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AMA IN ACTION Advocating for Members
Welcome to the Academy of Model Aeronautics' Advocacy Blog. As the FAA looks to regulate the use of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) and as Congress and state legislatures consider legislation with potential impact on the hobby, this site will keep you informed of the latest news, events and industry updates, and serves as an outlet to let your voice be heard by AMA and key officials nationwide.
Author: Rich Hanson
AC 91-57 Cancelled in Error
October 14, 2014 October 15, 2014 Rich Hanson 1 comment
Last Friday, Oct 10th, it was announced that FAA Advisory Circular 91-57, “Model Aircraft Operating Standards”, published in 1981 was cancelled. This obviously caught the aeromodeling and sUAS community by surprise and left a lot of unanswered questions. In a communication earlier today with Jim Williams, Executive Manager of the FAA […]
AMA members stand up for model aviation
September 23, 2014 September 23, 2014 Rich Hanson 3 comments
In times of trouble, our members stand up for model aviation To: The Members of the Academy of Model Aeronautics The comment period for submitting responses to the FAA’s Interpretive Rule concerning the Special Rule for Model Aircraft ends today, September 23, 2014. I’d like to thank each and every […]
Interpretive Rule public comment period ends – 9/23
sUAS
September 17, 2014 September 18, 2014 Rich Hanson 14 comments
On June 23, 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration published an Interpretive Rule that establishes the agency’s interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft provided by Congress as part of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. This interpretation significantly alters the congressional intent of the Special Rule that […]
FAA extends Interpretive Rule comment period
July 24, 2014 July 25, 2014 Rich Hanson 18 comments
At the request of the AMA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted a 60-day extension to the public comment period (Docket No. FAA-2014-0396) for FAA’s Interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft established by Congress as part of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The 60-day extension […]
Family uses drone to help locate man missing for three days, alive
July 24, 2014 July 24, 2014 Rich Hanson 1 comment
As report by WMTV-15 Madison, WI Posted on Saturday, July 19, 2014 82-year-old Fitchburg man, Guillermo DeVenecia, has been safely found by volunteer searchers. He was found around 1:00 p.m. standing in a bean field near Whalen and Mutchler Roads in Fitchburg. ______________________________________________________ Updated on Monday, July 21, 2014 David […]
President Barack Obama to issue executive order on drone privacy
July 24, 2014 Rich Hanson
As reported on Politico.com… It’s not clear when the President will issue the order | AP Photo President Barack Obama plans to issue an executive order to develop privacy guidelines for commercial drones operating in U.S. airspace, POLITICO has learned. The order would put the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, […]
Flite Test Podcast – Brendan Schulman addresses the Interpretive Rule
July 22, 2014 July 23, 2014 Rich Hanson
Flite Test interviews Brendan Schulman regarding FAA’s Interpretive Rule In a recent interview with Flite Test… Brendan Schulman addresses relevant issues and concerns regarding FAA’s interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft established by Congress in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. It’s an hour-long Podcast; nevertheless, Brendan […]
Aerial Cinematography Production Conference
If you’re interested in aerial cinematography and want to evolve your knowledge and skills, make sure to check out the Aerial Cinematography Production Conference July 26, 2014, in Burbank CA. The conference will showcase several talented and accomplished cinematographers, provide behind the scenes information on acquiring content, and Lucien Miller […]
EAA Reviewing Proposed Model Aircraft Policy
July 5, 2014 July 5, 2014 Rich Hanson 1 comment
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has concerns about the scope of the interpretation and the lack of safety data cited by the FAA to arrive at its position. EAA’s Advocacy and Safety Department is reviewing the original NTSB decision, the FAA’s appeal, and the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, which […]
FAA’s Interpretation of the “Special Rule for Model Aircraft”
June 23, 2014 July 3, 2014 Rich Hanson 25 comments
June 23, 2014 – Today the Federal Aviation Administration filed a Notice of Interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft found in Section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-95). The 17 page document emphasizes the agency’s authority to take enforcement action […]
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Home Headlines Let the institutions work: Public office holders must declare assets during and...
Let the institutions work: Public office holders must declare assets during and after their office
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) Boss, Mr. Whittal on Thursday charged Members of Parliament (MPs) and government appointees to declare their assets in conformity with Act 550.
Commenting on the relevance of declaration of assets Tontonsansan, a Political Show on Iron TV hosted by Eric Murphy Asare, Mr. George Akom, Educationist and Governance Analyst averred that, it would be the best for all Public Officer Holders to declare their assets during and after their tenure of offices to make the full compliment of the law for which every public office holders has to declare his or assets within the stipulated time when assumed office.
He emphasized that the main objectives of the declaration of assets among other things are to avoid corruption, illicit enrichment and conflict of interest. He alluded that in achieving these objectives would depend on the integrity of the individuals and systems in place to track and check on information of assets of the individuals.
Mr. Akom addressed that the Constitutional, Legislative and Institutional Framework to support this course is solid , but its implementation has been a bane in achieving the objectives for the enactment of the laws. He recommended that, to achieve the objectives of asset declaration by Public Office Holders, the country needs strong institutions, robust systems for tracking and verifying records of officers, and change of attitude in the area of integrity. He concluded that, fear and poor welfare after serving in public office have been the main challenge in fighting corruption at public institutions.
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In a related development on the same issue, Mr. Prince Gyimah, a Lecturer at Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development and a Panel member of the show said, curbing of corruption does not only rest on the declaration of assets alone but rather public institutions must work, explaining that public institutions must adopt a behavior of enforcing public servants to declare their assets when they assumed office, thus becoming a deterrent to those who fail to do so.
He admonished that the love for the country must be held in high esteem, and for that matter working to achieve a better Ghana rests on the shoulders of every citizen.
The below explains the act –
ACT 1998. Section 1-Declaration of Assets and Liabilities by Public Office Holders. 286 (1) A person who holds a public office mentioned in clause (5) of this Article shall submit to the Auditor-General a written declaration of all property or assets owned by or liabilities owed by, him whether directly or indirectly.
(a) within three months after the coming into force of this Constitution or before taking office, as the case may be,
(b) at the end of every four years; and
(c) at the end of his term of office.
(2) Failure to declare or knowingly making a false declaration shall be a contravention of this Constitution and shall be dealt with in accordance with article 287 of this Constitution.
(3) The declaration made under clause (1) of this article shall, on-demand, be produced in evidence-
(a) before a court of competent jurisdiction; or
(b) before a commission of inquiry appointed under article 278 of this Constitution; or
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(c) before an investigator appointed by the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice.
Credit: Eric Asare Murphy (Iron TV)
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Getting past all the trauma
July 7, 2022 Amanda Nicole
Getting past trauma of any kind seems like a monumental task. And it can be depending on how traumatic your experience was. I need to tell you that it’s okay to take your time. Take all the time you need to heal. Everyone’s journey is different and unique. Everyone’s healing is different and unique. No matter what, your healing journey will conclude. But you need to be patient with yourself. And understand that things take time. Healing is not linear. Somedays you feel like absolute shit and others you feel like you could quite possibly take on the world. And that’s okay! Healing has ups and downs. But the important thing to remember is that you’re not alone. You’re loved. You are so important to everyone in your life.
Perhaps you need to solo travel, perhaps therapy is in your future. But that’s all okay! Healing is not a one size fits all thing. Take your time! Love yourself, hold yourself. And most of all encourage yourself.
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Thrive Quiz Builder Review
Instapage, a popular landing-page software, allows users to create landing pages and optimize them for their websites. Instapage is a popular landing page software that allows users to create and optimize landing pages for their websites. In this review, I will share my extensive Instapage review to help you decide if it’s the best.
Instapage has been a great tool for me to create high-converting pages for both my business and others. I’ve come to appreciate the many benefits of Instapage since I had the chance to switch from another page builder. While there are many benefits I have enjoyed, there is always a downside.
With that said, I’ll be taking a close look at the features offered by Instapage, as well as discussing the pricing plans offered by the platform and how to use it for the first time. You’ll be able to see if Instapage is right for you by the end of the review.
For those of you who prefer a more visual experience, here is a video review from the YouTube channel Amazing Reviews. To get a comprehensive overview of Instapage, you may still want to check out our article below.
Instapage Landing Page Builder: A Overview Thrive Quiz Builder Review
Before we can get to the bottom, it is important that you understand what Instapage actually is as a platform. Instapage is a landing page builder designed to help you generate attractive, eye-catching, and overall high-quality landing pages. It’s more than a landing page editor. Since a showcase of very powerful tools backs it, Instapage makes it easy to create high-converting landing pages quickly and efficiently.
With its drag-and-drop interface, Instapage lets you customize your pages without any semblance of coding knowledge. You can also explore ready-made templates that are suitable for different industries and niches. With its ability to customize and personalize dynamically, your pages will stand out among the rest with an extensive library that includes images, videos and building blocks.
A landing page is essential for any business, especially one that is online-focused. It not only shows how your business will look to the public but also provides a way for you to build a loyal customer base.
Although the idea of creating a landing page sounds appealing, it comes at a significant cost. The overall cost of creating a landing page can depend on several factors, from the complexity of the design to the resources needed to build and maintain it. However, it is more expensive to create and maintain a landing page that has many features. It doesn’t help, either, if you don’t have the skills or time to create one yourself and would rather rely on hiring a designer or agency to do it for you. Going that route would eventually cost you a few hundred to several thousand dollars more than your budget would allow.
So, if you want to create high-quality, high-converting landing pages – the same ones that any established web designer can do, yet need more money to splurge on one, Instapage could be your ideal solution. It offers a wide array of features and customization options, making it simple to design a page that looks great and functions perfectly.
Instapage is a powerful tool to create engaging landing pages that convert potential customers into customers. This platform offers many benefits beyond its customizable page-building tools. Here are some reasons why it is worth a try for any manager of any size business.
Instapage is an easy-to-use platform that allows users to quickly and easily create stunning pages without needing help from outside resources. It doesn’t take a lot of knowledge to create a functional page. All tools are available for this purpose.
Instapage templates are designed specifically for landing pages, unlike other page builders like the built-in WordPress page creator. Plus, you have many more options to choose from, so you will get everything!
Instapage allows you to optimize landing pages for conversions. You can test different versions and track the results. You can also maximize your reach with powerful analytics and optimization tools to track your page’s performance and identify areas for improvement.
If you happen to manage multiple websites, your single Instapage account is enough to create and host multiple landing pages for each site. This is a significant advantage over other website builders that allow you to manage one account per base plan.
Signing in to Instapage will be your first step. It already has a lot of tools and features that you need to create beautiful landing pages. These are just a few of the many offerings offered by Instapage.
The option to create mobile-friendly versions of landing pages
Blocks, forms, and other elements that can be easily resized and modified to fit your needs.
Unlimited access to high quality stock images
These are only a few of the many features you can expect from Instapage. The rest will be covered in the article. But for now, I thought it would be helpful to give you a first-hand look at how it feels to use Instapage’s landing page builder.
The first step that you’ll need to take is to sign up and create your account. Just like every other landing page builder, you won’t fully get the Instapage experience until you register your account. Once you log in, your dashboard will appear. This is where you can see a complete overview of the progress you are making. You won’t see much on your dashboard because this is your first attempt. It’s okay, you’ll learn how to create your own landing page. Let’s get started!
From scratch, you can build a landing page
If you are an experienced web designer, you will be able to create a blank page. However, since many of you are reading this and will use it for the first time, we’ll construct a full landing page using existing page templates for the sake of this tutorial.
Now, let’s say we’re building a landing page to launch a product. What should you do? To start, you can pick “Product launch” from the use case filter, then select one of the multiple themes that will come up in the search results. A page preview will be displayed to you as you select the landing page design you feel best fits your product. This preview will give you an idea of the final product when it is made available to the public.
It’s up to the user to decide if they will use it. You can always go back to the beginning and look at the layout until you find it perfect. Otherwise, if you like it, then you can click “Use this layout.” Once you’ve chosen your landing page design, you’ll need to come up with a name as a way to keep things in order.
Now that you have your page layout, it is time to personalize it to your liking. The Instapage page creator will redirect you immediately. This is a feature that I love and everyone seems to agree with. This stage allows you to enhance the visual appeal and engagement of your landing page. The best part of it all is that you don’t need to do any of the work since Instapage does it for you.
Instapage Builder allows you to drag and drop elements anywhere on the page. This is in contrast to WordPress, which may allow you to try pulling any element but it will be locked in a row or column and cannot move at all. Instead, how it works can simply be compared to that of the Photoshop interface – you won’t ever see the elements you’re dragging get locked all of a sudden, so indeed, you have the freedom to move your mouse and drag-and-drop however you like.
The Instapage Builder experience, of course, wouldn’t be complete without the ability to add and rearrange a wide array of visual elements such as images, videos, and graphics, as well as headlines, text boxes, buttons, shapes, and even widgets. Interactive features such as surveys and text boxes can be added to your Instapage Builder account to capture user data while keeping them interested. To enhance the appearance of your webpage, you can use colors, fonts, and other design elements. Thrive Quiz Builder Review
In Instapage terms, a set of elements grouped is called a block. A block can be modified with a few adjustments and elements. If you want, you can copy, duplicate, and even delete the block. This is just how to create a block. If you don’t have enough time or confidence in your page-building skills you can always use the Instapage Builder’s block templates.
You’ll notice the preview for a landing page you create is designed for desktop. Instapage makes it easy to create a mobile-friendly version. That’s because every single one of its templates is automatically optimized for mobile use. Just like with editing the desktop version, you can conceal certain elements or even whole blocks from those who will go to your landing page using their smartphones.
This life-saving feature will allow you to create two different pages without having to go too far. This is how you can make your landing page attractive and effective for marketing your products or service.
Now comes the crucial part. Now you need to publish your page to make it available to your audience. Publishing a landing page is an important step in the process of creating success in whatever you’re promoting, whether it’s a product or a service. This will ensure that your page is seen by as many people as possible and help you to increase traffic to your site. Thrive Quiz Builder Review
Are you satisfied with the layout and design? Instapage can be integrated with any of these options:
Drupal – If you are a large-scale Drupal user, your Instapage-made page can be published instantly by connecting it with the Drupal plug-in.
Facebook – this option is useful if you expect most of your visitors to find your page via Facebook and you want to improve the user experience there
Demo page – This is an easy way to publish your landing page without a domain. Instead, Instapage will provide a subdomain.
While you can add certain elements to create a block within a page, you get the added benefit of being able to save and reuse it whenever you want to create another page. You can also save your own blocks as Instablocks to cut down on the time it takes to build landing pages. These blocks can be used in future pages. Simply right-click the block you wish to reuse, and then click “Save To My Blocks”. Thrive Quiz Builder Review
Global Blocks, on the other hand, work in the same way as Instablocks. The only difference is that they are specific to one page. The Global Blocks look consistent across all pages. If you make changes to a Global Block on a page, they will reflect on any other blocks. This can be very useful if you have a section on your website that you wish to be consistent across pages, such as a header, footer or footer. You can disable this feature if you wish.
A/B/n testing is a great way to optimize your page. Before you’re ready to publish, you need to ensure that whatever you’re making should attract the general public. The optimization experiments feature in the Instapage Builder allows you to easily identify which elements or blocks should remain as they are, since many people are drawn to them, and which parts must be modified.
Instapage allows you to split-test multiple versions of a landing page by clicking on the “Traffic Split” button in the Builder, which enables you to compare different variations of the same page and analyze which performs better. You can create multiple versions of your page and decide the percentage of traffic to be sent to each variation. Instapage will then show you detailed analytics to help you determine which version is performing best. The winning page can be used as your final landing page layout. You can also continue testing with other variants to optimize it. This will ensure that your page provides the best visitor experience and increases conversion rates. Thrive Quiz Builder Review
Instapage has also made it possible for you to share your page, even if it’s in progress, with your teammates through a private URL that you can copy and share in their group chat. You may opt to invite any of them with their email addresses as well. Not only can your page be accessed by fellow Instapage users – those who don’t have one can also take a look at what you’re working on.
AdMap allows you to customize your ads based on your audience’s interests and behaviors. It can help optimize customer journeys by identifying and eliminating roadblocks and pain points that prevent customers from converting. It can also help users to see how changes to an ad or page affect the overall performance of their campaign. Instapage AdMap offers a simple interface and detailed analytics reports that will help anyone increase their conversion rate and ROI. To access the feature, you will need a Google Ads account. Thrive Quiz Builder Review
As a means to better understand customer behavior on your page, Instapage’s native heatmap analytics feature lets you take an in-depth, real-time look at how your users interact with certain parts of your landing page, offering valuable insights into how customers use a website. This tool allows businesses to identify hotspots in their websites, such as pages visited the most or buttons clicked most frequently.
Heatmaps also help to highlight any usability issues customers may be experiencing, allowing businesses to make changes quickly and effectively. This can be used to track visitor journeys across multiple pages and devices, providing valuable information about how customers engage with content and websites and helping businesses grow and succeed in the long run. Thrive Quiz Builder Review
Instapage excels as both a landing-page creator and a lead generation tool. Its analytics section perfectly reflects this. Real-time analytics is one of Instapage’s most popular features. It provides a complete overview of how your page is performing online and includes detailed visuals as well as accurate numbers. It allows you to track and analyze the performance of their landing pages. This feature gives detailed information about metrics like page views, unique visitors and bounce rates. This information can then be used to optimize and improve the quality of landing pages and, in return, the overall standing of a business.
Instapage’s extensive and robust array of advanced features and tools makes it stand out from other landing page software. Its services were previously priced at $68, but now it costs just $199 per month. The pricing may be a lot to take in, especially for smaller businesses with limited budgets. It’s important to note that Instapage offers more features than any other landing page editor, including WordPress.
Below is a complete list of all the Instapage plans currently available: Thrive Quiz Builder Review
Instapage stands out thanks to its powerful landing page-building tools and analytics. We must also remember its drawbacks. Here is a full list of the advantages and disadvantages of using this platform.
Drag-and-drop builder makes creating landing pages convenient and easy to use. Thrive Quiz Builder Review
A wonderfully curated array of over +200 templates and designs suitable for many different use cases
Integrations seamless with third-party applications, marketing and analytics
Certain advanced features can only be included in higher plans. For example, heatmaps are only available in the Convert Tier upwards. Thrive Quiz Builder Review
As we reach the end of the review, it’s clear as day that Instapage is an excellent platform for creating and optimizing landing pages, with a wide range of features and customization options to explore. The user interface is simple to the core, but the built-in editor is jam-packed with some of the most powerful tools that no other platform can compete.
Instapage is a great tool for creating landing pages that convert. Instapage is a great tool, with so many advanced features it’s difficult not to love. With its ease of use, dynamic set of tools, and great customer service, Instapage is a powerful choice for any business looking to build its online presence.
FAQ Thrive Quiz Builder Review
With the more expensive pricing in mind, Instapage may not be worth spending for if you’re a casual blogger or business owner. If you are just beginning to make landing pages or are a beginner in the industry, it may not be worth it.
Instapage is a powerful tool that can be used to build full websites. Unfortunately, this is not possible. As previously mentioned, Instapage is designed to make landing pages and nothing else. |
09/23/2016 / Branding
Kuti Kuti is a Finnish contemporary comics association, sourcing and producing fascinating illustration. Helping them grow into “one of the most recognised Finnish comic phenomenons besides.
Most times, ideacide happens without us even realizing it. A possible off-the-wall idea or solution appears like a blip and disappears without us even realizing. As a result, some of our best stuff is suppressed before even getting out into the world. Whether it’s because we’re too critical or because we recoil at the impending pain of change, the disruption of normalcy, self-censoring arises out of fear. Welsh novelist Sarah Waters sums it up eloquently: “Midway through writing a novel, I have regularly experienced moments of bowel-curdling terror, as I contemplate the drivel on the screen before me and see beyond it, in quick succession, the derisive reviews, the friends’ embarrassment, the failing career, the dwindling income, the repossessed house, the divorce…”
We know self-censoring by many names. Carl Jung called it our “inner critic.” Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers called it the “voice of judgment” in their classic book, Creativity in Business, based on a popular course they co-taught at Stanford University Graduate Business School. Novelist and screenwriter Steven Pressfield called it “Resistance,” writing that it is “the most toxic force on the planet” and that it is “a monster.”
One touch of a red-hot stove is usually all we need to avoid that kind of discomfort in the future. The same is true as we experience the emotional sensation of stress from our first instances of social rejection or ridicule. We quickly learn to fear and thus automatically avoid potentially stressful situations of all kinds, including the most common of all: making mistakes. Researchers Robert Reinhart and Geoffrey Woodman of Vanderbilt University refer to this phenomenon as the “Oops! Response,” which is the product of the adrenaline-fueled, threat-protection system in our brain that not only governs our fight-flight-surrender response, but that also enables us to learn from our mistakes. This response is important for our ability to learn from mistakes, but it also gives rise to self-criticism, because it is part of the threat-protection system. In other words, what keeps us safe can go too far, and keep us too safe. In fact, it can trigger self-censoring.
This response is important for our ability to learn from mistakes, but it also gives rise to self-criticism, because it is part of the threat-protection system. In other words, what keeps us safe can go too far, and keep us too safe. In fact, it can trigger self-censoring.
That immediately brought to mind one of my fondest memories, involving my daughter when she was just a toddler of one: taking her with me on the short walk to check the mail. I live in a small enclave of homes in which all the mailboxes are together in a central location, less than a minute’s walk from my front door…when I walk alone, that is. When I would take my daughter with me it was easily 20 minutes. Everything along the way, to and from, fascinated her: every pebble, ant, stick, leaf, blade of grass, and crack in the sidewalk was something to be picked up, looked at, tasted, smelled, and shaken. Everything was interesting to her. She knew nothing. I knew everything…been there, done that. She was in the moment, I was in the past. She was mindful. I was mindless.
Part of the answer is something psychologists refer to it as self-distancing, a term coined by researchers Ethan Kross and Ozlem Ayduk. What spurred Ethan Kross to investigate the concept in the first place was an act of mindlessness: He accidentally ran a red light. He scolded himself by saying out loud, “Ethan, you idiot!” Referring to himself in the third person made him wonder if there might be something more to this quirk of speech, and if it might represent a method for changing one’s perspective.
Both of these assumptions, of course, could be entirely false. Self-censoring is firmly rooted in our experiences with mistakes in the past and not the present. The brain messages arising from those experiences can be deceptive. And if what our censoring self thinks it “knows” may in fact not be true, then automatically accepting it as some sort of inert truth is indeed mindless and self-defeating. Langer agrees: “When you think ‘I know’ and ‘it is,’ you have the illusion of knowing, the illusion of certainty, and then you’re mindless.” Langer argues that we must learn to look at the world in a more conditional way, versus an absolute way. Understanding that the way we are looking at things is merely one among many different ways of looking at them requires us to embrace uncertainty. |
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The effect of regular physical exercise on the thyroid function of treated hypothyroid patients: An interventional study at a tertiary care center in Bastar region of India |
Antioch Writers' Workshop
News, information, and insight from the Antioch Writers' Workshop, presented in partnership with Antioch University Midwest, in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Year-round programming; 29th annual summer program will be July 12-18, 2014.)
2013 Antioch Writers's Workshop Young Writers Program
For the fourth year in a row, Antioch Writers' Workshop--a nationally recognized creative writing workshop since 1986--offers an opportunity for young writers (those entering 10th-12th grades in fall 2013, or ages 15-18) to attend the workshop held at Antioch University Midwest in Yellow Springs, July 6-12.
Young writers must submit three pages of creative writing and a letter of recommendation from a teacher, librarian, coach or youth program leader, to the workshop by May 29. Selected writers receive an AWW Young Writers' Scholarship in the amount of $375.00, reducing the total cost of attending to $300.00 for a full week of writing classes, a special writing seminar, and lunches all provided by Dayton Daily News sponsors.
Trudy Krisher
Young Writers Program
The Young Writers' program includes attendance to the workshop's morning classes with all participants and the Young Writers' Afternoon Seminar led by Trudy Krisher, award winning author of several Young Adult novels including Spite Fences, Uncommon Faith and Fallout. During the seminar, selected writers will work on individual projects and develop their creative writing craft.
This opportunity is limited to 12 participants and open to students who live in the Ohio counties of Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Clark, Clinton, Fayette, Madison and Warren.
Sharon Short, Director, Antioch Writers' Workshop says, "The students in the Young Writers' program develop their craft, learn from outstanding mentors, create long-lasting friendships, and make a nice addition to their college applications. The program is a great a way to help develop the next generation of creative writers of fiction, poetry and nonfiction, and we're excited to again offer this program."
Accepted applicants will be notified shortly after May 29. To apply or for more information about the program, please visit the Young Writers page at www.antiochwritersworkshop.com or email [email protected].
Check out what former AWW Young Writers had to say about last year's program.
Labels: 2013 Antioch Writers Workshop, Trudy Krisher, young writers
Introducing Visiting Agent Suzie Townsend
After teaching high school English for several years, Suzie Townsend started in publishing at FinePrint Literary Management in January 2009 and worked her way up from intern to agent. Now an agent at New Leaf Literary & Media, she represents adult and children's fiction. She is actively looking to build her list. In adult, she's specifically looking for romance (historical and paranormal), and fantasy (urban fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, epic fantasy). In Childrens' she loves YA (all subgenres) and is dying to find great Middle Grade projects (especially something akin to the recent movie SUPER 8). She's an active member of AAR, RWA, and SCBWI.
She’s interested in strong characters and voice driven stories: she’s particularly keen on strong female protagonists, complex plot lines with underlying political, moral, or philosophical issues, and stories which break out of the typical tropes of their genre. Some of her favorite novels (that she doesn't represent) are Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, Jellicoe Road and Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta, The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, Jeaniene Frost's Vampire Huntress series, Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels series, and Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series. She drinks too much diet orange soda, has a Starbucks problem (those soy chai lattes are addictive), and lives in New York with two dogs who know that chewing on shoes is okay but chewing on books is not.
Labels: 2013 Antioch Writers Workshop, FinePrint Literary Management, Suzie Townsend, Visiting Agent
Getting Started with Fiction or Creative Nonfiction (No Manuscript Required) Instructor--Greg Belliveau
Greg Belliveau
Greg Belliveau is a 2008 Christopher Isherwood Grant Recipient, an Honorable Mention inGlimmer Train's January 2012 Short-Short Fiction Contest, as well as the 2002 Christy Award finalist for Best First Novel, Go Down To Silence(Multnomah: a Division of Random House, 2001). He has been published in The Atticus Review,The Cleveland Review, Vine Leaves of which his vignette "LG Don't Want To Fly" was selected for their 2012 Best Of Anthology to be published by eMergent Publishing, December 2012. He received his MFA from Pacific University, Oregon, and he currently resides with his wife and two daughters in Ohio.
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Afternoon Creative Nonfiction/Memoir Seminar Instructor--Matthew Goodman
Matthew Goodman
Matthew Goodman is the author of three books of non-fiction. His latest, the narrative history Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World, will be published in 2013 by Ballantine Books. It has been translated into seven languages and was chosen as a Barnes & Noble Spring 2013 Discover Great New Writers selection. His previous book, The Sun and the Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York, was a Borders Books Original Voices selection and was named one of the Best Books of the Year by The Economist magazine. Matthew's essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in numerous publications including The American Scholar,Harvard Review, Bon Appetit, the Forward, and the Utne Reader, and he has taught writing in many colleges and writing conferences, among them the Antioch Writers' Workshop and the Chautauqua Writers Institute. He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and two children.
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Tomorrow is last day to enter DDN/AWW contest! (Really? Really!)
Attention, local writers: We’ve opened the call for entries for our 17th annual writing contest, held in partnership with the Antioch Writers’ Workshop.
The AWW is providing scholarships to this summer’s workshop as prizes for the contest’s top writers.
Top awards: Best in Show from either teen or adult categories will win a full scholarship to the Summer Program, July 612. First place in teen and in adult wins a $125 scholarship toward the Summer Program. First-place winner of the youth category will receive a $25 gift certificate to Books & Co.
The best in show and first-place winners will be featured in an article in the Dayton Daily News. Other top winners will be listed in the Dayton Daily News.
Top winning entries will be published on DaytonDailyNews.com and on the workshop’s site.
Rules, deadlines
Genre: Fiction only. No memoirs or essays.
Length: 1,800-word maximum.
Entries: Stories must be original and unpublished. Writers may submit only one story. Stories must be typed, double-spaced and stapled in the upper left corner. No binders. Hard copies only. Manuscripts will not be returned. Because of the volume, we cannot confirm receipt of individual entries over the phone.
Cover page: Each entry must have a cover page with title, writer’s name, age, full address, email address and daytime, evening and cellphone numbers.
Age categories: Youth (12 years old and younger); Teen (13 to 18 years old); and Adult (19 and older). Entrants must live in the Dayton Daily News circulation area.
Deadline: Entries must be postmarked by April 24, 2013.
Entry fees: None.
Mail entries to: Dayton Daily News/Antioch Writers’ Workshop Creative Writing Contest, c/o Antioch University Midwest, 900 Dayton St., Yellow Springs, OH 45387. Winners will be notified around May 3.
For more information, email [email protected] or [email protected].
Afternoon Poetry Seminar Instructor--Cathryn Essinger
Cathryn Essinger
Cathryn Essinger is the author of three books of poetry--A Desk In The Elephant House, which won the Walt McDonald First Book Award from Texas Tech University Press, and My Dog Does Not Read Plato, which was the runner up in the Main Street Rag book competition in 2004. Her third book, What I Know About Innocence, was published in 2009, also from Main Street Rag press, and includes a video poem produced by her son, David, a fiction writer and professor at the University of Findlay. Essinger's poems have been anthologized in The Poetry Anthology: 1912-2002, Poetry Daily: 366 Poems, and inO Taste and See: Food Poems. Her work has been featured on Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac. Her new work has appeared in such places as The Southern Review, New England Review, andQuarterly West. She received an Ohio Arts Council grant and was Ohio's Poet of the Year in 2005. She is a member of The Greenville Poets, a small but well-published poetry group that does workshop presentations and supports the work of younger writers. She is a retired Professor of English from Edison Community College, in Piqua, Ohio.
Labels: 2013 Antioch Writers Workshop, Cathryn Essinger
Afternoon Fiction Seminar--Casey Daniels
Casey Daniels is the author of the popular Pepper Martin mystery series, in which Pepper works at a historic cemetery and solves mysteries for the ghosts there. In addition, Casey has a new series, the Button Box mysteries, written as Kylie Logan. Casey has also written both historical and contemporary romances as well as books for young adults and one children's book. She lives in the Cleveland area and teaches fiction writing classes at the Brecksville Center for the Arts. She is a frequent presenter at workshops nationwide. Learn more about Casey at www.caseydaniels.com.
Labels: 2013 Antioch Writers Workshop, Casey Daniels
Afternoon Fiction Seminar--Jeffrey Ford
Jeffrey Ford
Jeffrey Ford is the author of the novels, The Physiognomy, Memoranda, The Beyond, The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque, The Girl in the Glass, The Cosmology of the Wider World, and The Shadow Year. His story collections are The Fantasy Writer's Assistant, The Empire of Ice Cream, The Drowned Life, and Crackpot Palace. His short fiction has appeared in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies, from MAD Magazine to The Oxford Book of American Short Stories (2nd edition), edited by Joyce Carol Oates. His work has been translated into nearly 20 languages and is the recipient of the Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Nebula Award, and the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire
Labels: 2013 Antioch Writers Workshop, Jeffrey Ford
One week left to enter DDN/AWW contest!
Afternoon Fiction Seminar--Short Fiction Focus--Roxane Gay
Roxane Gay's writing appears or is forthcoming in Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, New Stories From the Midwest 2011 and 2012,Salon, Oxford American, NOON, American Short Fiction, Indiana Review, Brevity, The Rumpus, and many others. She is the co-editor of PANK, the essays editor for The Rumpus, and teaches writing at Eastern Illinois University. She is also the author of Ayiti, a collection of writing about the Haitian diaspora experience and has other books on the horizon.
Labels: 2013 Antioch Writers Workshop, Roxane Gay
Afternoon Fiction Seminar--Sherri Wood Emmons
Sherri Wood Emmons
Sherri Wood Emmons is a freelance writer and editor. She is a graduate of Earlham College and the University of Denver Publishing Institute. A mother of three, she lives in Indiana with her husband, two fat beagles, and four spoiled cats. Her novels includePrayers and Lies and The Sometimes Daughter, both published by Kensington.www.sherriwoodemmons.com
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Labels: 2013 Antioch Writers Workshop, Sherri Wood Emmons
Attention Dayton area writers: DDN/AWW 17th annual contest deadline extended to April 24!
Summer 2013 A La Carte Options
If you are unable to attend the Full Week Antioch Writers' Workshop there are A La Carte Options (all held at Antioch University Midwest in Yellow Springs, Ohio), perfect for writers who:
* Are just getting started... or need a refresher or a dose of inspiration
* Don't have a full week available to attend the full conference
* Want to try a portion of the workshop before committing to attending for the full week in a future year.
Our A La Carte Options are:
Morning Only Classes--Attend Morning Classes with all participants, Monday July 8, through Friday July 12, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Kick off your moning with a complimentary continental breakfast, and then attend lectures in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and the business of writing. This is a great option for writers who need their afternoons free for family, work... or writing! It's a great way to brush up on techniques, get inspired, and meet other writers. (Registration plus tuition fees equal $375.00)
Afternoon Only "Getting Started in Fiction/Nonfiction" Seminar--Led by author Greg Belliveau. Sunday July 7 through Friday July 12, 2:30-5:00 p.m. This is our ONLY afternoon seminar which does not require participants to submit a manuscript. In this afternoon seminar, you'll start and develop a piece in either genre. This is a great option for writers who prefer small group instruction and writing practice... or for those who need their mornings free for family or work. (Registration plus tuition fees equal $375.00.)
Learn more about our A La Carte options on our A La Carte program page, or register on our A La Carte registration page.
Labels: 2013 Antioch Writers Workshop, A La Carte
Tomorrow is deadline to enter AWW/DDN Short Story contest and win scholarships/publication!
The Perks of the Full-Week Workshop
Afternoon seminar options for this year's Antioch Writers' Workshop Full Week Experience are filling quickly, so be sure to register soon!
In addition to all morning classes and your choice of afternoon seminar, the Full Week Experience includes perks not available to A La Carte registrants including individual pitch sessions with visiting agents, lunch opportunities with faculty, an evening participant reading, one-on-one manuscript consultations (for additional small fee), and a reduced cost for the Saturday Seminar.
The Full Week Experience kicks off at Antioch University Midwest with a Keynote Address by author Lee Martin on the evening of Saturday, July 6 followed by a dessert and wine reception. The event concludes on Friday, July 12.
To register for the Full Week Experience, visit our website.
For more information visit www.antiochwritersworkshop.com or email Sharon Short at [email protected].
Labels: 2013 Antioch Writers Workshop
Three days left to enter AWW/DDN Short Story Contest to win scholarships!
Introducing Morning Creative Nonfiction/Memoir Instructor Dinty W. Moore
Dinty W. Moore
Dinty is author of numerous books, including The Mindful Writer: Noble Truths of the Writing Life,Crafting the Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction, and the memoir Between Panic & Desire, winner of the Grub Street Nonfiction Book Prize. Having failed as a zookeeper, modern dancer, Greenwich Village waiter, filmmaker, and wire service journalist, he now writes essays and stories. He has been published in The Southern Review, The Georgia Review, Harpers, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, Gettysburg Review, Utne Reader, and Crazyhorse,
among numerous other venues. Dinty lives in Athens, Ohio, which he calls "the funkadelicious, hillbilly-hippie Appalachian epicenter of the locally-grown, locally-consumed, goats-are-for-cheese, paw-paws-are-for-eatin', artisanal-salsa, our-farmers-market-rocks-the-hills sub-culture," where he grows his own heirloom tomatoes and edible dandelions, and teaches in and serves as director of Ohio University's BA, MA, and PhD in Creative Writing program.
Labels: 2013 Antioch Writers Workshop, Dinty W. Moore
Five Days left to enter AWW/DDN Short Story Contest and win scholarships!
Introducing Morning Poetry Instructor Cathy Smith Bowers
Cathy Smith Bowers
Cathy, who was named Poet Laureate of North Carolina in 2010, is the author of four books: The Love that Ended Yesterday in Texas (inaugural winner of the Texas Tech University Press First Book Competition, 1992); Traveling in Time of Danger (Iris Press, 1999), A Book of Minutes (Iris Press, 2004), and The Candle I Hold Up to See You (Iris Press, 2009). Her powerful poems about family and loss have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The Georgia Review, Poetry,The Southern Review and The Kenyon Review. She is currently on the faculty for Queens' M.F.A. in Creative Writing Program, UNC Asheville's Great Smokies Writing Program and at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.
Labels: 2013 Antioch Writers Workshop, Cathy Smith Bowers
Win AWW scholarships with DDN/AWW Short Story Contest!
Introducing Keynoter and Morning Fiction Instructor Lee Martin
Lee Martin
Lee Martin is the Pulitzer Prize Finalist author of The Bright Forever, and three other novels, including Break the Skin. His other books are the novels, River of Heavenand Quakertown; the memoirs, Such a Life, From Our House, and Turning Bones; and the short story collection, The Least You Need to Know. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in such places as Harper's, Ms.,Creative Nonfiction, The Georgia Review, The Kenyon Review, Fourth Genre, River Teeth, The Southern Review,Prairie Schooner, and Glimmer Train. He is the winner of the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ohio Arts Council. He teaches in the MFA Program at The Ohio State University, where he was the winner of the 2006 Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching. www.leemartinauthor.com
Labels: 2013 Antioch Writers Workshop, Lee Martin
Scholarship Opportunities for the 2013 Antioch Writers' Workshop
Do you have a piece of writing that you'd like to submit for one of our Antioch Writers' Workshop scholarships? Then take a look at our scholarships page for details about how to enter! Deadline for entering materials for consideration for all scholarships is April 15, 2013. Winners will be announced in mid-May (shortly after May 15, 2013).
First place winners of Antioch Writers' Workshop Scholarships receive a full waiver of registration and tuition fees. Second place winners receive a 50% waiver of registration and tuition fees. The scholarships do not cover travel, lodging, or food.
The scholarships are:
► Betty Crumrine Scholarship--awarded to a single parent who is committed to writing and who could not otherwise attend the workshop. The Crumrine Scholarship was created by friends of Betty Crumrine, who lived and wrote in Yellow Springs and participated in the Antioch Writers' Workshop from 1986 until 1990. To apply, please send your submission (poetry, nonfiction, fiction, or drama) and a one-page letter explaining your writing experience and plans and need for financial aid.
► Judson Jerome Poetry Scholarship--The scholarship is named after Judson Jerome, a poet and nonfiction writer, writer of textbooks, professor, and poetry editor who founded the Antioch Writers' Workshop along with William Baker. Please send your poetry submission along with a bio of yourself (not longer than a page).
► Bill Baker Scholarship--for a writer who is nominated by someone who can testify to his or her qualifications both as writer and community member. The scholarship is named after Bill Baker, co-founder of the Antioch Writers' Workshop, writer of textbooks, journalist, and fiction writer. To submit a nomination for the Bill Baker Scholarship, please send the nominee's name, contact information, a short sample of their writing (conforming to the formatting and submission requirements detailed below), and a 1-2 page essay that delineates their bravery, innovation, or significant contribution to their community.
For specific details on how to submit and format, please see our scholarship page. Submissions that do not follow our submitting and formatting guidelines will be disqualified.
Labels: scholarships
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About Antioch Writers' Workshop
29th Annual Summer Workshop: July 12-18, 2014
Yellow Springs, Ohio
Our nationally renowned community of writers encourages creative writers at all levels. Whether you write literary fiction, romance or mystery, scholarly or creative nonfiction, poetry, memoir, plays, or screenplays, we celebrate them all. We welcome serious writers, new or seasoned. Come to the Antioch Writers' Workshop, presented in partnership with Antioch University Midwest, for inspiration, courage, and a review of the principles of strong writing. To learn more, visit www.antiochwritersworkshop.com or email info (at) antiochwritersworkhop.com.
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Home In This Edition Game of Thrones
Mike Mackenna
As Colombia passes a major constitutional reform bill, Mike Mackenna analyses who won and who lost in this epic clash between the three branches of the Colombian government
The Reforma de Equilibrio de Poderes (Colombian constitutional reform) has been a legislative battle worthy of Game of Thrones, involving virtually every major player in national politics in a nearly year- long struggle to decide who gets to keep or increase their privileges; and who loses them.
The Balance of Power Reform isn’t just about establishing a sensible balance of power among the three branches of the Colombian government. It is also a power grab bloodier than the greatest battles in Westeros.
When the dust settles, the most important question is how the Colombian people fared in the reforms. As the tables below show, sadly, the only definite wins they got were the elimination of re-election and the broadening of la silla vacía.
They have good reason to be cautiously pessimistic about all the other promising reforms, which could easily turn out to be disappointments. Maybe, as Semana’s Antonio Caballero suggested, the solution is not to change the constitution, but rather to take the “radical” step of forcing public servants to honour the constitution they currently have.
Talking points:
Key features of the bill
In context: Latin America’s Constitutional Conundrum
Main players:
President Juan Manuel Santos and Minister of the Interior Juan Fernando Cristo
The Unidad Nacional Coalition
The High Courts and Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre
Elimination of Presidential re-election
The bill states that ‘no citizen who has already served as president can be elected’. It also prohibits anyone from running for president who held the office of vice president, minister, judge, attorney general, ombudsman, general comptroller, army commander, governor or mayor, less than a year before the election.
Creation of Tribunal de Aforados
This replaces the ineffective Accusations Commission, which was supposed to prosecute high-court judges, the attorney-general, and the president; but has only managed to convict one person in its 60 years of existence.
La silla vacía
The decision to vacate the seat (la silla vacía) of any congressional representative who is convicted of a crime associated with abuse of public trust is important because it penalises political parties who put corrupt politicians on their ballots. Previously, la silla vacía was only used against politicians convicted of association with illegal groups like the paramilitaries.
Creation of Judicial Government Council
The Superior Judiciary Counsel, which was in charge of administering judicial resources, will be replaced by the new Judicial Government Council, with the intention of limiting corruption in the judicial branch.
Juan Manuel Santos with his right hand man, Juan Fernando Cristo.
President Juan Manuel Santos
and Minister of the Interior Juan Fernando Cristo
Wins They have guided the reform towards completion with their main goals mostly intact:
Re-election of presidents and other high-level public officials has been eliminated.
They have limited the courts’ corrupt practice of “I elect you, you elect me”, through which judges supported each other for high-level judicial appointments.
They have established a Tribunal de Aforados (a court for those with immunity), designed for judges like Jorge Pretelt, the current President of the Constitutional Court, who refused to bow to pressure to resign despite facing serious bribery charges.
Losses The devil is very much in the details of this reform:
The practice of “I elect you, you elect me” has been limited, but not eliminated. Judges will still be able to move from the judicial branch to other governmental branches, they just have to wait a year.
The Tribunal de Aforados will only have the power to investigate and accuse, but not to judge, which may make it as ineffective as the previous Accusations Commission.
Congress will choose the members of the Tribunal, instead of the president, as originally proposed.
The new Judicial Government Council, set up to administer judicial resources, will not include non-judicial officials, which led to corruption scandals like the pension carousel in its predecessor, the Superior Judiciary Counsel. In the pension carousel, judges at the end of their career were suddenly promoted, raising their salaries, in order to retire with a more generous pension.
Their proposal for mandatory voting was also defeated – they had wanted to use it to increase voter turnout for a referendum on an eventual peace deal with the FARC
They also failed to push through their proposal to extend presidential terms to five or six years.
Verdict Time will tell if this was a modest victory or a crushing defeat. They achieved most of their main goals, but much was watered down.
The elimination of re-election could actually do a great deal to restore some balance of power, depriving incumbents of the enormous power their position allows them. It’s not only the president who cannot be re-elected, but also the Procurador, a spot currently held by the notoriously powerful Alejandro Ordoñez; and the Attorney General, a spot currently held by the attention-craving Eduardo Montealegre; as well as many other high-ranking officials, including high-court judges.
The Tribunal might turn out to be a paper tiger, and we still might be subject to judges brazenly trading favours to reach higher posts in other branches of government, or hopping on the judicial pension carousel for a ride.
El Congreso de la República and its members
(Partido de la U, Partido Liberal, Cambio Radical, Partido Verde and the Partido Conservador Colombiano)
The Unidad Nacional’s biggest win is their control over the Tribunal de Aforados (see key features of the bill). As political website La Silla Vacía explained, this gives them power over those who have power over their bosses.
Congress will be able to choose the people who sit on the Tribunal – and it is they who will sit in judgement if the Tribunal pursues political corruption cases. This may make the high court judges reluctant to fulfil their duty to investigate possible corruption in congress.
The coalition also maintained their power to choose the other person who can investigate them: the Procurador.
Losses The coalition lost some significant legislative struggles during the debates:
They failed to take investigative powers away from the trigger-happy procurador and they couldn’t cripple Vice President German Vargas’s widely-anticipated 2018 presidential bid.
They were unable to make closed-list elections mandatory. Unidad Nacional favoured closed lists because they felt it would be a boost to party discipline, as open-list ballots tend to encourage candidates to campaign for their own platform rather than the party’s.
Almost all the parties in the Unidad Nacional could suffer from the decision to vacate the seat (la silla vacía) of any congressional representative who is convicted of a crime associated with abuse of public trust. Previously, parties were allowed to replace members convicted of corruption. However, it’s hard to call this a meaningful loss, since it also enhances congressional credibility without much risk of anyone actually being penalised.
Verdict A definitive victory, since they maintain significant control over who investigates them, which turns la silla vacía, high-court investigations, and even the procurador’s impeachment power, into mostly empty threats.
The most formidable check against their power is Procurador Ordoñez, but he has used his power sparingly against Congress, only impeaching 22 of its members in his first four years.
Jorge Pretelt, President of the Constitutional Court
Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre
The High Courts
and Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre
Wins Even though much of the reform was driven by the aforementioned corruption allegations against Jorge Pretelt, and various other judicial scandals, the courts didn’t come out as badly as you might expect.
The teeth of the new Tribunal de Aforados are not as sharp as originally intended.
Despite the fact that one of the stated goals of the reform was to take away the courts’ role in the election of high-level officials, they did hang on to two very important nominating powers: the ability to nominate the candidates for the Procurador and Attorney General.
Another important victory for the courts was the removal of non-judicial officials from the new Judicial Government Council. This caused scandals like the pension carousel in its predecessor.
Attorney General Montealegre did manage to defeat a proposal to make him ineligible to litigate for five years after leaving the Attorney General’s office.
Losses The losses of the courts have also been well-documented above:
They lost their power to nominate each other for judicial posts and to nominate the contralor.
They will now be subject to investigation and accusation by the Tribunal.
There have also been a number of embarrassing, tone-deaf public relations blunders and clumsy power plays.
Montealegre did the Colombian judicial equivalent of comparing someone to Hitler: he likened the reform to the terrorist group M-19’s deadly takeover of the Justice Palace in 1985, which left 100 dead, among them 11 judges, and 11 disappeared.
Montealegre defeated the proposal to prevent him litigating for five years after leaving office, but it came at considerable cost to his credibility. Senators complained that his assistant was present and actively lobbying desk to desk on his behalf, even though this was disallowed.
Supreme Court President Leonidas Bustos sent a letter, signed by the presidents of the other High Courts and by the Attorney General, requesting a Constitutional Convention to decide on the proposed reforms. The proposal – which essentially sought to halt the reforms from moving forward – had been sent without consulting other high-court judges. It was eventually put to a vote among the State Council and Supreme Court, who resoundingly rejected it by a vote of 17-1.
Semana’s Daniel Coronell revealed that Bustos met with Minister of the Presidency Nelson Humberto Martínez while Congress was debating the reform, allegedly to try to convince him to stop congress from dismantling the Superior Judicial Council. In return, Bustos supposedly promised to support Martínez in his bid to become Attorney General.
After the meeting, Congress was treated to the farcical spectacle of Minister Martínez arriving to announce that they were no longer authorised to dismantle the Superior Judicial Council.
The debate was abruptly stopped. Ministers met and agreed that the Superior Judicial Council would indeed be dismantled and replaced by the Judicial Government Council.
Verdict A moderate defeat which could, and probably should, have been worse.Hopefully, they will be held more accountable by the Tribunal, though its weaknesses make that far from certain.
They lost some important nominating powers, but the Bustos-Martínez travesty showed they still know how to maximize the leverage of the nominating power they have left. Their uncontested power over judicial resources virtually guarantees them a chance to continue to exploit the judicial budget for their own benefit. That power will have to be wielded very delicately though, since their credibility is already at an all-time low.
After 200 years of independence, the continent still can’t decide whether re-electing presidents is a good idea. Mat Youkee investigates…
In Carlos Fuentes’ political novel, The Eagle’s Throne, a young pretender to the Mexican presidency travels to Veracruz to visit an ancient former president. “We have two golden rules in Mexican politics,” the old man tells him. “One is benign: no re-election. The other is more unforgiving: exile. The reason, however, is the same: all delinquents are recidivists, my young friend.”
Set in 2020, the novel revolves around a political cast vying to replace the incumbent as he enters the final year of his rule. Amongst them is another ex-president, hoping that a favourable interpretation of the constitution might permit his own return to power.
Fuentes’ book echoes Colombia’s recent “balance of power” reforms and the struggle between Juan Manuel Santos and his predecessor-cum-nemesis, Álvaro Uribe. Colombia’s June 1 decision to end presidential re-election overturned a 2004 constitutional change overseen by Uribe that permitted his own re-election in 2006.
The inclusion of a line stating that “no citizen who has already served as president can be elected” puts an end any lingering possibility of a third term for either Santos or Uribe. Tellingly it was senators from Uribe’s Centro Democrático Party that registered the strongest opposition to the changes.
Simón Bolívar admirers on both sides of the argument can reach back for handy quotes from the Liberator. In 1819, he said, “Nothing is more perilous than to permit one citizen to retain power for an extended period”. Seven years later, presenting the constitution of Bolivia, he said that “a fixed point is needed about which leaders and citizens, men and affairs can revolve…For Bolivia, this point is the lifetime presidency.”
Single-term presidencies used to be the norm in Latin America. In Mexico the idea of ¡No reelecionismo! has been sacrosanct since Francisco Madero’s 1910 campaign that ended the 34-year rule of Porfirio Diaz. As countries returned to democracy in the 1970s and 1980s following years of military dictatorship, strict limits on terms were seen as the best way to prevent the concentration of power in one man. The caudillos of the past were seen as the biggest challenge to democratic politics.
However, starting with Peru’s Alberto Fujimori in 1993, the majority of South American nations rewrote their constitutions to permit consecutive re-election. Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia followed suit, with Uribe’s 2004 reforms making Colombia a relative late-comer.
Firstly, re-election makes the president more accountable to the electorate and rewards good performance. Secondly, it enforces a greater level of party discipline during the first term by removing the motivation for ministers to align themselves with the presumed successor. Thirdly, and most fundamentally, the restriction on term limits can also be seen to impede the democratic choice of the electorate who should, it could be argued, be free to vote for whoever they chose.
According to John Carey, Professor of Government at Dartmouth College, the latter argument was used in the 1990s by then Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso in order to change the constitution. “The argument at the time was: democracy is strong here, we can afford to allow re-election,” says Carey. Cardoso justified running for a second term by saying it was necessary to oversee the continuation of economic reforms. Again there are parallels with Santos, who early on in his mandate claimed to be a one-term president, only to backtrack on this promise due to the necessity that he, personally, oversee the peace process.
By another trick of timing, a week prior to the Colombian reforms, the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies overwhelmingly passed a bill to ban the re-election of presidents, mayors and governors. The Brazilian bill will need to be approved by a second vote and then passed by congress before it can enter into law. Two major South American nations are re-introducing term limits: Is this a sign of a shifting tide in the Latin American re-election debate? In short, no. In April, Honduran courts paved the way for continuous presidential election and in June legislators in the Dominican Republic – a country previously dead-set against continuismo following the excesses of the Balaguer dictatorship – voted to allow re-election. Even Mexico has moved to allow mayors and governors to serve two terms.
“There’s really no clear pattern to the re-election debate in Latin America, it’s always been pretty random,” says Carey. “To some degree or another, constitutional changes are always linked to the incumbent president or one who has been recently deposed.”
In the case of Brazil, President Dilma Rousseff’s popularity plummeted in the wake of a capsizing economy and a sprawling corruption scandal and yet she still has three and half years left to run. The move to ban re-election is the result of a personal feud between Rousseff and Eduardo Cunha, the chairman of the lower house according to Alejandro Chacoff, a Brazilian political risk analyst. “Cunha has tried to shame the Rouseff administration publicly on several occasions,” says Chacoff. “In this case he surreptitiously passed a major reform in the house that mocks the government’s ongoing discussion of political reform.”
Constitutional changes are always accompanied by lofty rhetoric. “This is meant to prevent creating all-powerful men in Colombia,” Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo told local radio after the Colombia vote. Tatiana Cabello, spokeswoman for the Centro Democrático Party said, “We have always defended presidential re-election, because it rewards good rulers and punishes the bad ones.” But historical precedent suggests that Realpolitik, not principle, lies behind constitutional change.
Balance of Power Reform
Colombia constitutional reform
Reforma de Equilibrio de Poderes
Opinion: Living in the moment instead of on a smartphone
Colombia urges Cuba to reconsider peace protocol and release ELN soldiers
Opinion–One court to rule them all: A proposal for judicial reform |
Festivals in Willemstad
Willemstad invites you to participate in 1 festival. Learn more about the festivals and events held in Willemstad throughout the year with AnydayGuide! Whether you’re looking for new places to visit, or just like to learn new things about other countries and cultures, we’re eager to help you find what you’re looking for.
Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival
in the category "Music Festivals". Takes place from August 30, 2018 to September 1, 2018 in Willemstad, Curacao. |
April 5 @ 10:00 am - 10:55 am |
Full name: Frederick Albert Atkinson
Born: 10th August 1870, Nelson, New Zealand
Died: 1st March 1913, Nelson, New Zealand
Teams: Nelson (Main FC: 1888/89-1891/92)
Lists of matches and more detailed statistics
First-Class Career Batting and Fielding (1888/89-1891/92)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct
Nelson 2 4 0 26 10 6.50 0 0 0 |
US$35, paper
State, Society, and the UN System:
Changing Perspectives on Multilateralism
Edited by Keith Krause and W. Andy Knight
Studies on Multilateralism and the UN System
As the United Nations celebrates its 5Oth anniversary in 1995, it is enjoying a revival of interest among scholars, statesmen, and the general public.
This development is closely related to changes in the basic parameters of the post-1945 world order, and the primary concern of this book is to examine, against this changing backdrop, multilateralism and the UN system from the perspective of what is called a "state/society complex," which refers to the forces operating within and across states. In addition to its unique perspective, this volume differs from previous studies in focusing attention on seldom-studied states and their policies and practices in relation to the UN system and multilateralism. The selected states fall into three distinct groupings: (1) two states (Germany and India) that are trying for a larger voice in the system; (2) two (Sweden and Romania) that have viewed the UN system as a means of projecting domestic aims onto a global stage; and (3) three - Chile, Jamaica, and Sierra Leone - that are greatly affected by the shifting currents in the multilateral sphere.
The case-study contributors describe the most important issues that have been promoted or supported since 1945 and how multilateral participation may have changed, especially in the latter half of the post-war period, and finally consider the impact of their state's policies on the future of multilateralism.
This book and its companion volume, The United Nations System: The Policies of Member States, constitute a unique source of information and analysis of member states' perceptions and policies towards the United Nations.
Keith Krause is Associate Professor of Political Science at York University, Toronto.
W. Andy Knight is Assistant Professor of International Relations, International organization, and Regional Politics at Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Quebec. |
C. Bruce Littlejohn Papers
Identifier: SCU-SCPC-CBL
Cameron Bruce Littlejohn represented Spartanburg County in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1937 to 1943 and 1947 to 1949, the latter three years as Speaker. He resigned in 1949 when he won a judicial appointment. For the next thirty-five years, Littlejohn served on South Carolina's Seventh Circuit Court and the South Carolina Supreme Court, attaining the post of Chief Justice in his last two years on the Court.
Dates: 1861 and 1906-2007
Names: Littlejohn, Bruce, 1913-2007 X
Names: South Carolina. General Assembly. House of Representatives X |
The collection contains two letters: one, a letter to Mrs. Mesney on 1 November 1955; and another, to W. B. Burwell on 25 July 1955. |
Tag: The Ari Files
That’s A Lot of Freakin’ Cowboys
I’ve been cleaning out the drawers and boxes. These are cuts, maybe not finished, maybe laid down and left to knock around, or fragments culled from the air in a given moment and then forgotten. Tapes sitting in cracked cases, tangled, frayed amd torn. So I cleaned and spliced, and they kind of make a story now that I’ve stuck them together. It’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
That’s A Lot of Freakin’ Cowboys by Mark Ari
Posted on September 9, 2012 October 3, 2012
Obama, Facebook Loons and a Daydream
Argot de Molina, by Mark Ari
There was a lot of reaction on Facebook to my expression of a personal conviction that President Barak Obama is by far the best choice to lead our country for the next few years. There was a lot of support. Some respectful dissent which I, in turn, respect. And some pretty crazy shit. Selected or twisted so-called “facts,” that are often nothing like facts. Weird constructs developed to make the world fit into a peculiar mindset.
I don’t take them down, those comments. Mostly I don’t, and I struggle a little with that. After all, it’s my wall. Not a radio talk show. Not a street corner. I’ve no obligation to give others a place to vent whatever it takes for them to meet some private need in whatever yap and banter suits them. They can write on their own walls. They can find an audience for themselves. Surely, there is one out there. There is always that. Or they can talk to themselves, if they don’t already.
Do they think they are being read by others as they read themselves, or do they suspect that’s not the case, rationalizing it away with the notion they have some greater brainpower or vision beyond all those otherwise intelligent, educated, well-intentioned folk who cannot grasp or handle “the truth” because of some terrible infirmity of blindness? What magic of cognitive dissonance is this? Do they imagine the rest are the ones chained to the wall of Plato’s cave, and not themselves? What terrible pressure is it to own the last period after everyone has gone away, shaking their heads.
I leave those comments up as illustrations. They make an argument, though not any intended one. I think it’s good to see it. It represents something real and powerful that can be pretty easily discerned. No further commentary needed.
So, fuck a duck. I’m feeling good. Optimistic. Even if I’m the only person on the planet feeling that way for the moment. Rare enough these last years. I’m not going to squander it. I’ve been daydreaming. Almost all day—and O, man, how I love to daydream. I was once known for it. Internationally.
Today, in my dream, 20 or 30 or 40 other folks and I are marching through the streets, just like we did in Seville back in the day, as they say. Guitars, flutes, and tambourines, cardboard boxes and cowbells, metal pails and plastic ones and broom handles—anything a person can carry to pluck or blow on or pound against something hard. Singing. We’re singing. Palms slap flamenco rhythms, bottles of tinto passing, great hashish clouds swirl with our toned breaths. Only it’s the streets of Jacksonville instead of La Alameda. And we’re heading for the polling stations. That’s right, baby. And it’s Cheryl Wheeler’s “Your God” we’re bellowing to brick face and allyway and one another, laughing as we go.
Posted on August 15, 2012 October 3, 2012
Fiddler on the Goddam Roof
“Let’s Rock,” by Mark Ari
I was living in Seville, Spain in 1986. For the first month or so, I stayed at the Hostal Virgen de los Reyes. I got sick. Ferocious fever. Neck glands bulging and tight as drums. The works. Flattened me good.
Then, one night, the sheets were knotted bladderwrack, the way they get when it’s late and the air is wet and you’re coughing so much you feel your lungs rip and something bursts in your brain with every bark. I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed my Walkman, guitar, and a carton of wine, and went up to the roof where I hoped the air would be cooler. Thought I’d strum a bit. Drink until it made me tired. Maybe lay out under the stars.
There was a guy already there. One foot hooked on a rail behind him, he stood leaning back on the parapet, his head tilted toward a fiddle he plucked and tuned. He tossed me a nod when he saw me coming. I flung one back at him and grinned, because that’s what you do when the moon is fat and blue and the sky all glittery-like, and there’s the fiddler on the goddam roof.
Fiddler on the Goddam Roof by Mark Ari
A WHISKER A WAY
Posted on June 1, 2012 October 11, 2014
On the Proper Use of Trail Mix and the Nature of Skin(response to a letter from a friend)
Zwei Weibliche Torsi by Egon Schiele
The whole real/unreal thing always throws me for a loop. I don’t really get it. For something to be real, does it have to be permanent? If that’s the case, then nothing is real. Love can’t last longer than a heart, and hearts give out. Unless, of course, you believe in the long embrace of the afterlife. I mean, according to some folks, we’d be too busy to hold hands anyway, hot dogging it over brimstone or singing praises in, I don’t know, 36-part harmony? Cool idea, the singing. Walking fearless through the shadowed valley into the glorious light of the Lord, eating a trail mix of joy and bliss and berries on our way. This all feels like crap.
The answer isn’t in a classroom either. Science and philosophy regularly fumble some of the big stuff, because they are too often based on a narrowing of vision at the expense of the periphery. And not just that. Take evolution. Plenty of facts in the ground for that one. Though some of the dots may be missing, there are more than enough on the page to connect and get the picture. But to suggest evolution supports a hierarchical understanding of life, or that it justifies the endless assault of social Darwinism on our better instincts, is just mind-numbing. That isn’t extrapolation; it’s imposition. Blinkered eye out, dead eye in. But you know what they say about the one-eyed man in the land of the blind, so crap is king.
You have to see in and out at the same time. You have to look. The yearning to understand has to be stronger than the yearning to prove. And so much of understanding is in our skin.
Consider the practice of philosophy. Reading is a significant part of it. So is rumination to build synaptic “muscle.” But if you want to have something to say about the world, you have to be in it, absorb it, and be wholly absorbed by it. Not through conferences or speaking invitations or a neatly fenced program of “study abroad.” These things are fine, but limited, controlled, protected. You need to be alone and loose on the streets, in villages and jungles and deserts and cities. Starting with no direction, so you discover who you are in that place as you build the story of it with every step you take. You have to go where you’re afraid to go. That’s part of how you know you have to go there. And is it corny to say you have to be in the moment? You do. You can’t take yourself out of the equation. You can’t understand a thing without you.
Of course, not every journey is geographic. Anais Nin wrote about cities of the interior. There are worlds on both sides of our skin. Some of the best trips go both ways. Maybe love happens when we yearn for those worlds and they yearn for us and one another all at once. What trembly bliss might then ripple on the surface of our skin and under it?
But I don’t know. All that yap about dream and reality eludes me. I generally can’t tell the difference between the two. If you think you’re in love, you’re in love. The rest is just finding out what that means. You have to go there. If you’ve got a one-way ticket in your hand, it’s because that’s the only way. All that “planning” for a future you won’t get hurt in is just what you tell yourself to convince yourself it’s a good idea to get on the bus. Just get on while the door’s open.
Look, you can only get hurt to the extent it matters. And if it matters that much, what are you going to do? Sit around and think about it? Maybe pack the trail mix. I don’t know what kind.
90 in the Shade
One of the people I met when I first slid down to Jacksonville was Rob Thomas. Rob hosted “90 in the Shade,” a radio magazine on WJCT, Jacksonville’s public radio station. I’d heard the program a couple times and liked it a lot, so I was glad to find out I’d been booked to interview with him.
Rob was great. I’d been traveling and touring about, but working with him wasn’t just another gig. It was more of a good sit down with a new pal. Despite all the techy things around, I felt at home in that little Studio A. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. It was all about him, really. His manner. His voice. A terrific voice. Natural. Unforced. Warm. Given to laughter. With a bit of a break in it that somehow made it comfortable to be around. You can hear it on the EP, “Live at 90 in the Shade .” You’ll see what I’m talking about.
Over a few years, Rob had me on the program more times than I can count. Sometimes planned; sometimes spur of the moment. I made sure to always have something new for him. Prose to read or a song to sing. Something to try out. “Out of the Blue” was like that. I’d just come back from the MacDowell Colony where I’d written a bunch of songs, and I kind of liked that one. Rob’s show was a chance for me to hear what it sounded like when I played it for people I didn’t know.
On occasion he had me scurrying. There’d be a sudden cancellation, and Rob would ask me to fill in. In the hour or two before air time, I’d write a song. “El Dorado” was one of those. My dreidel song, too. I’d be halfway through the show and start in on whatever new thing I had, wondering if I’d remember the words. I usually did, more or less. Or I made new ones up as I went. It was fun.
Now and again, I’d play an old tune simply because it came up in conversation. Even if I’d never played it before. Like “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime.” You know, faking it. But not really. Just being in the moment. A nice place to be.
I’m talking about these things like they are in the past, like those peculiar times are gone. But about everything we think we know of time is bullshit. We imagine if we can’t put a finger on a thing, it’s not there, so we’re just a bunch of folks poking around in the dark, looking for something we can’t recall what it is. Fuck a duck. The trick is to make it up as you go along. You get better at it.
“Live at 90 in the Shade” has a few of the performances I did on Rob’s program. I don’t have many of them. Rob says he thinks he has bunch hidden away in Georgia. I hope he gets around to digging them out. I’d like to hear them again. But he doesn’t need to find them to have my thanks. He’s got that.
Go to Live at 90 in the Shade.
Posted on May 14, 2012 November 21, 2012
EAT POEMS
I always had a thing for small presses and tiny mags. I read Bukowski for the first time on typewriter paper, photocopied and saddle-stitched. Seymour Krim, Paul Bowles, Mohammed Mrabet, even Tom Waits: the list is longer than memory. I found the things remarkable. Like they were made next door. Like I could smell the wine and cigarettes still on the pages.
I read HOWL in high school, and it sent me careening, dizzy and delirious, through the streets of my town, hauling folks up by the collar, pressing their backs to walls while I wheezed breathless lines into shocked mugs. CITY LIGHTS, Ferlinghetti’s press, was the publisher. HOWL was part of the POCKET POET SERIES—the same series that introduced me to Corso’s GASOLINE, Ferlinghetti’s own PICTURES OF A GONE WORLD, and opened me like a can of party snakes. But when I found a Ginsburg poem in a homemade journal held together by a couple of staples, it was something else. Even closer somehow. More personal. More private and direct. I forget the name of the zine, but I remember the moment.
Then I met Irv Stettner, editor and publisher of STROKER MAGAZINE. He had accepted some of my work and invited me to visit him. I did, bottle in hand, and we became pals. Together, mailbags swinging from our shoulders, we pinballed tables in East Village bars and cafes, fists full of Strokers waving as we went. Irv taught to me to hawk them like the boxes of Cracker Jacks they were, each with a surprise on the inside.
That’s when I got the itch to make things like that or to help other folks make them—excellent words stuffed into bottles or homemade baskets strung to balloons and let loose on the blue. It’s not all that hard. Sure, as I recently mentioned to my friend, Tim Gilmore, the less money you have, the more muscle you need. But think what you do for the next guy or gal. The artist you boost. The reader with a chest full of snakes yet unsprung. And we have the internet. So, you know, fuck a duck.
I’m launching EAT POEMS, a series of digital EP albums, each focusing on a single poet reading his or her own work.
The first album will be THE RAPE POEMS by Frances Driscoll, a sampling of the work in her extraordinary collection published under the same name by Pleasure Boat Studios. Look for the announcement in the immediate future.
Update: Go to EAT to view the EAT Poems Series
“with the absolute heart of the poem of life butchered out of their own bodies good to eat a thousand years.” from HOWL by Allen Ginsberg
Posted on March 30, 2012 October 3, 2012
At the Legendary Folkway Coffee House in 1994
We were a pally bunch, tramping the streets of Peterborough, New Hampshire, yapping as we went. I think the magnificent Thulani Davis was there, the great Karl Ciesluk, David Barnes of “Barnztuff” fame, and some others. We were thirsty, and there was a place I’d heard a lot about and never seen.
When we went through the doorway, I saw a small stage on the other side of the room. No one was on it. Some skinny guy behind the bar spotted me with my guitar slung over my shoulder. I always had it with me in those days. After all, you are what you carry. Then the bar guy grabbed up a short stool, walked over to me, and put it in my hand. “Buy you a beer,” he said, giving me the once over. “Another when you’re done.” I touched the brim of my hat.
I’d have done it for one.
Statesboro Blues
So, I figure, there I was, glue on my fingers, not knowing what I was going to play, a stranger in a stranger land where loons totter in spilt moonlight and martinets are heard but rarely seen, their fluttering like breaths and whispers into raven ears. I had some friends in the crowd. That was smart. But all I could think, all I could really think, looking out blind from the light in my eyes, was man, man-oh-man, they oughta see this Jewboy fireman when he gets the boiler hot.
1994 Version (from “Live at the Legenday Folkway café“): |
Polygraphic design
Catalog cover design
Catalog Examples
Booklets and flyers
Video editing for YouTube
Event filming
Create a promo video
Video editing and design
Video preview on Youtube channel
To increase the level of customer confidence and strengthen the image of each company, you need to take care of creating a competent, professional catalog. It is especially important to take into account the stylistic decisions of the brand and corporate identity when launching this product. The catalog should correspond to the general conceptual orientation.
The catalog is the most informative type of polygraphy, large in terms of volume and development time. In order for this product to fulfill its tasks, it is necessary to think through its structure as much as possible during development.
Internet catalog in PDF format
The online catalog in PDF format is a multimedia product used as a supplement to the printed version. It can also be distributed separately. Many entrepreneurs use the online catalog as an attachment to a full-fledged website to tell in detail about the products and services offered.
Different types of Internet directories, like other types of communications, can create new products. The main thing is not to forget that when creating this product, you must use only the data that is useful and interesting to potential customers.
Given that the PDF format is the most suitable for distribution on the Web (due to the minimum size). A feature of the professional design of an online catalog is both high-quality photos, graphics and collages, as well as competent layout, structured content placement. To do this, it is necessary not only to place information in a balanced way, but also to choose the right font size and think over convenient navigation. This is a guarantee that the design is really professional and worthy of attention.
Creating an online catalog design is a step-by-step work. It suggests:
Search and refinement of the main idea. In order for the result to meet the customer's expectations, it is important to dot the i's. Thanks to this, your target audience will know about the main advantages of the products offered over others.
Concept creation. In working on an online catalog, this stage is considered the most interesting, but at the same time very difficult. The developer needs to decide on the color scheme, style, typography, tempo-rhythm, interior page and cover design, and printing. The specialists of the design studio provide the client with the option that they consider optimal for approval. It is mandatory to demonstrate the basic techniques for designing content and its placement.
Design of internal pages of the Internet catalog with subsequent layout. In terms of time, this stage is the longest. The deadline depends on the complexity of the design concept, the type of information in the catalog and the number of pages. The design studio carries out layout of photo, as well as other illustrative and text content.
Looking for where to order an online catalog on favorable terms? You will not go wrong with the choice by contacting our specialists. We will take into account all your wishes, including those regarding the cost of services.
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Author Archives: Art by Linda
I’m working on this site…and since I don’t know what I’m doing, it’s going to take a while:)
Posted byArt by Linda July 20, 2014 Posted inUncategorizedLeave a comment on Under Construction |
Tag: interest rate swap accounting
Foreign Exchange Management, Home 25 August 2019
Interest Rate Swap/Example/Valuation
What is an Interest Rate Swap? How to value Interest Rate Swap? Interest Rate Swap is a forward contract or agreement between two or more parties to exchange interest payment obligations in the future. This agreement clearly defines when the cash flows are to be exchanged … |
30 Can’t-Miss Things to Do in Raleigh, N.C.
— Read on www.google.com/amp/s/www.visitraleigh.com/plan-a-trip/visitraleigh-insider-blog/post/30-can-t-miss-things-to-do-in-raleigh-n-c-/amp/ |
My Magic Life
In his first article as a regular Premium writer for SCG, William “Huey” Jensen shares his journey from learning Magic as a kid to being elected to the Pro Tour Hall of Fame.
By William Jensen
In the fall of 1995, I woke up and got ready to head to what I thought would be another run-of-the-mill day of seventh grade. Little did I know that this day would begin a chain of events that would introduce me to the game that would dramatically change my life for the better. I arrived at homeroom, and after morning announcements my teacher handed out pamphlets for a unique summer camp. Lots of the activities listed were things that were very appealing to me. They had chess, something called "fantasy adventures," and magic. (This was literally magic, where you learned how to do magic tricks, unrelated to Magic: The Gathering). I went home from school that day and gave the information to my mother. She agreed that it seemed like a good fit for me and put the wheels in motion.
I finished out seventh grade, and the time came to go to summer camp. I remember arriving on the first day and heading to the meeting area to find tables full of kids playing some card game that I’d never seen before. I walked over and watched a couple of them playing. I had literally no idea what was going on. I asked someone for an explanation, and he gave me my first (very rough) introduction to the rules of Magic: The Gathering. Throughout the rest of the first day whenever there was downtime, there were always a ton of kids playing Magic. I watched and tried to learn as much as I could. When the day came to an end and my mom picked me up, I of course wanted to go to the store and by some Magic cards. I got a couple of Fourth Edition Starter Decks and took them over to my friend’s house to play.
Obviously, as 13-year-old boys, we didn’t bother reading the rules. I knew everything I needed to from watching a few games at camp that day. The games were usually decided by my Shivan Dragon or by him casting Desert Twister on me. (Destroy any target permanently—what was I supposed to do?) Eventually, after deciding that this card was simply too good, we decided to make our own errata of sorts and only allow Desert Twister to be used to kill cards that are in play.
As the weeks of camp went by, I learned more and more about cards, decks, and rules. Desert Twister was no longer a card with the text "win the game" and due to the frequency of being asked "what color do you play?" I figured I should pick one. At some point I had managed to acquire a Royal Assassin and a Nightmare, and they were by far my favorite cards, so I chose black. I managed to make some trades for some more Nightmares, a few Sengir Vampires, Hypnotic Specters, and some Black Knights, and my deck was really coming together. Easily my favorite thing at the time was turn 1 Dark Ritual, Hypnotic Specter or double Dark Ritual and Sengir Vampire. How was anyone supposed to beat a turn 1 4/4 flier?
Camp came to an end and so did my outlet for playing Magic. At this point, that was all I really wanted to do. I had to find somewhere else to play. Next time I went to one of the stores I bought packs at, I asked the person working the counter if he knew of a place to play. He told me about another store that had tournaments every Saturday. I was excited. The next weekend I went to one of these tournaments. Naturally, I expected to win it. All I needed was a few turn 1 Sengir Vampires, and there would be nothing anyone could do.
I remember playing my first round, which was against an older kid maybe seventeen or eighteen. He had cards that I’d heard of but never actually seen. I don’t remember too many details of the match, but I remember a few. I remember he had a real problem beating Xenic Poltergeist because it was able to tap to kill his Moxen. I also remember in one of the games I was able to assemble a Xenic Poltergeist, Icy Manipulator, and Royal Assassin combo and destroy his Ivory Tower. I remember him getting very upset when I won.
In round 2, I had to play against Rob. I had heard buzz around the store that Rob was the guy to beat. Well, I was in luck because my hand was unbeatable; first turn two Dark Rituals and a Sengir Vampire. I remember Rob giving a little shrug and taking his turn. He played Tundra and tapped it to cast Swords to Plowshares on my Sengir Vampire.
What was this card?
Nobody at camp played with it. I read it. Ok, my Sengir Vampire is gone, but I’m at 24 life. Good luck beating me now. I was puzzled as to why someone would play with a card with such a major drawback. Especially the "guy to beat." I don’t remember many other details of that match or tournament. But I remember getting Millstoned to death two games in a row, I remember that Swords to Plowshares, and I remember him doing a lot of things at the "end of your turn." I also remember that moment because it was the moment that I realized both that I had a lot to learn and that I really wanted to learn it.
Over the next several months I continued to regularly attend that Saturday tournament as well as some weeknight tournaments here and there. I played my black deck for a while, with some occasional success. One thing I was always careful to do was to watch as many of Rob’s games as I could. Over time I began to construct my own U/W Millstone deck. I didn’t really have access to the full complement of power cards like he did. But by trading and using store credit that I’d built up from prizes, I managed to get just about everything.
Right about the time I managed to complete the deck, the store announced it was closing its doors. I was obviously very unhappy since I looked forward to going there to play every Saturday. I would have to find a new place to play. For a while, I just played in random weeknight tournaments, although they were generally "Type 2." (Now known as Standard.) I wasn’t able to use my power cards, but I was still able to play U/W Control decks based around cards like Ivory Gargoyle and Kjeldoran Outpost. At this point, I started to do really well in these tournaments, commonly winning or coming close.
On weekends occasionally there were big tournaments known as "thousand-dollar tournaments" in downtown Boston. The level of competition at these events was very high. These tournaments were where I first met players like Brian Kibler, David Humphreys, Darwin Kastle, Tom Guevin, and Steven O’Mahoney Schwartz. I remember my first match against Steve. It was Mirage/Visions Sealed Deck. I had a Viashino Warrior and a Searing Spear Askari in play, and I played a Snake Basket. On the following turn, I cast a Dark Ritual and made something like eight or nine Snake tokens.
I felt good about my chances, as all Steve had in play was a Maro. Even though it was a 5/5 or something, I thought I’d be able to run him over with my horde of creatures. I still remember vividly as Steve untapped, tapped four mana, and played Savage Twister for two. Steve went on to easily win the game and the match. But I learned a valuable lesson that day about not overextending.
When there were no thousand-dollar tournaments, I started becoming exposed to the PTQ scene. At first, I always played in the junior division. I was able to attend Pro Tour New York in 1998. Unfortunately, I didn’t qualify, so I was there as a spectator. I still had a great time and remember watching a lot of the Top 8 matches. Jon Finkel ended up winning the Pro Tour, and around this time is when the local greats who I respected started mentioning him as potentially the best player in the world.
Soon a store not far from where I lived, TJ’s Collectibles, began to have an Extended tournament every Saturday. I was really happy to have finally found a new stomping ground, which TJ’s would be for me for many years. I started going every single weekend. At this point, I was really coming into my own as a Magic player and started winning this tournament almost every week. Due to the fact that I had done so well in these Extended tournaments, I had a really good constructed rating. In the fall of 1998, I competed in my first major Magic tournament, Grand Prix Boston.
There were a few well-known decks for me to choose from, and I opted to play a U/G deck based on Tradewind Rider and Awakening. I actually did reasonably well in the event. I finished in the Top 32, but if I recall correctly, that didn’t award any prizes at the time. I was still happy with that result. But the thing I remember most about my first major Magic tournament was that in round 6 with a record of 5-0 I got paired against Jon Finkel. I remember checking the pairings and checking my opponents name. I was truly thrilled to get a chance to play against the guy who was considered to be the best player in the world.
I remember Jon played a turn 1 Survival of the Fittest with a Mox Diamond and completely decimated me. I never felt like I was in either of the games. I lost, walked over to my friends, and was literally bursting with excitement that I had the opportunity to play Jon. I was high fiving all my friends, and I appeared so happy that one of them said, "Wait, did you win?" to which I replied, "Of course not." That is the only time I can remember not caring that I had lost a match of competitive Magic. Jon went on to go undefeated for the duration of the tournament, including a finals win over Randy Buehler. I really enjoyed that event and wanted to find a way to play in more tournaments of that level.
Because I did well at Grand Prix Boston and continued to do exceptionally well at the Saturday Extended tournaments, I qualified for Pro Tour Rome on rating a couple months later. I begged and pleaded with my mom until finally somehow I convinced her to let me go. The condition was that she come with me, but that was totally fine with me, as long as I was able to go. I played a deck that was designed by David Humphreys. It was a Great Whale / Recurring Nightmare combo deck that got infinite mana and then used various different methods to kill the opponent. It was possible to recur Triskelion an infinite number of times or sometimes even use a Mishra’s Factory to pump itself over and over as you were recurring the Great Whale.
This deck was good in the metagame of lots of Tolarian Academy and High Tide combo decks because it had access to a fair amount of permission spells as well as Duress. I ended up going 3-3-1, including a draw on time with Shawn "Hammer" Regnier, the winner of the second Pro Tour, who I knew from the New England Magic scene.
My favorite story of the tournament, which I love to tell, is from my match against Janosch Kuhn. He was a decently well-known Pro Tour regular, and I was just some kid in his first Pro Tour. He was playing a Tolarian Academy deck. He was going off, and it was obvious I had nothing to interact, as he was drawing countless cards and I wasn’t responding at all. At some point, he had played Mind Over Matter and was using it to untap Ancient Tomb and use it for mana repeatedly. (Keep in mind the rules were different at the time. If a player was at zero life, he or she did not lose the game unless there was a change in phase. So theoretically you could be at -100 life, Stroke of Genius your opponent for 55 and win the game by decking.) I think we were 3-1-1 at the time, so I really wanted to win this game and match to assure myself a day 2 finish.
I remember sitting there thinking to myself, "How can I win this game?" So then I tried something. As he was casting some more artifacts, I simply tapped all my lands and said, "I’ll get five blue." I remember the look on his face. He was very puzzled. "So you have five blue in your pool?" "Yep, five blue." He went on to spend the rest of his mana on various spells and artifacts. At that point, he said, "Declare my attack," to which I naturally replied, "Ok, you’re at -6 life, you lose" He just grinned at me, realizing what had happened, nodded, and picked up his cards. I felt like a genius. Unfortunately, I ended up losing the match in three games, but I will never forget that game.
So I headed home from Rome knowing one thing: I had to play in more Pro Tours. I started to look much more actively for PTQs. About two months after Pro Tour Rome, I went to my friend Mark’s house to spend the night with the intent to head to a PTQ the next morning—a qualifier for Pro Tour Los Angeles on the Queen Mary. I woke up in the morning for the PTQ, and I was sick. I don’t mean I had a little cough either. I had a bad case of the flu. I ached all over, had a fever, and was exhausted. Naturally, this wasn’t going to stop me from playing a Magic tournament.
So off we headed to the PTQ. It was an Urza’s Saga Sealed Deck PTQ with a Draft Top 8. I don’t really remember much about the Swiss rounds of the tournament. What I do remember was that outside the room was a lobby type area with a couch. I was so sick that after every round I would go lay down on the couch and either sleep or just lay there until Mark came and told me pairings were up for the next round. Mark started joking about it and calling it "Jordan tech" in reference to Michael Jordan’s famous "Flu Game."
I ended up making Top 8 and was on to the draft. I ended up with a solid B/W deck featuring a Mishra’s Helix. I actually hadn’t had the opportunity to play with Mishra’s Helix before, and I remember I almost didn’t take it. Thankfully I did, as it ended up winning me multiple games en route to the finals. In the finals, I was up against Shawn "Hammer" Regnier. I knew from experience that Hammer was a great player, and this would not be an easy match. He was also playing a B/W deck. I ended up winning in two games, one thanks to Mishra’s Helix. I took my envelope and mustered all the strength I had left to walk to the car and collapse into the passenger’s seat. I was too sick to even feel happy yet. I woke up the next morning, and while I still felt badly, the worst of it was over. At this point, it started to set in that I was going back to the Pro Tour, and I was ecstatic.
Pro Tour Los Angeles wasn’t for a couple months. A couple weeks later there was another PTQ, this time for Pro Tour New York. The format was Extended, and I had gotten a decklist for a mono-blue "draw-go" deck from Erik Lauer. The deck to beat in the metagame at the time was High Tide combo. I felt good about the deck choice, and the tournament went great. I easily advanced to the Top 8 and won my first two rounds there.
The finals, however, would be no easy match. I had to play against a now Hall of Famer in David Humphreys. Dave, in my estimation, is one of the best and most underrated Magic players of all time (even though he’s in the Hall of Fame). He was always known as one of the best in the Boston area, and in my mind, he was the best. I think every time I’ve had a discussion with someone about the greatest Magic players of all time I’ve brought up David Humphreys.
Anyways, Dave was playing his patented Great Whale / Recurring Nightmare deck. I knew this would be a more difficult matchup for me than all the High Tide decks because Dave had access to significantly more permission spells and also Duress. I remember playing one of the sideboarded games in which I had played an Arcane Laboratory. Dave and I played a really complex game where I had Forbid and Whispers of the Muse. Dave had to cast exactly the right threats every turn to prevent me from Whispering with buyback at the end of his turn.
I had to let exactly enough threats resolve and deal with them in other ways in order to keep my hand stocked enough that I could Forbid with Buyback when necessary. I remember feeling the key point in the game was when Dave hard cast a Great Whale and I chose to let it resolve, intending to trade a Mishra’s Factory and two Quicksands for it the following turn. I went on to win the game and the match, and now I had stockpiled two Pro Tour invites!
The next day I headed to some tournament at Your Move Games. I don’t remember the tournament format or anything about it. But I do remember walking in to the store. I remember Tom Guevin, who was a real character, sitting at a table a few chairs down from Dave. When I walked in, Tom looked up at me and said, "Billy, Dave said your deck was crap." I sort of expected something like this from Tom. I shrugged and looked over at Dave, who said, "That’s not what I said, Tom. I said I lost to the player, not the deck." I will always remember that moment, as it was then that I knew I had gained the respect of David Humphreys, one of the Magic players who I respected the most.
Pro Tour Los Angeles did not go well for me at all. I don’t remember my exact record, but I know I put up a terrible performance. Pro Tour New York went better, as I finished well enough to qualify for the World Championships in Yokohama, Japan. I was having a very respectable tournament. Going into the last round, it was clear I’d be able to make Top 32, qualifying me for the next Pro Tour in London, if I managed a win. Of course, nothing on the Pro Tour is ever easy, and I was paired against one of the best in the game and now Hall of Famer Dirk Baberowski. The format was Extended. I was playing a High Tide / Yawgmoth’s Will deck, and Dirk was playing a Mono-Black Necropotence deck.
In game 3, Dirk was applying pressure with a Steel Golem. He also had a Tormod’s Crypt and a Wasteland in play. I had only two Islands. I was going to need to win on my following turn, and it was not going to be easy. It was going to be difficult to get black mana because of the Wasteland (all my black sources were Underground Seas aside from one Swamp to get with Thawing Glaciers, which I did not have). It was going to be hard to cast Yawgmoth’s Will because of the Tormod’s Crypt.
I led off my turn by tapping an Island to play High Tide. I tapped my other Island to play another High Tide. Then I played Underground Sea and tapped it for two blue and one black. I used all three of my blue to cast Frantic Search, to which Dirk naturally responded by Wastelanding my Underground Sea. I was going to have these two double High Tided Islands to win this game, and that was going to be it. I also couldn’t spend my black mana until I was in a position to cast Yawgmoth’s Will.
I used one of my Islands to cast Meditate and used the other to play another Frantic Search, untapping both. I then played yet another High Tide followed by a Turnabout targeting Dirk. He knew what I was doing and used his Tormod’s Crypt to exile my graveyard. It didn’t matter at this point, as I had found everything I needed. I went on to cast another Frantic Search or two, another Mediate or two, and Yawgmoth’s Will, winning the game. Dirk was extremely gracious in defeat in our match, and told me he was very happy for me that I had qualified for Pro Tour London. Dirk and I remain friends to this day.
After my Top 32 finish at Worlds, I headed home, excited that I had managed to qualify for Pro Tour London. This was my next tournament, and it was going to be Urza’s Saga/Urza’s Legacy/Urza’s Destiny Booster Draft. This is one of my favorite limited formats of all time. I practiced a lot for this tournament and felt very confident and prepared as I headed off to London. I ended up making the Top 8 and played in the first round against Kyle Rose. Kyle Rose was a phenomenal Magic player, amassing four Pro Tour Top 8s, with a win, as well as a US Nationals win during the time it was considered to be as difficult as a Pro Tour. I personally feel that Kyle really never got his due when it comes to being recognized as one of Magic’s great players.
A funny story that will show you how far the Internet has come over the years: I heard years after this Top 8 that The Dojo, which was the largest and possibly only Magic website at the time, had actually posted the contents of all the Top 8 packs the night before the draft. I don’t think anyone knew about it before the draft, as I had multiple friends also in Top 8 and they certainly didn’t know, but can you imagine if something like that happened now? Anyway, the draft ended up going horribly for me, and I lost to Kyle in three straight games. I left London embarrassed by my draft and not proud of my accomplishment like I should have. The good thing was that the Top 8 finish would keep me qualified for an extended period of time. I was now "on the train."
A few weeks later I had my first major Grand Prix success. I flew to San Diego for a Mercadian Masques Limited Grand Prix. I ended up really steamrolling this tournament, losing I think only one match en route to victory. I really felt like I had something to prove after embarrassing myself in London and needed that win to get my confidence back. The funniest part of this tournament was probably the fact that I beat now good friend David Williams in three matches on Sunday. We were paired in both of the day 2 drafts and the Top 8 draft. We joke about it to this day.
My next major success occurred at the end of 2000 in the Masters Tournament at Pro Tour New York. For those who don’t know, the Masters were a series of 32-man, invitation-only, single-elimination tournaments with enormous prize pools. Each round was for incredibly high stakes. The inaugural one took place at Pro Tour New York 2000. The format was Extended, and due to the success I’d had over the previous year, I received an invite. Preparing for this event, I practiced with good friend and now Hall of Famer Ben Rubin, and we both ended up playing a U/G Survival of the Fittest / Tradewind Rider Control deck. In the five rounds of that tournament, I defeated three people who would one day be in the Hall of Fame. (Herzog, O. Ruel, and Maher)
In the finals, I was paired against Jason Zila, who was playing a U/W Control deck. Everyone thought I had a horrible matchup, myself included. In three very long and intense games, using multiple copies of Back to Basics, I was able to overcome the odds and become the first Masters Series Champion, defeating Jason Zila 2-1. This event was covered by ESPN and broadcast on ESPN2. I was interviewed for the ESPN show, and the whole experience was really surreal.
The next couple years of the Pro Tour went well for me. Frankly, though, I was disappointed. I did manage to finish in the Top 16 once, the Top 32 four times, and the Top 64 three times as well as have some reasonable Grand Prix success. All I wanted to do was get back on the Sunday stage and redeem myself for my poor performance in the Top 8 of London, and I continued to come up a little short. Lots of good things did happen in those two years though. I built a lot of incredible friendships with tremendous people, most of which persist to this day. I earned the respect of a lot of my peers as a Magic player. I really feel I grew a tremendous amount during this period. At the end of 2002, I felt like a more mature, secure, and confident person. But I still felt like I had something to prove.
A major thing happened in the world of Magic in mid-to-late 2002, and that was the release of Magic: The Gathering Online. Magic Online was one of the most convenient things that ever happened to Magic. It made all facets of practicing easier. You were able to do drafts anytime you wanted from the comfort of your own home. You were also easier able to practice for Constructed events with a clean and useful interface, unlike the third-party programs that existed at the time.
When Magic Online was released, I couldn’t get enough of it. It was also helped by the fact that at the time Magic Online had the capability to do team drafts. I didn’t do anything but play Magic, online or otherwise, for several months. Some days I would wake up, get on the computer, and play until I went to bed. Not only was I enjoying it but my game was as sharp as it ever was, and it was about to show.
The first Pro Tour of 2003 was in Chicago. The format was Onslaught Rochester Draft. I was very well practiced in Onslaught Draft and felt I had a very good chance to do well. I had a great day 1, going 6-1 and putting myself in what I felt was a very good position to make a run at Top 8. There are two people in my eyes in the history of Magic who really established themselves as far and ahead above the rest of us in terms of skill and dominance. The first is Jon Finkel, and the second, of course, is the German Juggernaut, Kai Budde. In the last round of Swiss, I only needed a draw to advance to the Top 8. My opponent was Kai Budde. We agreed to the intentional draw, guaranteeing us both Top 8, and waited for the end of the round to hear the Top 8 announcement. I was overjoyed that I was finally going to have a chance to redeem myself.
The Top 8 was completely stacked: Kai Budde, Nicolai Herzog, Jon Finkel, Dustin Stern, Eugene Harvey, Fabio Reinhardt, Bram Snepvangers, and myself. Unfortunately, I realized as the standings were announced that my opponent in the first round of Top 8 was going to be none other than Kai Budde. Kai had already won a staggering six Pro Tours. The only other player who had won three Pro Tours at that time was Dirk Baberowski, and two of Dirk’s victories had come in Team Pro Tours as a member of Kai’s team, The Phoenix Foundation. Six Pro Tour wins is just a staggering number. I knew what I was up against, but I also understood that I was a good player. I didn’t presume to make myself a favorite in my match against Kai, but I definitely thought I had a fighting chance.
I walked back to my hotel room alone that night anxious to get some sleep. As I was walking through a hallway in one direction, Kai was walking in the other. I remember Kai stopping and asking me if I wanted to do a small split where the winner of our match would give something to the loser. Naturally, I accepted. Honestly, I remember feeling honored that Kai had enough respect for me as a player to even make the offer.
I arrived the next morning anxious to draft. I remember t draft went decently. My draft, however, was not the issue. Kai’s deck was absolutely amazing. I had to watch dejectedly as Kai was passed a tremendous R/B deck. This was very uncommon in Onslaught. The removal was so important that usually every player had to play one of the two colors. Kai’s deck was unstoppable. It featured two Cabal Archons, Rotlung Reanimator, and three or four premium black and red removal cards. To make matters worse, my deck had a lot of Clerics in it, which would trigger Kai’s Rotlung Reanimator whenever they died. Even worse than that was that Kai had two copies of Misery Charm, which was a one-mana Dark Banishing versus my Clerics and could even be used to return his Rotlung Reanimator if I was able to get it off the board somehow.
I managed to win game 1 and liked my chances to defy the odds, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t feel embarrassed this time. I drafted well, I played well, but I was beaten by the best. I was proud of myself, and I really felt like I would be back for another shot at it.
The next Pro Tour took place in Venice, Italy. The format was Onslaught Block Constructed. I decided to play a W/G Control deck designed by Brian Kibler and Eric Froehlich. The tournament didn’t start out all that great for me. I was 4-2 going into round 7. I didn’t always like to draw into day 2, as it made it more difficult to make Top 8 and that was really my goal at this point. However, my situation at the time was that I needed one more than the minimum number of Pro Points to qualify me for the next Masters Series tournament. So I decided to offer my opponent the draw, he accepted, and I headed into day 2 at 4-2-1.
Day 2 was a completely different story. I won six consecutive matches and was able to draw with now Hall of Famer Darwin Kastle in the final round of Swiss. I waited for the Top 8 seeding to be announced, and again I had the matchup I least wanted to play. My first round of the Top 8 was going to be against very close friend Gabriel Nassif. Gab is one of the most successful players in Magic’s history and even at that time was considered one of the best. I thought I was advantaged in the matchup versus his Goblin deck, but I would have really just preferred to play someone else because he and I were so close. I played well in our match, and he got some unfortunate draws. He was very upset and took the loss very hard. I think this is the only time I remember in my career where I genuinely felt bad about beating someone in a match of Magic.
In the Top 4, I was paired against Osyp Lebedowicz. He was playing a R/W Astral Slide / Lightning Rift deck. We traded games and were tied two games each heading into game 5. Game 5 went pretty long. I managed to gain some life due to an Exalted Angel before he was able to remove it, and towards the end of the game, I was at something like 28 life, while Osyp was at five. I had seven lands in play. My hand contained Akroma, Angel of Wrath as well as Oblation and maybe another card or two that I currently don’t remember. Osyp tapped out to play his own Akroma on his turn and attack for six. (The legend rule was different at this time. If one player had a legendary permanent in play, the other simply wasn’t allowed to cast one.)
I was faced with a decision. I could cast Oblation on his Akroma, untap, and try to draw a land to advance to my first Pro Tour finals, or I could take a hit or more, wait until I draw a land, and try to cast the Oblation then. I opted to go for the former, while a lot of people felt I gave the game away by not choosing the latter. The one thing which I feel spectators failed to take properly into account was that Osyp had four copies of Akroma’s Blessing in his deck. If I were to let Osyp untap and he had a copy of Akroma’s Blessing in hand or drew one, the game would become almost unwinnable for me unless I were to topdeck an Akroma’s Vengeance and he didn’t have another Akroma.
I failed to draw a land, and Osyp later told me he had drawn both of his Akromas off the Oblation. He played one on the following turn. I actually drew Akroma’s Vengeance on my turn and was able to wrath it away, but he played another one that went the distance. People ask me about that play to this day, and I still believe I made the correct play. I was very proud of myself again and very happy with how I played the tournament. I was also very anxious to attempt to make it three Top 8s in a row.
It wasn’t meant to be. The next Pro Tour was in Yokohama, and I had a poor performance, failing to reach day 2. I was overall still very happy with how things were going. The next tournament was the World Championship in Berlin. After two days, I was out of Top 8 contention, and I didn’t have a ton of incentive to put up a finish in the Top 32 or 64 range. I decided to have some fun and brewed up a Battle of Wits deck for Extended on day 3. Battle of Wits had always been a personal favorite of mine since I had gone on a run with it at Grand Prix Milwaukee in 2002. Albeit, that tournament was Standard, and this one was Extended. I didn’t do well with it in Extended, finishing 2-4. I did, however, succeed in my goal for the day, which was to have a lot of fun.
The next Pro Tour was one that I really looked forward to. It was a Team Pro Tour in my hometown of Boston. The format was Onslaught Block Limited. Day 1 was Sealed Deck, and day 2 was Rochester Draft. My teammates were my closest friends Matt Linde and Brock Parker. We got our pools and constructed our decks. They were decent, nothing special. Day 1 didn’t go particularly well, but we made day 2 with a record of 4-2.
Day 2 was my favorite format of all time and the format that I believe I was the best at. For some reason, I always had a real knack for Team Rochester Draft. I loved it. I feel I was able to do a tremendous job of understanding how matchups were going to play out. I was also able to think very quickly during the draft portion about how to get cards where I wanted them, which cards opponents would take for which decks, and which cards I’d be able to allow to bounce back to us and end up in our decks. For these reasons, I was in the "pilot’s seat" for day 2 and mostly in charge of running the drafts. Day 2 went great, and we ran the table to a perfect 5-0 record, which is just what we needed to make it to the Top 4 on Sunday.
In my third Top 8 in a calendar year, once again I had the matchup I least wanted. Again, I would be playing against Kai Budde on Sunday. He, along with his teammates Dirk Baberowski and Marco Blume, had won everything. With two Team Pro Tour wins at this point along with a Team Masters Series win, they were undoubtedly the best team in the world.
Matt was paired against Dirk and Brock would have to play Marco. I would get my chance for redemption against Kai. Matt, Brock, and I went back to our hotel to get some rest and get ready for the next day. Back at the hotel, Matt was being his usual pessimistic self. This really started to get on my nerves. At some point, he said something to the effect of "at least we made it this far." I snapped at him a little bit and shouted, "Look, I don’t want to hear it. I’m going to win tomorrow; one of you just win." I mean no disrespect to the other two teams, but I think both teams felt like our match was really the finals of the Pro Tour.
The next morning we went to Dunkin’ Donuts for some breakfast and headed over to the site. We had a box of donuts with us and went to take our seats at the draft table. There was a very funny exchange in which Marco declared that if we had some Boston Cream doughnuts in the box, he would gladly concede the match and go about his day. The six of us joked about it for a little while, and then it was down to business. They elected to open the first pack, which was fine with me, as I always preferred to receive. I’m not sure how much it really mattered, but I always felt was advantageous to know some of your opponents’ first picks before you had to make yours. The thing that sticks most in my mind about the draft is when I had a chance to select this lil guy:
I remember getting visibly excited that I was going to be able to select it. My teammates looked at me with puzzled expressions. After the draft when we were constructing our decks, they both asked why I had been so happy about this seemingly meaningless Buzzard. Well, I knew Kai had a lot of three-toughness creatures in his deck. I also knew this Buzzard was going to be very powerful in combination with the Infest I had already drafted. "Whatever," they shrugged, and we went about constructing our decks.
In game 1 against Kai, I remember there was a board with a reasonable amount of creatures. He tapped out to play Anurid Murkdiver. I had a bunch of creatures as well, two of which were a Death’s-Head Buzzard and a Goblin Dynamo. On my turn, I was able to cast Infest, killing the Buzzard, which in turn killed all of Kai’s creatures except for one four-toughness creature. I was able to finish that off with the Dynamo, play another creature, and go on to easily win the game. In game 2, I again won on the back of Infest, and I had done my part to advance to the finals.
At this point, both of the other two matches were tied at one game apiece. The rules back then were a little different. You were not allowed to communicate at all with your teammates during the matches except to let them know results of other games. For coverage purposes, the game 3s would play one at a time, with Matt being the first. I really thought we needed this one because of the unpredictability of the match between Brock and Marco. Both of them were playing U/G decks with tons of Elves. Brock had a Wellwisher and an Ambush Commander, but Marco was capable of dealing infinite damage with Wirewood Channeler / Pemmin’s Aura / Glintwing Invoker. Anything could happen.
I remember standing behind Matt watching every play of his third game against Dirk. I was so nervous I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. Matt was typically a very fast player, but he was definitely thinking things through and taking his time. He played the game great. I didn’t disagree with any of his plays, and he went on to win the third game against Dirk, putting us in the finals. We were all ecstatic to be the team to finally dethrone the great Phoenix Foundation, but there was one round left.
The finals were against "Original Slackers" consisting of Lovre Crnobori, Jake Smith, and Ricard Osterberg. I played against Smith, Matt played against Osterberg, and Brock played against Crnobori. I don’t remember a lot of details about the draft itself. I do remember walking away from the table feeling that my deck was a little worse than Jake’s. I also remember thinking that both Brock’s and Matt’s decks were substantially better than Loyre’s and Ricard’s, respectively. I was playing a R/B deck, as was Jake.
The thing that stands out to me the most about the finals is at the start of game 2. I had won game 1, and Jake had chosen to play first. Jake started with a turn 1 Carrion Feeder. I had no play until turn 2, when I played a Skirk Drill Sergeant. On Jake’s third turn, he made a play that likely cost him the game. He tapped his lands and played a Death’s-Head Buzzard. He then sacrificed it to Carrion Feeder. Unfortunately, the timing didn’t work as he had hoped, and he traded his two creatures for my one and also spent his third turn. I was able to follow it up with a turn 3 morph, which went unblocked on the following turn. It was a Haunted Cadaver. This stripped him of his hand, and the rest was academic.
Again, I was the first one done, and both of the other matches were tied at one game apiece. This time Brock got the first crack at winning the round. Matt and I could do nothing but watch on and hope as Brock played his third game against Loyre. I remember on the final turn that Brock sent in an army of morphs. I knew from the rail that there was nothing Loyre could do. I just had to hope Brock didn’t do something silly, although I was confident that he would not. Loyre made his blocks, and Brock unmorphed his Titanic Bulvox. I immediately jumped in the air and gave Matt a bear hug as Brock and Loyre shook hands. We had won the Pro Tour! I was a Pro Tour Champion! Not only that but I had done it in my favorite format with my best friends. This was easily the happiest moment of my life to that point.
After our win, I started to grow a little tired of so much traveling. I played on the Pro Tour for about another year. Over the course of that year, lots of my friends who I really enjoyed spending time with stopping going to tournaments. My Pro Tour days were easily the happiest times of my life. I really grew up on the Pro Tour; we all did. Our youths were spent together in various places all over the world. Asia, Europe, Australia, and all over North America is where we spent our weekends.
When the people I spent all that time with stopped being in all these locations, it just lost some of its appeal to me. I’m not sure exactly what happened to make so many people stop at the same time, but it happened. I started to develop some interest in other things, and while I still loved to play Magic, the lack of camaraderie coupled with my growing tiredness of traveling caused me to step away from the game for a while at the beginning of 2005. I never stopped playing Magic entirely. I always played on Magic Online, as well as randomly with friends. But I stopped traveling to big events for about seven years.
Fast-forward to 2012:
I had been gaining a lot of momentum in voting for the Pro Tour Hall of Fame. Results were scheduled to be announced on my birthday. I waited patiently and found out that I had missed by a single vote. I was heartbroken. Never did I fault anyone for not voting for me, nor did I blame anyone. The class was incredible. There was always next year.
A couple weeks later I got home from work and found a message in my Facebook inbox from Scott Larabee. He informed me that they were giving me a special invitation to Pro Tour Return to Ravnica. I was thrilled. The first thing I did was call friend, coworker, and Hall of Famer Jelger Wiegersma. I knew he intended to attend the Pro Tour, and I wanted to inquire about working with him and the rest of Team SCG Black. He told me he was almost sure it wouldn’t be a problem and would run it by the team the next day. I was really excited and impatient, though, so I sent Jon Finkel a message as well. The next day they both got back to me and let me know they’d be happy to have me on the team.
I was actually a little nervous as I headed to San Diego to test with the team. I had only met a handful of them and didn’t know what to expect. It went better than I could have imagined. The team was a complete joy to be around. By the end of the preparation, I said that for the first time I would just accept a blind 24th place finish in the Pro Tour, which would qualify me for the next one, just so I could do it again. I felt like I was seventeen again. All I thought about was Magic. All I wanted to do was play Magic. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. I went 9-7 in the Pro Tour, which obviously was not even close to good enough to finish in the Top 25. I headed back to work in sunny Curacao.
"Luckily" things weren’t going that well for me at work. I just wasn’t very happy with where I lived or with what I was doing. Around Christmas of 2012, I decided to go home. For the next six months, I played a ton of Magic. I definitely felt and noticed a lot of rust in my game. That was okay; I didn’t expect to just return to the game at top form. I’d have to and wanted to work for it. I’m human, and I still got frustrated with myself at times in the beginning for making sloppy plays. I had a very comforting conversation with now Hall of Famer elect Ben Stark, who told me that he thought it took him a year after his return to get back to top form.
I hadn’t played in a Pro Tour since Return to Ravnica, but due to the fact there was a Grand Prix in Portland the weekend before Pro Tour Dragon’s Maze in San Diego, I decided I would go to that Grand Prix and help Team SCG prepare for the Pro Tour. By this point, I had become very close friends with Reid Duke and Owen Turtenwald. The week before the Grand Prix we decided to attend the StarCityGames.com Team Sealed Open in Somerset. It was going to be a fun few weeks with the Open, the Grand Prix, and then the Pro Tour, even if I was attending the Pro Tour only as a spectator. We ended up winning the Team Open, which was a great start to the trip.
We headed off to Portland and got ready for the Grand Prix and the Pro Tour. Zvi Mowshowitz and Paul Rietzl both ended up doing really well with Affinity and representing the team nicely at the Grand Prix. We left Portland and headed for our mansion in San Diego. This house was incredible. It had something like seven or eight bedrooms and a nice deck overlooking the beach. It also had a ping-pong table. The week was as fun as could be expected.
It turns out Andrew Cuneo is a very good ping-pong player. I think he went undefeated throughout most of the week. At one point, he was trying to convince Owen to play him in a game of ping-pong. Finally, they settled on a handicap. Cuneo was required to hold the paddle with only his middle three fingers in his opposite hand with one eye closed. Also, he was only allowed to speak if he did so like a pirate. It was hilarious. Every time Cuneo won a point, "Seven serving six, yarrrrr!" Owen ended up squeaking out the game in part due to a controversial decision. Cuneo forgot to speak like a pirate once, and Jelger awarded Owen a point. Owen ended up winning 21 to 19. Who knows what would have happened? In addition to the fun times, the team did a great job preparing for the Pro Tour and ended up putting three people in the Top 16.
On Sunday at the Pro Tour, Reid, Owen, and I headed over to the site in order to get some team drafts in. We were planning to play together at the upcoming Grand Prix in Providence and wanted to do some practice drafts. When we arrived at the site, someone told me they had received the email that morning with their invitation to be on the Hall of Fame Selection Committee. I was surprised it came so soon, but I had been patiently anticipating voting season for a year.
The next couple months included a stretch of five consecutive Grand Prix, Patrick Chapin wedding, another StarCityGames.com Team Sealed Open, and the StarCityGames.com Invitational. All the while people on Twitter debated the merits of the candidates for this year’s Hall of Fame class. Luis Scott-Vargas was a shoe-in and should have received no less than 100 percent of the vote. It seemed to me, from everything I was reading, that the frontrunners for non-LSV slots were Ben Stark, Chris Pikula, Makahito Mihara, and myself. I was extremely hopeful, but after what had happened in voting the previous year, I really tried to keep myself grounded and just let everything fall where it may.
I do want to say that during the process I was extremely touched by things people had to say about me. It also meant a great deal to me when people approached me at events me and told me how much they supported me, how much of a pleasure it was to meet me, how much of an honor they considered it to play against me, how happy that they were that I was back in Magic, or how much they hoped I would get in the Hall of Fame.
I will never forget when I received the call to inform me that I had been elected to the Pro Tour Hall of Fame. I was standing on the porch. When I heard the words, I didn’t know what to do or how to react. I think I responded, "Ok." I was literally speechless. I got off the phone, and I stood there stunned and still. I started to think back on all those years I spent working at Magic. It was like my "Magic life" was flashing before my eyes. I started to get very emotional. I thought back on all the trips I’d taken, all the friends I’d made. I thought about great plays, about mistakes, the good tournaments, and the bad tournaments.
As I began to actually understand and process what was happening, I started to cry. I was just completely overcome with emotion. My peers, coverage reporters, commentators, judges, creators of the game, and Magic’s elite players had decided that I was worthy of the Hall of Fame. They had decided that what I had accomplished at the thing I devoted the largest portion of my life to by far was worthy of giving me the game’s highest honor.
As I came back to reality and turned to walk in the house, I remembered that thirteen-year-old boy at summer camp. He couldn’t have even imagined what was happening to him now.
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Paul Klee (1879-1940)
Paul Klee - 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered both a Swiss and a German painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was, as well, a student of orientalism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented with and eventually mastered color theory, and wrote extensively about it; his lectures Writings on Form and Design Theory, published in English as the Paul Klee Notebooks, are considered so important for modern art that they are compared to the importance that Leonardo da Vinci's A Treatise on Painting had for Renaissance. He and his colleague, the Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky, both taught at the German Bauhaus school of art, design and architecture. His works reflect his dry humour and his sometimes childlike perspective, his personal moods and beliefs, and his musicality.
Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Klee
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Zac Freeman |Recycled Portraits
ZAC FREEMAN :”THE ARTWORKS ARE MADE ENTIRELY OUT OF COLLECTED JUNK, FOUND OBJECTS, AND GENERAL TRASH.
I glue the bits of junk to a wooden substrate to form an image, usually faces, which only can be seen at a distance. I was interested in communicating through visual representation in apparent 2-dimensional space and through the actual objects used for the medium in 3-dimensional space. It is very important to me that I incorporate the actual objects into the art as opposed to a picture or rendition of it because it better expresses the intention of the artwork. I feel the junk is more powerful being present. It is an actual thing to be reckoned with that existed in this time and place and carries energy in and of itself”.
https://www.artpeoplegallery.com/zac-freeman-recycled-portraits/
Via: http://www.woolffgallery.co.uk/Default.aspx?PageID=88
https://www.facebook.com/zacfreemanart/
Franco Clun |Pencil Portraits
Visarute Angkatavanich, Fish Elegant Portraits
Mateja Petkovic |Fantastic Digital Paintings
Parsa Jamalpour I Fine Art Photographer |
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Ten Habits that’ll Make Your Marriage Stronger
Last month my Hubby and I celebrated ten years of marriage. Where has the time has gone?! It only seems like yesterday that we got engaged! Over the years we’ve had some amazing times. We’ve been through some pretty tough times too. We’ve laughed a lot and we’ve cried a lot. There have been job changes, we’ve moved home and we have two wonderful boys who are our world. Like every couple we’ve had our ups and downs, but ten years on our marriage is stronger and happier than ever before.
Hitting such a milestone has made me think about our relationship. What has kept us going all these years? What is the secret to our happiness and what has made us still want to be around one another after all this time? After a fair bit of pondering, I realised that there was no magic formula. That it all came down to our habits and the way we treated one another. I realised that it was the little things we were doing day in day out that was making our marriage stronger.
So what were these habits? Just what were we doing to keep our love alive? In this post I’m going to share with you the ten habits I’ve realised we practice every single day. If you want to make your marriage a little bit stronger or you’re seeking ways to keep the love alive, try following some of them too. You’ll be well on your way to a happier and stronger marriage before you know it!
1. Regularly remind yourself why you got married
Remembering why you got married is so important when it comes to keeping your love alive and making your marriage stronger. Think back to your wedding day, think about how it felt when you said your vows. Why did you get married? What was it that attracted you to each other? What was it about one another that made you want to say yes to spending your life together? Those things are the foundation upon which your marriage is built. Hold on to them. They are what will keep you strong and keep you together when times are tough.
My Hubby and I needed this more than ever last summer when a diagnosis of breast cancer pulled the rug out from underneath our feet. We had no idea what the outcome was going to be and the thought of losing what we had, of us being taken away from one another by something that was out of our control was terrifying. But our commitment to take care of one another kept us going and gave us the strength to fight. Remind yourself of why you decided to get married, hold on to those reasons and remember them in the times you need each other most.
2. Always make an effort
What was it like when you were first dating? I bet it was exciting and that there were butterflies in your stomach?! If you were anything like me, I bet you were on your best behaviour and you were out to impress?! How are things now? Is it as exciting as all those years ago? Remember what it felt like. You might be married but that doesn’t mean you have to stop making an effort! Go out of your way to still have fun. Leave notes for one another around the house. Send a cheeky text message or two, buy unexpected gifts, get dressed up whenever you can. Think of all the little ways you can make an effort and incorporate one or two into your day.
3. Talk to one another
It might sound simple, but talking to one another really can make all the difference. Communication is key! Make time to catch up at the end of the day and check in on one another. Ask each other how your day went. Communication helps to make sure that your goals are aligned, that you’re on the same page as one another. So make the effort to check in, to talk to one another and to connect. Try not to make assumptions and don’t expect to read each other’s minds. Find the time to sit down and talk to each other. Not about the mundane day to day stuff, but about your relationship. Talk about what makes you happy and what you want as a couple. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.
4. Give as well as take
The thing with marriage is that there are two of you under the same roof. ALL the time. Day AND night. In order to get along you have to learn how to live with one another, how to share and how to compromise. It means that sometimes there will be things you want to do that your spouse doesn’t. It means that sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do or aren’t particularly interested in. Marriage is about give and take. It’s about finding the balance and supporting one another regardless of your preferences. So next time you find yourself struggling to agree to do something, why not give it a go – who knows, you might even enjoy it!
5. Share the workload
Running a home can be hard work especially if you have kids or both work full time. Marriage is a partnership, that means sharing the workload – including the household chores. It doesn’t matter who does what but try divvying up the jobs so they aren’t all left to one person. Agree on who is responsible for what and help one another out. Work together to clear the decks after dinner. Use your Saturday morning to blitz the house together. Share the workload and you’ll be amazed at how much more free time you have and how less stressed you feel.
This might sound obvious but the never-ending pressures of day-to-day life can make it hard to carve out time for one another. It can be especially tricky when you have kids. Finding the time to be husband and wife when you’re always ‘Mummy’ and ‘Daddy’ can feel like mission impossible! But spending quality time together is so important. Make sure you have a few common interests and do things together you both enjoy. Having a shared interest or two brings you closer together. It makes you feel connected and your marriage stronger. Make the effort to spend time with one another and grab every moment together you can.
7. Make time for you
Whilst it’s important to have things in common, it’s important to have hobbies and interests outside of your relationship too. No matter how close you might be, you still need to retain your own identity and be your own person. You also need time to unwind and recharge. When we’re tired we become short tempered and sensitive to issues that wouldn’t normally bother us. Our patience runs low, we get snappish and we can inadvertently take it out on those we love. Take the time to recharge your batteries and don’t feel guilty about it! You can find out more about how to take better care of yourself in this post…
8. Celebrate the wins
It can be so easy to get caught up in the daily grind of life. With bills to pay, the house to look after, the stress of work and looking after the kids, it’s easy to focus on the mundane and the negatives and lose sight of the good that’s happening. Make sure you celebrate the things that are going right. Pay rise or promotion at work? Celebrate! Received some good news? Celebrate! Made it to the end of a tough week? Celebrate! When you look past the frustrations, focus on the positives and celebrate your wins, you’ll find the hard times much easier to deal with.
9. Hug every single day
Think back to those early days, those times where you seized every opportunity to have any kind of physical contact. Think about how it made you feel. How it felt to hold each other at the end of the night. Why let go of that?! No matter how many years you’ve been married, that little bit of physical contact really does make all the difference. It’s amazing how much better a hug can make you feel. Whatever you’re doing, find an opportunity to hug one another at least once every single day.
10. Live by your own rules
What works for one couple won’t work for another. How your friends live their marriage will be different to how you live yours. And that’s ok. There are no rules and you’re free to design and live your marriage any way you like. As long as you’re both happy and singing from the same hymn sheet, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Want to make Friday nights date night? Do it! Not fussed about Valentines? Don’t celebrate it! Prefer to buy a joint Christmas present you can both enjoy rather than individual ones? Then do that instead! Quite happy with just a card on your anniversary? That’s fine too! Don’t feel you have to conform to what everyone else is doing. Hopefully you have many years together ahead of you, so don’t be afraid to make your own rules.
Now I’m no therapist, nor am I a relationship expert. But I have spent a considerable amount of time with my Hubby over the last ten years and it’s taught me a thing or two about what it takes to make a relationship work. I’m sure I still have a lot more to learn but these habits have really helped us keep our marriage strong. Follow them too and see how much happier and stronger your marriage becomes!
That’s it for this post! I hope it has given you a few ideas of how to have a happy and lasting relationship with your spouse. If you like what you’ve read be sure to subscribe so you never miss a post! Join my tribe and kick-start creating a family life you love right now by filling in your details below. I’ll send you my FREE Daily Planner as a thank-you!
I’d love to know what your biggest takeaway is. What do you do to keep your love alive? What have you learnt from the years of being with your spouse? Let me know in the comments below!
Sharing is caring, so if you have a friend who you think would benefit from reading this too, please share it!
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Call for Papers - How football changed Qatar (or not): Transnational legal struggles in the shadow of the FIFA World Cup 2022 - Deadline 6 January 2023
9. December 2022 Antoine Duval Blog, International Sports Law Events (0)
The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar is now well under way, yet the relentless public debates around Qatar’s human rights record, be it regarding the rights of LGBTQ+ or the rights of migrant workers who built the infrastructure that underpin the competition, is not dying down. In fact, the whole build-up towards the event has been defined by an intense public scrutiny of Qatar, with civil society organizations and international labor unions engaging in continuous advocacy to report on and improve the living and working conditions of migrant workers active on Qatar’s many building sites. This issue also attracted attention and critique from both the international media and public authorities all around the globe. In fact, the question of Qatar’s (lack of) compliance with internationally recognized human rights and core labor standards caused so much negative publicity and external pressure that a number of legislative and institutional reforms were initiated, officially aimed at improving the rights and standing of migrant workers in Qatar. While it is highly disputed whether these reforms have led to actual changes on the ground or should be seen only as window-dressing, it remains clear that the global public attention brought to Qatar by its hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2022 has forced the Qatari authorities to engage legislative reforms and pay at least lip service to the concerns raised.
In spite of the fact that this issue continues to play a major role in the transnational public discourse, it received until now relatively scant attention in the academic literature, specifically in the international/transnational legal field. Yet, the debates around the Qatar 2022 World Cup are in practice mobilizing a range of legal arguments connected to the interpretation and application of international human rights law and international labor law, as well as activating international (at the ILO) or transnational (at the Swiss OECD National Contact Point) legal processes. Furthermore, they raise well-known questions regarding the compliance of states with international legal commitments and connect with debates on the universality of human rights and their translation in particular social contexts. In short, we believe there is room for a multi-disciplinary engagement with the legal processes and social mobilizations triggered by Qatar’s successful bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2022 and their impacts on local social and legal rules and institutions. Hence, Qatar’s journey towards the FIFA World Cup 2022 constitutes an interesting case study to investigate more generally the transnational social and legal mechanisms which underpin the concretization of international (human rights/labor) law in a particular context and give it a specific reality.
We invite paper submissions from different methodological backgrounds (e.g. law, anthropology, sociology, history, public policy) which engage with the many entanglements of Qatar with international (human rights and labor) law in the context of the organizing and hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2022. The papers will be first discussed in a digital workshop that will take place on 15 and 16 February 2023. Please note that we have an agreement with the German Law Journal (Open access journal on comparative, European and international law published by Cambridge University Press) to publish a selection of the papers.
If you wish to participate in the workshop and the ensuing publications, please send an abstract of max. 300 words and a CV to [email protected] by 6 January 2023. The selected participants will be informed by 9 January 2023. Extended abstracts (2000 words) will be due on 6 February 2023.
New Event! Governing European football: What role for the European Union? - 16 December - Brussels
9. December 2022 Antoine Duval Blog, International Sports Law Cases, International Sports Law Events (0)
Join us for a round table co-organized by GLawNet and the Asser Institute at the Campus Brussels of the Maastricht University (Avenue de Tervueren 153, 1150 Brussels) just one day after the publication of the Opinion of Advocate General Rantos in the European Super League (ESL) case. The discussion between academics and stakeholders will focus on the role played by the EU, as well as the role it ought to play, in determining the way football is organised and governed.
In 2021, the announcement of the creation of a breakaway European Super League (ESL), as well as the drama of its early demise, stunned the world. Since then, the company behind the ESL and UEFA (as well as FIFA) are locked into a legal battle that will soon come to an end at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Following the preliminary questions raised by a Spanish court, the CJEU will weigh in on whether UEFA and FIFA breached EU competition law with their attempts to thwart the emergence of the ESL. It will not be the first time that the governing bodies of football, both Swiss associations, face scrutiny before the EU courts - many will remember the 1995 Bosman ruling. However, this time around various stakeholders and observers are calling for the EU to not only referee this particular dispute, but to as well start playing a stronger governance role by regulating European football.
15:00 – 15:05 Opening: Mariolina Eliantonio (Maastricht University)
15:05 – 16:30 - Roundtable: Governing European Football: What role for the European Union?
Moderator: Carlo Colombo (Maastricht University)
Antoine Duval (Senior Researcher at the Asser Institute)
Benoit Keane (Keane Legal)
Alexander Bielefeld (Director Global Policy and Strategic Relations at FIFPro)
Arnout Geeraert (Assistant Professor, Utrecht university)
16:30 Reception
This is an In-Person event only and will take place at the Campus Brussels of the Maastricht University (Avenue de Tervueren 153, 1150 Brussels). If you wish to attend, please register HERE.
Time to focus on freedom of expression: Rainbows, armbands, and FIFA’s commitment to human rights - By Prof. Mark James (Manchester Metropolitan University)
25. November 2022 Antoine Duval Blog, International Sports Law Commentaries (0)
Editor's note: Mark James is Professor of Sports Law at Manchester Metropolitan University and the author of a leading Sports Law textbook.
The opening days of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 have already resulted in a number of issues of interest to sports lawyers and human rights lawyers, with FARE’s Piara Powar claiming that this is the most political major sporting event that he has attended. Both FIFA and the local organisers have been active in their suppression of expressions of support for LGBTQIA+ rights by players, fans and journalists alike, calling into question once again the legality of restricting free speech by sporting rules and regulations.
There have been two major flashpoints to date. First, seven European federations had asked FIFA for permission for their captains to wear armbands supporting the ‘OneLove’ campaign. FIFA’s response was to refuse, resulting in the German players covering their mouths for their pre-match photographs in protest at their being silenced. There are several grounds on which FIFA would seek to support its position:
Law 4.5 of the Laws of the Game prohibits any playing equipment from carrying any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images.
Regulation 4.3.1 of FIFA’s Equipment Regulations and Regulation 27.1 of the FIFA World Cup 2022 Regulations prohibits clothing or equipment that includes political, religious, or personal slogans, statements, or images, or otherwise does not comply in full with the Laws of the Game.
Regulation 33.3 of the FIFA World Cup 2022 Regulations prohibits the display of political, religious or personal messages or slogans of any nature in any language or form by players and officials.
Regulation 13.8.1 of FIFA’s Equipment Regulations states that for FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each Team must wear the captain’s armband provided by FIFA (all Regulations available in the FIFA Legal Handbook 2022).
Although the DFB is considering a challenge to FIFA’s refusal to allow its captain to wear the OneLove armband, which would ultimately be heard before CAS, it is unlikely to succeed in the face of the strict requirements of the above Laws and Regulations. However, what could cause more difficulty for both FIFA and CAS is if the DFB frames its case as a challenge to the compliance of the rules that restrict players’ freedom of expression with Article 3 of FIFA’s Statutes, which states that ‘FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognised human rights.’ Article 3, together with the additional detail provided by FIFA’s Human Rights Policy, ensures that freedom of expression as defined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights are limitative rules that can be applied directly to FIFA’s activities, as has been argued by Bützler and Schöddert. Further, if the affected players and associations can define themselves as human rights defenders, then Article 11 of FIFA’s Human Rights Policy states that, ‘FIFA will respect and not interfere with the work of … human rights defenders who voice concerns about adverse human rights impacts relating to FIFA.’ Any challenge using this approach would be the first real test of the enforceability of the human rights protections to which FIFA claims to be committed. It would also be a test of CAS’s ability to require adherence to the human rights commitments made by ISFs and to prove that they are more than simple window-dressing.
Secondly, members of The Rainbow Wall, a contingent of LGBTQIA+ rights-supporting Welsh fans, were prevented from entering the Ahmed bin Ali stadium whilst wearing bucket hats incorporating a rainbow into its design. No explanation for why was given, however, FIFA and the local organisers would argue that openly supporting LGBTQIA+ rights with the aim of promoting legal change in a country where homosexuality is illegal is a political statement on apparel and therefore entry into the stadium wearing the rainbow hat is in breach of the Regulation 3.1.23 of the Stadium Code of Conduct. A similar argument could be used to justify preventing US journalist Grant Wahl from entering the stadium wearing a t-shirt incorporating a rainbow into its design and Danish journalist Jon Pagh from wearing the OneLove armband. However, it must be stressed that no such explanation for the prohibitions applied to these garments was provided to any of the affected fans or journalists. It must also be recognised that the opinion that promoting LGBTQIA+ rights is a political expression is highly contested. In a statement from FIFPRO, the opposing view was stated succinctly: ‘We maintain that a rainbow flag is not a political statement but an endorsement of equality and thus a universal human right.’
It is clear that, as with Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, the chilling effect that FIFA’s Regulations have on players’ and fans’ freedom of expression is likely to be unlawful, as has been discussed at length both on this blog and on the Verfassungsblog Debate on Freedom of Expression in the Olympic Movement. Instead of revisiting these arguments, which are taken to apply to FIFA’s actions at Qatar 2022, two additional issues related to the FIFA Statutes are explored here.
Articles 3 and 4 of FIFA’s Statutes state that:
3 Human rights
FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognised human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights.
4 Non-discrimination, equality and neutrality
4.1 Discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of race, skin colour, ethnic, national or social origin, gender, disability, language, religion, political opinion or any other opinion, wealth, birth or any other status, sexual orientation or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion.
FIFA is a long-time supporter of pride events and in its press release for Pride Month 2022 stated:
[The] FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ will be a celebration of unity and diversity – a joining of people from all walks of life – regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression – everybody will be welcome.
Claims that all staff involved in the Qatar 2022 including public and private security forces, would be trained on how to accomplish their tasks in a non-discriminatory manner, seem not to have been operationalised effectively.
This begs the question whether FIFA is in breach of its own Statutes by refusing to allow players to express themselves freely on armbands and failing to protect fans’ freedom of expression by wearing rainbows. At the very least, FIFA should have ensured that a protective LGBTQIA+ regime in the stadiums and the fan zones during the World Cup was implemented to enable the ‘celebration of unity and diversity’ it claims that Qatar 2022 should be. FIFA’s actions in Qatar call into question its claims to be an inclusive and supportive leader on anti-discrimination and human rights, and is likely to see a backlash from the LGBTQIA+ community that it claims to support when it engages with Pride 2023; accusations of hypocrisy and virtue signalling are guaranteed.
With no resolution to the debate at the time of writing, Articles 3 and 4 could provide players and fans with the opportunity to demonstrate their support for human rights and anti-discrimination causes. At the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, Athlete Ally developed the ‘Principle 6 Campaign.’ Instead of criticising directly Russia's so called anti-gay laws, which are currently in the process of being extended, athletes promoted Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter, which at the time stated that, ‘Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.’ The eventual outcome of this campaign was the addition of sexual orientation to the list of characteristics protected by Principle 6. Unlike at Sochi 2014, there is no need to campaign for a change to either of Articles 3 or 4 of the FIFA Statutes; instead, activists want to ensure that they are being applied. An immediate response for both players and fans would be for them to quote specifically from Articles 3 and 4, as it would be extremely difficult for FIFA to claim that they are making political or personal statements when promoting FIFA’s own foundational values. A creative reminder of what FIFA claims to stand for could enable player and fan activism to continue throughout the tournament, and beyond, whilst affected players and associations can develop a compelling case for the restrictions on freedom of expression to be struck out by CAS, the Swiss Federal Tribunal and/or the European Court of Human Rights.
A personal reflection on the Summer Programme on Sports Governance and Human Rights - By Pedro José Mercado Jaén
30. September 2022 Antoine Duval Blog, International Sports Law Events (0)
Editor’s note:Pedro is an intern at the Asser Institute and currently studying the Erasmus Mundus Master Degree in Sports Ethics and Integrity (KU Leuven et al.) He was one of the participants of the first edition of the Summer Programme on Sports Governance and Human Rights.
In early September, the first Summer Programme on the Governance of Sport and Human Rights took place at the Asser Institute. During one week, various experts in the field presented different lectures to a very diverse group of participants with a wide range of professional backgrounds. Being a participant myself, I would like to reflect on this one-week course and share what I learned. More...
Reactions of International Sport Organisations to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine: An Overview - By Daniela Heerdt & Guido Battaglia
1. April 2022 Antoine Duval Blog, International Sports Law Cases, International Sports Law Commentaries (0)
Daniela is a researcher at the Asser Institute in the field of sport and human rights. She has a background in public international law and human rights law and defended her PhD project entitled “Blurred Lines of Responsibility and Accountability – Human Rights Abuses at Mega-Sporting Events” in April 2021 at Tilburg University. She also works as independent consultant in the field of sport and human rights for the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, or the European Parliament among other clients from the sports ecosystem
As Head of Policy and Outreach, Guido is in charge of the Centre for Sport & Human Rights engagement with governments, international and intergovernmental organisations and sports organisations. He represents the Centre at conferences, events and bilateral dialogues to reach new audiences and partners and raise public awareness and understanding of the Centre’s work .
On February 24, 2022, the Russian military invaded Ukrainian territory. What followed was an escalation of the war, day by day, causing thousands of victims and forcing millions of people to flee. On March 2, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution deploring "in the strongest possible terms" Russia's aggression against Ukraine by a vote of 141 to 5, with 35 abstentions. On March 29, Russian and Ukrainian representatives met in Istanbul for another round of negotiations. No ceasefire has been agreed and hostilities continue.
Many states, international organizations and corporations quickly took measures in response to this invasion. Hundreds of companies decided to withdraw from Russia. Some countries decided to strengthen economic sanctions against Russia and Belarus and to provide military and economic help to Ukraine. Many civil society actors mobilised to organize and provide humanitarian support for Ukraine. Interestingly, international sports organisations like the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), World Athletics and many other international federations, issued statements condemning the invasion and imposed bans and sanctions on Russian and Belarussian sports bodies and athletes.
This blog post provides an overview of the measures adopted by a number of international sports federations (IFs) that are part of the Olympic Movement since the beginning of the war and analyses how they relate to the statements issued by the IOC and other sanctions and measures taken by international sports organisations in reaction to (geo)political tensions and conflict.
Never let a good fiasco go to waste: why and how the governance of European football should be reformed after the demise of the ‘SuperLeague’ - By Stephen Weatherill
23. April 2021 Antoine Duval Blog, International Sports Law Cases, International Sports Law Commentaries (0)
Editor’s note: Stephen Weatherill is the Jacques Delors Professor of European Law at Oxford University. He also serves as Deputy Director for European Law in the Institute of European and Comparative Law, and is a Fellow of Somerville College. This blog appeared first on eulawanalysis.blogspot.com and is reproduced here with the agreement of the author.
The crumbling of the ‘SuperLeague’ is a source of joy to many football fans, but the very fact that such an idea could be advanced reveals something troublingly weak about the internal governance of football in Europe – UEFA’s most of all – and about the inadequacies of legal regulation practised by the EU and/ or by states. This note explains why a SuperLeague is difficult to stop under the current pattern of legal regulation and why accordingly reform is required in order to defend the European model of sport with more muscularity. More...
New Digital Masterclass - Mastering the FIFA Transfer System - 29-30 April
8. April 2021 Antoine Duval International Sports Law Events (0)
The mercato, or transfer window, is for some the most exciting time in the life of a football fan. During this narrow period each summer and winter (for the Europeans), fantastic football teams are made or taken apart. What is less often known, or grasped is that behind the breaking news of the latest move to or from your favourite club lies a complex web of transnational rules, institutions and practices.
Our new intensive two-day Masterclass aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) to a small group of dedicated legal professionals who have the ambition to advise football clubs, represent players or join football governing bodies. The course combines theoretical insights on FIFA’s regulation of the transfer market with practical know-how of the actual operation of the RSTP distilled by hands-on practitioners.
Download the full Programme and register HERE.
Dr Antoine Duval is a senior researcher at the Asser Institute and the head of the Asser International Sports Law Centre. He has widely published and lectured on transnational sports law, sports arbitration and the interaction between EU law and sport. He is an avid football fan and football player and looks forward to walking you through the intricacies of the FIFA transfer system.
Carol Couse is a Partner in the sports team at Mills & Reeve LLP , with extensive in-house and in private practice experience of dealing with sports regulatory matters, whether contentious or non-contentious. She has advised on many multi million pound international football transfer agreements, playing contracts and image rights agreements on behalf clubs, players and agents.
Jacques Blondin is an Italian lawyer, who joined FIFA inundefined 2015, working for the Disciplinary Department. In 2019, he was appointed Head of FIFA TMS (now called FIFA Regulatory Enforcement) where he is responsible, among other things, for ensuring compliance in international transfers within the FIFA Transfer Matching System.
Oskar van Maren joined FIFA as a Legal Counsel in December 2017, forming part of the Knowledge Management Hub, a department created in September 2020. Previously, he worked for FIFA’s Players' Status Department. Between April 2014 and March 2017, he worked as a Junior Researcher at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut. He holds an LL.M in European law from Leiden University (The Netherlands).
Rhys Lenarduzzi is currently a research intern at the Asser International Sports Law Centre, where he focuses in particular on the transnational regulation of football. Prior to this, he acquired over 5 years of experience as a sports agent and consultant, at times representing over 50 professional athletes around the world from various sports, though predominantly football.
A Reflection on Recent Human Rights Efforts of National Football Associations - By Daniela Heerdt (Tilburg University)
1. March 2021 Antoine Duval Blog (0)
Editor's Note: Daniela Heerdt is a PhD researcher at Tilburg Law School in the Netherlands. Her PhD research deals with the establishment of responsibility and accountability for adverse human rights impacts of mega-sporting events, with a focus on FIFA World Cups and Olympic Games. She published a number of articles on mega-sporting events and human rights, in the International Sports Law Journal, Tilburg Law Review, and the Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights.
In the past couple of years, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) made remarkable steps towards embedding human rights into their practices and policies. These developments have been discussed at length and in detail in this blog and elsewhere, but a short overview at this point is necessary to set the scene. Arguably, most changes were sparked by John Ruggie’s report from 2016, in which he articulated a set of concrete recommendations for FIFA “on what it means for FIFA to embed respect for human rights across its global operations”, using the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) as authoritative standard.[i] As a result, in May 2017, FIFA published a human rights policy, in which it commits to respecting human rights in accordance with the UNGPs, identifies its salient human rights risks, and acknowledges the potential adverse impacts it can have on human rights in general and human rights of people belonging to specific groups. In October 2017, it adopted new bidding regulations requiring bidders to develop a human rights strategy and conduct an independent human rights risk assessment as part of their bid. In March 2017, FIFA also created a Human Rights Advisory Board, which regularly evaluated FIFA’s human rights progress and made recommendations on how FIFA should address human rights issues linked to its activities. The mandate of the Advisory Board expired at the end of last year and the future of this body is unknown at this point.
While some of these steps can be directly connected to the recommendations in the Ruggie report, other recommendations have largely been ignored. One example of the latter and focus of this blog post is the issue of embedding human rights at the level of national football associations. It outlines recent steps taken by the German football association “Deutscher Fussball-Bund” (DFB) and the Dutch football association “Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond” (KNVB) in relation to human rights, and explores to what extent these steps can be regarded as proactive moves by those associations or rather spillover effects from FIFA’s human rights efforts. More...
Revisiting FIFA’s Training Compensation and Solidarity Mechanism - Part. 5: Rethinking Redistribution in Football - By Rhys Lenarduzzi
8. February 2021 Antoine Duval Blog, International Sports Law Commentaries (0)
Editor’s note: Rhys Lenarduzzi recently completed a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) and Bachelor of Philosophy (B.Phil.) at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney, Australia. As a former professional athlete, then international sports agent and consultant, Rhys is interested in international sports law, policy and ethics. He is currently undertaking an internship at the T.M.C. Asser Institute with a focus on Transnational Sports Law.
As one may have gathered from the series thus far, the question that comes out of this endeavour for me, is whether redistribution in football would be better divorced from the transfer system?
In my introductory blog I point towards historical, cultural, and of course the legal explanations as to why redistribution was established, and why it might be held onto despite obvious flaws. In my second blog, I point out how the training compensation and solidarity mechanisms work in practice through an African case study, as well as the hindrance caused and the Eurocentricity of the regulations. The key take-away from my third blog on the non-application of training compensation in women’s football might be that training compensation should apply to both men’s and women’s football, or neither. The sweeping generalisation that men’s and women’s football are different as justification for the non-application to the women’s game is not palatable, given inter alia the difference between the richest and poorest clubs in men’s football. Nor is it palatable that the training compensation mechanism is justified in men’s football to incentivise training, yet not in women’s football.
In the fourth blog of this series, I raise concerns that the establishment of the Clearing House prolongs the arrival of a preferable alternative system. The feature of this final blog is to consider alternatives to the current systems. This endeavour is manifestly two-fold; firstly, are there alternatives? Secondly, are they better? More...
Revisiting FIFA’s Training Compensation and Solidarity Mechanism - Part. 4: The New FIFA Clearing House – An improvement to FIFA’s training compensation and solidarity mechanisms? - By Rhys Lenarduzzi
28. January 2021 Antoine Duval Blog, International Sports Law Commentaries, International Sports Law Material, International Sports Law Publications (0)
Editor’s note: Rhys Lenarduzzi recently completed a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) and a Bachelor of Philosophy (B.Phil.) at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney, Australia. As a former professional athlete, then international sports agent and consultant, Rhys is interested in international sports law, policy and ethics. He is currently undertaking an internship at the T.M.C. Asser Institute with a focus on Transnational Sports Law.
In September 2018, the Football Stakeholders Committee endorsed the idea of a Clearing House that was subsequently approved in October of the same year by the FIFA Council. A tender process commenced in July 2019 for bidders to propose jurisdiction, operation and establishment. Whilst many questions go unanswered, it is clear that the Clearing House will be aimed at closing the significant gap between what is owed and what is actually paid, in respect to training compensation and solidarity payments. The Clearing House will have other functions, perhaps in regard to agents’ fees and other transfer related business, though those other operations are for another blog. It will hence act as an intermediary of sorts, receiving funds from a signing and therefore owing club (“new” club) and then moving that money on to training clubs. Whilst separate to FIFA, to what extent is unclear.
I have landed at the position of it being important to include a section in this blog series on the soon to commence Clearing House, given it appears to be FIFA’s (perhaps main) attempt to improve the training compensation and solidarity mechanisms. As will be expanded upon below, I fear it will create more issues than it will solve. Perhaps one should remain patient and optimistic until it is in operation, and one should be charitable in that there will undoubtedly be teething problems. However, it is of course not just the function of the Clearing House that is of interest, but also what moving forward with the project of the Clearing House represents and leaves unaddressed, namely, the issues I have identified in this blog series. More...
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This blog is a knowledge hub for all things related with International Sports Law. On this page, you will find the recent developments in the field: publications, events and cases. Moreover, we will provide outstanding (short) academic commentaries on the most pressing questions in International Sports Law.
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The Olympic Games and Human Rights – Part I: Introduction to the Host City Contract – By Tomáš Grell (1)
Thomas Kruessmann wrote: Dear Tomas! A nice piece of work, and I look forwa... [More]
Doyen vs. Sporting I: Doyen’s Pyrrhic Victory at the CAS (3)
Elsa wrote: Je vous remercie [More]
Antoine wrote: La sentence est toujours téléchargeable à l'ad... [More]
Elsa wrote: Merci pour le commentaire de la sentence. Mais cel... [More]
The Impact of the new FIFA Regulations for Intermediaries: A comparative analysis of Brazil, Spain and England. By Luis Torres (2)
Gerald Ibeh. wrote: please how much is required to register a company ... [More]
The EU State aid and sport saga: The Real Madrid Decision (part 1) (5)
Oskar van Maren wrote: In any case, I would be happy to continue this dis... [More]
Oskar van Maren wrote: You are right, it is a bit strange that the Commis... [More]
UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Regulations and the Rise of Football’s 1% (2)
Stephan wrote: Also, in conclusion prize money is the easiest way... [More]
Stephan wrote: Interesting article. I've one remark on your... [More]
Florentino Perez wrote: But the requirement to be an interested party in o... [More]
New Event - Zoom In - Sports Governing Bodies and the Russian invasion of Ukraine - The end of neutrality? - 12 October - 16.00-17.30 CET
ISLJ Conference 2022 - Transnational sports law and governance in turbulent times - Early Bird Registration Ends Tomorrow!
Can Formula 1 drive to protect human rights? A case study of the Bahrain GP - By Pedro José Mercado Jaén
Call for papers - ISLJ Conference on International Sports Law - Asser Institute - 25 and 26 October 2022
[Video] Diversity at the Court of Arbitration for Sport: Time for a Changing of the Guard? - Zoom In Webinar - 14 October 2021
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South Fork Kings River
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This entry was posted on September 15, 2018 by Brandon Hayes.
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Posts Tagged ‘Atlantic Coast Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center’
Self-Quarantine or Isolation?
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread at alarming rates, governments across the world are taking more aggressive measures to contain it and to “flatten the curve.” By looking at Italy’s current and dire situation, governments are struggling to find ways to prevent illness and deaths as well as a similar collapse of the…
Medicare’s Response to the Coronavirus
Medicare is the leading healthcare insurance program for individuals in the United States age 65 years and older. Now that the coronavirus has hit the United States, with older adults and those with chronic serious medical conditions at a higher risk, what is Medicare’s response to the coronavirus? Medicare has dedicated a page…
Hearing Loss in Older Adults
When Mickey Fisher sits at the dinner table with his son and grandchildren, he feels like just a smiling face and a nodding head. He focuses on his string beans and chicken and holds down his grandson to prevent him from climbing on the table. His son turns his way and moves his mouth.…
The New Corona Virus [2019-nCoV]
According to the CDC, as of February 25th, there were fifty-three cases of the novel coronavirus disease (2019-nCoV) in the United States. There have been 2,462 deaths worldwide, most of them in mainland China. No deaths have been reported in the United States. While the risk of contracting the virus continues to be low in…
Post-Stroke Recovery
Stroke is the leading cause of serious long-term disability. While stroke occurs more frequently in older adults over age 65, it can strike and immobilize an individual at any age. In fact, data from 2009, reveals that 34% of the people hospitalized for a stroke were less than 65 years old. Those that make…
A Cure for Diabetes?
Many older adults struggle with diabetes management. But researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York have made great strides in uncovering a cure for diabetes. They have discovered a new drug duo that can regenerate insulin-producing cells known as beta cells. Previously, researchers found that the drug, harmine,…
5 Tips for Older Adults to Relieve Knee Pain
Morning routine may slow down as you grow older. Getting out of bed may require you to stretch the left leg first followed by the right one. Going down the stairs may cause you to grimace with pain, and it may take a few minutes to straighten your legs as you head to the kitchen…
A Person-Centered Dining Experience in Long-Term Care
If you lived independently since the beginning of adulthood, it means you’re used to preparing your own food and dining as you please. In some cases, the kitchen was the center of your household. As a result. making the transition to a residential facility with communal meals can be difficult and stressful. However, a…
Identifying Thyroid Disease in Older Adults
It may not be obvious. You might think it’s heart disease. Or a disorder of the nervous system. Maybe it’s a bowel disease. The symptoms may be subtle at first, but with careful examination, your physician may conclude that it’s thyroid disease. According to the American Thyroid Association, identifying thyroid disease in older adults can…
Is Dad Depressed?
You’ve seen Dad shuffling around his apartment irritable and snappy. When he’s not complaining about his persistent aches and pains, he’s sleeping or eating excessive amounts of food. He has little interest in his old woodworking hobby and no longer plays racketball with the guys. You wonder — Is Dad depressed? While depression… |
After Egypt Coup, Tunisia’s Islamists Make Concessions
Tunisia’s ruling Islamist party agrees to let more secular politicians into the government to stave off further unrest.
Nick Ottens August 21, 2013 July 2, 2020
Apparently motivated by an army coup in nearby Egypt, two leaders of Tunisia’s main political factions reportedly came to a power-sharing agreement in Paris last week to stave off further unrest.
Former prime minister Béji Caïd Essebsi, now an opposition leader, and the ruling Islamist party’s Rachid al-Ghannouchi, agreed to keep Ali Laarayedh as premier while Essebsi would succeed Moncef Marzouki as president. Two new cabinet posts are also to be added and filled by members of the opposition.
The Paris talks, sponsored by American and European diplomats, came less than three weeks after Laarayedh had rejected opposition demands to step down.
The North African country, which was the first to succumb to an “Arab Spring” uprising that toppled autocrats across the Muslim world more than two years ago, has seen waves of demonstrations since a leading secular politician was assassinated in February, prompting the prime minister at the time to resign. Another opposition leader was shot dead last month. After his funeral, police had to use tear gas to disperse opponents and supporters of the government who had gathered outside parliament in central Tunis.
Secular opposition parties were also emboldened by events in nearby Egypt where Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was deposed by the army last month after days of mass demonstrations in the capital Cairo and other major cities. Protesters in Tunisia similarly took to the streets to force the Islamist Ennahda party out of office. It won 41 percent of the seats in the interim parliament in late 2011.
Although Ennahda claims to be moderate, opposition parties regard warily what they see as a drift toward Islamism under its leadership and worry that, like the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the party will seek to do away with secular laws altogether if it wins a majority in the next election.
Ghannouchi’s concessions in Paris last week might allay such fears although his meeting with a trade union leader on Monday aimed at preventing more demonstrations failed to produce progress.
Africa Middle East and North Africa Tunisia |
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The Nature of the Small Galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field
Storrie-Lombardi, Lisa J. and Weymann, Ray J. and Thompson, Rodger I. (1999) The Nature of the Small Galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field. In: Photometric redshifts and high redshift galaxies. Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series. No.191. Astronomical Society of the Pacific , San Francisco, CA, pp. 86-91. ISBN 1-58381-017-X. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170328-134006084
We present results from a study of very small galaxies (isophotal area ≤ 0.2°”) with photometric redshifts 1 ≤ z ≤ 4.5 detected in the region of the northern Hubble Deep Field covered by NICMOS observations at 1.6 and 1.1 microns. We estimate that ~50 percent of these sources are star-forming galaxies at redshifts 2 < z < 3.5 and ~45 percent at are 3.5 < z < 4.5, with the remaining 5% at 1 < z < 2. We have examined averaged images of these faint (V_(606) ~ 27-29), compact objects to search for extended, surrounding flux from older, fainter populations of stars. We find no evidence that the small objects in the Hubble Deep Field are embedded in fainter, more extended galaxies. The majority are indeed isolated and compact. We estimate the 5σ depth of the averaged images to be H_(160) ≈29.8 AB magnitudes per square arcsecond.
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ASPC..191...86S ADS Article
Storrie-Lombardi, Lisa J. 0000-0002-5987-5210
© 1999 Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Provided by the NASA Astrophysics Data System. We thank Ron Marzke and Dave Thompson for their useful suggestions.
Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series |
Acura Repair In Kissimmee, FL
Acura, the luxury brand of Honda, is a common car make on the streets of Orlando, Kissimmee, Hunters Creek and St. Cloud, Florida, and the entire Osceola area. At RepairTech Automotive and DIY in Kissimmee, FL have been fixing Acuras since 1998 and can take care of your vehicle with confidence and efficiency.
A Brief History of Acura
Acura was established in the 1980s as the luxury brand of Honda, at around the same time that Nissan and Toyota released their Infiniti and Lexus brands respectively. Acura was the first Japanese luxury brand, introduced under the slogan: “Acura. Precision-Crafted Automobiles.” The first two models Acura released were the executive class Legend and the compact class Integra. Acura’s first full year of sales in 1987 saw 109,000 cars sold. This success inspired Nissan and Toyota to release their own luxury car lines.
In 1990, Acura released the NSX, a two-seat, mid-engine sports car. The NSX was the first car completely made from aluminum and became known as the “Everyday Supercar” because of its ease of use, reliability and quality, which was unheard of for a sports car at that time. Acura suffered a bit financially in the mid-1990s, however, perhaps because of less inspiring designs they released and the renaming of some of their models, making them more anonymous and less known.
Beginning around the year 2000, Acura experienced a rebirth which was catalyzed by the introduction of several redesigned models. The first of these models was the Acura TL, an upscale sedan, that was released in 1982. Another refreshed model was the Acura MDX, a three-row crossover SUV that catered to the demands of the luxury SUV market. The Acura was given top honors by Car and Driver when compared to seven other SUVs. In 2001, the RSX was announced to replace the Integra, but was taken out of the Acura lineup in 2006.
Acura Today
From sporty sedans to sophisticated SUVs, today’s Acura cars suit the versatile needs of Kissimmee residents. When your Acura needs repairs, we can take care of all your service needs, engine repair, and more. Some of the best Acura models to buy used or new are:
Acura TSX: The TSX, a compact executive car, is one of the safest sedans in the world. Although the car was discontinued in 2014, the TSX won many awards during its fourteen year run, including the 2008 Wheels Car of the Year, the Best Upscale Car for Families in 2011 by U.S. News and World Report, Top-Value Car of 2004 in the Category: Best Sedan Under $35,000 from SmartMoney.com, and AutoPacific’s most ideal midsize luxury car in 2012.
Acura RL: The Acura RL is an executive luxury car that was manufactured from 1996-2012 over two generations. While the car may look modest, its engine manages a cool 300 horses, making it a fast car. During its run, the Acura RL earned several awards, including the 2005 “Tech Car of the Year” from CNET.com and appeared on Car and Driver’s Ten Best List in 2005. If your Acura RL needs brake repair, brake service, or anything else, feel free to bring it to RepairTech Automotive and DIY.
Acura ILX: This compact executive car received a five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The ILX received the most sales in 2013, with 20,000 models sold in the United States. Today’s Acura ILX comes with the best safety features, including a Lane Keeping Assist System, Adaptive Cruise Control, a Blind Spot Information System, and a Multi-View Rearview Camera.
Acura MDX: This three-row luxury crossover SUV is the best selling three-row luxury crossover of all time, and was the first SUV to have three row seating. The MDX was named Car and Driver magazine’s Best Luxury SUV in 2001, the IIHS Top Safety Pick award in 2018, and was Motor Trend magazine’s SUV of the Year Contender in 2017. If you are in the Kissimmee area and your Acura MDX ever needs transmission repair, scheduled maintenance, you can come to RepairTech Automotive and DIY and we will fix it up for you.
Your Trusted Shop for Acura Repair
When your Acura needs repairs, you can bring your car to RepairTech Automotive and DIY in Kissimmee, FL. Our owner Charlie Payne makes sure our highly trained technicians receive ongoing training in automotive technology and auto repair services, and will offer you dealer-quality knowledge and experience without dealership pricing. Your car will go through an inspection and safety check, and all needed repairs will be thoroughly explained for your approval. We will never recommend repairs that aren’t absolutely necessary. If you are in Osceola County or surrounding areas, schedule an appointment at RepairTech Automotive and DIY today! You can schedule an appointment with us online or give us a call at 407-348-3400. |
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US WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN AND ITS POLICY TOWARDS CENTRAL ASIA - 24.06.2021
Blog No : 2021 / 41
Deniz ÜNVER
Independent Researcher
In February 2020, a peace agreement was signed between the United States and the Taliban establishing the framework of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the launch of intra-Afghan dialogue[1]. It was the first peace agreement in 18 years. Following this peace agreement, the US started to officially withdraw its troops from Afghanistan on May 1, 2021[2]. The US Joe Biden administration has indicated that the US and NATO military presence in Afghanistan will come to an end by September 11[3].
US troops have been present in the region since 2001[4]. It can be said that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan denotes a significant change for the Central Asian countries due to their proximity to Afghanistan. With this withdrawal, it can be understood that US foreign policy will adopt a new approach towards Central Asia. For this reason, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has met with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan under the C5+1 Framework on April 23[5]. Following this, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad’s visits to Tashkent, Kabul, and Dushanbe led to the idea that US aims to acquire approval for a new base in Central Asia[6]. This was also confirmed by the Wall Street Journal, which has reported that the US military planes need a base in Central Asia and Middle East after the withdrawal from Afghanistan[7]. According to officials from the Biden administration, this new base could either be in Uzbekistan or Tajikistan, both of which border Afghanistan and offer an easy access[8]. Another option for the US is to locate its base in Kyrgyzstan since it is close to Afghanistan[9]. This means that, despite the withdrawal of its military presence from Afghanistan, the US has the intention of staying as a regional player in Central Asia. Indeed, there are several reasons for this attempt. First, Washington desires to limit Chinese influence in the region by preventing the realization of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)[10]. China is the number one trading partner of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan by imports and Turkmenistan’s greatest trade partner in terms of exports[11]. Furthermore, in a 4-year period, exports from Central Asian countries to China grew by 35 percent[12] and the future trade between China and region is also promising. Thus, Beijing has intensified its military presence in the region by establishing facilities in Tajikistan and participating in military exercises with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries[13]. The Chinese challenge in the region for the US is stronger than ever due to China’s rise as an economic superpower, especially in Central Asia. In fact, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in Xian/China[14] and released a joint statement on continuing cooperation against the Covid-19 pandemic and the withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan. As the Chinese Foreign Minister stated, “Foreign troops should withdraw from the Afghanistan in an orderly and responsible manner to prevent any hasty action from adversely affecting and seriously interfering with the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan[15]”.
Apart from China, Russia is also determined to maintain and increase its presence in the region with its institutions such as Eurasian Economic Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)[16]. It would be rational to claim that Russia will continue to be in the opposite side of the US interests[17]. US officials have suggested that Russia’s large military footprint in Central Asia complicates the issues for the US[18]. Furthermore, its Soviet past, the influence of the Russian language, and Russia’s proximity to the region provides deeper integration with Central Asian countries.
According to Yang Jin, an expert at the institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; “This plan [US’ plan to establish a military base somewhere in Central Asia] will surely be opposed by China and Russia due to the intense relations between the US military and these two major powers. And Central Asian countries will also be reluctant to host US military deployment on their soil.”[19]
In addition to those, an official response came from the Taliban[20] after the comments that US may stay in the region or increase its influence in Central Asia with the help of its new military base. “We urge neighboring countries not to allow anyone to do so,” stated the Taliban while emphasizing that foreign forces, or more specifically the US, has become the main reason of instability and conflict in the region[21]. Furthermore, based on threats issued by the Taliban, allowing the establishment of a new military base can make host countries for an American military base a direct target of Taliban and anti-US forces in the region[22].
Central Asia has always been seen through a military and geopolitical perspective by the US[23]. With the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the US has started to seek a way to show a presence in Central Asia. The search for a place for a new base in the region reflects this interest. However, the US does not have many options in the region and accordingly, Washington chose to be the “offshore balancer” which relies on Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and India[24]. Among those countries India appears to be the crucial one since its interests and goals correspond with the those of US[25]. In this sense, according to US policy makers, India is perceived as a significant player in Washington’s Central Asia policy[26]. As a matter of fact, the history of India in Central Asia is long, and the country has a commitment in expanding economic ties with Central Asia[27]. Therefore, India has an interest in Afghanistan’s stabilization, countering Pakistan’s presence and competing with the China’s BRI[28] just like the US. Yet, it is not the best country to be a balancer against Russian and Chinese influence due to its close stance towards US.
Nevertheless, there is another choice for the United States to consider in counterbalancing existing influences in Central Asia. In fact, the best country for the United States to connect with Central Asia is Turkey, which has economic, ethnic, and cultural ties with the region. Turkey has a long history with the region and its relations with the region has accelerated with the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Turkey has a trade volume of 8.5 billion USD and approximately 4000 Turkish Companies have operated in Central Asian Countries to realize transportation, infrastructure, and communication projects[29]. The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) has been operating in Central Asian Countries to promote Turkic culture and heritage to younger generations as well as providing technical and economic cooperation. In addition to this, Turkey has established the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) in 1993 to promote the common rooted Turkish language as well as teaching Turkic culture, history, and art to the younger generations in the Central Asia[30]. Furthermore, Turkey has been carrying “Turkey Scholarships” for Central Asian students and Turkey’s Ministry of National Education has schools in Central Asia[31]. Moreover, to accelerate solidarity between Turkish speaking communities, Turkey formed and successfully operates the Summits of Turkic Speaking Countries’ Heads of States since 1992[32]. Considering all these, it can be confidently stated that Turkey has close and integrated ties with Central Asian countries.
In general, it can be concluded that it is in the interest of the US to develop better relations with Turkey due Turkey’s deep ties with Central Asian countries. To do so, the US must reconsider its strategy towards Turkey. It is a common fact that Russia has a significant impact in the region due to its Soviet past and geopolitics. Meanwhile, the newly emerged superpower China has enormous influence in all Central Asian republics with the BRI and its steadily increasing market demand. It can be claimed that the US must deal with these two powers to reach Central Asia after its withdrawal from Afghanistan. Within this regional framework, Turkey stands as the key third party with regard China and Russia due to its deep ties with the region.
*Photograph: http://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/us-completes-up-to-25-of-troop-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/2254360
[1] “Taliban Indirectly Warns Pakistan, Central Asian Nations Against Hosting US Military Base In The Region”, Eurasian Times, May 26, 2021,https://eurasiantimes.com/taliban-indirectly-warns-pakistan-central-asian-nations-against-hosting-us-military-base-in-the-region/
[2] Iskandar Akylbayev and Nurtas Janibekov, “What Does the US Withdrawal From Afghanistan Mean for Central Asia?”, The Diplomat, May 25, 2021,https://thediplomat.com/2021/05/what-does-the-us-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-mean-for-central-asia/
[4] Temur Umarov, “Is there a Place for a US Military Base in Central Asia?”, The Moscow Times, June 7, 2021,https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/06/07/is-there-a-place-for-a-us-military-base-in-central-asia-a74127
[5] Akylbayev and Janibekov, “What Does the US Withdrawal From Afghanistan Mean for Central Asia?”
[7] Yang Sheng, “China, central Asian Countries to Strengthen Cooperation on Afghan Issue, counterterrorism and Diversify Energy Sources”, Global times, May 12,2021, https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1223313.shtml
[9] Umarov, “Is there a Place for a US Military Base in Central Asia?”
[10] Ziegler Charles, “America’s Central Asian Dilemma”, The National Interest, May 23, 2021, https://nationalinterest.org/feature/america’s-central-asian-dilemma-185684
[11] “China and Central Asia: Bilateral Trade Relationships and Future Outlook”, China Briefing, May 20, 2021, https://www.china-briefing.com/news/china-and-central-asia-bilateral-trade-relationships-and-future-outlook/
[13] Navbahor Imamova, “US Seeking New Security Arrangements in Central Asia”, VOA news, May 21, 2021, https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/us-seeking-new-security-arrangements-central-asia
[14] Sheng, “China, central Asian Countries to Strengthen Cooperation…”
[16] Charles, “America’s Central Asian Dilemma”.
[20] “Taliban Indirectly Warns Pakistan, Central Asian Nations Against Hosting US Military Base In The Region”.
[22] Niu Song, “Hosting US military Bases a Hot Patato for Afghanistan’s Neighbors”
[23] Akylbayev and Janibekov, “What Does the US Withdrawal From Afghanistan Mean for Central Asia?”
[29] “Turkey’s Relations with Central Asian Republics”, Republic of Turkey Minister of Foreign Affairs, https://www.mfa.gov.tr/turkey_s-relations-with-central-asian-republics.en.mfa
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Dr. Mehta completed his undergraduate education at Arizona State University and graduated from medical school at the Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in Glendale, AZ. From there, he completed his internship and residency at the Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital and Summa Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, where he trained in internal medicine with a focused study in dermatology.
When Dr. Mehta is not at the office, he enjoys traveling, reading, listening to music, and spending quality time with his friends and family. His sense of humor and giving nature are qualities that have helped him develop strong peer, staff, and patient loyalty. |
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How to Stain a Deck with a Roller
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Are you looking for the best way to stain your deck? And maybe with a roller? I went through the whole process recently and will share with you all the steps we took to stain our deck with a roller. After building my deck, I knew I wanted to stain it a really fun, vibrant […]
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Mind the Gap!
Posted on June 2, 2017 by Ron Miksha
If you travel metro in London (and many other cities) you might hear a polite admonition from the public address system, “Mind the gap!” It’s advising you not to get your footwear stuck between the train and platform while boarding. Beekeepers have their own gap to mind and it’s here now.
The June Gap is pretty common across the northern hemisphere. (Perhaps there’s a December Gap down in Chile.) The gap is so renowned among beekeepers that someone built a wikipage called “June Gap”. It relates mostly to the UK, but we also gap here, in western Canada, too. This is what the wiki says:
The June Gap refers to a phenomenon in which a shortage of forage available for bees occurs (typically in June) and has been observed in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Subsequent to the massive volume of pollen and nectar produced by trees and hedges in the spring, there is a reduction in the amount of nectar available to the bees due to long grasses and dandelions suppressing many wildflowers.[1] Before the herbaceous “summer rush” of July-through-September which reinstates the high level of nectar, the high hive populations brought around by trees in the spring struggle to produce honey and may lay fewer eggs. Beekeepers need to pay special attention to the levels of honey in the hive as well as the level of water the bees use during this gap. Annual weather patterns can cause this event to occur later or earlier.
Some plants which can help provide nectar in this gap are Cotoneaster, the closely related Pyracantha, common garden [herbs], and perennial garden plants.
That’s all the Wikipedia entry says, then a few references are cited. The June Gap isn’t limited to England and Ireland. We also gapped in western Pennsylvania, where I learned to keep bees. We saw a nice early flow from of willow, dandelion, and fruit blossom. Most years, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) straddled late May and early June followed by tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) and basswood (linden, or Tilia americana). Then there was a (summer) gap until the autumn goldenrod and aster. Farther north and west, most beekeepers on the American plains and Canadian prairies also suffer a real June Gap, a dearth between spring flows and our main summer honey flow.
A great pasture for bees: dandelions, before the gap
What happens during the gap? There is often a little pollen coming in, but rarely is there much nectar. For those of us lucky enough to live in Alberta, Canada, we may have a good flow from dandelion (this year it peaked on May 25th, which is normal) but the drop after that major source is precipitous. We have sparse flowers (goat’s beard, buffaloberry, Siberian olive, caragana) which tease the bees a bit, but we can see hives lose weight, even on sunny mild June days. Most years, we have gaps (of varying significance) from about June 5th to June 25th. During those three weeks, queens curtail egg laying. Crucial workers that will help make the late July and August part of the honey crop might not materialize in the numbers you need.
Beekeepers have taken to feeding their bees up to a few days before honey supers go on. If the dearth is severe and hives have built up strongly on the early season flows, the gap will result in less brood rearing. But the gap can be so serious that bees destroy their developing brood and then, as it continues, they may starve. It’s possible to lose hives from starvation days before the main flow starts. Leaving plenty of reserve honey in the hive will, of course, prevent such a fate. But even a well-provisioned colony usually stops egg laying when the nectar shuts off and pollen becomes scarce.
The solution? Mind the gap. Keep a couple of eyes on your hives at this time of the year. The crop (for most of us) will start flowing in less than a month. This is not the month to ignore your bees.
This entry was posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Honey Plants and tagged dandelions, feeding bees, June beekeeping. Bookmark the permalink.
15 Responses to Mind the Gap!
Pingback: Mind the Gap! | How To Raise Bees
good to know, thank you 🙂
Susan T Rudnicki says:
Hi, Ron—I was acutely aware when first becoming a beekeeper in Southern Calif that the massive flows of the temperate climates did not happen here at all similarly. Sourwood, maples, pussywillows, etc, (the plants mentioned in many typical books) are not attuned by the harsh seasonal shifts of temperature, so I had to make other observations. Since much of the semi-desert of Southern Calif has been planted with things from the southern latitudes —So Africa, New Zealand, Australia—we have things blooming in Winter and pretty much all year. Drought has, till just this past winter, made the forage poor and many hives in the surrounding foothills, dependent on native shrubs and perennials, did suffer for the last 6 or 7 years. With over 18 inches of rain since October, the trees, shrubs, and weeds have been very abundant. So, anyone reading and living in a similar Mediterranean climate has to think differently from what you describe!
Absolutely right! You’ve heard them say, “All beekeeping is local.” That’s why I mentioned ‘the north’ in my piece, but even that is a generalization.
Glad to hear that your drought seems to have ended (for now!) and bees are locally flourishing!
Yeah—but almost ALL the books are from temperate climes, so newbees starting up here get corn-fused by the “flows” discussions! And I don’t know how many newbees are on your site, so I carefully composed that remark to grab them. We do have one self-published book, by Jeremy Rose, “Beekeeping in Coastal California” which must be ordered from him directly. He’s listed on-line. It is a valuable resource for the month by month tutorials on management (he is definitely anti-feral, anti-AHB, and pro-treatments, but that’s OK) and the picture gallery of forage plants. There is NOTHING else like it for us MedClime beeks.
Thanks again, Susan. Westcoast beekeepers can buy a copy of Jeremy’s book through his website, at this link.
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In Tasmania, Australia it is the November gap.
A November gap! Here in Canada, in addition to our early summer June Gap, we also have a November gap. It continues through December, January, February, and March! (It’s our winter gap, of course.)
Is it mild enough for you to have some winter blossom? Is your November gap related to rainfalls and droughts? Our June gap is simply due to the wrap up of our spring flows and a few weeks break until the commercial (alfalfa, canola) crops kick in.
Virginia in the U.S. tends to have a July-August gap. Our June typically has nectar available from late spring / early summer trees. Depending on our rains, the fall flow is a bit hit-or-miss as well, so many beekeepers feed in July/August to get their hives up to winter weight by September.
I like the analogy to the London subway.
I’m in Alabama and we get it too. Our spring flow is winding down now and there won’t be much in the way of nectar until Goldenrod starts in August. Last year, we had a serious drought starting about the same time as the usual dearth, so the typical late-summer/fall plants were a complete failure and there was lots of emergency feeding going on.
When I was a Pennsylvania beekeeper, we had a similar drought in year which had a bright sunny spring that brought lots of honey. My father said, “Leave the honey on the hives. That might be all they get until next year.” I didn’t believe him, of course. But he was right.
By the way, You have a nice blog over there at “Seven Stings”!
Last year there weren’t many signs that there was going to be trouble until after the spring honey had already been harvested and extracted. It just…quit raining. 60+ straight days with no measurable rain. I’m not seeing a bounceback spring, but then again I’ve had to concentrate on producing bees rather than honey this year so I wasn’t really expecting much of a honey crop.
Thanks for checking out my blog. It kind of started out as a bunch of Google calendar entries that I was using to keep track of what I was doing. But I’ve found that I really like sharing what’s going on in the beeyard.
I am not a Bee Keeper but have noticed honey bees feeding on fallen pears in my yard which peaked my curiosity and in my research discovered it could be that there is a nectar dearth. I know most of my flowers are finished for the year so because of this occurrence I have raked what’s left of my fallen pears under a tree for the bees. |
Dimelina Mora
Relentless Ally
A Lifelong Learner and Admired Advocate
Inquisitive by nature, Dimelina Mora enjoys learning from the different perspectives and backgrounds of her colleagues and industry peers, gaining what she calls “an ever-growing catalogue of knowledge.” By proactively seeking to learn from others, Dimelina has grown personally and professionally while making an impact on those around her. She values the diversity of Balfour Beatty employees and the unique backgrounds they bring to the table, including how our people influence the clients and partners with which we interact and the influential dialogue we lead within our company and industry.
Dimelina didn’t always have her sights set on a career in construction. During her sophomore year of college, Dimelina was searching for an internship to gain experience and exposure to the workforce, primarily setting her sights on the design industry. It was by happenstance that an opportunity with Balfour Beatty emerged.
As a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, an organization in which Dimelina still participates today, she was coordinating a career fair for her peers. Balfour Beatty recognized her talent in managing the event and requested her resume—and the rest is history! Beginning as an intern, Dimelina has built her nine-year career exclusively with Balfour Beatty.
Dimelina’s first internship included working on a Special Projects Group (SPG) interior renovation for Georgia Tech’s School of Civil Engineering, more formally known as the Mason Building. Although she was originally hesitant to pursue general contracting due to a lack of exposure about the field, she credits her internship with Balfour Beatty as instrumental in changing her outlook on the trajectory of her career and discovering her passions in the industry.
She describes her internship experience as both rewarding and collaborative: “From trade partners to clients, everyone was eager and willing to share their wisdom, best practices and experiences with me. It was a wonderful learning environment.”
Today, Dimelina is a project manager with Balfour Beatty’s SPG team based out of Atlanta, Georgia, and she has made it her mission to raise awareness regarding opportunities in the construction industry. Specifically, she focuses on educating K-12 students—especially students with diverse backgrounds—on opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and occupations.
Frank Fotia, project executive with Balfour Beatty’s SPG in Georgia, praises, “Dimelina is a key member of our Atlanta SPG team and displays the type of positivity, teamwork and collaboration we want on all our project teams. She’s made her home here at Balfour Beatty and continues to grow our client base and make us better. Her passion for our industry and the many types of people who surround her is infectious.”
Dimelina believes Balfour Beatty’s foundation for success is rooted in the company’s advancement of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives. With this core belief as a guiding principle, Dimelina has served on both the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) board as well as the American Society of Civil Engineers Younger Members (ASCE YM) board. She also actively participates in workshops with non-profits such as Goodwill and hands-on service and training programs led by organizations such as West Side Works, a program for individuals with diverse backgrounds.
“The more perspectives we have, the more well-rounded individuals and organizations we become,” she asserts.
Dimelina is also a passionate advocate for increasing women’s representation in construction. She advises women in the construction trades to be “vivacious,” and to “do one thing every day that makes us proud and one thing that plants a positive seed for the future.”
Although Dimelina may not have originally dreamed of pursuing a construction career, she has not only seized every opportunity in her path but also expanded her sphere of influence within Balfour Beatty, her industry and community—growing exponentially as a builder and leader. |
By Ted Schlein, Chairman and General Partner
This morning the White House released its new National Cybersecurity Strategy (NCSS).
First, it’s great to have this strategy, and I want to thank Chris Inglis, our country’s first National Cyber Director, for all the work he did to pull the NCSS together and for his years of service to the U.S.
The country needs direction and the new strategy shows a commitment to the importance of cybersecurity as a key component of the United States’ national security apparatus. I believe the goal of such a strategy should be to unify the nation against cyber incursions, recognizing that 85% of the country’s infrastructure is in the private sector. We have an opportunity to stop fighting within our own system and direct all our resources in one cohesive strategy. There is much work to do.
The strategy is divided into five “pillars,” and below, I’ll give some opinions about each of the pillars. I’ll also note here that there really is no inclusion of metrics that measure how well we achieve any one of the strategies, which I think will be important to hold people accountable for their success or failure.
Pillar One: Defend Critical Infrastructure
I would refer to this Pillar as the “Kumbaya” section. It’s basically stating that all these various agencies and groups that we have in the federal government need to work more closely together. It also highlights the importance of cooperation from the private sector to work with these government agencies.
Implicit is that we will need to figure out better ways to share information, collaborate with that information and coordinate with the outcome of what the information tells us.
My Opinion:
I agree with the overall sentiment. In fact, I can’t imagine anyone disagreeing, but the reality is that we still have far too many cooks in the kitchen, which leads to making it hard to share, collaborate, and coordinate. There is a reticence to declare this group is responsible for talking with the private sector, that this group is accountable for the defense of our government agencies, etc., and then hold each group accountable for their assignments.
Section 1.4 discusses the intention to use regulation to support national security and public safety. It alludes to creating a security hygiene standard for certain sectors of U.S. critical infrastructure and then enforcing the adherence to these standards. I think this is a great idea. Overall, the general idea should be to raise the country’s resilience by defining minimum security standards for private-sector entities and then either use a carrot or stick to incent or enforce them. I prefer a carrot, as I think it could be very effective – especially if it eliminates liability for a breach.
Section 1.5 talks about defending and modernizing the federal enterprise. It’s amazing to me that each federal agency is responsible for its own IT and cybersecurity implementations and defense. Why should the Department of State know anything about running a network? Why should the Department of Commerce know anything about how to secure its systems? This decentralized approach is just so inefficient and insecure. Thus, I hope they use this section to anoint CISA as the security architect of the federal government systems. They should be held accountable for ensuring the security of these systems and, therefore, they should have the personnel and resources to make this happen. We have precedence for this: U.S. Cyber Command defends the networks of the DoD. CISA should do the same for all other networks.
Pillar Two: Disrupt and Dismantle Threat Actors
This section to me is about answering the question: How do we overcome our bureaucratic authorities so that we can try and secure ourselves?
Again, the root of this section has to do with coordination and collaboration between various stakeholders within the federal government and from the outside. These seams in our systems and authorities are something that our adversaries prey on and take advantage of.
In order to do this, we need cooperation from our allies, which is why the Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy was created in the State Department.
Section 2.2 calls for an increase in the speed and scale of intelligence sharing and victim notification. The establishment of both the CCC by NSA and JCDC by CISA has helped the interaction with the private sector quite a bit and they are a good start.
Section 2.3 is about preventing the abuse of U.S.-based infrastructure. This is a very important section, but how it gets implemented will determine if it can be effective. Adversaries know the NSA, which is the elite portion of the nation’s cyber defense, cannot monitor U.S.-based infrastructure, so they just use U.S.-based cloud infrastructure to perpetrate their attacks. We have to fix this. I believe some of this section is a bit pollyannaish, as it assumes a bad actor with a desire to do a bad thing will self-identify themselves, as the major recommendation here is around KYC (“know your customer”).
Section 2.4: Defeat ransomware. Pretty interesting this is in our NCSS. One could argue this is a crime, not a national security threat. But I agree with the White House that ransomware attacks have become a national security threat, and we should use the resources of our various government agencies to prevent it.
Pillar Three: Shape Market Forces to Drive Security and Resilience
This is, in my opinion, the most important and impactful section of the NCSS. It’s basically saying that if you make software, create infrastructure to host it, and store data, you are responsible for being a responsible security steward and you will be held liable to enforce this to happen. Why this is so revolutionary is because the entire software industry has basically been built having no liability for what they deliver, security included.
This has to happen. How it’s implemented and enforced is key to whether it will be successful. This section goes hand in hand with my previous comments about the need for hygiene standards. Much of these sections talk about creating a set of standards that technology companies will be held to. But this is pretty opaque as there are various groups that have standards today: NIST and CISA to name two. These cannot be a moving target.
They discuss penalties if a company does not adhere to these standards yet they do not discuss a benefit. If all there are are penalties, it will pit the technology vendors, the private sector, and the various regulatory bodies against one another rather than being on the same side.
I believe some version of this pillar has to happen, but the overall goal of the NCSS should be to get everyone aligned on how to best protect the United States and its infrastructure. Alignment has to be in place for standard-setting, evaluation of adherence to those standards, and enforcement and/or benefit programs. This means that various regulatory bodies (SEC, FTC, and FCC) plus Congress must align on these practices and their implementation.
Section 3.5 leverages federal procurement to improve accountability. I’m a big fan of using purchase orders to drive the behavior you want.
Pillar Four: Invest in a Resilient Future
This section is about how we can use taxpayer money to do what the private sector will probably do better. I’m being a little snarky here as I am not a fan of the federal government trying to pick technology that needs to be invested in. Overall, I’m a big fan of an increase in basic R&D to universities to work on certain areas that we believe are vital to our national security.
I’m just a little suspect of how much money would be allocated here and who would do the allocating.
Section 4.1: Secure the technical foundation of the internet. This is one of those sound bites that seems like a great thing to do with very little description on how one would go about doing it. I could see a moonshot-like project where we decide we are going to build a parallel internet that is completely authenticated.
Section 4.2: Prepare for our post-quantum future. It’s good to get attention on this. But we may need some incentives in place for the private sector to invest in this in a timely manner.
Section 4.5: Develop a National Strategy to Strengthen our Cyber Workforce. This should be a whole-of-nation goal. Everyone needs more technical talent in this area. Each federal agency will compete for it; the private sector will compete for it; demand will be insatiable for the foreseeable future.
Pillar Five: Forge International Partnerships to Pursue Shared Goals
I think this is an obvious one. Cybersecurity has no borders, so the more we can do with our allies, the safer we will all be. For this, I’m very happy for Nate Fick’s role as Cyber Ambassador.
I could see a version of NATO’s Article 5 being designed for cybersecurity so that if one of our allies suffers a cyber attack then the perpetrator is facing a response from everyone. The idea is to create significant deterrence.
Today the U.S. does not view a cyber attack in the same way it views a kinetic attack. Thus, we will encourage more cyber attacks as they are safer to execute for our adversaries and our responses, while they can be meaningful, and far less than a response for a kinetic incursion that results in the same damage.
Download the full National Cybersecurity Strategy here. |
Tag: shampoos
Basic care tips for naturally beautiful hair
Here are some tips to help your hair look and feel beautiful and smooth.
Use a professional shampoo and conditioner that is formulated for your hair type. A good selection of those products is a must have. Just remember to stay away from the all-in-one conditioner and shampoo combos. Avoid shampoos that contain sodium laurel sulfate, because this chemical synthetic detergents that are used in dishwashing liquid.
The stress reflects on the condition of the hair
Hair needs constant care, which do not consist only in the use of shampoos, conditioners, masks, etc. There are more important factors affecting to its condition.
Hair becomes thinner if the body is experiencing vitamin and micronutrients deficiency. So if you want to be healthy, pay attention to the food – you should use products, containing a sufficient quantity of vitamins of group B, A, C, E, beta carotene, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper. |
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The CIS has few supranational powers, but aims to be more than a purely symbolic organization, nominally possessing coordinating powers in the realm of trade, finance, lawmaking, and security. Russian is an official language in only four of these states: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Every CIS country has own rules for MD registration (national state registration for medical devices – Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Armenia) but for Eurasian Economic Union single market of MD will come into a force in the beginning of 2017.
Cosmetic products fall under Custom Union technical regulation (CU TR 009\2011) with exclusions (some products falls under state registration but despite of medical device state registration system – “state registration for cosmetics” is acting both for Russia and EEU countries. Applicant could make a choice of country of documents submission. |
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York
On the release of memos
by Jeremy Loudenback Best in Governance U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York Release of the drone memo As the Obama administration has expanded the scope of its worldwide drone war campaign to include American citizens, information about the drone strikes, including the targeting process and legal Read more…
By USC Bedrosian Center, 9 years July 9, 2014 ago |
Fitness & HealthPopular
Why Do Kids Suddenly Lose Interest In Their Toys?
Desiree Byrom Published on February 26, 2023
As parents, it can be surprising and frustrating when kids lose interest in new toys so quickly. Of course, the transition from begging and convincing that they absolutely must have this toy to leaving it completely behind and untouched is difficult to watch. So what’s the reason that this happens?
According to licensed clinical psychologists Dr. Camille Ace, this phenomenon can be attributed to underdeveloped emotional regulation, poor impulse control, peer pressure, and natural attention span limits.
It Seems Like Kids Lose Interest In Toys Very Quickly
Dr. Ace explained: “A child’s desire for the toy may be influenced by underdeveloped emotional regulation, poor impulse control, or peer pressure. It could also be that the new toy, which initially seemed like a bright, shiny miracle, is, in fact, a toy that limits or does not ignite the child’s imagination. A toy that limits a child’s creativity can cause a loss of interest no matter how excited the child was initially to get their little fingers on the newest, hottest toy.”
Clinical psychologist Dr. Rebecca Harvey said that this could also have to do with their attention span, which correlates to their age.
Additionally, clever marketing and social influence can factor into a child’s desire for a shiny new toy. Dr. Ace said: “Children are easily and heavily influenced by the ads they see on TV or on YouTube. There’s a reason commercials work; they hype toys up and make them look like endless fun. It’s easy to understand why a child ‘NEEDS’ the new toy, especially if all their friends have one. We, as parents, hate the idea of our child feeling left out, so a quick fix is to simply buy them the new, popular novelty. But lo and behold, the new plaything isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
What Is The Reason Why?
Dr. Ace suggests that reducing the number of toys can help combat this loss of interest. She said: “As contradictory as it may sound, a child’s interest thrives when they have fewer toys in front of them. Too many toys can cause a child to be overwhelmed because it’s just too much for their minds to process. As parents, we often misunderstand their loss of interest and may purchase more toys we hope will retain their interest, but the cycle continues.”
Keeping toys on rotation will help avoid this burnout that causes the quick loss of interest. You can put some toys away so that they become “out of sight, out of mind,” and then re-introducing them will keep them exciting once kids see them again. You can do this again once they start losing interest once again, and keep the cycle going.
The Experts Weigh In
Dr. Ace also said: “The New Toy Decision can be based on so many factors: the child’s emotional state, the parents’ ability to navigate the child’s emotional state, the outcome and balance of purchasing versus not purchasing the new toy (cost of toy, tantrums, guilt), and our memory (accurate or inaccurate) of the child’s interest in prior ‘new toys.’ As parents, we often see a new toy purchase as an opportunity to ‘connect’ with the child and ignore the obvious signs that the new toy may not be all it’s cracked up to be.”
According to Dr. Harvey: “The purpose of toys is for brain, motor skill, and social/emotional development. Having toys that hit on the key areas of development and stimulation (educational, pretend, action, and rolling push toys) is important.”
She also reminds us: “It’s key to encourage creative and open play by having non-electronic/battery-operated toys and allowing children to ‘create’ toys and activities with household items like homemade goo or building a spaceship out of shipping boxes.”
Limit The Amount Of Toys They Have
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Tag: actress
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The joy of the Lord is my strength
Love is patient and kind
Nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37. Free Mobile wallpaper background |
Cataract Surgery for Infants and Children
Congenital cataracts and childhood cataracts are not very common. However, in the event that a child or infant has cataracts, it is not easy to predict how much their vision will be improved after the treatment. In most cases, children tend to have a reduction in vision even after the treatment.
Cataract surgery is the most common treatment for children with cataracts. When it is performed on children and babies, the procedure will be performed under general anesthesia. The procedure will take a longer time than it does for an adult and may take up to one or two hours. If the cataracts are present at birth, doctors will usually recommend that surgery be done as early as a few weeks after birth.
The procedure starts with the doctor applying eye drops to dilate the pupil. Then, a small cut is made on the cornea to allow for the cloudy lens to be removed. The next step is to install an intraocular lens (IOL) to replace the removed lens. The IOL will restore the eye’s focusing ability that is lost with the removal of the lens. However, it is more common for young children and babies to not get an IOL implant right away. The best option for them is to choose removable contact lenses or eyeglasses. These can be chosen and fitted about a week or two after the surgery. After the procedure is complete, the incision on the cornea will be closed.
For children or infants with cataracts, the risk of further complications after cataract surgery is a bigger possibility. With the fitting of an IOL, treating complications that may occur later on can get difficult. In fact, there have been reports of IOLs being the cause of the complications. Therefore, removable contact lenses or specially designed eyeglasses are the better option with better long-term results.
It is quite normal for a child or infant to stay overnight after a cataract surgery. This way, their recovery can be closely monitored. In the event of bilateral cataracts (cataracts in both eyes), the surgeon will work separately on each eye to minimize the risk of complications. In this case, the operations will be conducted about a week apart. After the operation, regular check-ups are a must to monitor the progress. A child’s vision will develop as they grow, and the strength of the glasses or contact lenses will be adjusted accordingly.
Web2015-04-30T20:51:41+00:00April 22, 2015|Blog| |
clarinetist
Edward Avedisian, clarinetist who donated $100 million to BU medical school, dies at 85 – The Boston Globe
Fast forward A look at the news and events that shape the day, delivered a few times a week with a side of humor and a dash of attitude. “I didn’t want anything with my name on it,” Mr Avedisian told BU in September. “But he said, ‘I will only do it if your name …
Edward Avedisian, clarinetist who donated $100 million to BU medical school, dies at 85 – The Boston Globe Read More » |
Are we living in simulations indistinguishable from reality?
Posted By Marsha West on June 14, 2016 in Discernment, Science & Technology 3
According to Jordan Standridge of The Crippplegate, “The smartest man in the universe, a man who learned rocket science in his spare-time for fun, believes that we are in a video game.”
To discover what some really really smart people believe about reality, read Standridge’s blog post “Elon Musk and the Arrogance of Man.”
Imagine a video game. In this video game, the graphics are so advanced that they are indistinguishable from reality. In fact, the game is so realistic that the characters in the game believe that they are actually living human beings. Impossible, right?
Not so, according to Elon Musk.
Elon Musk is one of the brightest minds in the world. In fact, several rocket scientists believe that Elon Musk might be the smartest human to ever live. He was one of the founders of Paypal. After selling that company, he founded Tesla, a company that produces cars that run on electricity. He also started Solar City, a company that produces solar panels. Last but not least, he runs SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company hoping to colonize Mars one day. (He is pretty confident that he will be able to do so before the end of his life.)
Elon Musk was recently the keynote speaker at a big conference. During the Q & A section, he was asked a question that everyone thought was pretty comical.
He was asked if he’d ever heard of the simulation question. That if he’d ever considered whether we were in a simulation.
To everyone’s shock, he said that he’s had so many simulation type conversations that it’s not even funny. He mentioned that it got to the point where every conversation became the simulation/artificial intelligence conversation, and that he and his brother had to ban it from the hot tub because “It killed the mood”. Of course, this statement made the entire room laugh hysterically, and just about everyone thought it was over.
But Elon wasn’t ready to move on, he added,
The strongest argument for us being in a simulation probably is the following. Forty years ago, we had pong. Pong is basically two rectangles and a dot. That was what video games were. 40 years later, we have photorealistic, 3D simulations with millions of people playing simultaneously, and it’s improving every year. Soon we’ll have virtual reality, augmented reality, etc. If you assume any rate of improvement at all, the games will become indistinguishable from reality, even if that rate of advancement drops by a thousandth from what it is now. Then you might say, “Okay, let’s imagine it’s 10,000 years in the future!” which is still nothing on the evolutionary scale.
So given that we’re clearly on a trajectory to have games that are indistinguishable from reality, and those games could be played on any set-top box or PC or whatever, and there would probably be billions of such computers or set-top boxes, it would seem to follow that the odds that we’re in base reality is one in billions.
Tell me what’s wrong with that argument.
No, seriously. What’s wrong with that argument?
In other words, there is a one-in-a-billion chance that we are not in a video game. Continue reading
Elon Musk, Jordan Standridge, Reality, Simulations, Video games
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3 Responses to Are we living in simulations indistinguishable from reality?
Manny1962 June 14, 2016 at 2:58 pm #
The wisdom of man is foolishness before God. Musk even hinting at that scenario makes me believe he’s not as smart as he’s painted to be. He might be a successful businessman, but really what has he invented himself? And please don’t say the Tesla! The automobile panorama was covered in electric cars over a hundred years ago, thanks to Rockefeller and big oil, that was made impractical! And if you dig in to the Tesla car company finances, the word Ponzi comes to mind!
Hymne1962 June 14, 2016 at 9:09 pm #
Manny1962, you’ve spoken a true word.
masodo June 16, 2016 at 9:35 am #
I saw this reported and had to laugh. The worship that has developed for all things computer is pretty sad if not predictable.
The best that “smartest man alive” can do to explain reality is to liken it to a simulation taking place in some sort of advanced computing device that is beyond our ability to even comprehend.
Try this: “All is but a thought in the mind of God” = 100% Chance. |
Cyberlearning: Revealing knowledge bases of educational research
Cyberlearning: Revealing knowledge bases of educational research series
Title: Revealing knowledge bases of educational research
Bio: Dr. Kristine Lund is a CNRS Senior Research Engineer in the ICAR language sciences laboratory at the University of Lyon and served as the vice-director of ICAR for 4 years (2007-2010). An English-French-Finnish trilingual, she is also currently Chief Scientific Officer at the www.Cognik.net company and one of its three co-founders. CogniK personalizes and adapts multimedia content for specific audiences. K. Lund earned her PhD in Cognitive Science from the University of Grenoble, a Masters Degree in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Paris and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Computer Science from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. She was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS). Her research themes include the analysis and visualization of multi-source traces of group interactions, modeling the multimodality of language production, argumentation and explanation as learning mechanisms, and argumentation and collaborative design.
Abstract: Educational research covers a diverse area of topics ranging from psychological principles of learning and the role of language in cognition to the history of educational institutions and education's economic impact. Such diversity presents integration challenges and questions how research can be connected so that collective knowledge may advance. We used a scientometric analysis to examine the knowledge bases of educational research and present a global map that consists of 18 research clusters or subfields that are connected by distinct sets of references. The nature of these sets of references varied, breaking down differently into theory-based, method-based, domain-based, empirical and consensus document references. Five of the clusters are centrally focused on research in education in that they appear to concentrate on teaching and learning directly.
Five other clusters are more peripherally focused on research in education because they also work on other topics. A comparison of the clusters with AERA Divisions and SIGs show some close one-to-one matches and we argue that this gives evidence for clusters grouping articles in way relevant to communities of practice. Lastly, we examined the place of educational research within research in social sciences and found that educational research is distributed across diverse fields, actively incorporating and connecting multiple disciplines. Our interactive on-line maps of research in education can be used by students, researchers and practitioners to explore the collectively built knowledge bases of research in education.
Please note that those interested in portfolio analysis may find aspects of Dr. Lund’s talk to be of interest.
Please register at: https://nsf.webex.com/nsf/j.php?RGID=ra49f536db7d272aee3b2bad73136b4e2
by 11:59pm EST on Thursday, September 24, 2015.
After your registration is accepted, you will receive an email with a URL to join the meeting. Please be sure to join a few minutes before the start of the webinar. This system does not establish a voice connection on your computer; instead, your acceptance message will have a toll-free phone number that you will be prompted to call after joining. If you are international, please email [email protected] to obtain the appropriate dial in number. Please note that this registration is a manual process; therefore, do not expect an immediate acceptance. In the event the number of requests exceeds the capacity, some requests may have to be denied.
Friday, September 25, 2015, 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Contact Gabriel Perez-Giz
[email protected] |
B’Mitzvah
The celebration of a B’Mitzvah represents a transition point in a child’s Jewish life. It is an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge that a child has gained through formal education as well as the beginning of new personal and communal Jewish responsibilities.
A Wonderful Milestone in Your Jewish Journey
The goals of the Congregation Beth David B’Mitzvah program are to:
comprehensively prepare all children in our congregation for their B’Mitzvah,
instill a sense of Jewish identity and personal connection with the Beth David community that will last a lifetime,
provide B’Mitzvah families with a meaningful Jewish experience that inspires growth and learning.
Preparation for becoming B’Mitzvah begins in early childhood through experiencing Jewish life at home, in school, and in synagogue. Congregation Beth David is committed to providing many opportunities for children to have positive Jewish experiences. The B’Mitzvah program is designed both to teach Jewish children how to participate in Jewish worship as well as to remain active Jewishly through their teen years and into adulthood.
As early as possible all children of Congregation Beth David should receive a formal Jewish education, either in our Religious School or at a Jewish day school. It is in a primary or supplementary Jewish school that children gain a knowledge of Jewish living, values, and texts, as well as learn to read Hebrew, the language of the Jewish people. There is a minimum requirement of 2 years of formal Jewish education directly before B’Mitzvah. This means beginning no later than 5th grade. It is during 5th grade that the B’Mitzvah dates are given out.
Core Judaic Learning through our Youth Education Program
Attendance at our Religious School program during grades K-6 begins the process of becoming a B’Mitzvah.
Trope, the melody used for chanting Torah is taught in 5th grade and for Haftarah is taught in 6th grade. By learning trope, your child is learning a lifelong skill as opposed to memorizing their particular portion for their B’Mitzvah.
Attendance at Youth Services. Attending youth services allows your child to become familiar with the Shabbat morning service, allows them to participate as co-leaders and gives them the opportunity to chant Torah in a fun and relaxed environment. We know from experience that the more your child attends, the better prepared they will be when tutoring begins.
Usually, tutoring begins approximately 6 months prior to the B’Mitzvah date. An individualized tutoring schedule will be arranged between the family and Barbara Biran, Director of Operations and Ritual.
Tutoring could begin earlier depending on your child’s schedule, for example being gone for an extended period of time for camp or vacation.
Tutoring is individualized to meet the needs of your child.
There is an additional fee for tutoring.
When tutoring begins, Rabbi Nathan Roller, our Rabbi Educator, will meet with your child to help them understand their Torah and Haftarah portion and then assist them in writing their speech that they will give on the day of their B’Mitzvah.
The staff at Congregation Beth David is eager to help you through the B’Mitzvah journey. For more information email Barbara Biran. |
It’s for the gentle ladies, too! This year I will again ride in the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, raising funds and awareness for prostate cancer and men’s mental health on behalf of Movember. But like everything 2020, this will be different… this year, we’ll ride solo, together! It’s a bummer because this is one of […]
Read more "9/27: The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride"
Yes, this is a motorcycle blog. But the urgent need to fundamentality change how Blacks are treated in this country – both by individuals and ALL our systems – is too important for anyone with any platform, however small, to ignore. Below I’ve gathered some of the resources I’ve been using in my journey to […]
Read more "BLACK LIVES MATTER"
Ride to Work Day 2015
I rode my motorcycle on this day to demonstrate: The number of motorcyclists to the general public and to politicians. That motorcyclists are from all occupations and all walks of life. That motorcyclists can reduce traffic and parking congestion in large cities. That motorcycles are for transportation as well as recreation. That motorcycling is a […]
Read more "Ride to Work Day 2015"
Stop Interstate 3!
My first activist post! 🙂 Interstate 3 is a proposed highway that would run from Savannah to Knoxville via Augusta. It’s a sucky idea for many reasons, especially because it would barrel right through some of the most beautiful wild places in Georgia and North Carolina. It would also run over one of the sweetest motorcycle […]
Read more "Stop Interstate 3!" |
PVC hygienic wall cladding is not the first thing that springs to mind when considering sustainability. But PVC occupies a place within construction with which no other substance can compete. When it comes to versatility and minimal environmental impact, PVC can be the most sustainable and environmentally friendly product to choose. A recent study by the Federation of Construction Materials, found that there is aminimal environment load for PVC and lower Co2 emissions compared to alternative materials such as metal or glass.
The Head of Sustainable Development for London 2012 Olympics reversed an earlier decision not to use PVC as PVC was found to be the most sustainable material for many uses. The Olympic Delivery Authority went onto chose PVC for numerous different venues for the London Olympics.
“As we have done in the past with materials such as timber and concrete, we want to use the opportunity of hosting the London 2012 Games to work with industry to set new standards. In this case this may help move the industry towards more sustainable manufacture, use and disposal of PVC fabrics”. – Dan Epstein Head of Sustainable Development ODA.
The ODA concluded that the functional properties of PVC make it the most appropriate material in many circumstances. Stating that “…there is no better alternative product and therefore the longevity of the PVC should be recognised”
(Learning Legacy – Implementation of the PVC Policy 2012)
The environmental and social impact across the whole life cycle played an important role in the ODA’s decision.
PVC products are inert and once manufacturing is complete they don’t generate greenhouse gases during their lifetime.
PVC Products contribute significantly to energy efficiency through low thermal conductivity. PVC window and door profiles for example demonstrate superb heat insulation efficiency.
Plastics are often highly durable and will not rust or corrode. Maintenance and renewal work going on all around the county today on aging infrastructure such as water pipes would be unnecessary had the Victorians had access to plastics.
It’s cost effective, PVC products are amongst the lowest cost materials for a given performance criteria and have made many products far more affordable to people around the world.
PVC is a safe material that is recognised as a socially valuable resource, meeting all international standards for health & safety.
Highly fire resistant, PVC is self-extinguishing and difficult to ignite due to its chlorine content.
Antimicrobial cladding is heavy metal free and 100% recyclable. Any remaining panels or off-cuts can be recycled in the traditional manner.
Finally, antimicrobial cladding is set apart by encouraging the increased lifecycle of the product itself through the provision of a lifetime warranty.
BioClad is ISO 14001 accredited, adhering to the international standards within an established environmental management system.
BioClad is also a member of The Supply Chain Sustainability School. Founded by Skanska together with partners Kier, Lend Lease, Morgan Sindall, Sir Robert McAlpine, Willmott Dixon and Aggregate Industries, this is a voluntary initiative to increase sustainable, ethical & environmentally friendly practices within the construction sector. Members are independently assessed and have an action plan put together to ensure they meet the Sustainability School’s code of conduct.
The industry as a whole is continually pushing itself for improvements. In the year 2000, the UK Environmental Agency investigated whether PVC could have a place in a sustainable society, it concluded yes but changes would need to be made. A set of guidelines, initiatives and target were set out in what become known as Vinyl 2010. This went on to encompass 27 EU countries, trade unions, consumer organisations and industry representatives. Having met these targets as an industry, VinylPlus has been outlined to build on this success and make further improvements to sustainability.
As we continue to make improvements in the coming year, we will be updating our website and sharing our improvement case studies to aid others in minimising environmental impact. We welcome any suggestions as to ways our customers feel we could we could improve. |
Biodegradable fastening solutions helping to reduce agricultural plastic waste - Bio-based News -
Plastics play key roles in the farming and greenhouse business. A positive trend is the move toward more eco-friendly, biodegradable products — which are fully compostable and will leave behind no waste.
One company committed to this type of product and leading the way toward a more sustainable future is ARaymond Agriculture, a global firm headquartered in Spain which produces a wide range of eco-friendly clipping and fastening solutions for the greenhouse and agricultural industries.
Oriol Peiris, digital marketer at ARaymond Agriculture, said the company first ended its use of virgin plastic and committed to using 100 percent recycled plastic. Then, ARaymond developed a new line of biodegradable fastening solutions for agriculture.
“We saw the market was willing to have eco-friendly products, and wanted to make our contribution to this movement, which will only keep growing,” Peiris said. “Our biodegradable clips for greenhouses were first introduced four years ago, and the line has seen major growth in the past two years, especially across Europe (France, Holland), where there is a larger appetite for this type of innovation.”
Production of both the recycled plastic and biodegradable solutions is done by ARaymond in Spain. ARaymond is an industry pioneer in the production of fully certified compostable and biodegradable clips for greenhouses, which they tested by putting the clips in sand for 40 weeks to confirm they would completely disappear.
ARaymond also supports international environmental initiatives such as Tree-Nation and The United Nations Global Compact. Being eco-friendly has its challenges though, especially with the biodegradable solutions being developed by ARaymond and others. For example, humidity and temperature changes in the greenhouse environment can cause some fasteners to break if not developed properly, increasing the cost of production.
Walt Cherneski, ARaymond Agriculture North American sales engineer, said that despite these hurdles, the company is dedicated to their biodegradable project line as a matter of principle.
“ARaymond wants to save the land. We want to save the wildlife. With compostable products, we want to help save the earth,” Cherneski said. “We try to lead with innovating at the product level, and be ahead of the curve. We have invested in these products even though it’s more expensive to make them. We believe in the importance of developing sustainable agriculture as a response to all the critical environmental problems which the world is facing today.”
The situation in North America is a bit more complicated. Cherneski said that due to the fact that more landfill space is available in the United States than in Europe, the appetite for green technology in agriculture is lower in North America right now. Interest is highest in Canada, where some unique eco-friendly arrangements have been developed by agriculture leaders and sustainability is a hot topic.
For example, In Chatham, Ontario, Truly Green Farms has a greenhouse that’s connected to an ethanol plant and utilizes the waste heat and carbon dioxide produced in the ethanol fermentation process for the production of greenhouse vegetables.
“The movement is taking shape slowly but surely. In the past, purchasing decisions were more focused strictly on costs, but the younger generation is moving forward because they don’t want to keep filling up landfills. They’re willing to invest a little more to help save the planet,” Cherneski said. |
Profs. Steven Naleway & Bart Raeymaekers receive $352K NSF Grant
Congratulations to Assistant Prof. Steven Naleway (PI) and Associate Prof. Bart Raeymaekers (co-PI) for receiving a new $352K NSF grant from the Manufacturing Machines and Equipment (MME) within CMMI division.
The objective of this research is to conduct basic research on a new manufacturing process that combines freeze casting and ultrasound directed self-assembly, and the mechanical properties of the resulting porous, engineered materials fabricated using this process. To demonstrate the process, a new experimental setup will be built that allows for freeze casting and ultrasound directed self-assembly to simultaneously control the fabrication of an engineered material. Experiments will be carried out that demonstrate the process by testing ceramic (TiO2, Al2O3, and ZrO2), polymeric (chitosan), and metallic (Ti) constituent materials at concentrations of 10 to 20 vol.% and particle sizes of 0.2 to 20 micrometers. The specimen-to-specimen statistical variability of these materials will be investigated. Finally, bio-inspired microstructures will be manufactured by varying the ultrasound directed self-assembly frequency between 0.5 to 10 MHz, initially using TiO2 as the material. In all cases, the extent to which the materials have been tailored will be structurally imaged and analyzed using SEM and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), and mechanically tested in compression. Profs. Naleway and Raeymaekers point out that lightweight and strong structures are needed for many engineering applications such as aerospace composites, biomedical implants, and advanced robotics. Existing techniques for creating these structures are often limited to specific types of materials (such as polymers for fused deposition modeling), and therefore cannot work for all applications where different material properties might be necessary. This award supports fundamental research into the combination of freeze casting, which uses growing ice crystals to create porous structures, and ultrasound directed self-assembly, which uses pressure waves to align and strengthen structures. This combined process will be used with ceramic (TiO2, Al2O3, and ZrO2), polymer (chitosan), and metal (Ti) materials to create lightweight and strong structures. Specifically, experiments will be conducted that demonstrate the basic science involved, including a proof-of-concept of the process, careful measurement of material properties, a measure of the statistical variability of the structures created by this process, and the ability to use this process to make strong structures out of TiO2 ceramics that use bio-inspired microstructures. The results of this work will be a new manufacturing process that can be used to create lightweight and strong structures out of ceramics, metals, and polymers. Once demonstrated, the project has direct applicability to biomedical implants, high strength-low density structural composite materials for robotics, and water filtration systems, among many others. This award will train three graduate students and numerous undergraduate students researchers who will gain valuable experience and have the opportunity to publish and present their research. This award will also fund an interactive module on advanced material fabrication and bioinspired design as part of a summer camp for high school girls aimed at increasing the participation of women and minorities in engineering. At the completion of this award, this module will be converted into a self-contained workshop that will be available for K-12 teachers to bring these concepts to their classrooms. |
Societal CDMO to Report Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2022 on March 1, 2023
Webcast Scheduled for Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern
SAN DIEGO and GAINESVILLE, Ga., Feb. 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Societal CDMO, Inc. (“Societal CDMO” or “Societal”; NASD: SCTL), a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) dedicated to solving complex formulation and manufacturing challenges primarily in small molecule therapeutic development, today announced that the company will release financial results for the fourth quarter and year-end 2022 after the market close on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Societal’s management team will host a webcast at 4:30 p.m. ET on that day to discuss the financial results and recent operational highlights.
A live webcast can be accessed by visiting the “Investor Events” page in the Investor section of the company’s website: https://ir.societalcdmo.com/events. In addition, an archived webcast will be available on the company’s website approximately two hours after the event and will be available for 30 days.
About Societal CDMO
Societal CDMO (NASDAQ: SCTL) is a bi-coastal contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with capabilities spanning pre-Investigational New Drug (IND) development to commercial manufacturing and packaging for a wide range of therapeutic dosage forms with a primary focus in the area of small molecules. With an expertise in solving complex manufacturing problems, Societal CDMO is a leading CDMO providing therapeutic development, end-to-end regulatory support, clinical and commercial manufacturing, aseptic fill/finish, lyophilization, packaging and logistics services to the global pharmaceutical market.
In addition to our experience in handling DEA controlled substances and developing and manufacturing modified-release dosage forms, Societal CDMO has the expertise to deliver on our clients’ pharmaceutical development and manufacturing projects, regardless of complexity level. We do all of this in our best-in-class facilities, which total 145,000 square feet, in Gainesville, Georgia and San Diego, California.
Societal CDMO: Bringing Science to Society. For more information about Societal CDMO’s customer solutions, visit societalcdmo.com.
CONTACT: Contacts:
Stephanie Diaz (Investors)
Vida Strategic Partners
[email protected]
Tim Brons (Media)
[email protected]
Ryan D. Lake (CFO)
Societal CDMO
[email protected]
This entry was posted in GlobeNewswire by . Bookmark the permalink. |
Tag: bloodsausages
19 Dishes to Try When Youre in Korea
Korean dishes are the must cooking traditions and practices of the culinary arts of Korea. Korean cuisine has gone through centuries of social and... |
ADP-ribose 1''-phosphate phosphatase
ADP-D-ribose 1''-phosphate + H2O = ADP-D-ribose + phosphate
: tRNA splicing I |
lactoylglutathione lyase
glutathione + methylglyoxal = S-lactoylglutathione
sn-1 oleoyl-lipid 12-desaturase
cis-9-octadecenoic acid + reduced acceptor + O2 = cis,cis-9,12-octadecadienoic acid + acceptor + 2 H2O
1.14.19.6
acyl-CoA (9+3)-desaturase
mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease-2
complement component C4 + H2O = 2 fragments of complement C4
complement component C2 + H2O = 2 fragments of complement component C2 |
Home › Mother's Day (Large) - 003
'With Love To My Beautiful Mother On Mother's Day' in red foil.
'For Someone I Cherish So Much on Mother's Day
I think you deserve all the Love and Recognition you can possibly receive on Mother's Day, because you are such a wonderful mother...
You are such a talented, caring, and concerned person.
There are so many special dimensions to your life, and one of the ones you should be most proud of is the way you bring so much Love, so much Sweetness, and so much Direction to your role of being a mother.
You're an inspiration to a lot of people, including me, and I think you should know how Terrific you are.
I'm really proud of you. And I wanted to take this moment - on this special day - to tell you...
Happy Mother's Day!' |
Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series Selection: Dressing the Saints by Aracelis González Asendorf
Upon careful review, the Editorial Board of the Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series recommends DRESSING THE SAINTS (formerly titled “The Last Lock”) by Aracelis González Asendorf for publication through Black Lawrence Press.
Aracelis González Asendorf was born in Cuba. Her work has appeared in TriQuarterly, Brevity Magazine, Kweli Journal, Aster(ix) Journal, The Adirondack Review, Puerto del Sol, The Acentos Review, Litro, The South Atlantic Review, Saw Palm, Black Fox Literary Magazine, The Hong Kong Review, The Santa Fe Literary Review and elsewhere. Her stories have been anthologized in All About Skin: Short Fiction by Women of Color, 100% Pure Florida Fiction, and Home in Florida: Latinx Writers and the Literature of Uprootedness. She is the recipient of the 2016 South Atlantic Modern Language Association Graduate Creative Writing Award for Prose, a 2019 Sterling Watson fellow, and 2019 C. Michael Curtis Short Story Book Prize finalist.
The stories in DRESSING THE SAINTS, focus on the duality of the Cuban American experience, what is left behind and what is forged through hardship and struggle. The stories, set in the lushness of both Cuba and Florida, give voice to the pioneering, and now dying elders of the culture. Old loves are re-encountered, former enemies are reckoned with, and family secrets are revealed. Memory, what cannot be forgotten and what is elusively fading away, is ever-present in the stories. The collection chronicles the experiences of people who fled political oppression, women who fought for agency, and the perseverance of people establishing different lives in a new country.
Excerpt from “Dressing the Saints”
Carmela had lived there for fifty years, but it hadn’t always been her own home; it had been her younger brother’s. In Cuba, she’d stayed in her parents’ home well into adulthood, as was customary for daughters who didn’t marry. Her mother died, and then her father. She’d lived alone in her childhood home for less than two years before leaving Cuba in 1966. Carmela was forty years old. She left with her brother, Delia, and ten-year-old Luisa on a Freedom Flight.
They came to live in Coquina Shores because Delia had cousins here. That’s the way it was in the new country; one relative followed another. This house had one bedroom for her brother and sister-in-law, one bedroom for Luisa, and one bedroom for her.
Carmela looked at Maggie. She’d slid down on the chaise, and was stretched out flat, only her head leaning on the back support. Maggie was healthy and fit, in black workout shorts, a green T-shirt, and bare feet that she’d slid out of her sandals. Her grandniece’s black hair was cropped short like hers, except Maggie had a wide strand dyed bright red that crossed her head, swooped across her forehead, and tucked behind her right ear. Carmela couldn’t remember ever looking or feeling that young. In her day, a somberness was expected of women after it was clear they wouldn’t marry. With no man or children of their own, they were left to dress the saints—volunteering at the church, polishing the faces and changing the gowns of the virgins. |
Black Educator Records New Song Called "I Am a Teacher" Based on His Book
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Black Teen from St. Louis Shot and Killed While on FaceTime With His Mom
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Black Police Officer Reprimanded For Having Braided Hair While on Duty
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Man Sentenced to Only 4 Years in Prison for Setting Police Station on Fire
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Author Tells His Story About Growing Up in Extreme Poverty With a Schizophrenic Mom
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Recording Artist Creates Viral Anthem to Keep Spotlight on Police Brutality
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Black Couple Releases New "Driving While Black" Safety Guide For People of Color
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Black Man Shot and Paralyzed by Iowa Police Officer to Get $8M Settlement
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Tag: O.T. Fagbenle
Under the Eye: “Dear Offred”
“It’s so hard to talk to people, isn’t it? That’s a keystone of “discourse” in 2022 America, let alone an indeterminate year in the world of Gilead. Funny how words … have to … be delivered … in a … slow … contemplative … fashion.”
2022, Bradley Whitford, cult, Dear Offred, Elisabeth Moss, Gilead, Hulu, O.T. Fagbenle, Rossif Sutherland, Sam Jaeger, science fiction, soap opera, The Handmaid's Tale, Toronto, Yvonne Strahovski |
The Unbelieving Optimist
Philosophy Bites was great this week, having boggled my mind – those are maybe best ones. Nigel Warburton interviewed Marilyn McCord-Adams about optimism and the Problem of Evil. The Problem of Evil is usually framed as a challenge to believers in benevolent gods; if God is all good and all powerful, how come such a lot of bad things happen in the world? Marilyn McCord-Adams is a funky theologian who has written a lot on the subject, but in this interview she handed the problem over to non-believers:
“...a condition of the possibility of an optimistic worldview being true is that exists a superhuman power that is good enough and resourceful enough to make good on the many and various horrors that riddle our world. So it's a pragmatic argument. It's a bit like Kant's moral argument. Kant says “Well the moral life is worth living. Moral endeavour is what makes human beings so special. But the moral life can be worth living only if God exists and there is immortality.” So I'm making an argument analogous to that.
“If you really open your eyes and see how riddled with horrors the world we live in is, and you still find yourself optimistic and idealistic, then a condition of the possibility of your posture in life being reasonable is a belief in a God that is good enough and resourceful enough to make good on it all.”
In other words, you can't be a true non-believer and be left with a shred of optimism. Without God, life is deeply unfair, extremely bad things happen and nobody's ever going to put it right. Which is a cause for pessimism.
She even concludes that maybe non-believers who find themselves to be deeply optimistic actually have a vague sense of a supernatural power that they're not owning up to. That is to say, or at least imply, that optimistic non-believers are in fact latent theists! This is a bit too much like the suggestion made by some atheists, that deep down, theists know there is no God and are willfully deluding themselves, so we'll forget about that bit.
So rationalism and optimism. As an attitude which informs behaviour, optimism makes sense in many scenarios which involve uncertain odds. If I try to write this post, then I might finish it – if I don't have a go, I won't. If I treat strangers as if we might become friends, then we are more likely to become friends. If I am stranded in the dessert with little water but I behave as if I am going to survive, then I greatly increase whatever chances I have.
There's an example of this on the biggest imaginable scale. Faced with climate change which could render the surface of the Earth inhospitable, we have to act as if we are capable of saving ourselves. And each individual entity – each country, each leader, each business, each household has to behave as if everyone else can be trusted to do their bit. Which given how we got into this mess to begin with – and how long we've known about the danger and failed to act – requires a tremendous leap of faith in humankind. Even so, it's a leap we absolutely have to make.
So optimism as a strategy is entirely rational. Wherever an outcome is uncertain, there is necessarily room for some hope. In such cases, it would be entirely irrational to chose to dwell on possible negative outcomes whilst working towards a positive one. That is a pragmatic argument.
Another problem we have here is the subjective nature of what the optimistic position looks like. My RE teacher informed our young minds that atheism was fundamentally pessimistic because it asserts that this is all there is - that there is no great reward in the afterlife and that when people die, they're gone forever. Yet various atheists – A C Grayling in particular springs to mind - have written eloquently about a single brief existence being in every way preferable to a trouble-free but purposeless eternity.
People are fairly invested in their own view of death, so a more subtle personal example. Some people consider me pessimistic because I accept that I am likely to be ill for the rest of my life. I hope I might get a bit better, but I am perhaps as likely to get worse. But I am optimistic about the future; I have a very good life now, there are a few little things I want to improve upon and I have every hope I shall.
I tend to regard "curebies" as pessimistic. First off, there's no pragmatic use for this optimism; unless you're involved in medical research, it is just waiting. And the waiting is a problem. You only maintain a strong emotional investment in an unlikely outcome if the alternative is intolerable. In other words, to me, such people seem pessimistic for my (sometimes their own) chances of a happy life despite illness.
In the same way, people disagree about what it would be to be optimistic about death. I would predict, although I've never seen any research on the matter, that thantophobes are evenly distributed between believers and non-believers. Few people want to die and all of us suffer when our loved ones die, regardless of whether we believe they are in heaven or nowhere at all (or indeed any of the other available possibilities).
So to the problem of evil and people. Perhaps Marilyn McCord Adams feels that optimistic non-believers are irrational because the human species isn't improving. We're not evolving into anything more virtuous. We will never get to a stage where everyone lives in peace and harmony with one another and there is no violence or want.
Personally, in the same way that I accept that my health is crap and likely to remain so, I am resigned to the fact that people are and always will be capable of great evil. Not just the tiny minority who perpetrate evil, but all of us! When things go really wrong in societies, lots of people end up doing very bad things and it may require saint-like qualities to resist.
And here, I think there is room for genuine optimism. Plenty of evil in the world, no doubt. But as societies progress, evil becomes significantly less viable. We better equip ourselves and each other to resist it. Nobody reading this owns a slave. Slavery exists in the world, but against global disapproval and thus there is much less of it. If anyone learns that you beat or otherwise abuse your spouse or children, you are likely to be stopped – this is not acceptable, it is no longer seen as your natural right. Despite having enough nuclear weapons to destroy our planet several times over, we've resisted the temptation to use them for over sixty years. Most countries in the world publicly condemn the torture of prisoners – many countries still use torture, but they usually pretend otherwise. It's not many hundred years ago that torture was seen a totally acceptable tool in promoting spiritual wellfare, let alone national security.
Of course, I live in a very privileged part of the world. But democracy and liberty are on the increase. And these things really do help protect us from evil. Okay, so we still have our murderers and rapists, but they are not state-sanctioned, nor are their actions accepted as a fact of life.
Marilyn McCord-Adams would most likely disagree with me. She asserts that there is no less evil in the world now that there was in Biblical times. However, given free will and all that, there is no reason why the levels of evil on Planet Earth should remain constant.
I would assert that there is very much less evil in the modern day UK than in Darfur just now; here, it is really very rare to die a violent death, or become disabled through violent injury, or be gang-raped. If this is the case, and if we accept that there's nothing magically virtuous about British people (a hard fact to take, but a fact nevertheless), then it follows that one kind of societal situation is better than another. So maybe in time, with human endeavour, life in Darfur and in other warzones and places where violence is endemic, can be greatly improved. And whilst world peace may well be a pipe-dream, there's no reason to imagine that we can't very greatly increase the proportion of the population who get to live their lives without the ongoing fear of violence and oppression.
Unlike those who believe in a Judgement Day, I cannot look upon a better future with certainty. People can be pretty thick when it comes down to it, and may yet destroy the planet, whether through excessive consumption, nuclear war or electing a reality-show contestant as World President. But it is this very uncertainty which should motivate us to fight against evil in all its forms. Should He exist, God's going to be pretty pissed off if we count on Him to sort out our mess.
Posted by The Goldfish at 11:09 AM
Labels: Clicking, General Nonsense, Philosophy, Psychology
TJS said...
The Philosophy Bites entry refused to accept my contribution, but I feel your blessay captures the mood of many Atheists (and probably even Theists who don't feel that God/Religion is the source of all their hope and optimism) in a more positive way than my assault on the lack of rigor in Marilyn McCord Adams arguments.
The Goldfish said...
Thank you very much TJS :-)
yanub said...
This atheist very much seconds your argument, Goldfish.
And this thirds. Well argued as always.
Sage said...
Exactly. After I read McCord-Adams' initial premise I was dying to comment on it. But then you said everything I would have anyway. It's exactly what this atheist thinks.
Thank you! Great to see you all around. :-)
Being a Wally about QALYs
It is a truth universally acknowledged
Messing about on the river |
Back to Developers
Graphic India - Game Developer
Graphic India is leading India’s character entertainment revolution! It is the building block of this new metaverse game. Graphic India is situated in Mumbai, India. The website for Armored Kingdom is a company called Graphic India that specializes in creating custom medieval armor and weapons for collectors, reenactors, and LARPing enthusiasts. They offer a wide range of products, including full suits of armor, helmets, shields, and weapons. They also offer custom fabrication services for clients with specific needs or ideas. It looks like they have a strong focus on historical accuracy and quality craftsmanship. Mila Kunis and Sharad Devarajan have partnered to create a new entertainment franchise called "Armored Kingdom" which will be based on a fantasy world where the first female knight is the main character. The franchise will be developed for various platforms such as film, television and digital, and will be using blockchain technology to allow fans to interact with the franchise in new ways. The game is in development. Previously, Graphic India is known for creating stories and characters that draw from Indian mythology, culture, and history. Some of their previous work includes Chakra, Devi, Ramayan 3392 AD, The Epic of Sundi and 18 Days. These are some of the known and popular works by Graphic India. They have also partnered with other companies to develop content for various platforms, including web, mobile, and film.
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Armored Kingdom - Game Review
P2E Game Developers
Mighty Bear Games - Game Developer
Mighty Bear Games has developed the game Mighty Action Heroes. It is a third-person real-time multiplayer Battle Royale NFT game.
Netvrk - Game Developer
Netvrk has launched its blockchain NFT-based game Jungle Freaks Motor Club. It is an exciting new addition to the motor racing games in the Metaverse.
Imba Games Studio - Game Developer
Imba Games studio has developed an NFT, play-to-earn game Kawaii Island . The game uses Binance Smart Chain for transactions.
We Can - Game Developer
We Can is the proud developer of Prospectors. It is a decentralized game on the EOS blockchain technology. Players to build a social network
Pixelmatic - Game Developer
Pixelmatic is a video game development studio based in Shanghai, China. The game developers from game-producing big guns like Ubisoft, Activision Bli...Read more
Team NT Studios - Game Developer
Barabarian Merge is developed by Team NT Studios. It is a rising indie game studio specializing in augmented reality mobile games. Team NT Studios is ...Read more |
Hawaii Safe Travels Update: Effective March 26, 2022, travelers arriving to Hawaii from the continental U.S. will no longer be required to complete a Safe Travels application to enter Hawaii. Travelers entering Hawaii on direct international flights are subject to federal U.S. entry requirements. For further information, please visit: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel or https://ets.hawaii.gov/travelhelp .
*subject to change. Subject to the terms of the Rental Agreement. |
Tag: U S Army
Kenneth Copeland Music Ministry
Partners and Friends know Kenneth Copeland as a powerful prophet and teacher. But often they’re pleasantly surprised to discover he has a successful music ministry as well. In fact, over the past 33 years, Brother Copeland has released 32 albums–one of which included a Grammy-nominated song: “Only the Redeemed.” Kenneth Copeland’s love for singing stemmed… |
Published on August 18, 2020 August 18, 2020 by thelakeguy
As the summer heat shows no signs of relenting, realtor.com®, the Home of Home Search℠, released its list of the 10 most affordable lake towns, which offer waterfront properties under $450,000. Unlike owning a vacation home on the ocean, lake homes can be more accessible – not just in price, but also for those who don’t live […] |
Tag Archives for: "flying with a cochlear implant"
By Diana Zegg
In For Parents, Tips & Tricks
3 Easy Activities For Your Child’s Next Flight
Traveling by plane is very often an exciting experience for young children. However, children can become bored quickly if they are asked to sit still for long periods of time. If you have a long [...]
How To Improve Your Child’s Listening Skills When Traveling By Plane
Going on holidays and traveling by plane is an exciting experience for the whole family, especially young children. But it’s also a great opportunity to grow your child’s vocabulary, listening, [...] |
Discover everything about Moraira
Moraira 11 June 2018
Do you believe that you have discovered everything about Moraira? Solhabitat teaches you its hidden treasures.
In addition to the sun and the beach, Moraira located on the Costa Blanca is provided with a rich history. So come and discover its fascinating historical places.
1.- Cueva de la Cendra
The history of Moraira begins with the archaeological findings of the cave of la Cendra that reflects life from the Upper Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. This spectacular cave located in Cap d’Or is a fantastic place that will take you back to the time of our ancestors. Although now it isn’t open to the public due to archeological studies it’s worth going to enjoy it’s fascinating views.
2.-Torre Vigia cap d´Or
The Tower Vigia is one of the most important monuments of Moraira. This old watchtower is located at the top of Cap d’Or, and it was built in the 16th century to protect the people of continuous pirate attacks. From this tower the sea was controlled and they warned the interior of any outbreak. It is currently one of the most important attractions of Moraira, from which you can contemplate a magnificent panoramic view of the whole area.
3.-Castillo de Moraira
Another essential visit in Moraira is the Castle of the Sea, which was also built with a monitoring and defensive purpose. This tower-castle, located on a rocky part of the beach l’Ampolla, has been restored and enabled as a historical museum. We recommend you to take some time to visit this simply because of its history and its breathtaking views.
4.- Iglesia-fortaleza de Santa Catelina Martir
Last but not least, we recommend a fascinating visit to the church of Santa Catelina Martir. A curiosity about this monument is that it is a reconstruction of an ancient gothic style church that was built in the 14th century to protect the people against pirate attacks. It is worth a visit, especially because inside you can discover one of the oldest musical organs in Alicante.
After this historical route what better place to relax than in one of our luxury villas or apartments located in the best areas of Moraira. Sunbathe with stunning views, swim in a private pool, relax in some of the most beautiful chill out areas… all this is possible in our properties! So don´t hesitate to contact Solhabitat, we’ll help you to find the ideal place for your family.
The 3 best day trips from Moraira
The best coves of the area, Costa Blanca
Planning your holidays in Javea?
Ecological path for the coast of Benissa |
follow-the-money2 |
A Q&A With Colorado’s First Latina State Historian
The Women's Foundation of Colorado // September 16, 2021
Nicki Gonzalez, Colorado’s First Latina State Historian, on Colorado Women We Should Know
Nicki Gonzales is a Denver native and mother of two sons, Danny and Teddy. She serves as a professor of history and vice provost for diversity and inclusion at Regis University.
As the first Latina Colorado State Historian, what do you want to draw more attention to?
I want to draw more attention to histories that have been pushed to the margins and those that have been ignored or devalued. I will use this platform to highlight issues important to those communities – education equity is at the top of my list.
Also, getting youth engaged in history more broadly, but also in uncovering their own histories. In my experience as a teacher, knowing your roots is really empowering, especially for kids who are searching for identity in a really difficult world.
For Latinx who want to learn more about their history in Colorado, where can they learn more? What are the best resources?
Families! We tend not to think to talk to our grandparents, great aunts, and uncles. Also, there are so many free resources through university archives, Denver Public Library, History Colorado, the online Colorado History Project. These institutions have archives of newspapers, maps, county records, census data, meeting minutes, etc. They get excited to share information.
You studied the Chicano movement. What is noteworthy about the movement in Colorado?
When people think of civil rights, they don’t often think of the Chicano movement. But Colorado was a nationally significant location, with many leaders, conventions, contributions, and activism. And women in particular were central to the movement.
Their goals included equity, identity, and acknowledging the Indigenous roots of the community. They spoke out about police brutality, political involvement, educational equity, urban renewal, and job opportunities. A disproportionate number of Chicanos were drafted into the Vietnam war.
Ethnic studies and Chicano studies came from that movement. Now you have entire generations of students being educated about their history.
Everyone in Colorado lives on the homelands of Indigenous peoples. Why do land acknowledgements matter?
I love land acknowledgements. It gets people to think “whose land am I standing on and how was it taken away?” But, it can’t be an easy way out, and it must be followed by education and concrete steps toward equity to rectify those wrongs.
What do you wish more people know about the history of Indigenous people in Colorado?
That they were here… and still are. And, that their history is complex and diverse and has been buried and pushed to the margins by a mythology of the American Western past. I wish more people recognized the resilience of those groups who experienced force assimilations and land theft.
Recently, the Colorado State Historians have represented more diverse backgrounds and identities, such as your being the first Latina state historian. Why is this important?
These diverse perspectives will lead to a more complete account of our state’s history. As a result of my appointment, I have received numerous calls and emails in which people just want to tell their stories.
Just a couple days ago, I spoke with a man from Garcia, CO, who had boxes of documents about his community and had questions about the diversion of water from his community in the 1940s. This water theft resulted in large outmigration from Garcia, and really, the dying of a small town that no longer had the water they needed to survive. He now feels that his history has value at the state level.
These are my favorite moments.
Who are women in Colorado’s history that you wish were more well known?
Working class women and labor leaders. One woman is Guadalupe Briseño. She was labor leader who led a 1968 strike in Brighton against Kitayama Flower Company to bring better wages and treatment to the Mexican women who worked there. The strike wasn’t successful, but it brought awareness.
Recently I learned of another woman – Lucy Lucero – in West Denver, who opened her home quite publicly to LGBTQ youth who were turned away from their families or who became sick at the height of the AIDS crisis. In the Latino community, people knew her house was a place of food and music and everyone was welcome.
Who is a Colorado woman people will be learning about 50 or 100 years from now?
There are so many. One of my favorite is Shirley Romero-Otero, from San Luis, who has been working for justice and equity in land rights and education since the 1970s. Her story is amazing, and an example of using natural talent, chutzpah, political savvy, and an inner fire for justice to make a difference.
But there are others, such as teachers who are advocating for students and performing heroic efforts during this pandemic
I hope the historical record will highlight those women who have a heart to serve others.
Category: Gender Equity, Racial Equity, Women's Equality |
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« PCCP Deputy Chair Anouk Rijs receives NWO Vici Grant
Outstanding Reviewers for Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (PCCP) in 2019 »
13th Chemical Physics Congress Conference
By Daphne Houston.
The 13th Chemical Physics Congress will take place at Elazig (Harput), Turkey on 15-16 October 2020 on a UNESCO World Heritage Village (more information about the old city Harput is here).
13th Chemical Physics Congress has the qualification to carry the continuity of biennially organized meetings in which the advances and applications are shared in experimental and computational areas. Confirmed speakers are:
Millard AlexanderUniversity of Maryland, United States
Vincenzo AquilantiUniversita di Perugia, Italy
Doros TheodorouN. T. University of Athens, Greece
Octavio RonceroCSIC, Spain
François LiqueUniversite du Havre, France
Cecilia ColettiUniversità di Chieti, Italy
Piotr ŻuchowskiNicolaus C. University, Poland
Viktorya AviyenteBoğaziçi University, Turkey
Ersin YurtseverKoç University, Turkey
Şefik SüzerBilkent University, Turkey
Mine YurtseverITU, Turkey
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics are delighted to be providing poster prizes together with book vouchers.
Please see the conference website for more details here.
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When considering website designing, it is critical to have a thorough understanding of market trends and technical expertise. As a result, we will go over some key points to keep in mind while building an eCommerce website. The best eCommerce website development company in Kolkata fulfils the requirements of an eCommerce business. It is not […]
5 tips to hire best E Commerce Website Development Company in Kolkata
When considering website designing, it is critical to have a thorough understanding of market trends and technical expertise. As a result, we will go over some key points to keep in mind while building an eCommerce website. The best eCommerce website development company in Kolkata fulfils the requirements of an eCommerce business.
It is not as simple as it appears to set up a successful eCommerce platform. The websites require meticulous attention. Professional eCommerce developers can help with regular updates, a great user experience (UX), issue fixes, and support.
Every brick and mortar retailer (small to large) are trying to have an online presence with an eCommerce website. Hiring eCommerce website developers ensure a warranty on the project that is undertaken.
The best eCommerce website Development Company in Kolkata comes up with delivering high-end results. If you are looking to establish an online website, you will have to get a customized eCommerce website with all activities.
The goal of eCommerce management is to target existing customers. A professional eCommerce website is all about showing icons and demonstrating that the site is trustworthy. The most important part of the eCommerce businesses online will come up with a shopping cart solution to shop virtually and store things in that.
The world of digital transformation has increased the demand for sales and profit margins in enterprises. The online stores are correctly represented and featured with the operation and its most powerful characteristics through eCommerce administration.
Choosing the right development team for developing the best eCommerce website is the motto. Identifying the eCommerce projects and their requirements is the perspective. The advancement of eCommerce websites has reduced several hidden and fixed costs.
The benefits of eCommerce for enterprises include the ability to explain the action to a targeted audience via an eCommerce store.It enables businesses to enjoy a bigger profit margin in their operations. Before hiring eCommerce developers, it is important to track their experiences. It is depended on the eCommerce businesses that can help in developing a perfect and simple website.
In the present moment, eCommerce platforms are running up and in full force. Cost-effectiveness is one important feature in terms of your budget. Consumers expect more from their website experiences, especially when it comes to creating online retail services. One way to create a powerful customer experience is to focus on building the community online.
References provide crucial insights into whether web developers are a perfect match in all eCommerce businesses. Swadesh Softwares is a top eCommerce website development company in Durgapur, taking good care while developing any website. The professionals can boost the website and rank it at the top of the search results.
The world of eCommerce is growing in popularity as global connectivity improves. The following are some of the possible features that make an eCommerce solution the best:
• Attractive
• Functional
• Versatile
• Interactive Features
• Speed & Stability
A website development agency helps make sure the online website is meeting all the needs of the shoppers. The best eCommerce website development Company in Kolkata help you to tap into market trends and infuse creativity into the process. When it comes to online businesses and retailing businesses, the customers tend to expect more from them.
Outsourcing the portion of the business operations to the third party eCommerce development service is often a nerve-wracking experience. However, the benefits of hiring the eCommerce website development company give a better experience with faster results. In addition, since the developers are experienced, they will help save time on the project they are hired for.
Hiring an agency that offers the best vertical and specific knowledge is good and ranks on top of the rules and regulations. In addition, it brings in more just the skill sets of the developers who can access the knowledge outside of the circle, which helps in refining the business processes altogether.
You can sell whatever you want with an eCommerce solution. However, setting up shop in the internet world can be nerve-wracking for brands. So when it comes to selecting an eCommerce platform, everyone must define the important must-haves. Hence selecting the best eCommerce website Development Company in Kolkata will no longer be difficult, as the solution is right in front. |
Best Action Cameras In 2021
September 2, 2021 Edited on November 24, 2021 2 views Reading Time: 4min, 23sc
Best Action Cameras In 2021 13271
GoPro HERO9 Black – Best Action Camera on the Market (2021)
GoPro HERO9 Black has also been nicely rated. It has been recommended and has received l 5/5 stars. It has also won the award with 5/5 stars.
In addition to these great reviews, the product also boasts titles such as:
Nr. 1 in the category, 4.5 / 5 stars
Recommended, 9/10 stars
4.5 / 5 with 300+ reviews
GoPro HERO9 Black is an action camera that can record all your wild moments, whether on land, in water or in the air. It has a compact, powerful and rugged cabin that can last a lot. It is waterproof all the way down to 10 meters, without you having to worry about water damage or extra protection of the camera. It is equipped with a touch screen, and this model has a new front display, which makes framing and camera control more intuitive.
It is also possible to connect your GoPro to a mobile app via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, where you can automatically save videos directly to your smartphone, and many other cool things. An extra special feature is also that it can recognize the face, smile and gaze, so you are sure to always record the best videos.
The camera can also record in 5K videos and therefore has a high level of detail, even when zooming in. But that’s not the only thing the camera can do. It can also take regular car songs, time-lapse videos and much other creative content. If you fear that the videos may be blurred or shake, then HERO9 has your back. It has a HyperSmooth 3.0 stabilization, which ensures that the recordings are calm just like if you recorded with gimbal.
If you think that it is a hassle to have to start and turn off the video recording all the time, then it is no problem either. HERO9 is equipped with voice control, which receives 14 different commands in different languages.
A GoPro HERO9 Black will be the perfect companion to take on your wildest adventures. It has functions for exactly the activity that you are for.
That is why you should buy GoPro HERO9 Black
Tough and powerful cabin
Waterproof down to 10 meters
Many useful features
GoPro HERO9 Black vs. market
This GoPro differs from other action cameras in that it offers many features and a really high quality of video and images. It has everything you need for different activities and you do not have to worry about it breaking down. The many good reviews also testify that it is not like other action cameras.
Wireless technology: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
Screen size: 2.27 ”
Memory slot: microSD card
Connection functions: Remote access via smartphone
USB type-C port for charging and synchronization
GoPro HERO8 Black – Recommended by tech experts
Understandably, HERO8 has also been nicely rated by various test magazines, which recommends the product with a rating of 4.5 / 5 stars. In addition, it has become the editor’s choice with a 4.5 / 5 rating.
In addition to these, it also has ratings such as:
Nr. 4 in the category, 4.5 / 5 with 300+
Editors’ choice, 8.6 / 10 rating
Award winner, 5/5 stars
This GoPro action camera helps to take video recording to a whole new level as it stores videos in a high level of detail. It can record time-lapse videos, slow-motion and much more. It can record in 4K video, so you are sure to come home with good, high quality videos.
This also helps HyperSmooth 2.0 stabilization. This ensures that you do not get blur and vibrations on the video if you have the camera handheld, bicycles or something else. GoPro HERO8 Black helps to ensure that you get a high quality of photos and video to take home. It is designed in a rugged cabin that can withstand most things. It is an action camera, and it must therefore also be able to withstand different situations. It is waterproof down to 10 meters, so you can freely use it for windsurfing, rowing in a kayak and even for a skiing holiday. So you do not have to worry about taking it with you, both on the beach, in the rain and snow. Limited only by imagination.
The product is also designed with a touch screen, which allows you to set the camera, watch videos and photos on the go and also back up. GoPro HERO8 Black is also equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so you have the option to connect the action camera to your mobile app, where you can back up videos and much more. It is also possible to control your GoPro HERO8 Black with voice control, so you do not have to worry about moving the camera to start and end recordings and take pictures.
High quality video
Tough design
More useful features
Possibility of connection to the app
This GoPro differs from others in the market as it offers quite a few features and a high quality of video and images. It offers a lot higher quality than others, even though it is not the absolute best on the market. However, it is margins that distinguish it from the best and GoPro HERO8 Black can meet the vast majority of needs that one has.
Screen size: 2 ”
Why Compliance is so Hard?
The Negative Effects Of Gadgets On Kids
The New Type of Disc |
Use of global coronary heart disease risk assessment in practice: a cross-sectional survey of a sample of U.S. physicians
Benjamin Shillinglaw1,
Anthony J Viera2,
Teresa Edwards3,
Ross Simpson4 &
Stacey L Sheridan5
BMC Health Services Research volume 12, Article number: 20 (2012) Cite this article
Global coronary heart disease (CHD) risk assessment is recommended to guide primary preventive pharmacotherapy. However, little is known about physicians' understanding and use of global CHD risk assessment. Our objective was to examine US physicians' awareness, use, and attitudes regarding global CHD risk assessment in clinical practice, and how these vary by provider specialty.
Using a web-based survey of US family physicians, general internists, and cardiologists, we examined awareness of tools available to calculate CHD risk, method and use of CHD risk assessment, attitudes towards CHD risk assessment, and frequency of using CHD risk assessment to guide recommendations of aspirin, lipid-lowering and blood pressure (BP) lowering therapies for primary prevention. Characteristics of physicians indicating they use CHD risk assessments were compared in unadjusted and adjusted analyses.
A total of 952 physicians completed the questionnaire, with 92% reporting awareness of tools available to calculate CHD global risk. Among those aware of such tools, over 80% agreed that CHD risk calculation is useful, improves patient care, and leads to better decisions about recommending preventive therapies. However, only 41% use CHD risk assessment in practice. The most commonly reported barrier to CHD risk assessment is that it is too time consuming. Among respondents who calculate global CHD risk, 69% indicated they use it to guide lipid lowering therapy recommendations; 54% use it to guide aspirin therapy recommendations; and 48% use it to guide BP lowering therapy. Only 40% of respondents who use global CHD risk routinely tell patients their risk. Use of a personal digital assistant or smart phone was associated with reported use of CHD risk assessment (adjusted OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.17-2.12).
Reported awareness of tools to calculate global CHD risk appears high, but the majority of physicians in this sample do not use CHD risk assessments in practice. A minority of physicians in this sample use global CHD risk to guide prescription decisions or to motivate patients. Educational interventions and system improvements to improve physicians' effective use of global CHD risk assessment should be developed and tested.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the major killer of American men and women, responsible for one out of every six deaths in the United States (US) [1]. Remarkably, CHD is also largely preventable. According to a study of 52 countries, nine easily measured and potentially modifiable risk factors account for over 90% of the risk of an initial acute myocardial infarction [2]. Primary prevention of CHD should be a top priority due to the high rate of first events that are fatal, disabling, or that require expensive management [3]. Unfortunately, the majority of individuals with elevated CHD risk factors are not using appropriate risk reducing therapies [4–7]. One contributing factor is that clinicians often do not accurately estimate a patient's risk for CHD [8–12].
The risk for the development of CHD varies greatly among individuals. Effective clinical primary prevention of CHD therefore requires individualized interventions that range in intensity. In order to appropriately select medical interventions for primary prevention it is necessary to stratify patients based on an assessment of cardiovascular risk [13]. Current guidelines suggest that all patients ≥ 40 years of age or those with ≥ 2 risk factors should have their 10-year risk of CHD assessed every 5 years or as risk factors change, with a global risk assessment [3]. The risk factors used to calculate global CHD risk include: age, sex, smoking status, blood pressure (BP), total cholesterol (sometimes low density lipoprotein (LDL)), high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and in some risk tools, diabetes [3]. There are many user-friendly, easily accessible tools available for estimating a patient's CHD risk including risk charts and risk calculators for personal digital assistants, personal computers, and web-based use [14]. When compared to the full Framingham equations for identifying patients at increased risk, these tools are generally accurate, although Framingham-based estimates may not apply equally to all ethnic groups [3, 14].
Calculation of a patient's risk for CHD has many advantages in clinical practice. It allows improved prediction of incident events, enabling physicians to better identify patients who warrant preventive medications [15]. Use of global risk may also improve intermediate and long-term outcomes for patients, particularly when combined with counseling [15, 16]. Patients may gain an improved understanding of their risk and the reason for any proposed interventions, which may increase motivation to adhere to any preventive medications that are prescribed [15, 16].
While advantages of using global risk assessment in the primary prevention of CHD have been documented, little is known about the actual use of global CHD risk in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to examine US physicians' awareness, attitudes towards CHD risk assessment, and use of CHD risk assessment when considering clinical interventions for primary prevention, and whether these vary across three relevant clinical specialties.
This study was a cross-sectional, web-based survey of a national sample of family physicians, general internists, and cardiologists. The survey was designed by the investigators, pretested among a convenience sample of family physicians, general internists, and cardiologists, and automated by survey experts at the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This study was approved by the Office of Human Research Ethics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Study sample and invitations to participate
The sampling frame was family physicians who are members of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and general internists and cardiologists who are members of the American College of Physicians (ACP). A mailing list of 9000 members randomly selected from a database of members of the AAFP (family physicians) and the ACP (general internists and cardiologists) was obtained. The list consisted of 2623 family physicians (377 members were excluded because they were medical students), 3000 general internists, and 3000 cardiologists.
Personalized letters of invitation were mailed to the 8623 physicians. These letters described the study and provided a URL for the online survey with an individualized identification code to allow tracking of non-responders. At two and four weeks after the initial invitation was sent out, non-respondents were mailed reminder letters. As an incentive to participate, physicians who wished to do so could have their name entered into a drawing for one of two $500 gift cards.
Data obtained from the survey included physicians' awareness of tools available to calculate CHD risk, frequency of using global CHD risk in clinical practice, method of CHD risk assessment, and how often CHD risk calculations are used to guide prescription of aspirin, lipid-lowering, and BP lowering therapies for primary prevention (Appendix). We collected data on attitudes regarding the usefulness of CHD risk calculations and, among those who reported not using global CHD risk, reasons for not doing so. Information regarding respondents' specialty type, sex, year of graduation from medical school, amount of patient care time, type of practice setting, region of the country, use of electronic medical records and computers in exam rooms, and use of a personal digital assistant (PDA) or smart phone during patient encounters was also collected.
Responses to each item were tabulated, missing responses were excluded, and differences were compared by respondent characteristics. Testing for significant differences was performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) for Likert-scaled outcomes, chi-square for categorical outcomes, and Kruskal-Wallis for ordinal outcomes. Attitudes towards CHD risk assessment were examined among physicians who reported being aware of CHD risk assessment using five statements. Physicians responding, "Strongly Agree", or Agree" were combined into an "Agree" category, while subjects who responded, "Disagree" or "Strongly Disagree" were combined into a "Disagree" category. (There was no "Neutral" category.) Proportions agreeing with each statement were tabulated and compared between specialty groups. Physicians who indicated that they were aware of and, "occasionally", "most of the time", or "always" obtain a calculation of a patients global CHD risk for primary prevention (based on the question, "When considering primary prevention of coronary heart disease in adults, how often do you obtain a calculation of a patient's global (overall) coronary heart disease risk?") were combined into a "CHD user" category. Those who indicated they were aware of but "never" or "rarely" calculated a patient's global CHD risk for primary prevention based on this question were combined into a "non-CHD user" category. Characteristics of the respondents in each category were compared in unadjusted analyses and then by logistic regression initially adjusting for specialty, years in practice, amount of patient care time, office practice setting, use of EMR, use of internet in patient exam rooms, sex, region of the country, and PDA use. Variables with an associated p-value > 0.10 were then excluded from a final model.
Among the "non-CHD user" group, potential reasons for not calculating patient's global CHD risk for primary prevention were examined through responses to six statements that were rated for importance on a Likert-scale from 0-5 (with 0 being not important at all- 5 being extremely important). The ratings were averaged for each statement and compared in unadjusted analyses by specialty.
To examine physicians' use of CHD risk to guide primary preventive pharmacological therapy, respondents indicating that they are aware of and use CHD risk estimates to guide recommendations, "occasionally", "most of the time", or "always or nearly always", were categorized as those who use CHD risk to guide preventive therapy and were compared to those who rarely or never use such calculations. Results were also compared by specialty.
Statistically significant differences were defined as a p-value < 0.05. To assess the potential for nonresponse bias, geographic regions between respondents and non-respondents were compared. All analyses were performed using Stata 10.1 statistical software (StataCorp, College Station, TX).
Study participants
Of the 8623 letters mailed, 74 were returned as undeliverable, including 8 because the intended recipient was deceased, and 3 because of delivery refusal. A total of 1238 physicians participated in the survey. Respondents who indicated they did not see patients in the office setting (n = 251) or whose practicing specialty was one other than family medicine, general internal medicine, or cardiology (n = 55) were excluded. The adjusted response rate was 15%. The final sample consisted of 952 physicians: 390 (41%) family physicians, 272 (29%) general internists, and 290 (30%) cardiologists (Table 1). A total of 932 (98%) of respondents completed every survey item, while 20 (2%) submitted partial responses. Nonrespondents were compared to respondents by geographic region, and the two groups were very similar (Additional File 1).
Table 1 Characteristics of respondents (N = 952)
Of those who responded, the majority were male (74%), spent more than 75% of work time in office based patient care (56%), use EMR in their practices (59%), have computers in patient exam rooms (56%), and have been in practice for 10 years or more (79%). Small group practices were the most common practice setting (32%), and the most common region of the country practiced in was the South (33%).
Across provider respondent groups, there were some notable differences. Cardiologists (94%) who responded were more likely than general internists (75%) and family physicians (58%) to be male. Cardiologists (88%) were more likely than general internists (70%) or family physicians (40%) to have been in practice for more than 20 years. General internists and family physicians spent more time in office-based care than cardiologists. Family physicians (62%) were more likely than general internists (37%) and cardiologists (38%) to use a PDA or smartphone when seeing patients in the office.
Awareness and use of tools to calculate global CHD risk
Of all physicians (N = 951) who responded to the question, "Have you heard about tools to calculate a patients overall risk of coronary heart disease in the next 10 years (global CHD risk)?" 873 responded "yes" (92%). When those in this group were asked, "When considering primary prevention of CHD in adults, how often do you obtain a calculation of a patient's global (overall) coronary heart disease risk?", a total of 358 respondents (41%) reported using global CHD risk at least occasionally when considering primary prevention of CHD in adults, including 67 (8%) who reported always or nearly always doing so. The remaining 505 physicians (59%) who responded to this question (10 responses were missing) reported that they "rarely" or "never" use global CHD risk assessment when considering primary prevention of CHD in adults. One third of respondents (33%) who use global CHD risk in practice reported using a web-based application, while 27% use a paper chart and 26% use a program on a PDA or smartphone to obtain their patient's risk estimate (Table 2). Few (14%) use other methods such as non-web based computer programs (e.g., a spreadsheet) or calculators embedded in EMRs.
Table 2 Reported method of CHD global risk assessment among physicians who use CHD risk assessment (N = 358)
The majority of respondents who indicated they were aware of CHD risk assessment tools (with no significant difference between specialties) agreed or strongly agreed that global CHD risk calculation is useful, improves patient care, leads to better decisions about whether or not to recommend therapies to prevent heart disease events, and increases the likelihood that they will recommend risk reducing therapies to prevent heart disease (Table 3). However, a minority who indicated they were aware of CHD risk assessment tools reported actually using global CHD risk to guide their primary preventive pharmacotherapy recommendations.
Table 3 Percentage of respondents aware of CHD risk assessment tools who agree with the given statements regarding global CHD risk assessment (N = 873)
Approximately 69% of respondents who calculate global CHD risk use it to guide lipid lowering therapy recommendations; 54% use it to guide aspirin therapy recommendations; and 48% use it to guide BP lowering therapy recommendations (Table 4). Approximately 40% of respondents who use CHD risk calculation reported that they tell their patients his/her CHD risk estimation "most of the time", "nearly always", or "always". Cardiologists were more likely to report that they tell a patient his/her CHD risk estimation (49%) than were family physicians and general internists (38% and 33% respectively) (p < 0.01).
Table 4 Physicians' reports of how they use CHD global risk assessment for primary prevention, among those who use CHD risk assessment (N = 358)
Physicians who use global CHD risk assessment
Among physicians who reported being aware of global CHD risk assessment tools, reports of using global CHD risk assessment differed by specialty, years in practice, time spent in office-based care, and use of a PDA or smartphone (Table 5). Among cardiologists, 49% reported using global CHD risk assessment, compared to approximately 42% of family physicians and 32% of general internists (p < 0.001). Those who had been in practice for 10-19 years (50%) were more likely than those who have been in practice for less than 10 (41%) and more than 20 years (39%) to use CHD risk assessment (p = 0.02). Respondents who indicated they used a PDA or smartphone when seeing patients were more likely to report using global CHD risk assessment (47% vs. 36%, p = 0.001). There were no differences in use of global CHD risk assessment among those who used EMRs or those who had computers/internet connection in exam rooms. The final multivariate logistic regression model showed that after adjusting for specialty, years in practice, office-based care time, and PDA or smart phone use, physicians who reported using a PDA or smartphone had greater odds of using CHD risk assessment in practice (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.17-2.12) (Table 6). Cardiologists, physicians in practice 10-19 years, and those spending either 50% time or 51-74% time in office based care also had greater odds of being users.
Table 5 Proportion of physicians who are aware of and report using CHD risk assessment, by subgroups of physician characteristics (N = 873)
Table 6 Odds of using CHD risk assessment by subgroups of physician characteristics
Reasons for not using global CHD risk assessment
Among physicians' who reported not using CHD risk assessment (N = 492; 505 minus 13 missing responses), the reason with the highest mean importance rating (2.6 ± 1.6) on a 0 to 5 scale was, "It is too time consuming" (Table 7). Family physicians (2.8) rated this reason higher than general internists (2.6) and cardiologists (2.3) (p = .02). The reason with the next highest mean importance rating was, "I do not find it useful in practice" (2.2 ± 1.6). Cardiologists (2.9) rated this reason higher than general internists (2.0) and family physicians (1.9) (p < .0001). Lack of familiarity with how to use the risk calculation and lack of easy-to-use tools were rated slightly less important, particularly by the family physician and general internist respondents. Lack of accurate tools and a perception that the risk calculation is not valid for [my] patients received ratings indicating they were the least important of the listed reasons.
Table 7 Mean ratings of importance of reasons for never or rarely calculating patients' global CHD risk, amongst 'non-users', rated 0-5* (N = 492)
We sought to examine physicians' self-reported awareness, use in clinical practice, and attitudes regarding CHD global risk assessment for primary prevention and how this varies by provider type. Our study found that among a sample of US physicians: (1) awareness of tools to calculate CHD global risk is extremely high, (2) use of CHD global risk calculation in practice is low, (3) the most strongly endorsed reason for not calculating a patient's global CHD risk appears to be that it is too time consuming, (4) overall use of global CHD risk calculation to guide primary preventive pharmacologic therapy is low and infrequently used to guide aspirin recommendations.
Our finding that use of CHD global risk calculation by US physicians is low is concerning since national guidelines for primary prevention of CHD are based on individuals' calculated 10-year CHD risk levels. For example, use of global CHD risk is advocated by national cholesterol treatment guidelines to better identify people who will benefit from intensive treatment [17]. Additionally, the decision to use aspirin for primary prevention is one that needs to be weighed against the potential for harm from gastrointestinal bleeding or hemorrhagic stroke [18]. Due in part to the potential harms associated with preventive pharmacotherapy, calculating a patient's global CHD risk is an important step, allowing adjustment of the intensity of intervention to the overall risk:benefit ratio for the patient [3, 13, 17, 18]. Still, in our sample, the majority of physicians who were aware of CHD risk assessment tools reported they did not use CHD risk assessment to guide primary preventive pharmacotherapy decisions. Evidence suggests that when 10-year coronary risk information is given to physicians, prescription of guideline concordant lipid-lowering and aspirin therapies is slightly improved [19].
The most commonly endorsed barrier to CHD risk assessment use is the perception that it is too time consuming. It has been shown previously that one of the main barriers to delivery of preventive health services in primary care is lack of time [20]. However, a recent study found that even with limited time, primary care physicians address many of the highest rated preventive services, including cholesterol and BP management, adequately [20]. While lack of time during primary care patient visits is certainly a valid concern, there are many tools available that offer quick and accurate calculation of a patient's CHD risk [14]. Physicians in our sample who use a PDA or similar device when seeing patients in the clinic were more likely to use CHD risk assessments than those who do not. This suggests that CHD risk calculator programs for PDAs or smartphones may be a method of increasing CHD risk assessments among physicians. Fortunately, several CHD risk calculation tools are already available for such devices [14]. Other CHD risk assessment tools include paper risk charts, spreadsheet programs for computers and web-based calculators [14]. Additionally, some EMR's extract risk factor data from patients' records and calculate and display 10-year CHD risk for clinical use. Uncertainty remains regarding which tool for calculating CHD risk produces the most favorable patient outcomes. One study showed that use of a computer based clinical support system added to a paper risk chart was not as effective as a paper chart alone in terms of systolic BP control over one year [21]. However, the computer based system required manual input of patient risk factors, as opposed to an automatic risk calculation embedded in an EMR [21].
Other barriers are that some physicians report that they do not find the assessment of global CHD risk useful in practice and are unsure how to use the risk calculation in practice. Cardiologists were most likely to indicate that CHD risk assessment is not useful in clinical practice, which could potentially be related to the lower proportion of patients seen for which primary prevention (rather than secondary prevention) is of concern. General internists and family physicians were more likely to indicate that they are not familiar enough with how to use CHD risk calculations, and that there are no accurate or easy tools available to calculate CHD risk. These responses suggest a need to develop educational interventions for physicians that discuss the use of global CHD risk calculations in clinical practice [2, 3, 22].
In addition to its usefulness in helping clinicians and patients make decisions about preventive pharmacotherapy that take into account the balance of benefits and harms, global CHD risk could also be used to motivate patients [15, 16]. However, we found that only 40% of those who use CHD risk assessments inform patients of their global CHD risk estimate. In total, while a majority of physicians who use CHD risk assessments use them either to guide prescription decisions or to motivate patients, an appreciable number do not. This suggests that even when CHD risk is calculated by physicians in practice, they may be unaware of how to utilize this risk information to its full advantages.
Our findings illustrate the need for interventions to increase uptake and effective use of global CHD risk assessment for guiding primary prevention. Development of effective interventions to improve guideline adherence by physicians should consider the variety of barriers to implementation in order to be successful [23]. While the type of intervention that is most effective remains unknown, education in small doses as well as passive guideline dissemination have been shown to be ineffective methods for affecting physician behavior change [24]. Paper and electronic reminders may be the most effective single intervention; however, it is likely that multiple tools will be necessary to increase guideline adherence among physicians [24]. The use of guideline concordant decision aids, programs embedded in EMRs that automatically calculate and display risk values and action thresholds, and risk charts in patient exam rooms are examples of system improvements that warrant further investigation.
The major potential limitation of this study is that of non-response bias. If physicians who responded to our survey were more interested in cardiovascular disease prevention compared to those who did not respond, then our results may be biased. Physicians who are more passionate about primary prevention of CVD might be more likely to be aware of tools used to calculate global CHD risk and more likely to answer questions in agreement with the utility of global CHD risk calculation. The 92% awareness of tools to calculate global CHD risk suggests this may be the case. Thus, our results are likely overestimates of the awareness and perceived usefulness of CHD risk assessments.
Additionally, significantly more family physicians responded to our survey (41%) than did cardiologists (30%) or general internists (29%). This could have also contributed to overestimation of the awareness and perceived usefulness of CHD risk assessments as family physicians would be more likely than cardiologists to focus on primary prevention of CHD in practice.
Another potential limitation is that of sampling bias. If physicians who are members of the AAFP and ACP are different from physicians who choose not to be members, then our sample may not be reflective more generally of US physicians of the included specialties. Another clue that our sample may not be representative is the high use of EMRs by respondents. The web-based format of our questionnaire may have also selected for physicians who are more confident using computer based programs (including CHD risk assessment tools) and may potentially represent an overestimate of use of CHD global risk assessment compared to the general US physician population. Self-reported data is also difficult to interpret as physicians may have supplied socially desirable responses to survey items that differ from how they actually practice. Finally, the cross-sectional study design identifies associations but is insufficient to determine the cause of low CHD global risk assessment use amongst our sample.
Among respondents to a survey about cardiovascular disease prevention, awareness of tools to calculate global CHD risk is extremely high; however, the majority of responding physicians do not use CHD risk assessments in practice. Use of PDAs in practice is associated with greater self-reported use of CHD risk assessment. One perceived barrier to using global risk calculation is that it is too time consuming. Many physicians who report using CHD risk calculation do not use it for guiding prescription decisions or patient motivation. Taken together, these findings suggest that educational interventions and system improvements are needed to improve physicians' use of global CHD risk to support primary preventive therapeutic decisions.
Physician survey items
Do you see patients in the office or other ambulatory care setting?
Please indicate your specialty:
Approximately what percent of your work time is spent in office-based patient care?
75% or more
Which of the following best describes your office practice setting?
Solo practice
Small group practice (2-9 clinicians)
Large single specialty group (10+ clinicians)
Large multi-specialty group (10+ clinicians)
Academic group practice
Does your office practice use an electronic medical record?
In your office practice, do you use computers in the exam rooms?
Do the computers in the exam rooms have internet access?
Do you use a personal digital assistant (e.g., Palm device, iPhone) when seeing patients in the office?
This section is about global coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. An estimate of a patient's global (or overall) risk of having a coronary heart disease event can be made by combining his or her risk factors in an empirically-based equation using one of a variety of tools.
Have you heard about tools to calculate a patient's overall risk of having a coronary heart disease event in the next 10 years (global CHD risk)?
In terms of 10-year coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, at what level of risk do you consider a patient to be "high risk" for CHD events?
3% or above
10% or above
In terms of 10-year coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, below what level of risk do you consider a patient to be "low risk" for CHD events?
3% or less
10% or less
<If aware> When considering primary prevention of coronary heart disease in adults, how often do you obtain a calculation of a patient's global (overall) coronary heart disease risk?
Rarely (one to two out of every 10 adults seen for routine medical care)
Occasionally (three to five out every 10 adults seen for routine medical care)
Most of the time (six to eight out of every 10 adults seen for routine medical care)
Always or nearly always (nine to ten out of every 10 adults seen for routine medical care)
<If answered "Never" or "Rarely" above> On a scale of 0 to 5, where 0 is not at all important and 5 is extremely important, rate the importance of each of the following reasons why you never or rarely obtain a calculation of a patient's global (overall) coronary heart disease risk.
I am not familiar enough with how to use the risk calculation
I do not find it useful in practice
There are no accurate tools available for obtaining the calculation
There are no easy to use tools available for obtaining the calculation
It is too time consuming
I do not think that the calculated heart disease risk is valid for my patient population
<If user> Which one of the following do you most commonly use to obtain a patient's global (overall) coronary heart disease risk estimate?
A paper chart
A web-based application
A non-web-based computer program (e.g., spreadsheet calculator or personal computer)
A program on a personal digital assistant
<If aware> Please indicate your level of agreement or disagreement (1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = disagree, 4 = strongly disagree) with the following statements:
I find global CHD risk calculation useful.
Global CHD risk calculation improves patient care.
Global CHD risk calculation leads to better decisions about whether or not to recommend therapies to prevent heart disease events.
Global CHD risk calculation wastes time.
Global CHD risk calculation increases the likelihood that I will recommend risk-reducing therapies to high-risk patients to prevent heart disease.
<If user> How often do you tell the patient his/her global (overall) coronary heart disease risk estimate?
Rarely (one to two out of 10 adults for whom I calculate risk)
Occasionally (three to five out of 10 adults for whom I calculate risk)
Most of the time (six to eight out of 10 adults for whom I calculate risk)
Always or nearly always (nine to ten out of 10 adults for whom I calculate risk)
<If user> Thinking about all the patients you are considering for primary prevention of coronary heart disease, how often do you use a global (overall) coronary heart disease risk estimate to guide your recommendations about lipid lowering therapy?
Rarely (one to two out of 10 adults)
Occasionally (three to five out of 10 adults)
Most of the time (six to eight out of 10 adults)
Always or nearly always (nine to ten out of 10 adults)
<If user> Thinking about all the patients you are considering for primary prevention of coronary heart disease, how often do you use a global (overall) coronary heart disease risk estimate to guide your recommendations about aspirin therapy?
<If user> Thinking about all the patients you are considering for primary prevention of coronary heart disease, how often do you use a global (overall) coronary heart disease risk estimate to guide your recommendations about blood pressure lowering therapy?
In what year did you graduate from medical school? (drop-down menu)
Please indicate your sex.
In which region of the country do you practice?
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The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/12/20/prepub
This study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (KL2RR025746) as well as a Faculty Development Award to Dr. Viera from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Support was also provided by the Department of Family Medicine of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. The authors would like to thank Michelle Temple for her assistance with technical aspects of survey development and implementation and Feng-Chang Lin, PhD for biostatistical review. Funding to support open access publishing costs was supported by the Health Sciences Library and the University Libraries of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Denver, Colorado, USA. At the time of writing, Dr. Shillinglaw was a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the Public Health Leadership Program of the Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Benjamin Shillinglaw
Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Anthony J Viera
Odum Institute for Research in Social Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Teresa Edwards
Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Ross Simpson
Department of Medicine, Division of General Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Stacey L Sheridan
Correspondence to Anthony J Viera.
AJV and SLS conceived of the study. BS conducted the analyses, drafted the initial manuscript and revisions of the manuscript. TE assisted with survey design and implementation and provided critical review of the manuscript. AJV assisted with interpreting data, drafting the initial manuscript, and drafting revisions. RS provided critical review and revisions to the manuscript. SLS provided critical input on the initial manuscript and revisions of the manuscript and assistance in interpreting data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
12913_2010_1930_MOESM1_ESM.DOC
Additional file 1: Geographic regions of respondents vs nonrespondents. The table shows that the geographic regions between respondents and nonrespondents were similar. (DOC 28 KB)
Shillinglaw, B., Viera, A.J., Edwards, T. et al. Use of global coronary heart disease risk assessment in practice: a cross-sectional survey of a sample of U.S. physicians. BMC Health Serv Res 12, 20 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-12-20
General Internist
Coronary Heart Disease Risk |
Invictus 280SX is a 9m day boat with center console
Elegant day boat
The new Invictus 280SX is an 8,7m boat ideal for eclectic boatowners, who want to alternate water sports with days of pure relaxation at sea.
Invictus 280SX is the perfect yacht for people who want to share a new way of boating with their family and friends, thanks to the design of the deck and the innovative details, such as the padded edge of the cockpit, which guarantees safety and comfort.
This boat is designed to enhance contact with the sea and conviviality. Its finishing touches – such as a good-sized cockpit, in which 5/6 people can sit comfortably – turn it into a small living room on the water.
The sterndrive offers quiet propulsion, so the entire stern area can be used. There is a large range of standard equipment and customization options.
Power is provided by 350 hp engines for a top speed of 39 knots and a cruising speed of 21 knots.
READ MORE: Invictus 240CX
Posted in NewsTagged day boat, invictus, invictus 280sx, yacht |
Bodhispiritualcenter.org
The Rules of Racing and Jockeys
Horse racing is a performance sport for horses. It usually involves two or more horses ridden by jockeys and a set distance. The horse race is an exciting event to watch. Learn about the different types of horse races, including the distance and classifications. In addition, learn about the Rules of Racing and Jockeys.
Distances of races
Horse races are run over a variety of different distances. The shortest individual flat races can be 440 yards, while longer races can be two miles long. Shorter races are called “sprints,” while longer ones are known as “routes” or “staying races.” In betting, distance plays a major role in the performance of a horse.
Horse races are categorized by distance, type of racing, and history. You can learn how to handicap a race by studying the type of race and its history. You can also get tips for selecting the right horse for each race.
Jockeys involved
Jockeys play a critical role in horse racing. They control the direction and speed of the horses by riding on top of them in a saddle. They use reins and a whip to speed up or slow down the horses. A jockey must be both athletic and smart to be a successful horse rider. They also have to be fearless. They must know the horses and their competition so that they can make split-second decisions to improve their chances of winning.
The job of a jockey is extremely dangerous and can lead to life-threatening or debilitating injuries. Historically, jockeys have been male. The name “jockey” is a diminutive of the first name “John” and has been used as a generic term for a male boy or fellow since 1529. Shakespeare’s Richard III references a Norfolk jockey.
To win a horse race, you must follow the rules of the game. The horse and jockey must cross the finish line before the other horses. If they do not, the race will be declared a dead heat. If they do, then the stewards will study the photo and decide who won. There are rules for dead heat races in different countries. However, most rulebooks are based on the British Horseracing Authority rulebook.
First of all, a horse and jockey must wear helmets while racing. Depending on where the race takes place, the jockey may use a whip to motivate his or her horse to run faster. This practice is considered animal cruelty.
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Book Quotes Blog
by Deepak Kundu
7 Tayari Jones Quotes from Books
Post author By Deepak Kundu
Hello. I am Deepak Kundu, an avid book reader and quotes collector. Here is a list of 7 Tayari Jones quotes that I liked and saved from various books. I hope you enjoy reading them.
Tayari Jones Quotes
Tell the truth. Don’t try to cushion the blow. If you’re bad enough to do it, you’re bad enough to tell it.
from An American Marriage book by Tayari Jones
#an-american-marriage-quotes
A woman doesn’t always have a choice, not in a meaningful way. Sometimes there is a debt that must be paid, a comfort that she is obliged to provide, a safe passage that must be secured. Every one of us has lain down for a reason that was not love.
Maybe that’s what it means to be in love, to willingly be at the mercy of another person.
#an-american-marriage-quotes, #love-quotes
If you’re going to be black and struggling, the United States is probably the best place to do it.
When a woman shuts you out, picking the lock won’t let you back in.
There are too many loose ends in the world in need of knots. You can’t attend to all of them, but you have to try.
A man who is a father to a daughter is different from one who is a father to a son. One is the left shoe and the other is the right. They are the same but not interchangeable.
← 12 Quotes about Gold Standard from Books → 8 Mateo Askaripour Quotes from Books
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... and for whom such local educational agency is providing a program designed to meet the special educational and related needs of such children shall be the amount determined under paragraph (1) with respect to such children for such fiscal year multiplied...
Oversight Hearings on the Impact Aid Laws and Testimony on H.R. 5181 ... - Page 87
by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Education and Labor. Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education - 1975 - 169 pages
United States Code, Volume 8
United States - 1983 - 992 pages
...learning disabilities for whom a determination is made under subsection (a)(2) or (b)(3) of this section and for whom such local educational agency is providing...for such fiscal year multiplied by 150 per centum. (11) For the purposes of division (i), programs designed to meet the special educational and related...
United States - 1989 - 1324 pages
...at such agency, resided on Indian lands, as described in clause (A) of section 244(1) of this title, shall be the amount determined under paragraph (1)...to such children for such fiscal year multiplied by 125 per centum. Funds received under this section may be used to pay tuition for any student §238...
...with respect to children determined under subsection (b) of this section with respect to such agency shall be the amount determined under paragraph (1) with respect to such children multiplied by 66 & per centum. (ii) The amount of the entitlement of any local educational agency under...
Elementary and secondary education, and related programs
...in attendance at such agency, resided on Indian lands, as described in clause (A) of section 403(1), shall be the amount determined under paragraph (1)...to such children for such fiscal year multiplied by 125 per centum. educational agency of the State in which the local educational agency is located and...
A Compilation of Federal Education Laws
...designed to meet the special educational and related needs of such children shall be the amount determine^ under paragraph (1) with respect to such children for such fiscal year multiplied by 150 per centum. (ii) For the purposes of division (i), programs designed to meet the special educational and related...
Hearings, Reports and Prints of the House Committee on Education and Labor
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Education and Labor - 1975 - 1600 pages
...and related needs of such children shall be the amount determined under paragraph (1) with Nspettto such children for such fiscal year multiplied by 150...of subparagraph (A), programs designed to meet the »f«rial educational and related needs of such children shall 1*> consistent with ••T:>ria established...
Compilation of Federal laws authorizing education assistance explicitly for ...
...specific learning disabilities for whom a determination is made under subsection (a) (2) or (b) (3) and for whom such local educational agency is providing...for such fiscal year multiplied by 150 per centum. (iii) The Commissioner shall by regulation establish criteria for assuring that programs (including...
Hearings, Reports and Prints of the Senate Committee on Human Resources
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Human Resources - 1977
...specific learning disabilities for whom a determination is made under subsection (a) (2) or (b) (3) and for whom such local educational agency is providing...for such fiscal year multiplied by 150 per centum. (ii) For the purposes of division (i), programs designed to meet the special educational and related...
Part 5, Impact Aid: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Elementary ...
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Education and Labor. Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education - 1977 - 1104 pages
Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational ...
...designed to meet the special educational and related needs of such children shall be the amount determine^ under paragraph (1) with respect to such children for such fiscal year multiplied by 150 per centum. (ii) For the pur-poses of division (i), programs designed to meet the special educational and related... |
Creative Media Partners, LLC, Feb 17, 2018 - 422 pages
Publisher Creative Media Partners, LLC, 2018 |
DepressionBoston Child Study Center2018-10-04T20:11:43-04:00
Feeling down, sad, or moody are all normal parts of emotional experiencing. However, when an individual experiences sadness or irritability for a long and persistent period of time–usually several weeks–they may develop depression. An individual with depression typically loses interest in previously enjoyable activities and has drastic changes in their sleeping and eating patterns. At its worst, depression may cause an individual to lose sight of “what makes life worth living.”
Depression often occurs when an individual has experienced some kind of loss that they have been unable to address or process. Some experience depression in a severe, acute episode, while others experience a more moderate depression that persists over many years. When depressed, they tend to think very negatively about themselves and the world. For example, they may be very judgmental about themselves, feel hopeless about their future, withdraw from people they love and from interests and activities that were important to them. Unfortunately, this just exacerbates the depressive cycle, makes it less likely that the individual will experience positive things, leading to more sadness and hopelessness.
Depression is especially hard for parents to identify in youth given that moodiness and diminished self-esteem are part of typical adolescent development. However, an individual with depression may need assistance to break out of a depressive cycle. An evaluation may be necessary to determine whether they are suffering from depression, other emotional struggles, or a particularly difficult period of typical development.
Depression-oriented services at BCSC: |
If you would like to learn more about Botttos Gardens, or any of the cannabis products that we have to offer, then don’t hesitate to contact us. One of our friendly and professional team members will only be so happy to have a chat. Stay tuned to this space because not only is Botttos Gardens here to stay, but we’re also doubling down, and we’re planning on releasing a bunch of premium cannabis products in the future.
13701 Bora Dr.
[email protected] |
Regionalisation - what will it mean?
The Project vision:
"To significantly increase the reach and impact of Rotary and Rotaract in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands".
You may recall that in September, as a club we voted "yes" to the proposal for a pilot project to commence. The pilot project is now underway with the next milestone, being the April Board meeting of the Board of Rotary International. It is at that meeting that the proposed budget for the Pilot project will be assessed and approved (or not).
The pilot is planned to operate from July 2023 to June 2026 and will operate in parallel to our current operating structure which built around the concept of districts that are defined by geographical references. The over arching goal of the project is to look at how we can make Rotary service to our communities easier, simpler and the governance and administrative detail more streamlined and less time consuming - in short, how to take us into the next 100 years of service to our communities.
One of the key questions is "Why have a Regional Pilot?"
The overarching aim is to provide better and more direct support to clubs through a less layered, but more effective and contemporary structure. The ideals of Rotary are to be retained with the focus remaining on the Clubs and their engagement with each other and their communities.
In addition to potentially saving members time and money, the new structure will foster more vibrant club environments and provide doable and attractive roles that are accessible to more potential Rotary leaders.
By streamlining our existing governance structure, we will:
Allow clubs sharing geography, culture and language to organise in ways that suit them.
Eliminate duplication and remove layers of hierarchy to make Rotary nimbler and more cost effective.
Bring together the best resources from across the region and make them easily accessible to every club.
Improve communication effectiveness in order to enhance club and member engagement.
Grow membership through new club types, flexibility, and partnership options reflecting our diversity.
Attract more community, corporate, and government sector support by communicating with one voice.
Enhance leadership and personal development activities to better suit our modern world.
Foster more diverse perspectives in decision making.
Reduce the burden of administrative responsibilities placed upon leaders
Each member can monitor the progress of this project as the project maintains a central web site, with a question and answer facility. If you have a question, fill out the form and you will receive an answer. Some of the most frequently asked questions are also published on the site.
We recommend you save the link to the Regionalisation Site and periodically check in to see what is happening. You can also Subscribe to the site which means that as updates are posted to the site, you will receive a notification that there is new information to review. |
Charlotte 49ers Record: 19 - 14
UTSA Roadrunners Record: 8 - 22
Charlotte won by 18 point(s) covering the spread by 3 point(s).
UTSA lost by 18 point(s) and failed to cover the spread by 3 point(s).
Saturday, January, 14, 2023 Dale F. Halton Arena, Charlotte, NC
13 - Florida Atlantic Owls
38 - North Texas Mean Green
57 - UAB Blazers
Sat, Mar 4, 2023
117 - Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
170 - Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
177 - Western Kentucky HIlltoppers
192 - UTEP Miners
Wed, Jan 11, 2023
202 - Rice Owls
218 - Florida International Panthers |
American Cities Known For Going All Out For St. Patrick’s Day
By Hannah Pennington, Published on Mar 28, 2021
There are plenty of times we want to throw the biggest and best parties the world has ever seen. The best bit? It seems it’s true: everything really is bigger in the US, including parties. These are just some of the American cities known for going all out for St. Patrick’s Day.
Being the capital of the nation means Washington D.C. has to go all out for St. Patrick’s Day if it wants to keep people happy. Thankfully, the city doesn’t disappoint. The parade itself is filled with police, military, and fire brigades, marching bands, and oversized floats with some pretty creative characters. Even the President of the United States usually makes an annual appearance to wave at onlookers. The best bit? There are plenty of Irish bars and restaurants to refresh thought the day.
It comes to something when the city is so dedicated to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day that it dyes its famous river emerald green in honor of the day. The St. Patrick’s Day parade in Chicago, Illinois, is said to be the second biggest parade of its kind. However, that isn’t the main event of the day as thousands of people all flock to the city to witness the famous Chicago River that turns green for the day. It’s a tradition that’s lasted almost 50 years and doesn’t look set to end anytime soon. Of course, there’s also the impressive parade that marches all the way up Columbus Drive.
It might be no surprise that Boston is known for going all out for St. Patrick’s Day as there is a lot of Irish heritage found throughout the city. The best bit? The day is more than just 24 hours in this city. Party-goers can enjoy weeks of St. Patrick-themed nights on the town as nightclubs and bars love to start the party a few weeks early. They stick around all the way up to the parade to help people have the best time of their life. The parade is also on the larger side of things as floats filled with everything Irish dominate the streets for hours.
The largest and oldest parade in the world? That’s right; New York City knows how to go all out every St. Patrick’s Day as the parade is now one of the most anticipated annual events held in the city. Around 150,000 parade marchers fill the street with just about everything green as thousands of people turn up to cheer them on. That’s just the beginning as the parade is filled with bagpipers, shamrocks, and people from across the city. Anyone lucky enough to see the parade in the flesh doesn’t have to worry about a lack of things to do as the city is filled with plenty of Irish pubs.
Several American cities are known for going all out for St. Patrick’s Day. Still, some have learned how to push things even further than any of us could ever imagine. |
Barry Cleavin – A Rose is a Rose is a Rose
Barry Cleavin – A Rose is a Rose is a Rose, 1998, etching, aquatint, poupée
Posted on September 25, 2020 September 25, 2020 Full size 1417 × 2200
Published inCraig Easton – Paintings for a Black Pavilion – 25 September – 15 October 2020 |
News summary | April 2018
A news summary for Amsterdam this month …
More pressure on the local housing market | According to figures from the NVM, in the first quarter of 2018, only 1,245 houses were for sale in the whole of Amsterdam, a decrease of 20% percent compared to last year. Also the prices in the city rose almost 12 percent compared to a year earlier. (Source: https://s.parool.nl/s-a4592195/)
Amsterdam homeowners become mini-investors | Fewer Amsterdammers are selling their homes, even when they buy a new home, choosing instead to opt for a double mortage. The rental income they can get from the retained property is more that the cost of a double mortgage. Banks are increasingly helping the city’s homeowners to fund their second homes, making them private investors in the housing market. Because of this, the supply of houses for sale is decreasing even further.
The We Are Here squatters can stay in the empty homes on the Rudolf Dieselstraat until 1 June | Judges have not agreed with housing corporation Ymere’s requests to evacute the squatters immediately to allow housebuilding to continue. Support from local residents helped the case of the collective of female failed asylum seekers from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. The level of public disturbance in the neighbourhood (in the Watergraafsmeer area in Oost) was not substantial enough to merit emergency clearance. Meanwhile, the city council is working on a permanent 24-hour shelter for failed asylum seekers. (Source: https://s.parool.nl/s-a4596055/)
The new coalition of GroenLinks, D66, PvdA and SP has announced a plan for making Amsterdam a sustainable city, with all Amsterdammers required to contribute to the costs. Het Parool newspaper has shared the main points; the city has to get rid of natural gas faster, so we should expect some drastic measures over the next four years. For example, a 5% increase in the annual waste tax for Amsterdam households has been proposed. The Groenlinks leader acknowledges that they are exploring an “ambitious” program, still subject to a final decision. (Source: https://s.parool.nl/s-a4595551/)
More and more Brits want to become Dutch | Brexit has significantly increased the number of naturalisation applications in Amsterdam. In 2015 there were only fifteen Britons who filed a request to become Dutch, last year that number was almost seven times as high (102), according to the OIS, the city’s records department. They predict this trend will continue for several years. In addition, the number of new British immigrants to Amsterdam is growing. (Source: https://s.parool.nl/s-a4595554/)
Options for the first new bicycle bridge to Amsterdam North have been shared | Local residents on both sides of the IJ at Amsterdam’s Java-eiland have been able to review the various design proposals. If the Javabrug is built as planned by 2025, it is estimated that there will be up to 30,000 cyclists using it per day. This location was chosen in order to lure the traffic flows away from the Centre. Other connections to Amsterdam Noord may be added later on. There must be a decision made on the location of the Javabrug by the end of 2018. However, if the PTA cruise terminal remains, the construction of the bridge won’t be possible at all. The PTA decision will also be taken at the end of this year. (Source: https://s.parool.nl/s-a4595798/)
TunFun, the children’s underground play centre in Centrum has closed | It was ordered shut by the centrum district council as it was not fire safe. The manager had been given time to make changes and come up with a plan for improvements but the deadline had not been met, and so the “drastic” decision to order an immediate closure was made. The owner may have to apply for bankruptcy if the decision stands. The underground play park employs 28 people, and receives 130,000 visitors per year. (Source: https://s.parool.nl/s-a4595770/)
Visitor numbers to the Cobra Museum in Amstelveen have dropped sharply, and it’s survival is under threat | For example, in 2014, the museum attracted almost 100,000 people, compared to just 38,000 last year. Financially, the museum has been making a loss for a few years, with a loss of about half a million euros in 2018. Having previously displayed work by Paul Klee and Joan Miró (on loan), as well as the Cobra artists, it is thought that a lack of big name international exhibitions is a factor in the drop in popularity. (Source: https://s.parool.nl/s-a4594795/)
For more on these stories, see the links above or on our Pinterest ‘News’ board.
Sources: Het Parool / AT5 / NLtimes.nl / Dutchnews.nl.
Tagged as featured news
Amsterdam Film Show | May 2018
King’s Day for kids, in Vondelpark |
Tag: self portrait
High School Self Portraits (1994-1996)
Self-aware, self-righteous, self-confident, self-satisfied, self-centred, self loathing, self-conscious, self portrait… |
Little Miss Ann presents Math + Music = FUN! (Online)
My First Fine Arts: Video Available On-Demand
2023-02-15 10:00:00 2023-02-15 10:20:00 America/New_York Little Miss Ann presents Math + Music = FUN! (Online) Join award-winning family musician Little Miss Ann as she explores the connections between music and math in this fun 20-minute video, available to view on-demand: lib.nova.edu/YouTube. Nova Southeastern University Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center -
Add to Calendar 2023-02-15 10:00:00 2023-02-15 10:20:00 America/New_York Little Miss Ann presents Math + Music = FUN! (Online) Join award-winning family musician Little Miss Ann as she explores the connections between music and math in this fun 20-minute video, available to view on-demand: lib.nova.edu/YouTube. Nova Southeastern University Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center -
Join award-winning family musician Little Miss Ann as she explores the connections between music and math in this fun 20-minute video, available to view on-demand: lib.nova.edu/YouTube.
Join award-winning family musician Little Miss Ann as she explores the connections between music and math in this fun 20-minute video, available to view on-demand: lib.nova.edu/YouTube
Ann Torralba, aka Little Miss Ann, is a Chicago kids' musician, a former Chicago Public School teacher, an instructor at Chicago’s iconic Old Town School of Folk Music, a mom, and a first-generation Filipina American. This program is made possible with the generous support of PNC Bank.
Photo Credit: A Little Photo Studio
AGE GROUP: | Kids | Everyone |
EVENT TYPE: | Performances - Dance, Concerts & Theater | Online/Virtual | Arts & Cultural |
Mon, Mar 20 7:00AM to 11:00PM
Tue, Mar 21 7:00AM to 11:00PM
Wed, Mar 22 7:00AM to 11:00PM
Thu, Mar 23 7:00AM to 11:00PM
Fri, Mar 24 7:00AM to 10:00PM
Sun, Mar 26 10:00AM to 11:00PM
3100 Ray Ferrero Junior Boulevard,
Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33314 |
Fight for Women’s Rights in 1842, Get a Street Named After You
Posted in East Side, Emslie, tagged Nardin Academy, Shumway, women's rights on October 20, 2021| 2 Comments »
Shumway Street is a north-south street running between Broadway and Howard Street in the Emslie Neighborhood on the East Side of Buffalo.
The street is named for Horatio Shumway. Mr. Shumway was born in Belchertown, Massachusetts in 1788. Schools were hard to come by at that time in his hometown, so he prepared for college on his own. He attended Middlebury College in Vermont. After graduation, he taught school while he trained as a lawyer in Watertown at the office of Luther Bradish. In 1824, Mr. Shumway decided to go west to St. Louis. At the time, transportation westward was uncertain, precarious and in some areas, non-existent. Mr. Shumway arrived around Buffalo during a blizzard. He intended to leave Buffalo via boat for Chicago, but the lake was icebound. He was forced to wait until the lake thawed. While waiting, he decided that he really liked Buffalo and decided to stay. I guess I could have named this entry “Get Stuck in a Blizzard, Get a Street Named After You!”
In 1831, Mr. Shumway was involved in the incorporation of the City of Buffalo, which occurred in April 1832. In 1838, he was involved in a series of meetings involving the creation of public school services. When Buffalo City Water Works was incorporated in 1851, Mr Shumway was also involved.
Elected in 1846, Mr. Shumway represented Buffalo in the New York State Assembly. Mr. Shumway introduced to the Legislature the first bill to guarantee the protection of a married woman’s property rights. Mr. Shumway worked tirelessly until it became a law. Prior to this law, a husband could dispose of his wife’s property anyway he saw fit. The Married Women’s Property Act of 1848 became an important law as it served as a template for other laws across the country. While America gets much of its legal precedent from British Common Law, a similar statute was not passed by Parliament until 1882! This law created an exception to the rule that a man and a woman who were married were considered one single unit. Women who inherited land from their father’s estates were now allowed to own the property, instead of it going to her husband. After his time in the legislature, Mr. Shumway decided public life was not for him and continued his private law practice.
64 Franklin Street Source: Buffalo Times
Mr. Shumway married Mary Haywood, a member of another prominent early Buffalo family. The Shumway family lived at 64 Franklin Street. Mary Haywood came to Buffalo after her brother, Russell Heywood, had established himself in a department store at the corner of Pearl and Seneca Street. The Shumways had one daughter, also named Mary, who was one of the early graduates of Buffalo Female Academy. Mary Shumway married George F Lee. Following Mr. Shumway’s death, Mrs. Shumway and Mary moved to 299 Delaware Avenue. The Franklin Street property was sold to Miss Nardin, principal of St Mary’s Academy. Ernestine Nardin began the school on Pearl Street and East Seneca in 1857, but moved to the corner of Franklin and Church Streets in 1868. In 1890, the school moved to Cleveland Avenue. While the school was officially named “St. Mary’s Academy and Industrial Female School”, it was known around town as Miss Nardin’s Academy. In 1917, the school officially changed its name to The Nardin Academy. The house at 64 Franklin Street stood between the school and St. Joseph’s Cathedral, which is still standing. The 64 Franklin Street property was used to house the Italian nuns who taught on Fly Street at Our Lady of Mount Caramel school, just down the street at what is now Canalside.
Mr. Shumway was the first President of First Presbyterian Society, which built First Presbyterian Church. Through their work with the church, Mr. Shumway was a close friend of Jabez Goodell. Mr. Shumway was also president of the Buffalo Female Academy, now Buffalo Seminary, and helped persuade Mr. Goodell to donate the land on which Goodell Hall was built for the school. His life long interest in education was an important factor in helping to found the school.
He was also committed to helping Buffalo develop. He helped many Buffalonians establish their large estates as their lawyer, as he was so well trusted in the community that people felt he would help ensure estates were handled in the appropriate manner. Horatio Shumway died in July 1871. He is buried with his wife in Forest Lawn Cemetery. His tombstone says “faithful to every trust”.
Want to learn about other streets? Check out the Street Index. Don’t forget to subscribe to the page to be notified when new posts are made. You can do so by entering your email address in the box on the upper right-hand side of the home page. You can also follow the blog on facebook. If you enjoy the blog, please be sure to share it with your friends.
“Death of Horatio Shumway”. Buffalo Courier. July 25, 1871, p2.
Smith, H. Katherine. “Street Here Memorial to Legislator”. Buffalo Courier-Express. February 1, 1942.
“Seeing Buffalo of the Olden Time: The Horatio Shumway Residence”. The Buffalo Evening Times. April 15, 1909, p4. |
Theatre Review: ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’ at Niagara Regional Theatre Guild
November 5, 2018 / Buffalo Theatre Guide
The cast of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” at NRTG.
Interactive theatre can go one of two ways. It can be exciting for the audience, or it can be terrible for the audience. Luckily, if it is done well, the audience will be able to connect with the material and will have a great experience, and that is exactly what happens with the current production at the Ellicott Creek Playhouse, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.”
. . .a goofy good time.
Niagara Regional Theatre Guild continues their season lineup with the 1985 smash hit musical, with book, lyrics, and music by Rupert Holmes. The concept is based on Charles Dicken’s unfinished novel, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” where when he passed, he left no clue as to how the story would end, or what would come of the story’s protagonist. Holmes decided that the show would be decided by the audience and that they would vote on how the story would end, and who would be called the murderer, allowing each performance to end differently and be unique. Throwing in the Music Hall traditions of Dickens’ time, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” is a goofy good time.
Overall, the actual story of the show is not very interesting. I actually found myself getting lost a few times, but the true entertaining portion of this production are the characters that the actors play when they aren’t telling the Drood story. The actor characters are full of life and excitement, greeting the audience as they entered and getting them ready for the evening at hand.
Leading the show as Mr. William Cartwright, the chairman of the Royale Music Hall, is Fran Newton who keeps the show rolling along nicely, getting plenty of laughs, and teasing the audience with one liners and puns. Newton does a fantastic job in this role, and you can tell that he is having a great time playing for the crowd.
Playing the villain of the piece, John Jasper and the actor Mr. Clive Paget, is John Panepinto, who takes on this part of getting booed and hissed at every time he enters the stage on the chin. He has great comedic chops and has a great mug that he uses to acknowledge the audience during his scenes. He is very entertaining to watch.
Carolyn Quigley takes on the role of Edwin Drood in the piece, along with the role of Miss Alice Nutting, the famous gentlemen impersonator. Quigley is just quirky enough to pull off this part and keep the audience entertained during the dry story of Edwin Drood. We might not always know what the Dicken’s story is about, but we do know that Quigley is going to make it very entertaining, and keeps us engaged.
Notable standouts in this production go to Chris Cummings as Durdles, the groundskeeper of a cemetery who is also the comic relief in this story, and Christopher Andreana as Bazzard who gets laughs from the moment the audience enters the theatre, all the way to the final bow. These two are hilarious and will keep the deep belly laughs coming all throughout the performance.
With the characters playing the actors and the characters they are portraying in the play within the play, I would have liked to see a greater differentiation between the Drood Story and the performer. Sometimes the two just meshed together and it took a few minutes for me to realize that the actors were speaking, and that the show was not happening. A sharper change would have really let the two stand out, but overall, the show was entertaining.
If you like a good whodunnit, then you need to get to the Ellicott Creek Playhouse to see NRTG’s fun and enjoyable production of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” You won’t want to miss it!
Running Time: 2 hours 45 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.
“The Mystery of Edwin Drood” runs until November 18, 2018 and is presented by NRTG at the Ellicott Creek Playhouse. For more information, click here.
John Szablewski Reviews
Ellicott Creek Playhouse, Niagara Regional Theatre Guild, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood
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Theatre Review: ‘Sive’ at Irish Classical Theatre → |
Espresso Yourself: Habitat for Humanity
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 (8:00 AM - 9:00 AM) (MDT)
Save the Date! More info to come... |
Legal / By David J Hoare MSA / 01/16/2015 02/27/2022
Limited Liability Company – Introduction to Basic Principles
The Limited Liability Company or LLC is really a fusion of two forms of business entity status. Each has unique positive attributes and legal protections. The first is the corporation. Every state allows this form of business entity status. It basically protects (shields) the owner from lawsuits and financial recourse. The second entity status that has high positive financial flexibility is the partnership format. This entity status has so many positive tax benefits, I can’t count that high. The primary Internal Revenue Service benefit is the pass-through format of taxation. In effect, the entity is not double taxed for income tax purposes. The tax is paid at the owner level.
By combining these two forms of entity status, a hybrid entity was created. It is called the Limited Liability Company (LLC). Basically, it acts or is legally viewed as a corporation for legal and process purposes and is treated as a partnership from the IRS perspective. Every state in the Union recognizes this legal entity format but may restrict the legal name. Some states require other state agencies to authorize the entity due to the nature of the business. The most common non allowed use of this entity format is in banking. Others include trust operations, insurance carriers and endowments. Check with your state secretary for clarification of what is allowed.
In summary, the LLC brings together the corporate shield protection and the financial flexibility of the partnership arrangement. This article is lengthy due to the nature of the subject matter. It is designed to educate and guide the small business owner in their decision process. If you desire to learn more and understand the details, please continue reading.
In general, the positive features far outweigh the drawbacks of this business status formation. However, for you to appreciate the value LLC’s bring, the following section describes both the positive and negative aspects of the Limited Liability Company. In addition, I explain the tax implications and how you should address them if you desire to utilize the Limited Liability Company formation. Finally, I provide some suggestions in determining if an LLC is right for you.
Positive and Negative Features
Corporate protection to an owner is essential, especially when there are several lucrative personal assets. Many owners use this form of legal protection to separate their personal assets from the financial obligations of their business. This useful tool has a long history of shielding the shareholders from financial bankruptcy and insolvency and any legal actions as a result of lawsuits.
The partnership is absolutely the most flexible and beneficial format of business status as it relates to transferring wealth to the owners. In a partnership, the owners are referred to as partners. When the two are combined in the Limited Liability Company business arrangement, the owners gain both positive benefits.
There are a couple of terms you need to understand. In this arrangement, the owners are referred to as ‘Members’. They sign a document called an ‘Operating Agreement’ or sometimes referred to as the ‘Membership Agreement’. This document creates the relationship between all parties. This document is what provides that flexibility in financial rewards to the members. I have an entire series of articles in the legal section of this site that explains the various sections of the partnership agreement. Remember, a partnership agreement is exactly the same as a membership agreement or operating agreement except for the title and the use of the term ‘Partner’ throughout. In a membership agreement, the term ‘Partner’ is substituted with ‘Member’.
Now let’s move onto to these positive benefits.
As I stated above, the entity is a combination of two forms of business. The first is the corporation. The corporation provides the protection for the owners. Basically, each state doesn’t look at the Limited Liability Company as a partnership but treats it as a separate legal entity and grants the LLC status as a corporation. Corporation status has a long history of court precedence and legal protection for the shareholders (owners). One of the most important protections is full separation of the owner from civil claim on the corporation. The corporation provides a proverbial shield or protection for the owners. Make sure you understand this, you get civil protection. Each state defines the latitude related to criminal protection for the owners.
One of the best attributes of this limited liability relates to a civil claim for bodily injury related to gross negligence cause by an employee. You would hope this would never happen but it does. Therefore this limited liability protection is the number one benefit in creating the LLC format.
A secondary benefit is the membership structure. This form of ownership and management is highly desired especially in more professional service based businesses. It basically is an ownership structure whereby voting is based more on your financial investment and any additional value you render in services than traditionally granted in the corporation formation. In the corporation structure voting is restricted to your number of shares owned in comparison to the total pool. Basically in the LLC structure, those individuals with greater invested values and power via goodwill or education and/or experience are granted more control in determining management and the outcomes in the business operations.
The key is in the details of the operating agreement. A well drafted and executed agreement generates significantly more power to those members that bring the value to the membership.
In a corporate structure, the earnings are distributed to the shareholders equally based on the percentage of ownership. Remember I said that the LLC has a distinct benefit in that the owners can allocate the earnings in any formula they desire. Again, the membership agreement stipulates this formula. The most common elements of the profit sharing relate to a mutual interest paid on the capital account balances and then typically some form of guaranteed payments for those members that carry certain beneficial characteristics or licenses to the group. For example, if one of the members is a so called ‘Rainmaker’ then often the group will vote to extend a guaranteed payment (basically a bonus) to this member for their contribution during the accounting period. Then the group may allocate out the earnings based on certain management performance ratios or equally or even based on the number of hours of work performed throughout the year.
The value is in the ability to create any profit distribution plan to continue high performance. This is the core benefit a membership agreement creates for the respective owners.
From reading the above three positive benefits, one would think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Well, not really, there are some negative attributes associated with a Limited Liability Company.
Although a state grants you protection like a corporation, unlike a corporation which has an unlimited life, a limited liability company has a maximum life permitted. Many states limit this life to no more than 60 years. I know, I’m not going to live another 60 years. But often in the small business world, businesses’ are family owned. The parents pass the asset to the children and then onto the grandchildren. With a Limited Liability Company, you really can’t do this. Now there are ways around this, some states will reissue the name upon termination but there are problems related to title of assets and ownership issues upon the termination of a business.
Overall, this one drawback isn’t as detrimental as one would think. A lot can happen in 60 years.
Self-Employment Taxes
This is the single most negative issue related to Limited Liability Company. Self-Employment tax relates to the IRS Code. In a typical business formation, the owner is hired as an employee and the Social Security and Medicare tax are handled in the traditional payroll arrangement. But in the LLC organization the net profits are taxed with the self-employment tax. In your S-Corporation or standard Corporation existence, some of the profits are not taxed with the Self-Employment Tax. The Limited Liability Company situation affectively increases your total tax paid each year to the government.
As a side note, if the profits are less than $120,000 per member, this isn’t really an issue due to the design of taxation. It is once you exceed this value, the tax issue becomes a problem for the LLC. There are other tools to reduce the tax exposure. Those tips are incorporated in other articles.
Control Issues
The value of a well written operating agreement is critical in eliminating control issues. One of the most frustrating aspects of control is a sudden change in one or more of the respective member’s personal lives. Marriage issues, birth of children, disability, health, and even death can wreak havoc with control of an LLC. Without good meaningful clauses in the operating agreement, you are going to have problems. Some states require the LLC to terminate if one of the members dies or if the purpose of the LLC is completed.
Also, often personalities come into play with control of an LLC, especially a successful business operation. This gets back to the primary elements of any relationship; I cover more of this in The Basic Principles of a Partnership.
Now that I’ve explained the positive and negative features, I’m going to elaborate more in regards to the tax issues.
Internal Revenue Service Tax Implications
The overriding value of an LLC is the elimination of double taxation. Double taxation refers to the basic tax structure related to corporations. A corporation is recognized as a taxable entity and pays income taxes on its net earnings. When the company distributes the remaining after tax earnings to the shareholders, the shareholders again pay tax on these dividends. As I’ve explained in other articles on my site, there are several business formations that eliminate double taxation. These business formations include:
S-Corporations
Limited Liability Companies are treated as one of first three in my list. The key to which one is elected lies in the application process with the IRS. I explain this in more detail in my article: Limited Liability Companies – Step By Step Setup.
Unlike an S-Corporation, the real value of the LLC rests in the operating agreement. Income can be shifted between the members to suit performance and reward for value brought to the business by the respective member. This makes this form of existence beneficial to professional organizations such as law firms, engineering/architectural firms, and accounting practices. In an S-Corporation format, the only tool available to allocate the net income to the owners/operators is a change in the compensation packages or the issuance of bonuses.
The least desirable tax implication is of course the treatment of each of the owners as self-employed individuals. Even though you are a member for legal purposes, the LLC issues a K-1 to each member. This K-1 assigns income and this income is reported on your personal 1040 in a very similar fashion as self-employment income and taxed exactly the same way. Furthermore, this income is often assigned to the member but a good portion is retained in the business (again the operating agreement stipulates the distribution process) for financial purposes. This is referred to as Phantom Income.
Although the self-employment tax appears as an arduous tax implication, in the overall business arrangement, it really isn’t an issue. In any business structure, the most likely outcome is that the compensation package paid to the active owners exceeds the maximum taxable limit associated with Social Security (currently $118,500 in 2015). Any aggregated earnings less than this amount per member creates no additional tax burden on the respective member. For any amount in excess of $118,500, the actual marginal tax amount is 2.9% related to the Medicare Tax. In the aggregate, the worse case scenario is a 2.9% tax penalty for any earnings for each member that is assigned to them that exceeds $118,500.
Again, as I’ve stated above, a well written operating agreement can reduce this issue’s impact significantly via assignment of more interest income to the members (interest income is taxed differently than earned income). Other tools include managing the income streams and generating greater reliance on capital gains, rental income, and other unearned income as the revenue centers for the business. This shifts the classification of the income from earned to unearned income.
Is the Limited Liability Company formation right for you? The next section points out some perspectives you should consider in determining the best entity format for your business.
I see a lot of folks with the LLC designation in their company’s name. You see on trucks and documents. I often wonder what drove them to register their business as an LLC. Why didn’t they just stick to the S-Corporation or stay as a sole proprietorship? I know; a sole proprietorship has exposure to legal ramifications related to civil claims. But honestly, a good insurance policy along with an umbrella rider will pretty much nullify the effects of a lawsuit. Insurance is absolutely the best tool to reduce risk. Furthermore, if you have no wealth or real valuable personal assets (more than $50,000 of cash or cash equivalents) then what exactly will the winner of the lawsuit get out of you? Well, some attorney will tell you that the guy can attach to your future earnings. Ask the attorney if he has ever heard of bankruptcy? Because if you are in business, and you lose a lawsuit; you are going to go bankrupt anyway. Furthermore, if you are a professional, you’ll lose your license too. Future earnings is at risk no matter which business entity formation you choose.
You see, it costs money to incorporate. A traditional S-Corporation will cost about $500 to set up and about $700 and more per year to file the appropriate filings and tax returns. An LLC will cost several thousand dollars to set up due to the legal costs associated with the operating agreement. Remember, the operating agreement is the document that maximizes the financial flexibility and control issues for the business. In addition, you will also pay $700 and more per year to do the annual filings and pay a professional to prepare the tax returns.
Unlike the statements made by these so called professionals that tell you that this is the way to go because it’s cheaper and you get legal protection, its actually MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE due to the initial costs of generating a good operating agreement. A legal team will spend upwards of 30 hours documenting and wording the respective clauses. At $200 and more per hour, you do the math. That is one expensive operating agreement. The better partnership agreements I’ve read have 60 to 100 hours of work invested by the legal team to create and discuss with the respective members; so spending $15,000 to $25,000 for a well crafted document is not unreasonable.
If it’s just you and nobody else, seriously just stick to the S-Corporation if you need legal protection. If you know that you’ll bring in future partners because you are a licensed professional, then the LLC may be a better choice. Naturally, you can stick with a simple and short operating agreement because there are no other parties to negotiate with. But prior to bringing in a partner, rewrite the operating agreement and pay attention to the financial flexibility and control clauses. This is where the real value of the Limited Liability Company is created.
One final comment about all this, you are in business to generate a profit. Your goal shouldn’t be to so restrict your assets or business operations that you reduce your ability to make a good profit. There is trade off in everything we do in life. Keep your eye on the prize. Attorneys are more interested in restricting access to your assets from outside parties that it often creates too many barriers to generate a good profit or any profit. The following is a good example:
The attorneys had drafted a double tier partnership agreement whereby the fundamental assets were held by the lower tier partnership. The upper tier partnership held the controlling interest in the lower tier. An offer was made on one of the lower tier assets for a significant gain for all parties involved. It was an obvious choice to dispose of the asset and take the capital gain. The problem rested in the wording related to the sale of an asset comprising a certain percentage of the lower tier’s pool of assets. Based on the wording of the operating agreement, the lower tier general partners had to have the consent of the upper tier partners. There were over 30 upper tier partners; many had not been actively involved for several years. Well, four months later while trying to explain this to the respective parties, the buyer gave up and purchased a similar asset across the street. Now instead of a nice return on the investment, the company had competition right across the street!
This was all due to the primary goal of the attorneys to prevent a lawsuit. That part was successful, but the real reason why you are in business was negated. No profit for anyone. This means that the operating agreement actually failed in its primary purpose – to make money.
The point of all this is that Limited Liability Companies have a purpose and if exercised correctly, they can bring significant benefits to the owners. However, most businesses do not use them appropriately and therefore the actual value an LLC can bring is never harvested. These forms of entity formation are most beneficial to your more sophisticated business structures and goals. In general, they really are not the best tool for everyone. Act on Knowledge.
If you are interested in setting up a Limited Liability Company then please read: Limited Liability Company – Step By Step Setup. |
The 1099 Subcontractor
The Internal Revenue Service promulgates rules and regulations concerning the employment status of workers. In general, workers are classed as W-2 employees and certain tests must be met to have the worker classed as a 1099 subcontractor. All 1099 subcontractors should be issued a Form 1099 in January of each year for the prior calendar year of services.
What is an Audit?
Income Taxes / By David J Hoare MSA / 03/07/2013 03/01/2022
An audit is defined as a methodical examination. Audits are grouped into two principal sets – financial and organizational compliance (usually related to licensure). For the small business entrepreneur, it is almost unheard of for them to have an organizational compliance audit.
Methods to Reduce Costs in New Home Construction
Construction Industry Standards / By David J Hoare MSA / 01/30/2013 02/27/2022
There are two primary methods of reducing costs of construction. The first is cost negotiation and the second is cost shifting. These two methods have several tools in each to achieve overall price reduction. The following describes each method and the respective tools within each method that you can use to achieve overall cost reduction.
Employment Taxation / By David J Hoare MSA / 01/26/2013 02/28/2022
The Internal Revenue Service promulgates rules and regulations concerning the employment status of workers. In general, workers are classed as W-2 employees and certain tests must be met to have the worker classed as a 1099 subcontractor. All 1099 subcontractors should be issued a Form 1099 in January of each year for the prior calendar year of services. This article describes the general tests that must be met for the worker to be considered a 1099 subcontractor. |
Connecticut Health Investigative Team (https://c-hit.org/2013/08/05/females-pull-ahead-in-math-scores-in-new-haven/)
Work by High School Campers
Females Pull Ahead In Math Scores In New Haven
By M'lik Mims | August 5, 2013
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M'lik Mims
Female students in New Haven began to outperform male students in the math sections of the CAPT test in the 2010-11 school year, for the first time in five years, according to data from the Connecticut Department of Education.
From 2006 to 2010, the percentage of girls overall in New Haven schools who scored at or above the proficient level in math increased from 43.9 percent to 56.4 percent. While males previously had scored higher on the math test from 2006 to 2010, the percentage of boys who scored at or above proficiency in 2011 was 54.3 percent, with females surpassing them by 2.1 percentage points.
The better performance by females comes as national studies have shown that the two genders learn math differently, with some educational experts expressing concerns about girls trailing behind boys in math.
A 2010 study found that girls around the world are not worse at math than boys, although boys are more confident in their math abilities. The study’s lead author, Nicole Else-Quest, a psychology professor at Villanova University, said, “These results show that girls will perform at the same level as the boys when they are given the right educational tools and have visible female role models excelling in mathematics.”
CAPT results from five New Haven high schools show girls at the Sound School had the highest proficiency level in 2010-11: 84.6 percent in math, compared to 71.6 percent for males. That’s a major improvement over 2006-07, when the percentage for girls was 71.4 percent and for males was 83.1 percent.
Wilbur Cross High School also showed significant improvement for girls. In 2006-07, 34.5 percent of females achieved proficiency on the math section, compared to 36.7 percent of males. In 2010-11, females were 65.1 percent proficient, while males had a 50.6 percent rate on the math portion.
At James Hillhouse High, in 2006-07, females reached the proficient level 23.6 percent of the time on the math, while 19.4 percent of males reached that level. Five years later, 38.9 percent of females were above the CAPT standard on math, while 34 percent of the males met or exceeded the standard.
Girls at New Haven Academy outperformed males on the math section during the school year 2010-11, with 52.6 percent reaching proficiency, compared to 48 percent of males. In 2008-09, males had outperformed females 66.7 percent to 43.6 percent.
At High School in the Community, males continued to outscore females in 2010-11. In 2006-07, girls outscored boys by a margin of 27 percent. In 2010-11, females were at 21.6 percent and males were at 46.2 percent proficiency.
A 2012 study by the University of Missouri found that females and males have different approaches to learning math.
“We found that boys were more likely to call out answers than girls, even though they were less accurate early in school,” Drew Bailey, who led the study, said in a statement.
From an early age, boys tend to take a more impulsive approach to math problems in the classroom, which might help them get ahead of girls in the long run, the study suggests.
Other studies also show learning experiences among females in science, technology, engineering and math are impacted by a pattern of socialization that often differs from males, despite comparable ability.
M’lik Mims is a sophomore at Achievement First Amistad High School, New Haven.
The Conn. Health I-Team is dedicated to producing original, responsible, in-depth journalism on key issues of health and safety that affect our readers, and helping them make informed health care choices. As a nonprofit, we rely on donations to help fund our work.
Reforms Planned To Reduce Restraints, Seclusion In Schools
Legislative changes and increased training of school staff could help to reduce the incidence of children being restrained and secluded in schools, a panel of state officials said Friday at a forum hosted by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. The roundtable discussion was organized in response to a February report by the state Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) that raised “significant concern” about the frequency with which young children with autism and other disabilities are restrained or secluded in Connecticut schools.
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The Migraine Breakthrough
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Migraines have baffled humankind at least as far back as the ancient Egyptians, who blamed the excruciating headaches, and their often-accompanying visual auras and nausea, on the supernatural. Now, in a development doctors are calling revolutionary, an international group of neurologists has deciphered the mystery of why people get migraines and, in doing so, has determined how to greatly reduce their frequency and severity. The discovery “has revolutionized our treatment of migraine,” said Dr. P. Christopher H. Gottschalk, a neurologist at Yale Medicine and a professor of neurology at the Yale School of Medicine. “I’m witnessing a change in the landscape,” said Dr. Sandhya Mehla, a headache specialist and vascular neurologist with Hartford HealthCare Medical Group. “I would say this is a milestone.”
The discovery, the fruit of 40 years of research, won four scientists in Sweden, Denmark and the United States the 2021 Brain Prize, the world’s most prestigious award in neurology. |
Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce is made from soybeans and wheat flour. It is brewed according to traditional and natural methods. An ideal sauce for marinating, cooking, and dipping.
Water, salt, soybeans, sugar, wheat flour, caramel color, sodium benzoate, disodium 5'-inosinate and disodium 5'-guanylate.
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Department of Political and Social Sciences (SPS)
SPS Theses
Digital politics divide : the digital divide in building political e-practices
CALDERARO, Andrea
Florence, European University Institute, 2010, EUI PhD theses, Department of Political and Social Sciences
CALDERARO, Andrea, Digital politics divide : the digital divide in building political e-practices, Florence, European University Institute, 2010, EUI PhD theses, Department of Political and Social Sciences - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/14706
This study explores the relation between Internet and politics from a cross-national perspective of analysis. In the domain of the political sciences, the Internet has been welcomed for its potential to facilitate political practice. However, it is also commonly noted that the Internet is not equally distributed and not everybody can equally make the most of its potential. This is why the Digital Divide is perceived as the obstacle which limits the potential of the Internet to influence politics. Today, we are entering the third decade after the advent of the WWW, and the Internet is used far more broadly worldwide. We also have much more empirical evidence about Internet use. However, most research until now has concentrated on Western countries which have similar political systems, and therefore neglects a larger comparative perspective. This study empirically resizes the relation of causality between the Digital Divide and the influence of the Internet on politics. I explore how other contextual factors are determinant in this regard. In order to test this empirically, I set up a dataset tracking internet use, internet infrastructure, internet politics, blogging practices and social, economic and democratic factors of over 190 countries. Through cross-national analysis, first, I size the current status of the Digital Divide across countries. Second, I explore whether and how this scenario affects the inequalities in using the Internet for practicing politics. By following a constructivist approach, I explore not only how political parties are unequally present online across countries to perform conventional forms of politics, but also how citizens and social movements use the Internet to practice civic engagement. I pay particular attention to how people use social network organization tools to empower their own information narratives. My empirical findings confirm that the Digital Divide plays a limited role in explaining the relation between the Internet and politics. Rather, the use of the Internet to practice politics is mainly determined by the political context in which political actors operate. In this framework, the Digital Divide is only one of the several factors characterizing the national context.
Defense Date: 24/09/2010; Examining Board: Prof. Alexander Trechsel, EUI (Supervisor) Prof. Donatella Della Porta, EUI Prof. R. Michael Alvarez, California Institute of Technology Prof. Jan A.G.M. van Dijk, University of Twente
Full-text via DOI: 10.2870/2014
Series/Number: EUI PhD theses; Department of Political and Social Sciences
LC Subject Heading: Information technology; Social service -- Computer network resources; Digital divide
2010_Calderaro.pdf
Calderaro SPS PhD Thesis |
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