, he was denied his request. Talamini then asked for his immediate release from his contract.
Joe Spencer was an assistant coach on the New York Jets in 1968. He had worked with the Oilers a few years earlier, and was familiar with Talamini. Spencer called him and asked if he would be interested in joining the Jets. Talamini agreed to after being promised a pay raise, so the Jets gave Houston cash for his contract.
The 1968 season was a magical season for the New York Jets. This was a franchise who had struggled to stay in existence just a few years earlier due to poor attendance and play on the field. Things changed when they drafted Joe Namath in 1965. Namath, a future Hall Of Fame quarterback, brought the team a lot of publicity and credit as the Jets slowly built a winning team.
The Jets won their last four games of the year, and finished 11-3. They then faced the Oakland Raiders, a team that handed them their last loss, in the AFL Championship Game. New York won 27-23 on a late fourth quarter touchdown pass from Namath to Hall Of Fame wide receiver Don Maynard. The victory propelled the Jets into Super Bowl III, where they faced the heavily favored Baltimore Colts.
New York won the game 16-7, and became the first AFL team to be declared world champions. They won by creating five turnovers on defense, and controlling the ball on offense. The offensive line was led by Talamini and Winston Hill. They paved the way for running back Matt Snell to gain 121 yards on 30 rushing attempts, as well as helping Snell score the teams only touchdown off of a four yard run.
Though he was just 30 years old, and had been on three championship teams in his nine years, Talamini decided to retire from the game. He was slightly worn out from a difficult season. Making $17,000 that season, he had to spend over $2,000 to commute from New York City to his family throughout the entire year. He decided to get on with his life after football, and to be with his family.
Bob Talamini is a member of the American Football League All-Time Team, and is on the second unit.
He is a player who deserves his induction into Canton when you try and measure his career in several ways. Many men are in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame now based on the fact they played on winning teams. Talamini obviously played on winners, beginning and ending his career collecting championship rings.
Many other players are inducted because they were Pro Bowl players several times throughout their careers. Being honored with a Pro Bowl invitation indicates that player is amongst the very best at his position that season. Talamini was given this accolade in six of his nine years playing. There are several inducted players who appeared in an equal or lesser amount of Pro Bowls than Talamini. There are also several inductees who played in fewer seasons over the duration of their careers.
It is quite clear that he was one of the best to ever play his position in the history of professional football. The fact that the AFL still continues to be disrespected today can be the only fathomable reason for his exclusion.
Jim Otto, Ron Mix, and Billy Shaw are the only three offensive linemen from the AFL that are in Canton today. Shaw is the only one who spent his entire career just in the AFL. Of the 48 players listed on the American Football League All-Time Team, only 12 are in Canton. This is obviously still a resonant of sour grapes that the NFL had for the upstart AFL, and the prejudice still continues.
The AFL was the league that showed scoring could bring in fans, as opposed to the grinding style the NFL was using in those days. Much of those AFL philosophies are still in play today, after the NFL saw the possibilities and expanded on it by castrating defenses.
The Professional Football Hall Of Fame is NOT the NFL Hall Of Fame! If it were, then many legends from other leagues would not be inducted and it would be even more of a empty facility than it currently is. It is very clear that the only reason Bob Talamini is not in Canton is because of more than just time forgetting him or his impact. It is because the NFL still does not respect the AFL.
Donald David Coryell played college football at the University of Washington from 1949 to 1951 as a defensive back. He then went into coaching, and became a head coach at Whittier College in 1957, succeeding George Allen, who became a NFL Hall Of Fame coach.
He spent three years as the head coach of the Poets. While there, he led the team to win the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title in each of his three seasons. He had a record of 21 - 5 - 1 and is a member of the school's Hall Of Fame.
Coryell left Whittier after the 1959 season and was not a head coach in 1960. He then became the head coach of San Diego State in 1961, where his teams would make a significant impact on the college football universe.
Coryell stayed with San Diego State for 12 seasons until 1972. In his 125 games there, the Aztecs won 104 of them. Attendance jumped from 8,000 spectators per game to over 41,000 per game during his tenure.
Three of his teams finished their seasons undefeated, and seven of them won both the California Collegiate Athletic Conference and later the Pacific Coast Athletic Association title.
His offensive genius also garnered nationwide attention while at San Diego State. His 1969 team led the NCAA in total offense (532.2 yards per game), passing (374.2 yards per game), and scoring (46.4 points per game) in their undefeated season.
He also showed his innate ability to develop players, especially on offense. He had 54 players go to the NFL from his teams, including five players drafted in the first round. Nine of his players were First Team All-Americans. In 1967, he had eight players drafted, and five went in the first two rounds.
The list of players he coached with the Aztecs included Haven Moses, Dennis Shaw, Brian Sipe, Willie Buchanon, Isaac Curtis, Don Horn, Fred Dryer, Joe Lavender, Don Shy, Claudie Minor, Tom Reynolds, Gary Garrison, Ralph Wenzel, Henry Allison, and noted actor Carl Weathers known best as Apollo Creed in the movie "Rocky". Dryer also became an actor after his NFL career, starring in the television series "Hunter".
Shaw led the NCAA in total offense in 1969, and would go on to become the first quarterback to win the NFL Offensive Rookie Of The Year Award in 1970. Only three other quarterbacks have won that award since.
Buchanon won the 1972 NFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year Award and is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall Of Fame and their All-Time Team.
Sipe led the NCAA in passing in 1971, while Reynolds led the NCAA in receiving. Sipe's successor was Jesse Freitas, who was also recruited by Coryell. Freitas would lead the NCAA in passing in 1973. Sipe would later be named the MVP of the NFL in 1980.
The Coryell coaching tree from his Aztec era is very impressive as well.
Joe Gibbs was a player on Coryell's team at first and won the team's Most Inspirational Player Award in 1963. Gibbs later became a graduate assistant, then assistant coach at San Diego State.
He also was an assistant under Coryell with both the Cardinals and Chargers before becoming head coach of the Washington Redskins. Gibbs is a member of the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.
Another Pro Football Hall Of Fame coach who coached under Coryell at San Diego State was John Madden. Madden would join the Oakland Raiders in 1967, and then become the youngest head coach of the league the next season at 32 years old.
After a very successful stint with the Raiders, Madden became a popular NFL analyst on television and video game mogul.
Joe Gibbs' coaching career was almost cut short by Madden.
Gibbs was working under Madden, who was the defensive coordinator for Coryell. There was an annual spring football game approaching, and Coryell had Gibbs coach the team that would face Madden's team in the game.
Madden approached Gibbs and asked him what plays would be run, so Madden could prepare his team. Gibbs refused to disclose the plays, so Madden asked Coryell to mediate the situation.
Coryell told both Gibbs and Madden to treat it as real game, without the disclosure of plays to either side.
Gibbs team won that game. As the final gun sounded, both young coaches met at mid-field to shake hands. Madden fired Gibbs right there on the spot instead. Seeing a distraught Gibbs, Coryell then brought him over to the offensive side of the coaching staff.
The rest truly is history.
Jim Hanifan, Ernie Zampese, and Rod Dowhower also coached under Coryell at San Diego State.
Zampese was a noted offensive genius who was the offensive coordinator on the 1995 World Champion Dallas Cowboys team, and is a mentor to current San Diego Chargers head coach Norv Turner and former head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Martz.
Dowhower went on to succeed Pro Football Hall Of Fame coach Bill Walsh as head coach at Stanford University in 1979. He later became the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 1985 to 1986.
He was successful as an offensive coordinator with several teams in the NFL, including two consecutive NFC Championship appearances with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2000 and 2001.
Hanifan was a head coach with both the Saint Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons. He was also a top assistant coach for many years, and won the NFL's Assistant Coach of the Year Award in 1977.
He was one of the best offensive line coaches to ever roam a sideline, and helped develop countless All-Pro's. He helped coach the Washington Redskins to a World Championship in 1992, and later the Saint Louis Rams to a win in Super Bowl XXXIV in 1999.
Coryell's teams went to three bowl games in his tenure with San Diego State. His 104 victories and .840 winning percentage are the best in school history, and he is a member of the College Football Hall Of Fame, the San Diego Hall of Champions, the University of Washington Husky Hall Of Fame, and San Diego State Aztec's Hall Of Fame.
The Saint Louis Cardinals were coming off a horrid year in 1972 that saw them score just 22 touchdowns, have 68 rushing first downs, and 2,038 passing yards. They were the third worst scoring team in the NFL.
A change was needed, so they hired Coryell to be their head coach for the 1973 season.
Coryell matched the previous seasons record of 4-9-1 that year, but improved the team's scoring to eleventh overall in the league. It became evident that the Cardinals were improved under Coryell's leadership, and that was highlighted even more the following year.
The Cardinals finished the 1974 season with a record of 10-4, which was good enough to capture the NFC East crown. It was the team's first divisional title since 1948.
Though the Cardinals lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Vikings, they sent five players to the Pro Bowl. Four of those players came from the offense.
The Cardinal improved on that the next year and went 11-3. They won the NFC East again, and are the one of only two Cardinals teams to win two consecutive division titles.
The 1947 and 1948 Chicago Cardinals team is the other, and the 1947 team is the franchise's lone squad that earned a NFL Championship win.
The 1925 team was handed the championship by the league, due to a controversy with the Pottsville Maroons, but did not publicly claim to be that seasons champion until 1933.
Nine Cardinals went to the Pro Bowl in that 1975 season, the most in franchise history. Seven of them were offensive players. The team lost in the first round of the playoffs again, this time to the Los Angeles Rams.
Coryell's 1976 team sent seven players, five on offense, to the Pro Bowl. The team finished 10-4, which was good enough for second place in the NFC East, but not enough to reach the playoffs.
The Cardinals stumbled to 7-7, yet still sent seven players to the Pro Bowl. Six of the players played on the offense. It was not deemed good enough by the Cardinals ownership, so they fired Coryell.
Don Coryell's 42 wins are the most by any coach in the Cardinals franchise's history, and his five years as head coach with the team is the second most ever.
The San Diego Chargers started their 1978 season with one win in four games under head coach Tommy Protho. Not happy with these results, the Chargers then fired Protho and replaced him with Coryell.
The team went 8-4 under him the rest of the way, including winning seven of their last eight games.
This was when "Air Coryell" was born as a common term, though Coryell's years in Saint Louis also featured high-powered offenses running under much of the same schemes used in San Diego.
The team improved to lead the NFL with a 12-4 record the next year, the most wins in Coryell's career, as seven Chargers went to the Pro Bowl. Five of them were offensive players.
They would would win the AFC West, their first divisional title since 1965, but ultimately lose in the first round to the Houston Oilers.
The Chargers would win the AFC West four straight years, the only time in franchise history that has been accomplished.
The 1980 Chargers went 11-5, but lost in the AFC Championship Game to the eventual champion Oakland Raiders by seven points. This team sent eight players to the Pro Bowl, including five on offense. It was also the first team in NFL history to have three receivers gain over 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.
The Chargers went 10-6 the next year, and also led the league in scoring. Five players went to the Pro Bowl, four of which played offense.
They then played perhaps the greatest playoff game in NFL history against the Miami Dolphins in the first round.
The game ended up being a 41-38 overtime victory for San Diego, but it was much more than just that. It was named "The Epic In Miami", which was played in very humid weather reaching 29.4° Celsius.
Both teams smashed into each other all game, trading scores. Both teams combined to gain 1,036 yards that day, including 856 passing yards and 804 net passing yards. All are NFL records for a playoff game, as are the 79 total points.
There were seven turnovers, a special teams touchdown, and five different receivers gained over 100 yards on receptions that day.
Hall Of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow was the hero for the Chargers on that day.
Despite being stricken with dehydration, cramps, a pinched nerve in his shoulder, and needing stitches for a cut to his bottom lip, Winslow blocked a game-winning field goal attempt at the end of regulation. He also caught a NFL Playoffs record 13 balls that day.
The Chargers then stumbled into Cincinnati to play the Bengals. On a day where freezing weather easily was below -57° Celsius, thanks to winds of 27 miles per hour, it was dubbed the "Freezer Bowl". The Bengals, led by 1981 NFL MVP Ken Anderson, won handily 27-7.
The 1982 season is known as the strike shortened year of the NFL. San Diego finished second in their division with a 6-3 record. Six players, including five on offense, went to the Pro Bowl. The Dolphins got revenge on the Chargers by beating them in the second round of the playoffs.
That year saw Hall Of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts and wide receiver Wes Chandler set NFL records that still stand today.
The Chargers also paid back the Bengals for their loss the year before by gaining a team record 661 yards in their 50-34 victory over Cincinnati in week seven.
The next three years saw an aging Chargers team win 21 games. Though the team was still extremely explosive on offense, the defense would let them down.
A big part of that factor was an ownership that refused to pay their players well, which led to the departure of many key players. Hall Of Fame defensive end Fred Dean noted that his brother, a truck driver, was making much more cash than he was.
After the Chargers began the 1986 season at 1-7, Coryell was fired and replaced by protege Al Saunders. Saunders would be replaced in 1991 by Coryell disciple Dan Henning.
Coryell's 69 wins are the second most in Chargers history behind Hall Of Fame coach Sid Gillman, and his nine seasons with the team are also the second most behind Gillman.
Don Coryell then retired from coaching, at the age of 62 years old, with 111 wins in 195 games overall. He is the first Coach With 100 Wins In pro And college football.
To try and sum up this man's career or impact on football is nearly impossible. Virtually every offense today on all levels is a variation of his system.
Bill Walsh and Coryell also have several ties in football. Walsh used to rely on Isaac Curtis, a player Coryell coached in college, while Walsh was an assistant coach with the Bengals.
He also coached under Protho for one year with the Chargers, the man Coryell would replace as head coach.
While Walsh is credited with the "West Coast Offense", he started out as a student of Hall Of Fame coaches Sid Gillman, Al Davis, and Paul Brown's downfield passing philosophies.
It was Coryell who really started this offense, and refined it as each year passed during his coaching career.
Coryell turned around every team he coached from college to the pros immediately. Though most remember his days in San Diego, his time in Saint Louis also must be hailed.
He took a perennial loser, and made them a serious contender in an NFC East that was mostly dominated by the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins throughout the 1970's. He made quarterback Jim Hart a much better player and surrounded Hart with many weapons.
Wide receivers Mel Gray and Pat Tilley were wide receivers who excelled along with Hall Of Fame tight end Jackie Smith in Coryell's system. Gray holds a franchise record for having at least one catch in 121 consecutive games, and is tenth in franchise history with 351 receptions.
He is fourth in Cardinals history with 45 touchdown receptions, fifth in receiving yards, and averaged an outstanding 18.9 yards per reception.
Smith is still second in career receiving yards with the team, fifth in receptions and touchdowns, and averaged an excellent 16.5 yards per catch. Tilley was a fourth-round find by Coryell in 1976, and ended up sixth in career receptions with the Cardinals, and third in receiving yards.
One other thing Coryell brought to the NFL was the use of the multi-purpose running back. Terry Metcalf was his first of many backs who did everything well.
Metcalf led the NFL in total yards with 2,462 yards, which is still the best in team history. Metcalf is currently ranked fourth in total yards in Cardinals history.
Coryell also resurrected the career of fullback Jim Otis. Otis joined the Cardinals in Coryell's first season after spending his first three years as a back up with the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.
Coryell turned Otis into a Pro Bowl player in 1975, after gaining a career best 1,076 rushing yards.
Factor in such other weapons like Ike Harris, J.V. Cain, Wayne Morris, Steve Jones, Donny Anderson, Ahmad Rashad, and Earl Thomas, and one can see all the fantastic players Coryell used to make Saint Louis a winner.
He also worked with Hanifan in making the Cardinals perhaps the best offensive line in the league during Coryell's tenure. The line consisted of Hall Of Fame tackle Dan Dierdorf and Pro Bowl players like Tom Banks, Conrad Dobler, Ernie McMillan, and Bob Young most of the time.
They gave up just 55 sacks from 1974 to 1977, including only eight in 1975. This was the fewest allowed in NFL history, until it was surpassed by the Miami Dolphins in 1988 by one.
Though the Cardinals were an explosive offense, their defense let them down. This would be a theme throughout most of Coryell's coaching career in the NFL.
In his 14 seasons as a coach, his offenses led the NFL in net yards gained per passing attempt five times. They finished in the top five of the NFL six more times.
His teams led the NFL in passing yards seven times, and none of his teams finished lower than seventh. They led the NFL in passing touchdowns three times, and finished in the top ten nine other times.
His teams led the league in passing attempts two times, finished second five times, and was in the top ten another five times.
But Coryell also ran a balanced attack where the run was important. Twice his teams led the NFL in rushing touchdowns, and they finished in the top ten eight more times.
His teams finished in the top five in yards per carry three times, twice in the top ten in rushing attempts and yards.
His teams led the NFL in total offense yards five times, and in the top ten another six times. Twice his teams led the NFL in yardage differential, which is the number of yards they outgained their opponents that year.
His teams finished in the top ten an additional five times. Coryell's teams led the league in points differential once, and finished in the top ten another six times.
Yet his defenses often finished in the middle-to-lower end in all categories each year. His 1979 was the best defense he ever had statistically. That defense led the NFL in defensive touchdowns and allowing the fewest rushing attempts.
They also finished in the top ten in interceptions, net yards gained per pass attempt, passing yards allowed, rushing yards allowed, total yards allowed, and touchdowns allowed. In 1980, the Chargers led the NFL with 60 sacks.
Many Hall Of Fame players and Pro Bowlers were coached by Coryell in the NFL. The list of players inducted into Canton includes Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow, Charlie Joiner, Dan Dierdorf, Jackie Smith, Fred Dean, and Roger Wehrli.
When Coryell hit San Diego, the spotlight on his genius was shining. He took wide receiver John Jefferson in the first round in 1978 and had him become the first player in NFL history to gain over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons.
He transformed Dan Fouts into a spectacular quarterback, and saw Fouts become the second player in pro football history, and the first in NFL history, to have over 4,000 yards passing in a season. Fouts then would go on to pass for even more yards the next two seasons.
Besides his Chargers teams becoming the first to have three 1,000 yard receivers, their 1981 team had a 1,000 yard rusher in Chuck Muncie and two 1,000 yard receivers in Winslow and Joiner. Wes Chandler finished 43 yards short from joining them in the thousand yards club that year,which would have given them three receivers and a running back with 1,000 yards in one season. This is an accomplishment never duplicated in league history.
After his success with Metcalf, Coryell found other versatile backs to use in San Diego. Men like Muncie, James Brooks, Earnest Jackson, Gary Anderson, Mike Thomas, Lydell Mitchell, Don Woods, Clarence Williams, and the diminutive Lionel James all excelled in his offense.
Brooks led the NFL in all purpose yards in his first two years with San Diego, and James did it once.
James also had 1,027 yards receiving, which set an NFL record for yards receiving by a running back then, on 81 receptions in 1985. His 2,535 all purpose yards that year was an NFL record for fifteen seasons.
While Coryell's critics wrongly point to his lack of championship wins, the stinginess of the owners he was employed by was a huge reason why his teams never went past a conference championship game.
In San Diego, they lost Jefferson and Dean because on contract disputes. Dean left the Chargers mid-season to go to the San Francisco 49ers because of this reason. Dean was a key reason the 49ers won Super Bowl XVI that year, and was named UPI Defensive Player Of The Year.
With Dean gone, it hurt the Chargers defense immensely. The Chargers had the best defensive line in the NFL up until then, featuring Dean and Pro Bowl defensive tackles Louie Kelcher and Gary "Big Hands" Johnson.
All three were drafted together in 1975, and had a strong bond that had the fans nickname them "The Bruise Brothers".
Don Coryell changed the way football was played. It is still being played the way Coryell invented to this very day.
The now all to common sight on multiple receiver sets was first started by Coryell, as are many versions of offenses being run these days.
They are all spawns of his genius.
The Redskins three Super Bowls winning teams and Saint Louis Rams two Super Bowl winning teams ran offenses that were invented by Coryell. His impact on the game will reverberate for generations to come.
Winslow stated it best when he said, "For Don Coryell to not be in the Hall of Fame is a lack of knowledge of the voters. That's the nicest way that I can put that. A lack of understanding of the legacy of the game."
This is a despicable crime still perpetrated by the voters to this very day. It also shows that Canton MUST change their induction system.
Rumors of getting retired players involved, especially those already in Canton, has been circulated for years. These are the people who truly know who belong.
I have long told you about voters not even knowing what positions legends played in this series.
It, as Winslow stated, truly shows a lack of knowledge. It also shows the corrupt political process involved in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.
A process that has wrongly kept Don Coryell from taking his rightful place.
Albert Alexander Wistert was drafted in the fifth round by the Philadelphia / Pittsburgh Steagles in 1943, the 32nd player chosen overall. The Steagles were a team that was comprised of Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers into one team because of World War II.
Al had played college football at the University of Michigan . He was a legendary two way player there. He had two brothers, Alvin and Francis, also play for the Wolverines. They all played the same position, Tackle on both sides of the ball, and wore the same number 11 jersey.
Francis was the first, Albert was the second, then Alvin was last. Their number 11 jersey has been retired by Michigan University , and is one of only seven to have achieved that honor. Albert played on Wolverine teams that lost only five games in his three years there. He was an All American and was named the MVP of the team in 1942.
One famous moment in Michigan University football history came against Notre Dame in South Bend , Indiana . Going in the locker room trailing at halftime, the Notre Dame fans told Michigan to go home because it was over. Wistert would have none of that and inspired his team mates with a pep talk that had the Wolverines fired up. Michigan rattled off 21 straight unanswered points in the third quarter and dominated Notre Dame to a 32 - 20 victory.
After playing in the 1943 East-West Shrine Game, Al was team captain of the College All Stars who played against the NFL World Champion Washington Redskins. Al's team stomped the Redskins, led by Hall Of Fame Quarterback Sammy Baugh, 27 - 7.
Al Wistert is a member of the Michigan University Hall Of Honor, and a member of the College Football Hall Of Fame, as are both of his brothers.
Al went to his first Steagles practice knowing no one. He saw Hall Of Fame Defensive End Bill Hewitt sitting on some rocks smoking a cigarette. Al approached Hewitt to introduce himself to the fellow Wolverine Alumni who had played alongside his brother Francis in college. Hewitt had just come out of a three year retirement to play for $4,000. It was the most Hewitt had ever made in the NFL. Al had just signed with the Steagles for $4,500. Al extended his hand and introduced himself, but Hewitt did not say a word or offer his hand. Al then decided to run laps around the field by himself. Pretty soon, the entire Steagles team was following Al and running around the field.
The Steagles disbanded the following season, and the Steelers and Eagles went back to being separate teams. Wistert stayed in Philadelphia . Al would make his first All-Pro Team that year in 1944, and would garner this achievement for every year of the rest of his NFL career. In 1946, he was named team captain. An honor he served until 1950.
The Eagles went to their first championship game in 1947, but lost to the Chicago Cardinals 28 - 21. The 1948 season saw the Eagles win their very first championship during a blizzard in a rematch against the Chicago Cardinals 7 - 0. The Eagles then went back to the NFL Championship the next year and beat the Los Angeles Rams 14 - 0 in heavy rain.
The Eagles are the only team in NFL history to win back to back championships and not allow their opponents to score. Al announced he would retire after the 1951 season. The Eagles held an AL WISTERT DAY in the fourth from last home game that year. The team gave Al a brand new car, and many other gifts. One gift was a hand crafted dining room table that Al still uses this day to eat his meals off of.
The Eagles then retired his #70 jersey in 1952, the first Eagle to ever have had this done. Al Wistert is a member of the NFL 1940's All Decade Team.
I find it utterly amazing that Al Wistert has yet to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame! This man truly embodies what Canton is supposed to represent. Not only was he an eight time All-Pro in his nine year career, but he was a very important member of an Eagles team that dominated the NFL in the late 1940's.
He introduced the NFL to the stand up style of blocking you all see today, instead of the rolling type of blocks that were employed then, which allowed Wistert to use his speed and agility to keep on blocking more defenders downfield and making him better than all the rest.
Al was a true leader on and off the field. He captained a powerhouse squad full of Hall Of Fame players like Steve Van Buren, Pete Pihos, Alex Wojciechowicz, and Chuck Bednarik. His coach was Hall Of Famer Earle "Greasy" Neale. Al also gave back to the community by coaching a high school team in New Jersey over 50 miles away, even though he did not own a car. Neale liked and respected Wistert so much that he would lend his personal car daily to Wistert so Al could go teach kids how to play football. This says alot, because Neale was a noted task master.
One game, Al came to the sideline to tell the coach he thought he had just broken his leg. Neale replied, " Well, get back in there until you are sure that it is." Al never missed a game in his career. He started every game of his career except the first five of his rookie season. He would soon supplant veteran Ted Doyle after the fifth game. The only other time he missed a start was in 1950 season opener against the Cleveland Browns. Wistert had a severely sprained ankle and could hardly walk, but he ended up playing most of the game anyways.
A 60 minute man, he never left the field at any time. Whether it was opening up holes for runners on offense or closing them on defense, Wistert was an amazing athlete durable, strong, and cerebral. Al was the smallest Tackle in the NFL, weighing 214 pounds, but he was a master technician who would out think, outwit, out gut, and dominate his opponents on both sides of the ball for every minute of every game.
Al said, "I never gave then the same thing twice. I always confounded them with a new plan of attack." His team mates dubbed him "Ox", because he was incredibly strong and dependable.
The game was much different then. A rougher and more violent game with less rules and padding for self preservation. They played games in all sorts of poor weather, unlike the climate controlled stadiums so many players enjoy today. They would spend days travelling to cities by train, instead of a few hours on an airplane like today.
Just to get a taste of these times, the Eagles took a train from Philadelphia to Los Angeles after beating the Giants. Despite only having a few days in L.A. , they shut out the Rams in monsoon like conditions to win an NFL Championship. To say these men were tough is an understatement. They did this for the love of the game, not the love for the money.
Many great football players eschewed the NFL in those days because they could earn more money outside of sports, and in other sports. Francis Wistert was given $100 by Cardinals owner Charles Bidwell just to sign a contract, even though he had no intention of ever playing in the NFL. Francis chose to pitch for the Cincinnati Reds in Major League Baseball instead of playing football.
Albert Wistert decided to play professional football and was great at it. He was a 60 minute man who stayed on the field at all times. After he retired, he became successful in the life insurance business and made million dollar deals. But he chose to play football first, and he is one of the path pavers who made the NFL the multi-billion dollar empire what it is today.
The fact the Eagles retired his number first, and only one year after his retirement, shows how special a football player he was. Al Wistert is also a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall Of Fame.
As the years go on, the more we tend to forget great gridiron stars like Al Wistert. The veterans committee for the Pro Football Hall Of Fame MUST be blamed for not doing the jobs they were given to do. It is plainly evident to see, with all of the accolades, that a grave injustice has been perpetrated in regards to Al. It was not lost on his fellow players. After he retired, over 23 players and NFL'ers have written to the Hall Of Fame asking that Wistert be put in. Greats ranging from Chuck Bednarik to even former Eagles owner Norm Braman. Why the voters have chosen to ignore such a rich, diverse cast of NFL Alumni requests is bewildering. There is NO QUESTION that Albert Wistert belongs in Canton .
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Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement on the repatriation of Rohingya refugees on November 23, and Myanmar said it would start the process by January 23. The exact numbers and extent of the repatriation is still unclear.
India recently announced a development assistance of $25 million for Myanmar’s Rakhine State, from where thousands of Rohingya Muslims recently fled their homeland amid violence against them.
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Pediatric fellowship program
The Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin offer outstanding fellowship training opportunities for candidates seeking advanced clinical and research training in pediatric specialties.
Department of Pediatrics Fellowship Programs
The Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin offer outstanding fellowship training opportunities for candidates seeking advanced clinical and research training in pediatric specialties.
B U. K. Li, MD, is director of pediatric fellowships and program director of Functional Gastroenterology Disorders at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, a professor of Pediatrics Gastroenterology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and member of Children's Specialty Group.
Peter J. Bartz, MD, is associate director of pediatric fellowships and cardiologist at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, an associate professor of Pediatrics Cardiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and member of Children's Specialty Group.
Joint Fellowship Curriculum (JFC) sessions are scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month except for April. In April, a poster session will be held on the first Tuesday. Curriculum module topics are subject to change as needed.
If you have any questions or need further information, contact Karen Knippel at [email protected] or (414) 337-7451.
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Events
Flamenco Underground shows are done in the Spanish “Tablao” style and contain a mix of classic Flamenco and inspired improvisation. At every show, Flamenco Underground create a unique and unforgettable experience for their audience.
Flamenco Underground is very focused on exposing people to this beautiful art form by bringing Flamenco artists from other parts of the USA and from Spain to do shows and teach workshops.
Private Parties
Flamenco Underground is a great choice for your private event. Birthday Parties, Corporate Parties, Weddings, etc. A class for guests and participation in the show can always be included and it is really fun!!!
Workshops
Stay tuned for future workshops!
School Programs
Contact us if you want Flamenco Underground at your school!!!
Demonstration, Lecture and Interaction with the students to learn and understand about this beautiful Art Form
About Us
Natalia Perez del Villar
Natalia Pérez del Villar was born in Oviedo, Spain. She started her studies of dance at the age of nine with classical ballet. At the age of thirteen, while continuing her studies of classical ballet, she began to study flamenco dance in Oviedo where she performed with the Cuadro Flamenco de Iván Bravo. She then moved to Jerez de la Frontera (Cadiz) to continue her flamenco studies at La Fundación Andaluza del Flamenco.
Natalia has studied flamenco with Iván Bravo, Matilde Coral, Rafael "el negro", Adriana Maresma, La China, Azucena Vega and Pablo Rodarte, among others.
Natalia was the artistic director of "Embrujo Flamenco" for 5 years, preparing and directing all her shows. She also worked with Pablo Rodarte in his company Dance España as a soloist dancer.
Natalia Perez del Villar is the Founder and Artistic Director of Flamenco Underground.
Mark herzog
Mark Herzog started his studies of Flamenco as a guitarist, giving him an incredible knowledge about this difficult art form to be able to become a great singer later. He was part of the ensemble “Embrujo Flamenco” for 5 years.
Mark had worked with some of the most renowned Flamenco artist in U.S. as Lia Ochoa, Maria Vazquez, Steve Mullens, Kevin Romero, Pablo Rodarte, Salli Gutierrez, Ricardo Diaz, etc.
Mark Herzog is the lead guitar and vocal of "Flamenco Underground".
Flamenco Underground
Flamenco Underground is very focused on exposing people to this beautiful art form by bringing Flamenco artists from other parts of the USA and from Spain to do shows and teach workshops. Flamenco Underground is available for any kind of show: weddings, restaurants, corporate parties, private parties, schools demostrations, festivals, etc.
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Meet Nick Webb
Nick became a scientist so that he could build starships. Unfortunately, his ship is taking longer to build than he'd hoped, so fictional starships will have to do for now. When he's not adding to his starship collection, you can find him tweeting and facebooking about Nasa, science, space, SciFi, and quoting Star Trek II.
Want a free copy of his book Assimilated? CLICK HERE to subscribe to the Discover Sci-Fi Newsletter and get your free copy (plus 9 others!).
LEGACY FLEET SERIES
CONSTITUTION
LEGACY FLEET SERIES BOOK 1
The year is 2650 75 years ago, an alien fleet attacked Earth. Without warning. Without mercy. We were not prepared. Hundreds of millions perished. Dozens of cities burned. We nearly lost everything.
Then, the aliens abruptly left.
We rebuilt. We armed ourselves. We swore: never again. But the aliens never came back.
Until now.
With overwhelming force the aliens have returned, striking deep into our territory, sending Earth into a panic. Our new technology is useless. Our new ships burn like straw. All our careful preparations are wasted.
Now, only one man, one crew, and the oldest starship in the fleet stand between the Earth and certain destruction:
ISS CONSTITUTION
WARRIOR
LEGACY FLEET SERIES BOOK 2
We repelled the Swarm, for now. But they won’t stop: they’re inhuman. They have no inhibitions. No conscience. And no mercy.
But from the crucible of battle has risen an unlikely hero. Captain Timothy Granger, at the helm of another time-tested battleship, will take the fight to the enemy. He’ll discover their secrets. Find their homeworld. Destroy it before they destroy ours.
He will save us all. He must. Or we’ll die.
WARRIOR
VICTORY
LEGACY FLEET SERIES BOOK 3
United Earth burns.
The Swarm runs rampant across our space. We mourn the loss of thousands of ships and millions of fallen comrades. Billions of fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers–all gone, all dead. It is time we end this, for our moment has come.
But victory never comes without sacrifice. Heroes are not taught nor trained, but forged in blood and ashes. Our grandchildrens' history books will tell our story, and glorify the heroes and legends.
The Swarm will be conquered; we will prevail.
At any price.
INDEPENDENCE
LEGACY FLEET SERIES BOOK 4
We hoped, desperately, that they came in peace. We were wrong.
Thirty years after the Second Swarm War devastated Earth and its colonies, a powerful, mysterious alien ship has invaded our space. Entire planets are ravaged, whole moons shattered. Any starship sent against it never comes home.
But Admiral Proctor, a war hero from our last brush with annihilation, is called out of retirement to take the reins of humanity's newest starship. The ISS Independence and her crew, with Admiral Proctor at the helm, will stand as Earth's last defense. Somehow, against all odds, they will save us, even when our enemy is not just an unstoppable alien ship, but a ghost from humanity's past bent on its utter destruction.
And if they fail, we fall.
For good.
DEFIANCE
LEGACY FLEET SERIES BOOK 5
The fog of war clouds everything. Enemies lurk in the shadows, within the very fleet sworn to protect United Earth. Conspiracies and murder abound, and in the background…. The stalled alien invasion lurks.
The Golgothic ship has burrowed deep into the core of Saturn’s moon Titan, whose mass slowly but inexorably increases. The Dolmasi, once allies of United Earth in the Second Swarm War, now attack us, unhinged and without reason. And all the while, Admiral Shelby Proctor works to answer the most urgent questions of all: what was a piece of the old ISS Victory doing inside the Golgothic ship? And was it Captain Tim Granger’s voice that whispered from the doomed ship, “Shelby, they’re coming?”
And … are they the Swarm? If they are, God help us all.
EARTH DAWNING SERIES
MERCURY'S BANE
EARTH DAWNING BOOK 1
They're all gone. We remember them like yesterday: pieces of our stolen heritage. Things like NASA. Football. Parades and pies. Good things, comfortable things. We remember a time when we were alone in the universe, safe and oblivious.
But it's all gone now.
We called them the Telestines, and in the face of their ruthless invasion we were powerless. By 2040, all the world's governments and militaries had fallen, and the remnants of humanity exiled to the solar system. We looked down on our blue planet, so close to our birthplace, so close to our home. But the miles may as well have been lightyears.
Our anger smoldered in the darkness of space. On Mars. On Ganymede. In the dank crowded filth of the asteroids. We swore: we will take our planet back.
And today, it begins. Our fleet is ready. Our soldiers determined.
Earth will be ours again.
JUPITER'S SWORD
EARTH DAWNING BOOK 2
We barely won the battle at Mercury's shipyards, but the war is just beginning.
The Telestines, in control of Earth, now pursue us from planet to planet, moon to moon, leaving terrible destruction in their wake. And now, the unthinkable: a new alien weapon with the power to destroy a whole world. Thousands die on Jupiter's moon Io when a bomb detonates, sending apocalyptic storms of debris that threaten millions of people on Ganymede and Callisto.
But that isn't the worst of it. The bomb was detonated by a human. A drone.
And there are thousands of them scattered across the solar system, anonymous, undetectable, and waiting for orders from their Telestine masters.
Our war becomes a race against time: find the bombs, find the drones, find our true enemy, all while under siege from within and without.
Before we all perish.
THE PAX HUMANA SAGA SERIES
THE TERRAN GAMBIT
EPISODE #1: THE PAX HUMANA SAGA
Lieutenant Jacob Mercer likes fast motorcycles, faster women, and screamin' space fighters. As a reckless fighter jock in the Resistance fleet battling the Corsican Empire, he lives solely for the thrill of taking out as many Imperial bogeys as he can.
A rebel victory is looming on the horizon when the Imperials abruptly change tactics and, in a devastating show of force, incinerate the city of Dallas with a thermonuclear blast – killing millions – and delivering a merciless example of what happens to upstart worlds in the Pax Humana.
But the Resistance will not be cowed so easily. In retaliation the rebel leadership devises a daring plan to strike at the Empire's heart in a final, desperate bid for freedom, a plan that will put Jake Mercer in the captain's chair of the most advanced warship in the galaxy.
To succeed, all Jake has to do is face down a psychopathic Imperial Admiral bent on utterly destroying the Resistance and even Earth itself..
CHAINS OF DESTINY
EPISODE #2: THE PAX HUMANA SAGA
ESCAPE!
Captain Jacob Mercer and the USS Phoenix barely escape with their lives from the Imperial ambush at Liberty Station over Earth, and soon find themselves orbiting the frontier world of Destiny, a desolate desert planet infested with pirate gangs. With critically unstable engines, Jake is forced to seek raw material for badly needed repairs before the ruthless Admiral Trajan tracks them down.
A MYSTERY DEEPENS…
As they negotiate with the pirates, Jake and his landing team are betrayed and captured by slavers while the Phoenix, under the command of the steely Commander Megan Po, faces off yet again with Admiral Trajan in orbit around Destiny. While toiling in the uranium mine Jake discovers that Trajan's and the Emperor's plans may go far beyond simply subjugating a rebellious Earth.
AND SACRIFICES MUST BE MADE.
But with the Captain stranded on the dusty planet below, Commander Po leads the Phoenix in one more deadly showdown with Admiral Trajan, and comes face to face with her most dreaded nightmare: sending people in her charge to die.
INTO THE VOID
EPISODE #3: THE PAX HUMANA SAGA
Captain Jake Mercer and the crew of the Phoenix finally escape from Admiral Trajan's relentless pursuit, hoping for some much needed rest and supplies. But while in the Oberon system the 51st brigade decides to make its move against Captain Mercer in revenge for the murder of one of its soldiers. Jake must enlist the help of a local paramilitary organization to not only regain his ship, but also to fight off the Vikorhov Federation, one of Admiral Trajan's surrogates in the sector.
And all the while Ben's mind is slowly re-written by the picobots, making him not only a danger to his enemies, but to his closest friends.
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Adrianna Papell Vogue Visibility Sheath Dress
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With ruffles at the high neckline, as parallel trimmings down the front and back, and 'round the hemline, this black sheath dress from Adrianna Papell puts your sartorial side proudly on display! Fluttery short sleeves and textured chiffon complete the showstopping look of this lovely number, which demands all eyes, all the time.
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Stratasys Provides the “Missing Link” for LAIKA Studios
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There is new smoke detector technology out that will detect smoke faster and save more lives.
"We have the impression that if you have a smoke alarm in your house that you are protected ... and it's been demonstrated that this is clearly not the case," Mayfield Heights Fire Chief Bruce Elliott said. He gave a presentation on the smoke detector technology at a meeting of City Council's Safety and Transportation Committee on Tuesday afternoon.
The new type of detector out is called a photoelectric detector. The detector contains a light beam that will trigger the alarm when the beam is interrupted by smoke, most effective for a smoldering smoky fire.
The older style of smoke detector is called an ionization detector. This detector has a small amount of radioactivity inside the device that conducts electricity, most effective for a fast flaming fire.
"Ionization detectors is what 90 percent of the homes have," Elliot said.
Both types of detectors are acceptable for home use, but photoelectric are preferred by the fire department because they respond better to smoky fires that are caused when synthetic materials melt and burn, Elliot said. Synthetic materials are commonly found on household items such as couches, curtains and even carpeting.
This presentation from the Fire Department to the Safety and Building Committee hopes to encourage council to propose and pass new legislation to require one photoelectric alarm on each floor of the home at point-of-sale inspections and residential rental inspections. Other surrounding communities, such as Lyndhust and Mayfield Village, have similar legislation.
Smoke detectors will indicate which type it is by either an "I" for ionization or "P" for photoelectric on the front cover or the back. The packaging will say what type of detector it is as well.
In the past, the fire department has been telling residents to have smoke detectors in their house, but now it matters what type of smoke detector is installed in the home because it may determine if residents have enough time to safely escape.
"We are getting the word out that smoke alarms are important, but a lot of times they aren't working," Elliott said.
Research on the different types of smoke detectors has been done because of deaths of people who had working smoke detectors in their home, but were never notified or were notified of the fire too late.
"The results have shown ... that ionization detectors will sound tens of seconds faster than a photoelectric detector in a fast flaming fire ... (while) a photoelectric alarm will sound tens of minutes faster in a smoldering fire (than an ionization detector)," Elliott said.
Studies also have shown that ionization detectors are more prone to false alarms because of smoke from cooking or steam from a shower.
"Many people pull the battery when there is a false smoke detector alarm, and may not be replacing the battery after they are done cooking or taking a shower," Elliott said. "The photoelectric detectors are less likely to have a false alarm."
The first battery smoke detector was invented in 1965, and available to the public in the 1970s. As of 2004, 96 percent of homes have a smoke detector, but 20 percent are not working in the home. Of those nonworking smoke detectors, 53 percent of those had no battery in the detector.
"It's our job as city leaders to educate our residents of the new technology out there," Elliott said. "We aren't saying that (ionization detectors) are bad and to get rid of them, but ...we have the duty to educate them about the different (alarms) and recommend that they replace the ionization detector with photoelectric detectors or add a photoelectric detector along with an ionization detector."
The fire department encourages residents to maintain smoke detectors every year by replacing the battery and after 10 years, replace the whole unit with upgraded technology.
The price of photoelectric and ionization detectors are very similar. Dual sensors with both ionization and photoelectric technology are available in one unit, but are more difficult to find and can cost much more than a single sensor smoke detector.
Currently under the Residential Code of Ohio, homes are required to have one detector on each floor of the home, including the basement as well as a smoke detector in each bedroom.
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October 16, 2013, 12:36AM
10/16/2013
Related Links
A sharply divided Santa Rosa City Council on Tuesday approved a new three-year contract for firefighters that some members praised as saving the city money by shifting more pension costs onto workers but others criticized as including raises the city couldn't afford.
The 5-2 vote followed a lengthy debate about whether the complex agreement was as good a deal for taxpayers as city staff claimed.
Human Resources Director Fran Elm said the total savings to the city over three years of the contract as $1.84 million.
The savings come primarily from the requirement to have most firefighters begin paying 9 percent of their salaries toward pension, a figure that increases to 12 percent for all firefighters by the end of the contract. In exchange, the city is granting firefighters total raises of 4.5 percent over the period.
Other changes in the contract include limiting the paramedic work — and extra pay that goes with it — to rank-and-file firefighters, thus excluding their superiors from the duties and extra pay. The changes also change the way overtime is calculated and provide additional vacation days for workers once they hit 15 and 20 years of service.
Several council members praised the deal, which has been under negotiation since February, and the willingness of firefighters to help the city meet its pension reform goals.
"It's saving us money long term," Mayor Scott Bartley said. "I think we should be proud of where we are. I think this is a positive step in a really good direction."
But two council members, Gary Wysocky and Julie Combs, voted against the contract, questioning the wisdom of signing a long-term contract and noting the firefighters have received significant raises during a period when most people's wages have seen stagnant.
"My Daddy used to say when you're in a hole, stop digging," Combs said. "Unfortunately we continue to dig a hole."
The city has roads full of potholes, parks in need of repair and a $7 million per year sales tax measure that expires in a few years, Combs said. She noted that the council recently couldn't even see fit to hire a few more temporary groundskeeperss to help keep the parks clean.
Wysocky, who asked the bulk of the questions on the issue, took a similar view, suggesting the proposed raises were unjustified. His questions of staff revealed that that firefighters had received gross pay increases of nearly 28 percent since 2006 and 80 percent of firefighters make over $100,000 per year.
"We're continuing to add to our structural deficit when we given raises and we don't know how we're going to pay for them," Wysocky said.
Tim Aboudara, president of the Santa Rosa Firefighters, Local 1401, said he was most pleased by the changes in the contract that eliminate the "employer-paid member contributions" for firefighters hired before 2012.
The practice, which called for the city to pay firefighters' pension contributions on their behalf, was confusing from a public policy and public relations perspective, he said.
A sharply divided Santa Rosa City Council on Tuesday approved a new three-year contract for firefighters that some members praised as saving the city money by shifting more pension costs onto workers but others criticized as including raises the city couldn't afford.
The 5-2 vote followed a lengthy debate about whether the complex agreement was as good a deal for taxpayers as city staff claimed.
Human Resources Director Fran Elm said the total savings to the city over three years of the contract as $1.84 million.
The savings come primarily from the requirement to have most firefighters begin paying 9 percent of their salaries toward pension, a figure that increases to 12 percent for all firefighters by the end of the contract. In exchange, the city is granting firefighters total raises of 4.5 percent over the period.
Other changes in the contract include limiting the paramedic work — and extra pay that goes with it — to rank-and-file firefighters, thus excluding their superiors from the duties and extra pay. The changes also change the way overtime is calculated and provide additional vacation days for workers once they hit 15 and 20 years of service.
Several council members praised the deal, which has been under negotiation since February, and the willingness of firefighters to help the city meet its pension reform goals.
"It's saving us money long term," Mayor Scott Bartley said. "I think we should be proud of where we are. I think this is a positive step in a really good direction."
But two council members, Gary Wysocky and Julie Combs, voted against the contract, questioning the wisdom of signing a long-term contract and noting the firefighters have received significant raises during a period when most people's wages have seen stagnant.
"My Daddy used to say when you're in a hole, stop digging," Combs said. "Unfortunately we continue to dig a hole."
The city has roads full of potholes, parks in need of repair and a $7 million per year sales tax measure that expires in a few years, Combs said. She noted that the council recently couldn't even see fit to hire a few more temporary groundskeeperss to help keep the parks clean.
Wysocky, who asked the bulk of the questions on the issue, took a similar view, suggesting the proposed raises were unjustified. His questions of staff revealed that that firefighters had received gross pay increases of nearly 28 percent since 2006 and 80 percent of firefighters make over $100,000 per year.
"We're continuing to add to our structural deficit when we given raises and we don't know how we're going to pay for them," Wysocky said.
Tim Aboudara, president of the Santa Rosa Firefighters, Local 1401, said he was most pleased by the changes in the contract that eliminate the "employer-paid member contributions" for firefighters hired before 2012.
The practice, which called for the city to pay firefighters' pension contributions on their behalf, was confusing from a public policy and public relations perspective, he said.
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Maintenance work will be performed one of the OSOFast InterLibrary Loan System on Friday, December 16 from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. During this outage, the University's OCLC account will be down as well. All services are exprected to be restored by 1:00 p.m.
Maintenance work will be performed on the SQL server for ITS Client Services on Thursday, December 8 from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. During this time, access to LANDesk and ITS Self-Serivce Help will be unavailable.
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With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, I’m thinking a lot about love. I love love. It’s one of those few universal cure-alls that invariably makes any situation better. Whether I’m thrashing a sub’s backside bloody or cradling a sub girl as we drift off to sleep, it’s all done with love. BDSM at its best is an expression of love, and anyone who doesn’t believe that is either misguided or missing out on one of life’s greatest pleasures.
I don’t need kink to express my love, however, and in my private love life kink is something I usually save until I get to know someone–probably because of the extremity with which I express my kink. I’m a hardcore D/s enthusiast, and so BDSM becomes by extension very psychologically intimate. The depth with which I explore my partners’ minds can be the psychological equivalent of being stripped bare in an operating theater and letting a doctor examine you inside and out with a magnifying glass. When you couple that level of psychological intimacy with emotional and physio-sexual intimacy, it can get pretty overwhelming pretty fast.
I prefer to build a solid vanilla relationship with my romantic partners first, or at the very least a vanilla understanding, as long as they are open-minded and accepting of my job. This may sound shocking given my reputation in the industry; many people expect me to demand kink on the first date, but this is something I almost patently refuse to do. With a solid vanilla bond in place, however, I find I can go farther and deeper with someone in our kink because we’ve already established a firm basis of trust and affection.
My need for vanilla connection doesn’t apply to my personal slaves, though. I cherish my slaves, don’t misunderstand me, but I’ve never dated one. They occupy a totally different place in my consciousness, and bring totally different things to my life than a romantic partner. If you ask a slave, and I mean a died-in-the-wool service slave, most will tell you the same thing: they don’t want a Domme to be their friend or lover, they want her to be their owner.
When it comes to a romantic partner, I need someone who is my equal. My ideal is a vanilla-leaning, successful alpha male who is amused by my career as a Domme but not directly impacted by it. I have dated subs, switches, Doms and fetishists (all of which can be alpha males), and because I work so much I need someone who can take my mind off of BDSM when we’re not kinking out together.
This week I’m featured in the New York Observer in an article about New York’s most eligible singles, and in the interview I basically admit to everything I’ve just said. I’m friends with the editor, and as he quizzed me on some of my preferences in relationships, I couldn’t help but open up about my feelings on the topic under his warm and inquisitive gaze. I was a bit surprised to find myself admitting kink chemistry isn’t the first thing I look for in a partner. My subs and clients might be surprised to learn that too, or even put off. However, part of my business model is to offer my authentic self in my sessions. These days I don’t feel the need to hide behind the mask of what people think a Domme should be. What’s true is true: person first, kink second.
All that being said, here are the traits I look for in my King:
Intelligence: He must be at least as smart as me. I also love a man who is MORE intelligent than I am, but it’s rare for me to meet one.
Kindness: Brains are nothing without heart.
Humor: A man who makes me laugh is 100 times more likely to be invited into my bed than one who doesn’t. Humor-wise I’m more Tim and Eric/Danny McBride than Adam Sandler/South Park.
Emotional Support: It’s not enough to be all of the above, I also need a partner who recognizes my emotional needs and can be there to help when I’m having a bad day. Although I am generally happy and successful, I have my moments of sadness and uncertainty just like everyone else.
Adventurous: This is a combination of energetic and open-minded with at least a tolerance of travel. Adventurous means my man doesn’t like to just sit around and watch TV: he’d rather be out sight-seeing, planning our next trip, or out with me in nature. He also has to be open-minded in the bedroom (obviously), as well as socially and creatively flexible.
Looks: Note that this is next to last on the list. That being said, I’m a wreck for a hot male model. Jawline and abs, mmph!
Cool: How else to say it? Don’t be lame or awkward.
In summary, my ideal man is someone who can embody all these traits and, above all else, prioritize me and give freely of his affection. In return, I treat him as any Queen treats her King: with respect and utmost love. If you have a Queen in your life and have been dying to tell her how you feel, maybe this week is a good opportunity. And if you’re still out there searching for your King or Queen, take heart. I truly believe everyone has someone for them out there in the world.
You’re attractive, professionally successful, and doing just fine on the vanilla dating front thanks to the bevy of dating apps out there. And yet… with a never-ending stream of gorgeous partners at your literal fingertips, you somehow find yourself wanting more. More substance. More layers. More excitement.
That ‘more’ is kink. You’re probably not sure how far you’re willing to go, or even what kinds of activities are available. Maybe you hated 50 Shades of Grey, but it did pique your interest. The more you research, though, the more you realize you don’t know. And frankly, it can be overwhelming. Don’t worry: We all have to start somewhere. Years ago, I was as vanilla as they come. Working as a ProDomme thrust me fast and furious into the world of kink, and eventually, I started exploring it at home. Now, eight years later, my sex life is extraordinary. You CAN have your cake. And eat it too! And do a hot force-feeding scene afterwards with a sexy naked chick tied to a chair.
Thanks to my job as a Dominatrix, I travel the world for kink, and there is one app that has literally changed my dating life forever. No matter where I go, Whiplr seems to have sexy scene players in my age range who are eager to meet up. The search settings allow you to narrow down your basic preferences, and the Dekadom membership helps you get even more specific about who and what you’re looking for. It attracts a broad range of experience levels as well, from skilled scene veterans to excited newbies who’ve never even tried a blindfold. I adore introducing vanillas to the scene, so it’s thrilling that so many people who’ve joined recently are brand new to BDSM. Me: kid. Whiplr: candy store.
If only there had been an app like this when I first started exploring. It’s the only global dating app dedicated to kink and fetish, and it’s getting bigger by the day. To “keep it 1000” as we say on the internet, my stock is pretty low on places like OKCupid and Tinder. As a vanilla woman, I’m just another petite brunette with curves. On Whiplr, however, I’m a feisty sex Goddess with an astonishing set of skills and experience. It gives me easy access to hot partners who might just breeze past me in other apps. ALL of the people I’ve met from Whiplr have been gorgeous and fascinating, and it’s yielded MY BEST dates ever.
To be very clear: I want hundreds of new people to join Whiplr every single day. Not because I work for Whiplr (though I kind of wish I did), but because I want a bigger dating pool! I love this app and want to do everything I can to promote it, since each new member who signs up is another adventure waiting for me.
As for those other dating apps? I’ve deleted them all. If I want vanilla, I’ll just have some ice cream.
I always encourage my clients to adopt a pro-honesty, pro-relationship attitude about kink in their personal lives (meaning spouses, significant others, and any close relationships), which goes double for anyone who’s actively seeking a romantic/sexual/BDSM relationship outside of pro sessions.
Personal BDSM relationships don’t necessarily preclude professional ones, but even when they do I have so many clients that it doesn’t negatively impact my practice to counsel my clients (who desire it) towards an exit strategy from pro sessions, especially anyone under 30. I want to see my slaves (well, everyone I know really!) fulfilled in profound and life-altering ways, and I try to let my dominance extend past the end of the session and echo into the days, weeks, and even months afterwards so that your life actually improves after you leave in ways you didn’t expect. In an ideal world you should always feel my guidance and care as you move through life, whether you’ve seen me recently or not. Kink is meant to be a net positive experience. It saddens me that some of you believe you won’t ever find a personal relationship that incorporates both sides of you. I LITERALLY believe that your dream partner(s) are out there waiting for you right now, and I dearly hope they manifest after you read this.
Here is a SURPRISING list of steps that will help you find your BDSM SOULMATE. It’s not necessarily easy, but you need to look at what YOU have been doing to get in the way of your own relationship happiness and then take the necessary actions to change your attitude. You won’t be sorry and will only benefit from this kind of deep inner analysis and work.
1. Adopt Radical Self-Acceptance. Your kink is not a weakness, it’s a strength. It’s not a caveat, i.e. “he’s a great guy, BUT…” Your kink is a gift, i.e. “he’s a great guy, AND…”. Interests like yours don’t make you just different, or even different-but-equal. You are different-and-better. I know: I’ve lived years on both sides. BDSM enthusiasts are the connoisseurs of sex. Your erotic life (with or without intercourse) is SO MUCH better than billions of others’ as a result of being sexually adventurous and will only get richer with time. You have passion, complexity and a sense of fun and you’re brave enough to explore your desires. Kudos to you: you’re part of the sexual elite.
2. Draw a Line in the Sand. Say outloud, right now, I REFUSE to settle for anything less than someone who accepts all sides of me. You have to know the perfect partner is out there for you–I’m sure you’ve thought about him or her before and what their core values and traits are. Lose sight of the visual and demand that your partner meet your requirements emotionally and mentally. You need to stop making exceptions and allowing partners into your life who either don’t accept your kinky side or don’t treat you with respect and care. It’s okay to long for it, by the way. Longing opens you up and makes you vulnerable. Don’t let it make you aggressive, pathetic or desperate, but if you are honest and surrender to your longing for a partner that longing will magnetize them to you. If you’re doing it right, this whole process should make you MORE confident, not less.
3. Tell Them Upfront. Mention it on the first date. Don’t wait. You don’t need to get into the gory details and should always exercise tact and decorum, of course, but there is no reason to be dishonest or lie about your kinky side in a dating context–not in the age of the internet, anyway! If they react negatively to what you say (as long as you’ve said it respectfully and not with the agenda of getting them to sleep with you or play with you immediately) then you should write them off and never call them again. I don’t care how hot they are. Find a way to put a positive spin on it and create intrigue if you’re attempting to convert a vanilla. For instance, a diehard foot fetishist might at some point say, “I would LOVE to spoil your feet sometime, and if you’ve never experienced that from someone you are seriously missing out. Shoe shopping, massages, kisses: what girl WOULDN’T want that?” Remember that your kink is a gift to the partners you meet. If they don’t want it, it’s their loss.
4. Get Out There. Meet them on OKC, Tinder, Fetlife, Whiplr, whatever! Go on three dates a week minimum. If you’re not seeing results within a month then chances are you need to revisit steps one through three.
As for me, I have met and had longterm relationships with some INCREDIBLY good looking kinky men on Fetlife, Whiplr, and through friends of friends and at parties. Just like you, I have had to work my way through all four of the steps above. Step one is by far THE MOST IMPORTANT. It’s taken me eight years, but I can finally say I love my kinks and think they are a huge gift to whoever I deem good enough to receive them. I’m pretty selective about who I date these days, and though I haven’t met my soulmate yet I know he’s out there and will come into my life at the perfect moment. In the meantime, I’m having an incredible time along the way! Dating is important, but remember: it ain’t everything!
I was chatting with a cute 22-year-old slave the other day, and I happened to admit that I’m recently single (well, as of Valentine’s Day). He gawped, recovered, then mumbled something about a “mad, mad world.” Although I am indeed beleaguered day in and day out by adoring males due to my job, I explained to him that my personal tastes are actually quite “specific.” Meaning: unbearably high. As they should be for any intelligent, beautiful woman, in my esteemed opinion! But like everyone who has ever lived, there have been a few times in my life where the object of my affection has been, in fact, “just not that into me.”
Now, I would be lying if I said it didn’t bother me. Of course it bothers me. I think there’s at least 10 great reasons to date a ProDomme, and about 500 reasons to date me specifically. However, I know that my career brings with it a certain unique category of “issues” that any boyfriend is going to have to contend with. If a man is deeply confident, he won’t be threatened by the professional relationships with my clients, but how many deeply confident men do you know? Or deeply confident humans for that matter? They’re out there, definitely, but like a pair of Louboutins at half price they are rare indeed.
Cut to this morning, when I fire up my inbox to find an open letter from that same slave. He’s taken it upon himself to chastise the wayward Adonises of my lovelorn past! I found the letter so hilarious that I decided to post it here.
NB: I’m not ashamed of being single. It makes it that much easier to not pay for things.
To whom it may concern,
Throughout history man has shown many situations in which he has lacked good judgment and overall common sense. No group of individuals has confirmed this idea better then the group of sad fools that have, for whatever nonsensical reason, chosen not to exclusively date Mistress Darcy. This is quite possibly the most ridiculous decision a human being could, or has ever made. I can not seem to comprehend how anyone could ever turn down an opportunity to be around this angel of a woman. Her body is perfect, and I cherish any opportunity to even catch a glimpse of it. At one time or another, each of you had been given the opportunity not only to spend a considerable amount of time with a stunningly beautiful goddess, but also to have sex with her!! If you fall into this group of morons, what exactly is it that has been clouding your judgment? Because it has to be something. It’s completely impossible that any heterosexual male in their right mind would turn down a chance to be with Mistress Darcy. The thought process and decision making of these men has left me utterly confused. The perfect female wants you and you’re not ready? What are you waiting for? It doesn’t get better than perfect and it does not get better than her.
Deep down, I’m a woman of simple tastes: a little kink, a lot of sex, some community and a good night’s sleep (which usually comes after any of the first three). Yet I continually find myself having to venture outside of New York for all of the above. This place is a mecca for the arts and commerce, a hothouse of talent where your most impossible dreams can be launched and applauded. It’s also the loneliest place I know.
To start with, America does not do kink very well. Say what you will about our ‘oversexed society’ here in the West, most of it is just a glittering veneer that masks some very strange, puritanical ideas. As a result our society is caught in not an oversexualization, but a premature sexualization of girls and boys, which introduces sex at too early an age thereby creating immediate sex-shame. This is all driven by corporate greed that uses sexual identity as a way to sell more products to more people.
As a result of our contentious relationship with our own sexuality, Americans aren’t even close to understanding or respecting kink—how can we when the bedrock of our society is made up of sex-shame-sex-shame? We have the not-so-intelligent intelligentsia ranting against consensual BDSM, at times using gross journalistic misconduct and cleverly disguised bigotry in order to appear progressive. We also have 50 Shades of “Damaged Goods,” which has raked in $566M in box office sales and well over 100 million copies in print. Whether BDSM is being used as an ontological baseball bat against itself, or sensationalized to make E.L. James and a small portion of Hollywood very wealthy, the result is the same: objectifying a way of life and ignoring the greater lessons that BDSM has to teach us. Did I enjoy the movie? Yes. Does that make me a disgusting hypocrite? Yes. But at least I’m upfront about my hypocrisy, unlike most of the country.
Of course it could be worse: we’re not Russia, which announced this year it would suspend the drivers licenses of fetishists. However, we’re not Germany or Japan either, which have been admired for decades for their embrace of kink and alternative erotica. Our sexuality is wedged begrudgingly in the middle between hyper-liberal and hyper-conservative, as evidenced by the US media’s obsession with anything celebrity-kink related and local politics, i.e. the dungeon raids in New York in 2007-08. I take the point that many of the public BDSM scandals fall into a sort of gray area, as they often involve either ProDommes or high-profile professionals-as-clients; the involvement of either calls into question all sorts of legalities and insinuations of prostitution, etc., which raises a whole different set of questions that has nothing to do with BDSM. However, even the lifestyle kink scene in the US is wan compared to some other countries. In this respect, globally speaking, we are simply not as progressive as we like to think.
From personal experience, I have found the New York lifestyle scene particularly distasteful. Most of the community here seems to fall into three categories: cool and cliquey; hideous and scary; or aggressive and rude. I cut my teeth in the London fetish scene where you will find people dressing up for EVERY EVENT. Even the worst events in London are well attended and have a few promising newcomers to chat with. The established kink community there is terrifically welcoming to fresh faces, and it’s nigh impossible to leave an event without making wonderful new friends—many of whom will be gorgeous, fascinating, and otherwise “normal.” In the US, I’m glad if I come away from an event with a single hottie on my arm—though I did manage to pull a total fox at a party in Philadelphia last weekend…tell ya ‘bout her some other time. The sad truth is you’ll find more quality, public BDSM events in one week in London than you will in most US cities in a month—including New York.
There are noble efforts from The NY Fetish Tribe, but I always leave their parties feeling that I haven’t actually made meaningful connections—most of the “fun people” all seem to know each other already and are disinterested in making new friends. Or maybe my resting bitch face is just not particularly well received. I have also found many of the New York kink events to be heavily MaleDom/femsub oriented: recipe for awkward Darcy. There are events here and there at the house dungeons in New York, but as an independent Domme I feel a bit gauche crashing a ‘house’ party. And the last high profile, private “BDSM play party” I went to in Manhattan was definitely a sex party. I was yawning after an hour, annoyed at having wasted my latex in front of all the naked swingers.
The most unsettling thing about kink, and about New York, and about kink in New York, is that everything is so transactional. I understand the inherent absurdity of such a statement coming from a ProDomme. However, I’m honest about my transactions: unapologetic, upfront, and dedicated to creating a happy exchange for both parties. For the most part, commercial usage of kink is a three-way transaction in which only two parties receive something: the corporation pretends it’s selling BDSM and what it stands for, when really it is selling fashion, music, film, cars, or pistachios; the customer gets to feel “edgy”; and the BDSM community receives either nothing or less than nothing, as their identity and values are appropriated and then displaced. Part of my role as a D-list celebrity in the fetish scene (D for Darcy, of course) is to raise awareness about kink in a way that gives back to the culture itself, slowly integrating it into the mainstream in a manner that is respectful and inclusive.
Dating in New York is as frenzied and cutthroat as a #LillyforTarget stampede (or if you’re a guy, trying to get an early release of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare). Kinky dating here is only slightly better. The reason I prefer kink in New York to sex in New York is that at least I can understand the landscape of kink and malesub/MaleDom desire, whereas with vanilla dating everything is so gosh-darned ambiguous that I generally have no idea if someone likes me until months later after they’ve moved on. Kinky New York men are similar to vanilla New York men in that they are generally uncouth, agenda-driven, flaky and jaw-droppingly selfish—but as a Domme I have a skill set and wardrobe that many guys in the scene want (see Top 10 Reasons to Date a ProDomme), so I become part of their agenda and can at least make it onto their “to do” list. I have a lot to offer as a vanilla woman as well, but in a city where supermodels literally walk the streets, it can be tough to hold a ‘nilla guy’s attention for very long.
I would be less grumpy about all of this if I could get a good night’s rest. I should have listened to what they all say—this place really doesn’t ever sleep. They were telling the truth! I have suffered chronic insomnia since the day I moved here, partly due to the sheer energetic momentum coursing through the streets. But it’s also just a noisy place. Noisy, busy, exciting, with so much squandered potential that it makes me crazy in a way that is both funny and terrifying at the same time.
What’s the solution? I could continue to get on a plane every two months to London. I could keep running, keep dating abroad, and keep hooking up with random New York male models that then disappear into the skyscrapers. Or I could start to build the kind of city in which I want to live one relationship at a time. Until New York is a fashionable, cultured, kink-friendly haven of love, fun and community. Can one woman really make a difference? My clients tell me almost without fail that I’ve changed the way they think about domination. If I can make such a difference to them in a matter of hours, think what I could do if I put my energy towards creating the perfect city, day in day out, for a few years. Or better yet—perhaps my writing will one day reach the hundreds of millions that E.L. James has. Each interaction is a chance to create the community you want, each word you speak is a small brick in the wall of your greatness.
These gorgeous words make me think of the truly powerful women I am blessed to know: my fellow Dommes who understand strength, humility, integrity, and the beauty of compassion. I love this sonnet and am forever awed by Shakespeare’s unearthly understanding of the human condition.
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Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Analog Resampling
Don't throw away those silver discs just yet! I know this is nuts, the typical audiophile nuttiness. But it's my nuttiness, not your NOS DAC's and that sort of thing (which I denounce).
I continue to find that listening to CD's has a special magic that listening to digital files doesn't have. And the system in which I demonstrate this takes the analog output of a CD player then uses a high end AtoD converter to produce digital for digital crossover, then back to analog through high end DtoA converters. I continue to believe that taking the analog outputs of the CD player is crucial for preserving the music. Piping the digital output of the players directly into the digital chain has a comparatively flat and sterile sound, even slightly harsh at times. Resampling the analog always sounds smooth, but also like the music has been preserved in some special way. It has always sounded this way to me (though, still thinking this to be a bit crazy, I haven't bothered with any ABX testing).
Now that I have my two new racks set up, I have my two super special disc players hooked up to the Lavry AD10 converter also. The current lineup has two classic players, the Denon DVD-5900 and the all time heavyweight Denon DVD-9000. I use the 5900 for SACD's and DVD-Audio, and the 9000 for CD's. Actually the official purpose of the DVD-9000 is for HDCD's, which must be decoded by a HDCD player to extract the decoded dynamic range and filtering, and the DVD-9000 is the best HDCD playback I have ever heard and may well be better than the more famous HDCD statement players by California Audio Labs which only used PCM-1702. But, as I have just verified, the 9000 rocks extra hard with regular CD's too. With regular CD's, the 5900 sounds merely OK.
It was using the 5900 in 2010 when I first made the discovery about how special analog outputs sound. Of course it's also true that Denon uses special processing known as AL24 to give 24 bit character to all recordings. Maybe it's just that. But now I'm finding the 9000 to be far better than my well used 5900 for CD's. It's too bad my 9000 won't play SACD's or even DVD-Audio's, in the latter case because the motor drive can't handle higher speeds anymore (I tried to have it repaired, but new motor didn't help, it needs some on-board refurbishing which factory repair centers don't do).
Even though it's actually my 9000 which is the more dysfunctional player, it has the Magic, and the 5900 might well be replaced by something newer, such as an Oppo BDP-105, or something older but specifically designed for SACD, such as a DVD-9000ES or SCD-1. However right now the 5900 is the most magical player I have for SACD and DVD-Audio and it does still do it for them.
I'd been listening to the SACD version of Brothers in Arms on the 5900. I needed some of that hard rocking again, digital files were sounding too ethereal. Playing discs on a silver disc player and taking the analog output restores the palpability. Then I switched to a plain CD of Pretzel Logic. It sounded only normal on the 5900, not unlike the digital files, but magical on the 9000.
I have an explanation that objectivists aren't going to like. Ignoring the dual differential PCM 1704's in the 9000, the dual power supplies, and other special features, the special reason why the DVD-9000 sounds special is because it has to. It has no other reason for existing anymore other than to sound special. The player is barely working, can't handle DVD's anymore, so this is its Swan Song. Swan Songs are special. It's giving its all, and it has a lot to give.
Anyway, I've thought a lot of why analog resampling might actually make things sound better. It's obvious that it might be adding just a bit of noise, but that's not what I think is doing it. I think expressing something in the analog domain is special somehow. And it also gives me the ability to resample in a better digital format, 24 bit 96 kHz. This is like opening up more space or something.
I think there's something like "grounding" going on. By expressing the music in analog form before resampling, it's turned into something real and not something imaginary. And that's kind of how it sounds.
Others have different nuttiness. Mark Levinson, for example, has been recently selling his "Master Class" software for EQ which features something called A+. Whatever A+ actually is, isn't revealed.
Now clearly this is something entirely different from analog resampling as it's an all digital process of some kind, implemented in software. It might be something like Denon's AL24 processing--which in my experience has been good sounding.
Or not. One interesting idea I've thought a lot about is that each time I play a disc, my resampling process creates an entirely different set of numbers. This is because the sampling clock is running independently of the CD player clock, so it starts at a random point each time. Plus, since the two clocks aren't connected they may slightly drift apart.
So each time I get a unique set of numbers describing the same sounds. According to conventional audio engineering, if the resampling is done well enough (and it is) they should be indistinguishable anyway.
But I still think it's special somehow. And, actually an entirely software-driven process could do exactly the same thing, by doing the virtual equivalent of analog resampling.
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Now what were the obstacles? Well for starters not having a full libc certainly hurts things. Things like a malloc. And without getting fancy with the memory map I did the lamest cheat ever, which is a 1MB static array I just handed out with a fake malloc (no free, I didn’t bother to track chunks), and you know it works enough.
Also I need to read files, and I need to look more into the hardware to see how to do that. There seems to be plenty of hooks for NVRAM, but the ROMMON substitute doesn’t seem to support them. Also there is no ROMMON hook for reading from the console! The MIPS cilo is more ROMMON dependent, while the PowerPC c1700 talks to the uart directly so this is a PowerPC thing for right now.
I also learned something exciting about ld, which is how it can absorb binary images into objects, that you can link and access directly into your program! No more having to convert it to hex, make these insane headders that CPP may or may not bomb over. No you can make them objects right away!
ppc-elf-ld -r -b binary -o planetfa.o planetfa.dat
In this example I read the file planetfa.dat as BINARY, and encapsulate it in an object file called planetfa.o . It’ll now have a symbol name of _binary_planetfa_dat_start for where the image begins, _binary_planetfa_dat_size will tell me how big it is in memory, and _binary_planetfa_dat_end will mark the end of this ‘file’ in memory.
Now in the old days when it was a file I could access it like this:
fread ((char *)ptr,block_size,(int)num_blocks,game_file);
But that won’t work. So now instead of calling fopen/fclose (which don’t exist in CILO), I set a counter to what my current offset is, change the ‘fseek’ to just set the global counter to where it should be, and when I fread I just memcpy:
memcpy(ptr,_binary_planetfa_dat_start+fseekp,num_blocks*block_size);
fseekp=fseekp+(num_blocks*block_size);
I suppose I could just have wrapped the f* calls into some emulation library but I don’t need to get all that crazy sophisticated.
Pcap version [WinPcap version 4.1.3 (packet.dll version 4.1.0.2980), based on libpcap version 1.0 branch 1_0_rel0b (20091008)]
Unsure if this file (c1700_i0_rommon_vars) needs to be in binary mode
Virtual RAM size set to 4 MB.
IOS image file: ciscoload.bin
Another routine day of drudgery aboard the Stellar Patrol Ship Feinstein. This
morning’s assignment for a certain lowly Ensign Seventh Class: scrubbing the
filthy metal deck at the port end of Level Nine. With your Patrol-issue
self-contained multi-purpose all-weather scrub brush you shine the floor with a
diligence born of the knowledge that at any moment dreaded Ensign First Class
Blather, the bane of your shipboard existence, could appear.
Deck Nine
This is a featureless corridor similar to every other corridor on the ship. It
curves away to starboard, and a gangway leads up. To port is the entrance to
one of the ship’s primary escape pods. The pod bulkhead is closed.
Building this was a lot more fun. I thought I could sidestep building a Linux to PowerPC ELF cross compiler, but as it turns out, to bootstrap libgcc, you really need a compiler that can do this. But with the steps basically down, it was trivial to whip up.
Although I did keep on hitting this error with the Win32 tools that “-mstrict-align” is not supported, while trying to build the startup and libgcc sources using the MinGW targeted compiler through wine. But once I had a native Linux to PowerPC toolchain in place, not only could I build the Windows based compiler, but I can also use the flag -mstrict-align on Windows without it complaining. So lesson learned, have a cross compiler built to the final target to make life easier when building a Canadian cross.
As always, building the binutils package was a snap, just run:
./configure --host=i686-mingw32 --target=ppc-elf -prefix=/ppc
and I had my assembler/linker/librarian in no time.
Because of the aforementioned -mstrict-align issue, I got more creative with the parameters for GCC.
As a minor addendum, The 1700 can run stuff that is far more complicated than the MIPS. I’m not sure why I get so many TLB violations for doing something more complicated but I (poorly) ported aclock to run on the cisco 1700!
Aclock on the cisco 1700 via Dynamips
The Dynamips ROMMON emulator doesn’t provide the keyboard input function call so it can’t read from the keyboard. Also it can’t read the clock so I have it running 250,000 dhrystones between clock ticks. Although I think that is far too many, maybe 125,000 would be more like it but it runs on the PowerPC. While on the MIPS I get nothing but this:
Oh well. Maybe it’s a stack problem I guess I’ll have to break down and do a memory map and write a malloc if I want to go down this road. Although back in 1999 this would be incredible but today I don’t think anyone would run anything but IOS on their cisco hardware.
I’ve tried to build a cross compiler on MinGW32 before, and despite there being obvious steps on how to do it, I’ve never gotten it to work. Now I’ve built cross compilers before so it’s not like I don’t have any clue on what I’m doing, but the problem is that Windows isn’t UNIX, and I don’t want to use Cygwin.
So that enters another fun possibility known as the Canadian Cross, which is using a machine in the middle to build a compiler. As we all know, Linux is great for building and running GNU software, so a Linux machine to build my cross compiler would be the best. Now the whole point of this is that I wanted to build a MIPS program to run on Dynamips. And through a LOT of googling, I managed to find this program called CILO the cisco Linux loader. Now as far as I can tell the people trying to port Linux the the MIPS based cisco routers (3600 and 7200) never succeed, but they did manage to leave this bootloader behind. And compiling it was very tricky as they gave no hints on what to use. So with a lot of trial and error I found that binutils 2.18 is the minimal version that will work as the code depends on being able to do register aliasing which isn’t present in previous versions. Also according to this, they were using gcc 4.1.2 in their Linux port. So with some luck I did mange to get CILO to build with a cross compiler on Linux. Which was pretty awesome to see Dynamips run a C program!
But that doesn’t help me on the Windows side.
Now the first thing that I’d normally do is install the default MinGW cross tools, but because I need ancient binutils and GCC support as newer versions not only won’t work for what I want, but won’t build older versions I tried to keep things in step. This meant on Linux I first had to build a Linux to Windows cross compiler using binutils version 2.25.1 and GCC version 4.1.2 . Configuring and building binutils was a snap with:
I thought I could just use a new mingwrt and w32api but that proved disastrous as the newer libs gave me this fun error on trying to link a Win32 execuatable:
undefined reference to `___chkstk_ms’
And googling that around the consensus is that your binutils, and gcc is too old, and upgrade, granpa! But I want old software so I naturally have to just use older versions, and for gcc 4.1.2 I wanted:
mingwrt-3.18-mingw32-dev.tar.gz
w32api-3.15-1.mingw32-dev.tar.lzma
Now I could build and link and test my Linux to Windows toolchain!
Now for the crazy part.
First I need a binutils, so I configured binutils 2.18 like this:
./configure --host=i686-mingw32 --target=mips-elf --prefix=/mips
And sure enough with a little prodding I had a MIPS assembler/linker/librarian and all that fun stuff!
The fun part of course is that during the build, gcc will want to run the cross compiler and dump it’s host machine bit types by running ‘xgcc -dumpspecs’. Well thankfully via wine, Linux can run Win32 execuatables so I saved myself a few minutes by not having to copy over the partial compiler, and run the command, and transfer the results back.
So with a bit more hand holding on the build I finally got it to finish compiling by linking /bin/true to fix-headers . What a mission. Now I excitedly transfered my build to my Windows host, and setup some environment variables and built the hello world cisco application, and, it worked! (well crashes the same way as the pre-built one, but it does say:
It may not look like much, but It is running the program! Dynamips is missing a bunch of hardware, like flash. Or I found out the ability to read from the console using the promlib. But it can print to it at least.
So for those who want to give it a try, here is my MIPS-ELF tool-chain for Win32, that includes the cisco loader!
The second virtualization contest is now on! Similar to the previous one, the winner receives $100 via Paypal and the submission is posted on this blog! Hopefully this one will be little bit more challenging. 🙂
The progress so far: A few years ago I came in to possession of a set of floppy disks pictured here:
Thanks to Al Kossow from bitsavers.org the floppy disk content has been recovered. Michal Necasek of OS/2 museum successfully converted them in to an usable format and made some modifications to get them to boot on VirtualBox:
Couple of years later, thanks to Andrew Gong, a WYSE Unix tape has been found on eBay:
More recently Al Kossow was able to read the tape in to an image, which now I have uploaded to my web server: wyseunix321a.zip
The next step is yours! Install the whole system on to a hypervisor of your choice, document the process and supply a vanilla boot image or VM.
The winner shall be the person who will first post a comment declaring success including a screenshot and can further prove it by emailing emailing me the submission shortly after. If the comment gets blocked by spam filter, don’t worry the original submission time will of course count. Oh and almost forgot: I also need aclock binary for it, however if there is no compiler and the standard SysV binary works fine, you are exempt from the requirement.
The catch? Looks like floppy disk trouble. The boot disk is fine after it has been fixed up by Michal. The Base floppy looks like has same content as boot. Copy Tools is very small. Looks like it may be truncated. Hopefully not, but if yes I count on your creativity. Remember that Dell Unix is an exactly save release of SystemV/386 and did not have or needed copy tools to install.
Good Luck!
Update: Looks like the contest has been won by Mihai! Congratulations!
So over in my work on porting Dynamips to MinGW, I’ve created a version of SLiRP that sends and receives data over UDP. In retrospect, something I should have done a long time ago, as it makes troubleshooting it easier as now if it were to crash it’s a stand alone program, so it won’t crash the emulator.
The good news is that I’ve been able to copy files into the virtual router using HTTP. I’ve even been able to access my OS/2 machine over FTP and load a file!
Part of the ‘trick’ is that you should set your time out to be as long as possible to send a million packets. I just set the maximum values.
line con 0
exec-timeout 35791 23
stopbits 1
line aux 0
stopbits 1
line vty 0 4
exec-timeout 35791 0
timeout login response 300
password cisco
login
!
end
In addition, a 7200 with idle performs MUCH better than a 1700 without idle. There is something up with ptask, and only dispatching packets every so often. I’m guessing it’s done that way for a reason.
Also one other cool IOS trick I learned today is that you can redirect to a file resource! Say you want that ‘show tech-support’ as a file on the disk? No problem!
show tech-support | redirect disk0:tech.txt
And of course the newer versions of IOS have a ‘do’ command that you can run from config mode to execute user commands.
This will listen on port 20001, and send traffic to 127.0.0.1 on port 20000. Easy right?
Manually interfacing from the hypervisor can be the ‘fun’ part. I haven’t tested with any of the tools, as I don’t know if they will let you leave something ‘listening’ that isn’t connected. For my tests I end up building something with their UI, then loading up my hypervisor that logs, and seeing what it is actually doing so I can inject stuff like this:
This creates a udp nio, and attaches it onto the virtual etherswitch S1, and puts it on VLAN 1. As you can see it listens on UDP port 20000, which is where slirp_rdr is setup to send it’s data to, and it’ll send to 20001 where slirp_rdr is listening.
I’ve hard coded port 42323 to telnet into 10.0.2.15. As always SLiRP is hard coded to have the following ip address schema:
Gateway 10.0.2.2
DNS 10.0.2.3
Netmask 255.255.255.0
Be sure to set your router to 10.0.2.15/24 for this to work, and add 10.0.2.2 as your default gateway.
The ONLY address that will respond to ping is 10.0.2.2 . This is just the way SLiRP is. HTTP and TCP based stuff works best, things like PPTP will not. It’s really hit and miss, but the cool thing is that it doesn’t require any device drivers, it’s all user mode code!
The following is a guest post / wrap-up of the Q2DOS adventure by [HCI]Mara’akate.
In the last update sezero and I([HCI]Mara’akate) tied up most loose ends with regards to Q2DOS. Specifically: adding in DXE support for mods and cleaning up some code from the early efforts. During this time, a forum user by the name of ggorts (strogg spelled backwards!) mentioned the possibility of using an old Mesa version with 3DFX support in DOS. I worked on separating the ref_soft from being statically linked into a DXE form and sezero cleaned up any potential problems there.
I mentioned the possibility of attempting the Mesa port to sezero and he thought it was probably a wasted effort and thought making a ref_glide depending only on glide3x.dxe would be a better way to go with less overhead. I started some initial work on it but quickly abandoned this side-project as I have no real glide (or even OpenGL) knowledge and didn’t have enough time on my hands to play around with it.
Around this time, we also separated the GameSpy browser code into a separate DXE for potential legal issues. The GameSpy code was publicly released, but never officially GPL’d. Using this method, other port authors could link against a gamespy.dll to add in the browser capabilities that connect to my GameSpy master server emulator (see QDOS branch for source code to that particular project).
Ggorts also came up with some code for us to be able to finally use the banked modes and Mode-X 320×240. Though 320×240 Mode-X seems to have some issues with certain emulator configurations, for the most part it works OK. This also helped us to get some ASM rendering code in from Q1 and help clean up the original mess that was the SVGA driver; a lot of unused code from Q1 was removed and sezero found a clever way to send the video modes list between the game binary and renderer DXE.
In any event, one night I figured I’d take a stab at trying to get Mesa working in Q2DOS. Checking out the Mesa3d FTP and researching the various changelogs it appears as if Mesa 5 series was the last true effort with Mesa 6.4.x series being the last maintained version with 3DFX specific code. I got everything to compile but ran into hard-lock issues no matter what I attempted. During this time, ggorts found out some various small, but now obvious issues. Including increasing the stack size to 1MB and he hard-coded the ref_gl to only work in 640×480. It took a lot of pleading but eventually he released his source with a static compile for Voodoo 1 cards only as he was testing this on emulators like DOSBox with glide support and PCem dev branch.
I worked on cleaning up the source and he produced some glide3x libraries for me for Voodoo 2 and Voodoo 5 as these were the only cards I personally owned. Imagine my surprise as I first loaded it up and it actually worked! And it was smooth with no rendering issues!
At this point, sezero became involved and worked very hard to clean up the Mesa compile issues, including various scary warnings and helped to update us to the final glide3x commit pushed to the development branch and Mesa v6.4.3 which was an unreleased maintenance update for Mesa v6.4.2.
It was a long journey to get the code all working together just right, and a big thanks goes out to the early Mesa crew including Brian Paul, Daniel Borca, and “KoolSmoky” and the mysterious ggorts fellow who pushed hard for this feature.
To recap, Q2DOS from the last time we talked now has:
3DFX Rendering with Mesa v6.4.3 for all Voodoo cards.
Separated renderer so it is no longer statically linked.
GameSpy is now a DXE.
WAV streaming, which is practically free as opposed to the OGG format.
We are about at the end of our Q2DOS journey. A few odds and ends with Mesa and Voodoo 5 SLI issues remain (though nothing too show stopping) and there’s a small wishlist of some unnecessary features but it’s come a long way from the initial null driver effort!
*Neozeed
I have to say it is simply incredible to see how Q2DOS went from a very primitive ‘wow it works’ port to a full featured port. Simply amazing!
I just saw mention of my Snoopy on Fortran over on hawk.ro. He’s in the process of formatting it to run on a REAL VAX. So this will have to do for the placeholder when he shows us what it looks like on paper!
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From Benitez's comments after the game, he was worried about our attacking players and made changes to try to counter that. Which struck me as weird bearing in mind the players he bought on. Diame particularly was an odd sub, I thought he'd had a good game until then. Merino was very entertaining though.
Diame had a knock I think
__________________
I quite often worry about why I love Palace so much. It can't be good for me.
I sometimes gets frustrated at the lack of subs too, but then take a step back and think; am I really going to question the methods of a bloke who has more than 42 years of football management experience, and has taken us from no points, no goals after 7 games to where we are now?
I couldn't figure out who to take off yesterday - Benny boy maybe the obvious one but although not scoring it felt like a risk replacing him 1 for 1. Wilf and Andros both were still needed - And the rest was set well.
A win would have been huge but going for it too gung ho and losing was not worth the risk IMO.
Yes, how would we have coped without Andros 'one trick' Townsend. There are people in undiscovered tribes in the Amazon who know that he'll run down the wing and cut back on his left foot 99.9% of the time. Perhaps someone should point out to him that on the one occasion he carried the ball past the full back and crossed with his right foot against West Ham it led to a goal.
Your're right he isnt. But it was pretty obvious we were not going to score yesterday. It needed new impetus or some fresh legs. My choice would have been Sorloth so we could ping some balls in to him. But what do I know.
Sir Steve Coppell always believed in picking an 11 for the entire game. Different times, admittedly, but if the team is performing - as we were in the second half - why fix what ain't broke ?
Because we had a match winner on the bench...well, not that we know he“s a match winner, but he mightve been a match winner....if he“d come off the bench to be one...or something....
__________________
Keen believer in the "Mantra of Vince Hilaires Afro"
'Is there actually any evidence of this, or is it something that's just being repeated ad nauseum on the BBS until it's considered 'fact'
Because we had a match winner on the bench...well, not that we know he“s a match winner, but he mightve been a match winner....if he“d come off the bench to be one...or something....
I think I can safely say, with no doubt at all, in absolute certainty, that if he had come off the bench to score the winning goal then he would have been a match winner who was indeed on the bench at the point before he then came on to the pitch to win the match.
I think I can safely say, with no doubt at all, in absolute certainty, that if he had come off the bench to score the winning goal then he would have been a match winner who was indeed on the bench at the point before he then came on to the pitch to win the match.
Thanks for the clarification
__________________
Keen believer in the "Mantra of Vince Hilaires Afro"
'Is there actually any evidence of this, or is it something that's just being repeated ad nauseum on the BBS until it's considered 'fact'
Roy has seen him train and made a judgement call on that. Replacing a £30m striker with a fella that was worth £300k 6 months ago, am not sure about that.
You got that half right. We paid something silly like that for him, but all season he hasn't played anywhere near that price tag. I'd gamble on £9m Sarloth to put in a better shift and if he can't hit the target from one yard, or chip a goalkeeper, then I'd question what he's doing here or why we signed him?
Except the problem is that until he comes on to the pitch to win the match, he's not a match winner. He's only a match winner once he wins the match, at which point he's no longer on the bench.
It is confusing.
But if he came on once to win a match and becomes a match winner does that title last forever or until he comes of the bench and doesn“t win the match so becomes a non match winner until he comes off the bench and wins the match next time and becomes a match winner again?
__________________
Keen believer in the "Mantra of Vince Hilaires Afro"
'Is there actually any evidence of this, or is it something that's just being repeated ad nauseum on the BBS until it's considered 'fact'
But if he came on once to win a match and becomes a match winner does that title last forever or until he comes of the bench and doesn“t win the match so becomes a non match winner until he comes off the bench and wins the match next time and becomes a match winner again?
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Lin En-yu gives his mother a kiss on the cheek at the Chinese Professional Baseball League's awards ceremony on Saturday night. Lin won five trophies and pocketed a NT$410,000 check.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
Lin "Little Chick" En-yu needed some help carrying the hardware home by the end of the night after picking up five trophies and a hefty NT$410,000 check at the Chinese Professional Baseball League's awards ceremony on Saturday night.
The gala event, held at Taipei's Sanchong City Sports Complex to recognize the achievements of the league's top players, turned into a one-man show as Lin racked up five individual distinctions in the same season for the second straight year: most wins (17), most strikeouts (209), lowest earned run average (1.73), top-ranked player by position (pitcher) and most impressive of all, the coveted league's Most Valuable Player honor.
The 24-year-old Macoto Cobras ace -- who was signed by the Rakuten Eagles of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League last week -- beat out Sinon Bulls slugger and this year's home-run champion (24) Chang "Prince of the Forest" Tai-shan and top RBI man Chen Chin-fong of the La New Bears by a close margin to become only the third player to win back-to-back MVP honors.
"I guess having the lowest ERA is the most important to me, because it most directly helps the team in winning games," Lin said after the ceremony, underplaying his awesome achievement in shattering the previous single-season strikeout record of 203 with 209 for the year.
By winning the ERA title, the strikeout title and the title for most victories in the season. Lin also became only the second player to win the pitchers' "triple crown," something last accomplished by Song Jau-jee of the 2002 Chinatrust Whales.
Lin could easily have won at least three more games this year for a 20-win season had his team backed him up, as two of the eight losses he suffered were 1-0 shutouts and he allowed only one earned run over six-plus innings of play in two others.
However, Lin had only praise for his teammates.
"I'd like to thank the coaches and my teammates for helping make all this possible," Lin said.
Also receiving some well deserved recognition was Lee Ming-jin of the Cobras, who registered 18 holds over a record-setting 62 game appearances to lead all relief pitchers in the league in this newly established category.
Rounding out the individual honors in the pitching category was Sinon closer Kuo Yong-chih, who with 17 saves beat out President Lions ace Tseng Yi-cheng who also recorded 17 saves, but in 43 games compared with Kuo's 39.
On the offensive side, the big winners on the night were Chang "The Prince" Tai-shan, whose 24 homers and 130 hits were second to none in an incredible year and Chen Chin-fong, whose 81 RBIs and 20 stolen bases represented a double threat to the opposing team to make the former major-leaguer one of the most feared hitters in the CPBL.
Chang was just short of being this year's batting champ as his .3485 batting average was .5 lower than Brother Elephants rookie Chen Guan-ren's .3490 mark. Chen also walked away with this year's Rookie of the Year honor.
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You may think “My Way or the Highway” is good leadership strategy but it is not. You may think that it is a sign of strength but it is not. Does the Bible direct us to stand strong, immovable, and uncompromising on every belief that we have? Does the Bible direct us to try to please others, always giving in to others regarding their beliefs? Are those two ideas incompatible and conflicting? These are important questions. Our ideas about these questions can easily lead to either of two extremes. On the one hand, we can wind up with no doctrinal foundation at all. On the other hand, we can find ourselves in a never ending series of destructive conflicts. Both of these extremes do great danger to the Church, which Christ died for and dearly loves.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15:1-6 that “each of us is to please his neighbor for his edification” and that “we are to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus”. He went on to say that we are to “with one accord and one voice glorify God”. Thus, the Bible directs us to both please our neighbor and to be in line with Christ’s teaching. A couple of events in the life of the Apostle Paul are very instructive. Paul had two young protégés, Timothy and Titus. In addition to all of Paul’s evangelism and church wide discipleship activities, he was busily trying to invest in the lives of these two men. He wanted to equip them to carry on his work. Circumcision was a big deal to many of the Jews who had become followers of Jesus. There were a lot of strong feelings in several points to the circumcision issue. Neither, Timothy or Titus had been circumcised as children. Acts 16 tells us that Paul had Timothy circumcised. Galatians 2 states that Paul refused to have Titus circumcised. Did Paul at some point between these two events change his opinion about circumcision?
No, Paul clearly understood that circumcision meant nothing. One of his earliest epistles, 1 Corinthians is very explicit about that in chapter seven. Paul knew very well that circumcision was a matter of personal preference only. What then is at the root of his two very different responses to this matter concerning Timothy and Titus? In Acts 16, Paul was in the process of hand delivering the decree from the Council of Jerusalem which stated that circumcision was not a requirement for salvation. Knowing that this decree would be troublesome (if not downright offensive) to many of the churches to whom he was delivering it, Paul had Timothy (who was traveling with him) circumcised to promote unity and peace. In Galatians 2, Paul was specifically dealing with the heresy that circumcision was a requirement for salvation. When these Judaizers demanded that Titus be circumcised, Paul immediately and emphatically refused because it would have promoted a destructive heresy which said that Christ’s work on the cross was not a finished work. Circumcising Titus would have indicated that man would be saved by works.
As believers in Christ, we need to be careful about what we affirm and what we deny. The stakes are high. The damage to Christ’s church can be great regardless of which way that we err. We ought to carefully examine our own hearts and our own agendas to be sure that we are not seeking to simply please ourselves. We ought to carefully examine our hearts to make sure that we are not seeking to please men without the accompanying requirement that it be for their edification and for pleasing Christ. If we fail in this regard, the church we hurt will be our own. ….…….…[email protected]
Christian leaders could be a lot more clear that infant circumcision is NOT a part of your religion. A woman posted on Facebook last night that
1) She would circumcise her son because she was Christian
2) It had something to do with his eternal soul
3) To prefer New Testament teachings - in fact the whole theme of the New Testament, that Jesus had made a new covenant, superceding the old one - over a literal reading of Genesis, was "picking and choosing.
4) She would cut a daughter too, if the bible said so
5) She would KILL a son if (she thought) God told her to (cf Gen 22)
6) If her mother had cut her genitals for religious reasons, she would be glad. She left before we could find out if this would still be true if her mother had embraced the horrors of sub-Saharan Africa.
She seems to have totally missed the point of Christianity - and it seems her son will miss his point as a result.
anonymous
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April 06, 2013
Intelligent Christians and Jews worldwide should be leading the repudiation of this ridiculous primitive Bronze Age blood ritual.
I think it's more about submitting to the willofo authority. Here's Paul telling others to get the best part their bodies cut off (Timothy) or not (Titus).
Modern ethics dictate that proxy (parental) consent for an irreversible intervention is only valid if waiting for the patient’s own rational informed consent would lead to harm, and if non-destructive options are exhausted.
Forced genital cutting of healthy normal males fails this test decidedly. There are ZERO supposed benefits of circumcision that can’t be easily realized through non-destructive means.
Making it a taboo to compare male with female sexual mutilation is the biggest scandal of the controversy. In both instances the most sensitive and most erogenous zone of the human body is amputated and severely damaged. In both instances, what counts primarily is the cutting of human sexuality. The imposition of control by the patriarchy. A good look at a book on embryology will show the development of the nerves and tissue and how they are the same.
What is lacking in all the talk about circumcision is discussion of its archeological dimension - that it is the left over of human sacrifice. What kind of god is it that demands that of an infant? If the Bris constitutes the identity of the male, what about the identity of a Jewish girl? Or is this an entirely homosexual ceremony?
Also, unfortunately it is / has been circumcision that has MADE for no end of anti-semitic sentiments. Freud found that it was the chief reason for unconscious anti-Semitism. And the myths surrounding it are at the core of the “blood libel.” Thus, it's time to eliminate the Brit Milah because if that is the chief reason for being anti-Semitic or anti-Abrahamic [Islam too practices the rite] then why hang on to this left-over of human sacrifice? that traumatizes the child, cutting off 5,000 nerves, that is the equivalent of female circumcision in the sense that it eliminates everything but the clitoris,and only serves the Ultra Orthodox to maintain their power? After all, reform Judaism sought to eliminate the rite in the 19th century, and Jewish identity depends on being born by a Jewish mother, or converting. Here a link to an archive of the entire German and then some debate, note especially Michael Wolffsohn's two pieces . Circumcision has been controversial also within Jewry forever.
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:orphan:
How Registrations Work
======================
With the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) messaging pattern in WAMP, any WAMP
client can register a procedure for remote calling (become a callee).
The procedure is registered for being called using a call URI (e.g.
"com.myapp.myprocedure1").
Note: There are some :doc:`specific rules regarding URI formatting ` .
The registration is with the WAMP router, and calls for the procedure
are also made to the router. The router then forwards a call to a
respective callee. Unlike with traditional RPCs, this means that the
caller does not have any knowledge of the callee's identity, and that
all calls are routed via a single connection between the caller and the
WAMP router respectively the callee and the WAMP router.
The callee receives a registration ID for the procedure it registers.
While the caller uses the procedure URI to call a procedure, calls to
the procedure from the WAMP router are made using this registration ID.
Using the registration ID, a callee can unregister the procedure at any
time.
As a default, exact matching is used for RPCs, i.e. a call is only
accepted (and routed to a callee) if a callee has registered for the
exact URI used by a caller. Additionally, pattern-based registrations are
possible, e.g. a callee could register a URI which is prefix-matched, so
that a registration for "com.myapp.create" would lead to calls for both
"com.myapp.create.user" and "com.myapp.create.device" to be accepted and
invoked on the callee. For more on this see
- :doc:`Pattern-Based Registrations ` .
As a default, a procedure can only be registered by a single callee. All
further registration attempts return an error. The routed nature of RPCs
as implemented by WAMP allows other patterns as well, i.e. multiple
registrations may be allowed, and the procedure is then invoked on the
last callee to register which is currently still connected. For more on
this see
- :doc:`Shared Registrations ` .
Clients can be notfied of events regarding the lifecycle of
registrations, and query for information about existing registrations
using the
- :doc:`Registration Meta-Events and Procedures `
A registered procedure can return a single result (the default) or a set
of results over time, see
- :doc:`Progressive Call Results `
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BEERS SALES AT THE LOST DUTCHMAN RODEO
What a great three days of fundraising at the Lost Dutchman Rodeo!! Even though the weather was cloudy, windy and misting on Saturday and Sunday, we still sold $17,220 worth of beer.
As usual, the big sales spot was venue D, the brick building near the entrance. We don't know yet what the club's income from sales will be, but it will be a huge boost to our budget.
The tip jars produced $1,687 ($133 more than last year) which goes directly to the club.
We had 26 club members working plus two Rotarian spouses and one Rotarian daughter. We were ably assisted by 11 Rotarian winter visitors and their spouses. Some club members worked multiple days. In all, 43 people helped out. And of course, we had the Interact club members present to sell water who are not in our count.
Mike Cowan, our event coordinator, had these thanks to offer: "Special thanks to Ron Knies and Dick Soener for all the assistance they provided for me. Also to Doug Sloan who volunteered to stay after and help on Saturday night and of course to Tracey Yamamoto, not only for volunteering every day, but also for staying after and helping to count the days sales and wrap things up on Saturday and Sunday. To Steve Lewis too for donating 20 cases of water to the Interact Club who did their best providing water for sale."
On behalf of the club, the editor would like to say a big "THANK YOU, MIKE!" for organizing and supervising the event which required untold hours which most of us never see. Well done! And to all our volunteers, thanks for stepping up. I hope you had as much fun as I did.
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Cameron promises boost for tech companies
Prime Minister David Cameron promised improvements to British broadband and more support for smaller, high tech companies as he outlined the Coalition government's "national infrastructure plan".
Speaking at the CBI Annual conference, Cameron promised the best broadband in Europe by 2015 thanks to investment of £530m. He noted Virgin Media's launch of superfast broadband, and BT's project in Cornwall.
He pledged support for UK science and research and promised to maintain a science budget of £4.6bn.
Cameron said the British economy, and its growth, was increasingly dependent on young, high technology companies. He said that between 1980 and 2005 almost all job creation in the US came from companies which were less than five years old.
Cameron said: "It wasn’t long ago that Apple, Cisco and Google didn’t even exist – now each one has a market value of over $100 billion. Skype, Facebook and Twitter have generated billions of dollars and reached a global scale more quickly and with less capital than any companies before."
He promised to detail government moves to encourage bank lending to small businesses and moves to ensure that more government procurement goes to small firms.
The Coalition will go ahead with investing £200m in innovation centres based loosely on the German Fraunhofer Institute model - the creators of the MP3 format. These will aim to bridge the gap between universities and business.
Cameron also said the government would support moves to a low-carbon economy by offering grants for electric vehicles and investment in carbon capture and storage systems. There will be a £60m investment in UK ports to support offshore wind turbines
The speech comes in the wake of criticism from the CBI which warned that the UK was facing increasing competition in attracting international investment.
Labour leader Ed Miliband followed Cameron on stage and warned the government risked repeating the mistakes which led to the recession and that the scale of promised cutbacks put jobs and growth at risk. ®
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He was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat in training camp and underwent a procedure that sidelined him through the first regular season game.
Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill released a statement, which says, in part:
"He is currently in normal sinus rhythm. He was released from the Cleveland Clinic today and is expected to return to Dallas tomorrow. He will be monitored closely and may require further treatment. There is no decision being made at this time on his ability to return to hockey participation."
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Watch This Ron Finley TED Talk to Get Inspired to Make A Difference In Your Community
Summary
Watch this Ron Finley TED Talk to be filled with hope and inspiration to change the world for the better. South Central Los Angeles in California is notorious for its drive-by shootings, where shooters kill their victims without ever leaving their cars. It’s also the home of numerous drive-through restaurants where people eat fast food
Watch this Ron Finley TED Talk to be filled with hope and inspiration to change the world for the better.
South Central Los Angeles in California is notorious for its drive-by shootings, where shooters kill their victims without ever leaving their cars. It’s also the home of numerous drive-through restaurants where people eat fast food without ever leaving their cars.
In this community, why does 2016 Food Revolution Summit speaker Ron Finley say that the drive-throughs are killing more people than the drive-bys?
The Problem for 25.6 Million Americans
Inner city communities often have little or no access to healthy food.
As a result, people who live in these “food deserts” have extremely high rates of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and many other diet-fueled chronic ailments.
A Story to Inspire You and Give You Hope
But here’s one bright beacon of hope. Ron Finley grows not only vegetables but also the very fabric of community itself.
Ron Finley is known as the “gangsta gardener.” He is a globally recognized leader in the movement for healthy food in low-income communities.
On his website, he’s described as “a man who will not sit still and watch a problem take root.”
He started an edible garden on the land between the street and the sidewalk in front of his house — which sparked a movement around community gardening.
He feeds the hungry and brings real food and real change to people who need it most.
When you watch this powerful Ron Finley TED Talk from 2013, I am certain you will be deeply inspired to take action for your life, your community, and your world.
Now, prepare to get your socks knocked off…
“Food is the problem and the solution.” — Ron Finley
If you’re inspired, here are a few things you can do:
Grow your own food. As Ron says, “Growing your own food is like printing your own money.” (Here are some tips for beginners.)
Identify a problem in your community and take action to make a difference.
Support organizations bringing healthy food to communities that need it most, like these:
Wholesome Wave is a nonprofit that secures funding to double the value of food stamps when used to purchase fruits and vegetables. They’re serving more than 500,000 people and 1,400 farmer’s markets in 49 U.S. states (and counting!). Find out if they’re in your community, or make a donation, at wholesomewave.org.
Opportunity International provides microcredit loans to help millions of people worldwide start businesses and climb out of poverty. Ninety-five percent of their loans go to women, and they boast a 99 percent loan repayment rate. They have a vibrant agricultural loan portfolio that helps build food security and sustainability.
Planting Justice empowers people impacted by mass social inequality with the skills and resources to cultivate food sovereignty, economic justice, and community healing. With a focus on jobs and healthy food, they operate an organic nursery that ships more than 1,100 plants across the U.S., and train budding community leaders to grow, harvest, and prepare healthy food.
Tell us in the comments:
Does this Ron Finley TED talk inspire you?
How can you take action to improve your community?
And if you’re inspired, please LIKE and SHARE this article. Together, we can work for healthy, ethical, sustainable food for all!
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